Treat communication like a piece of art - it has to be able to communicate without you being there to explain it.  

The other day I went to order a pizza from the local place that I like. I learned they were getting ready to offer Delivery! Sweet! When I asked how I go about this, they explained I have to order and pay on the web site.  While I consider myself a somewhat savvy computer user, I could NOT figure out how to get myself the magic of pizza delivered to my door from their shop.  I got frustrated because I felt I should be able to make this work. So in my angry state, I went to drive over there and instead cut someone off as I was leaving my neighborhood.  Not a good start.  I locked eyes with the person as I drove by and their look let me know I had not impressed them.

I then turn the corner an notice a person walking down the street who was shouting and waving his arms above his head, yelling at... nobody. No one I could see, anyway.  (Didn't see bluetooth, either) I couldn't look away ... and he locked eyes with me... and proceeded to SPIT on my car as I passed him!  THAT caught me off guard.  This is when I began to wonder what had come over me and everyone else and it hit me:  Why is Everyone so angry!? 

Did the feeling just sweep over all of us?? How would that even be possible.  No matter the cause, I decided to slow myself down and take a moment to breathe.  I began to think about why we might all be angry... the answer might just be: that communicating simply and clearly isn't as easy as it should be. I know I use lots of words... It's just who I am. I work to reduce the size of the shared stories, it's just that the details are important (to me) and leaving them out might reduce the impact of what is trying to be shared.  

There are lots of reasons we all get upset and this episode aims to discuss some thoughts on the subject.  If you'd like to reach out, chat about this, or offer constructive feedback, please look for SciaticNerd on Twitter and Reddit.  Thanks so much for listening.

I used to travel for a living and would marvel at how far you could go before running into someone you know.  The problem with that concept is that I was a pretty serious social butterfly.  Combine a love of caffeine with the gift of gab and a go-along-to-get-along personality... and it turns out you get to know folks.  Lots of folks.  At least that's how it worked for me. Your mileage may vary. What I'm getting at is, that in and around my 'local' community, I began to run into people I would recognize... frequently.  While there might be more clinical terms, I used to jokingly call this phenomena, "Small World Syndrome." It's the act of no matter how far away you go, you aren't as far as you think. 

This isn't surprising in the context of going to the same corner market every morning... I'm talking about running into people while out and about... heading to different places at for dinner on the weekends.  Or going shopping for school clothes and running into someone you used to work with... It stands to reason that this is just random chance, but what are the odds that you run into people over and over ... further and further away from home? To turn things around... How far could you go and not run into someone you know?  

One time, on a spring break trip, I was out of state and ran into a friend's kid on a band trip. In another instance, I was traveling for work, on what might as well be the other side of the planet, and ran into my college professor's teacher. WHAT ARE THOSE ODDS?!? In yet another situation, a random chance meeting while working on a final project for school led to helping old friends to re-connect. This leads back to the other story thread for this episode: The interconnectedness of things.  I might have just made up a word... Oh well.  Anyway - All of this Small World Syndrome got me thinking about how things can 'touch' in amazing ways. Isn't that how people meet, projects start, and things like Security B-Sides happen? The thing to focus on from these stories is: What if building new connections for yourself could lead you to new adventures? or work opportunities? or personal growth?

Granted, you have to know what it is you are looking for, but that is another conversation.  Thanks for listening.

If you're interested in offering (constructive) feedback, try twitter or reddit and look for SciaticNerd. 

The strangest of beginnings

Heads up - this is long winded... and personal. This is partly for my own reflection - partly to some of these thoughts out of my head - and partly as a sleep aid to the weary. No, self deprecation aside, I hope this helps someone else reflect on their own experiences. Just know that these recordings are my own idea and are not those of anyone else... employers, groups.. just my own thoughts.

If you've listened to this podcast before, you might already be aware that not all people are wired the same way. Some write. Some play sports. some play with dolls... and some seek to get all of those people together to try their hand at storytelling in the form of video or film. Still others... others become interested in how things work... how information moves or is interpreted.. sometimes over distances, and sometimes between other people. 

I learned at an early age that I had more than a passing interest in stories that involved folks who HAD these interests. Being a child of the 70s and 80s, my first exposure came in the form of movies. 

A) Movies
  1) Cosmos
  2) Tron
  3) Wargames
  4) Sneakers 
B) Books
  1) Hackers - A book by Steven Levy, called Hackers was my introduction that felt like more of a gateway drug
  2) Cuckoo's Egg was a completely different story 

It leads to interest in Intrigue, espionage.... the world of the Sekret Squirrel.. and other wild fantasies that people who want to be interesting aspire to.
It's all a matter of perspective.  For some who haven't experienced it, seeing the life of someone who travels for a living might seem exciting: 
  * Always on their way somewhere
  * Has stories of other places
  * Generally has a different view of things than local people
From the other side of the fence, it could be a very different story:
  * Lack of downtime
  * Misses friends, family, and others
  * Always having to manage travel details and complications

It's just a matter of perspective. 

A much wiser friend of mine once suggested, "Keep in mind, you never know what someone else is going through." So next time it seems like things are tough, it's worth making time to listen to what other people are going through. Maybe you'll realize how much better you have it? Maybe you'll appreciate another point of view.  Maybe you'll get ticked off. Point is to recognize that more is going on in the world that just your story and to have some compassion, that is, if you ever hope someone might have some for you.  

Anyway - all of this is preface to todays topic: Finding your pack. 
How do you know? 
How do you know when you've found one of those things?  Not like, over the weekend I'll get together and play with some friends versus... One of those things where you're so interested, you think about changing your name and running away to pursue it?

It's commonly heard that we live in a world of Instant Gratification... and snowflakes... and What's a "Safe Space, anyhow?"  Maybe this is another version of going to school, uphill, both ways, in the snow, without oxygen!!  Or maybe it's not... What do I know? 

I've come to understand this one simple truth: The only person I'm competing with or against, is myself.  Each and every day. Yeah, sure, the Joneses might have something that I don't, but so what? Growing up, I wasn't the easiest kid in the world to motivate.  There might be fancier ways of saying it now, but my parents basically said I was stubborn and only did what I was interested in doing. For example, in school, I was always behind, didn't have my homework, and really didn't seem to care if it got done, either. What's a concerned parent to do?

In my short life I've learned the power of the simple act of denial. Here are three stories that are meant to illustrate this point:
1. Getting into SUNY
2. Photography degree
   A. Took the Easy way out
   B. Access to great tools
   C. A warning and a challenge
3. InfoSec and the challenge for education
   A. Initial degree becomes a problem
   B. The trouble with promises
      1. Miscommunication
      2. In the end, who are you doing this for?
          a. What did learn about other people?
          b. What did I learn about myself?​