musings

  • Best of 2012

    Two free very useful products this year…

    Xubuntu: Ubuntu is the best of all words in a desktop Operating System. Unfortunately the Unity desktop environment has ruined the product. I know a few folks who like Mint, but Xubuntu is everything I love in Ubuntu without the Unity so it wins. The stripped down interface consumes much less resources while maintaining it’s simple usefulness. Xubuntu easily makes my list this year.

    VirtualBox: The real value in VirtualBox is that it is a stable virtual environment that works well on Xubuntu. I run 3 to 4 simultaneous virtual machines on my Xubuntu laptop and I’ve never had a problem with interfaces, unsupported hardware, etc. Oracle has done a fine job of maintaining  VirtualBox which is fast becoming a default install for anyone working in security.  

  • Circuit Lab

    Neat concept: “Sketch, simulate, and share schematics”

  • Middle Management

    There are five core attributes that contribute to a manager’s success. They are (in no particular order): 

    1. Patience

    2. Empathy 

    3. Enablement

    4. Feedback prone

    5. Results driven

    A great manager strives to understand people. Part of that process is patience. This characteristic can be honed with discipline and it compliments attribute #2, empathy.

    We all know people who attempt empathy, but it ends up manifesting as condescension. Real empathy breeds motivated and loyal employees. It’s also handy when conflicts arise.

    Enablement means providing employees with the necessary tools for success. It means proactively assessing employees needs, improving on those needs if possible, and then moving out of the way. 

    Feedback doesn’t mean constant hand holding. A quality feedback loop allows employees to self-assess more accurately which leads to higher job satisfaction in the long run. Positive feedback will often do more for work place morale than any amount of monetary compensation ever could. Negative feedback is also important, but patience and empathy will allow a great manager to focus on changing future actions, behaviors, scenarios, etc. instead of focusing on the past. Employees need to be informed about errors in order to solve them. 

    The first four attributes are centered on the employee because true management is a people business. The fifth attribute is self-explanatory. A great manager must focus on the results that drive the organization’s continued (hopefully) profitability. 

  • South Korea

    You have to admire South Korea and their work ethic. This country of 50 million people has managed to produce brands that stand for affordability and quality. Companies like Samsung and Hyundai are poised for global consumer domination.

    This morning I was reading “Why Samsung Is The Next Apple” and it’s true that Samsung televisions and phones are experiencing increasing demand as are their new Ultrabooks. Yet Samsung isn’t the only South Korean company on the rise. Hyundai is the perfect example of another South Korean company determined to corner the market. 

  • The Best of 2011

    Two days into 2012 my reflections on the best of 2011 are agressively short. 

    1. Roku - The Roku player continues to deliver and undoubtedly folks will develop ”channels” (tweaking a website for optimal viewing really) for this specific platform. 

    2. XyliBox - @Xylit0l (Steven) does a phenomenal job updating this threat intelligence blog with timely and useful information. I read a lot of blogs and this one consistently delivered in 2011. Check it out: http://xylibox.blogspot.com/

    3. Dwolla - @Dwolla (dwolla.com) appears to have innovated a clean and practical alternative to the current merchant/credit card purchase relationship. I’m truly rooting for these guys in 2012 and beyond. Savvy merchants should sign up and encourage their customers to do the same. 

  • Best of 2010

    To succeed in the information security industry you have to love learning. I mean you really have to enjoy the process and the end result of knowledge seeking. I enjoy resources and tools that make this process fun and more efficient. This brings me to my 2010 list of newly discovered tools and one entertainment site.

    The iPad is a great resource for reading and studying. It has a nice bright back lit display that can keep me reading into the wee hours of the morning (read more about the insomnia). I know the Kindle DX allows for reading in direct sunlight, but honestly I don’t want to take my e-reader to the beach as much as I want to be able to read at night in the dark without needing to attach an annoying book light. The iPad screen does tend toward a constant smudgy state, especially if I turn the e-page in a different spot every time, but overall this device is super useful for information digestion especially since Amazon’s Kindle application makes book retrieval instantaneous. The Kindle app  gives me the ability to make notes and highlight passages as I read. This is especially useful when I finish a book and review all of my notes for clarity or I have a question at a later date. This is especially useful with technical books. The only problem I have with the iPad is the distraction that comes with Internet connectivity such as email, Twitter, and games (somehow I’ll deal).

    The best learning website of the year (there is an iPhone app as well) has to be Khan Academy. A friend turned me on to the site and I was impressed. Mr. Khan has built a truly remarkable website full of information that is easily consumed. The testimonials are fun to watch and the videos are just the right length. So many brilliant mathematics professors are terrible teachers. Middle school/high school teachers also tend to fail at relating the material to students and many children become alienated from the subject altogether. Mr. Khan certainly reverses the trend. I hope Mr. Khan will cover OOL programming at some point!

    Last on my list is entertainment. One word. Netflix. Direct streaming of an HD movie over WiFi is the holy grail and Netflix is doing it best. While the title selection for immediate streaming isn’t stellar, I think it will be better in the coming months. At the moment I don’t want to shell out for the new Apple TV. I like the fact that I can connect my iPad to my HDTV (iPad —>VGA connector/audio jack out—>HDMI converter box—>HDMI input—> HDTV) and stream a movie whenever I feel like (I can’t say the same about iTunes) or use my Roku box. With Blockbuster now in bankruptcy the future of HD movies is clearly instant delivery. I know the movie studios are scared to cannibalize their existing delivery channels (say bye bye to DVD and BluRay), but this future is inevitable and kudos to Netflix for making it happen in style.