No Longer Lost
Midjourney-generated image
While I was recently unemployed, as of the beginning of August I am now employed again (for the curious, NinjaOne). I had considered retirement simply because that was an actual option, but even then I knew I would have been consulting on the side because I simply love being a nerd. But this new job will allow be to really nerd out and be all kinds of “security” which was why I wanted to do it. I did have a nice couple of months off, and I worked on a few odd projects here and there. Some are completed, some are not.
Computer Security Related
Here are a few highlights:
Quantum Safety Check. While written earlier in the year and a decent release was done last May, there was an update with some minor security fixes. I also really started looking into the results of the scan, and released a blog post on configuring a couple of common services.
Bash Prompts. I had been working on a couple more, polished them up a bit, and added them to the existing ones. Don’t ask me why, but I find it relaxing.
NMRC Cryptographic Standard. This one has an interesting history. There was an early unpublished version that I copied and used at my last job which was published publicly. I actively maintained it up to and including an update to it a mere three weeks before I was laid off. During my time off I revised and updated the NMRC version to the point that it is extremely up-to-date. The NMRC version (after some editing) will form the bulk of a brand new policy for my new employer. And of course anyone else can copy and paste it into your own company’s policies.
Overall Documentation Updates. I spent the most time on the Cryptography Standard, but I started going through the update process of other NMRC documentation. This will continue - as one might guess, this is a task that will never be completed.
Green Energy
If you know me or follow this blog then you are aware of my emphasis and pursuit of green technology. To continue down that path, I started a new project in that area.
Off grid shop. I have a decent-sized wood shop in the backyard, with a 50 amp circuit running from the house to power it. The new plan is to DIY the installation of solar panels and batteries so the shop can function entirely off grid with the house-fed 50 amp circuit permanently disconnected. I’ve completed part of step one in that a friend who has a local business took over a previously occupied warehouse. It had been used by a solar install company that went under, and he found a stack of cosmetically damaged solar panels. He gave me five of them! Next step is to purchase wiring and batteries so I can at least test them to ensure they are in good working order. When I say “new plan” I should probably say “old plan revised”. The original idea for taking the shop off grid was proposed a while ago (scroll down to find it).
More to Come
I have a few other projects that I will write dedicated blog posts on, and for those that follow me here already know, I am writing a memoir that focuses on all of the strange stuff in my life (minor preview from an older blog post). The rough draft is officially completed and I’ve had a close friend read it over and has “fixed” a lot of the grammar and general wording to make me sound smarter than I am, so it is ready for an agent/publisher at this point. I’ll keep everyone updated as things progress!
