If you never had the oppertunity to meet Rance, known as David Jones to some, you don’t know what a friend you missed. Today, you lost the chance to find out.
He was truly something special – one of the most genuine, kind, and caring people I’ve ever met. I met him at the first security conference I ever attended – while I had always been somewhat involved with security work, I really wasn’t a member of the community, I was an outsider, and every word I said, I was painfully aware of that. Rance knew I was an outsider, and he did everything he could to make me feel welcome – within a couple days I had been introduced to everyone, and he treated me like an old friend.
Had it not been for Rance, for his kindness to a stranger, I’m not sure I would have become so active in the community.
There are a thousand other stories like this, of him going above and beyond at every opportunity – anyone you talk to that knew him has something similar to say. He was truly something special, a one of kind person that made the community better for all.
Of all that has been said about him, this, I think, is the most important:
In early December, about a month ago, I had the to perform one of the hardest tasks I’ve ever faced as a leader, letting my team know that a colleague had passed away. She was a friend to us all, and the glue that held the team together; telling them that she was gone was, without question, the hardest thing I’ve had to do in a work setting.
What made this so hard was not just what I was telling them, but my own feelings for her as a friend, and the opportunity I had missed.
SOPA, while it’s not likely to be passed as-is, I would be willing to bet money that something SOPA-like will be passed. It may be watered down with many of the most offending parts removed, but for those backing SOPA it’ll still be a real victory. For them getting it on the books, even in a weakened form means it can be tweaked (and extended) later.
There’s been an amazing resistance to SOPA, from the boycott of GoDaddy to public statements from celebrities such as Adam Savage – the public outcry against this horrid piece of legislation has been quite inspiring.
Today, something happened that made me think carefully about my platform, my time in the spotlight, and how to best leverage my position to help others. Hopefully, you’ll find this to be thought-provoking and consider your own position and how it can be used.
Your Platform & Your Responsibility As a leader, there’s an undeniable responsibility to help others. This may mean being a mentor to someone just joining the industry, or giving opportunities to someone that would otherwise not get the break they need.
When you are looking for TLS (SSL) certificates, there are three different types available, and vary widely by price and level of effort required to acquire them. Which one you choose impacts how your certificate is treated by browsers; the question for today is, are EV certificates worth the money? To answer this, we need to understand what the differences are just what you are getting for your money.
The Three Options For many, the choice of certificate type has more to do with price than type – and for that matter, not that many people even understand that there are real differences in the types of certificates that a certificate authority (CA) can issue.
A few hours ago, a Grand Jury in New York decided that the video-taped murder of an unarmed man didn’t justify a trial to determine if those, clearly seen and identified, who killed him had broken any laws. The man I speak of is Eric Garner. What struck me immediately, was the Orwellian undertones that this event has.
Grand Juries & Time Control He who controls the past controls the future.
