Well, it’s good to see that InfoSecToday is still alive and well. I’m still alive, and as far as being well, well you know how that goes… Lots of changes over the last year or so - Still married (the same one), still have a job (the same one), have two kids in college now (the same ones), but a lot less in the 401k. I’ve been through two different iPods, and am on my second Zune (a big one). It is amazing how much stuff you can cram into a space no larger than a pack of cards. More on that in later post.
One of the sad / scary / frightening highlights of the last year or so was my six week “vacation” from my InfoSec day-job. I’m not sure if you have had an opportunity to serve on a jury, but if you are ever called, please, do not try to wrangle your way out of this civic duty. Early in March of 2008, I got a rather fat envelope from the Rockingham County Court, and my first thoughts upon getting the fat envelope were “..what did the kids do this time???”. But as soon as I opened it up and saw the subject line, my skin got cold. After almost thirty years of not being called for duty, my number came up. Six weeks later (yes, six weeks in a box) we issued our verdict – Sane and Guilty of Murder in the First Degree on two counts. You can hear my 47 seconds on internet fame here announcing the verdict to the court clerk. Oh – and as to the trial? You couldn’t make this stuff up. Pick your favorite search engine and look for “Sheila LaBarre".
Tech-wise – I’m up to seven email accounts (no – don’t ask why), and I’m on Twitter, although I’m not fully sold on that one yet primarily due to the “noise” level and form-factor. If you want to some following, drop me a line, and I’ll tag you as someone I might trust. Maybe.. Con-wise, the big E-Ticket rides are a thing of the past (at least until either the economy rebounds or college costs abate), and maybe that’s not a bad thing, really? I went to my second and third ShmooCon events in the interim, and this year managed to convince my wonderful, tolerant of my whims, and now frightened out of her wits wife to come with me to ShmooCon09.
If I had to summarize the state of affairs of Information Security over the last 18 to 24 months in one word it would be “desensitization”. More to come on that thought next time…
Bill P
