Personal

This page is a mix of random stuff about myself. Really its just a place to stick information that doesn't fit into the other categories on the site.

Security Conferences

I like hanging out with creative people in real life too. You read about and see pretty pictures of my adventures at 2600 meetings, Defcon, Hope, etc.. here.

Trip to San Clemente Island

Work sent me out to a nearby island for a couple of days. It was a good time and my hosts were good folks. The place itself is pretty much a desolate wasteland. Its not without its dangers, however. Apparently massive doses of radiation have produced ten story tall maneating foxes. There are tanks made from plywood and planes that make bombing runs on anything not carrying an American flag. Its also home to the most dangerous-looking area in the world. Although I wouldn't suggest a tour, good luck getting flight out there unless you are in the Navy or are a hippy with crazy ideas about saving endangered species.

On the Road

So I've finally detached from my ship (USS Carl Vinson) and am headed to my next duty station in San Diego. The last thing I did before getting out of there was finish up my Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist (EAWS) pin. Now my brother and I are driving to see the family in Texas. From there, I'll be continuing on to California. Had the pleasure of getting a flat tire and dealing with that pain-in-the-ass and expense. Along the way, we saw an old tank being transported and almost caught a decent picture of it. Also found ourselves unexpectedly driving through Salem, VA which is, of course, home to Medeco High Security Locks; I had to roll by and get a photo of the Medeco sign. After stopping in Texas to see the family, I drove to Cali. Apparently, everyone in New Mexico goes blind by law once they enter the state. Driving through CA would have been nice, but it was nasty and pouring rain most of the time.

Well, I'm on base in San Diego now and in a temporary status called "Holds". I'll get out of this Navy parody of pergatory once my school starts up in about a week. For now, the division I'm part of acts like the base's little helpers (insert your own colorful adjective here). We clean things, move things, and generally do busy-work. This division is full of folks straight out of boot camp waiting for their schools so things are pretty Hardcore-Navy(tm) around here and plenty of rules to follow. My barracks room is alright but it will be a while before I can grab an apartment out in town and get the mini-lathe set up again. There are also regular inspections to ensure that the rooms are clean and our valuables are locked up.

Bookshelf

Ok this its not really a shelf, but "bookpile" sounds goofy. I was packing today and figured some of you folks might be curious what I read. Don't keep many books around because the Navy keeps me relatively mobile. As you can see fiction is completely absent and strange interests are represented. I used to study organic chemistry and pharmacology (esp. structure-activity-relationships) before the security bug bit me. In that same vein, I have to recommend "The Secret of Scent"; its just a really excellent and random book that non-chemists can enjoy as well. Also keep a gifted Bible around in case God appears and tells me to convert. Everything else is what you'd expect (hacking, crypto, and locks) and are all very good books on their respective subjects.

JK's Deployment to Africa

The Navy sent me to Africa to help out the Army for a while. Check out this page if you're interested :-)

Transistor Tattoo

Got this thing done about 3 years ago; it is my only tattoo for now. For as long as I can remember I've been into technology and the transistor is what revolutionized that field beyond everyone's imaginations. We owe the modern world to it and I thought it'd be a fun thing to get permanently marked on my arm. The symbol is the type seen in schematic drawings of circuits. I've also been into electronics for a long time.