IE7: Of Time & Standards
While I’m not a huge fan of Internet Explorer, I am quite impressed with the progress the IE team has made. IE7 stands to be the most impressive release so far, with many rendering issues resolved, rather impressive security advances, and a great many improvements on the standards compliance front. I must applaud both the team, and Microsoft for making these moves. By focusing on standards, instead of proprietary features that degrade the experience for everybody, developers can work towards a unified web, free of browser discrimination and hack filed code.
Read more…Rebuilding My Network
Over the next three months or so I plan on more-or-less rebuilding all of my computers, and the network they sit on. This is going to be a fairly time consuming process, though I expect should be well worth it. This includes the addition on a couple new computers, as well as new hardware for the existing ones. Among the various changes is the move to a rack-mount environment, away from normal tower cases.
Read more…Microsoft Virtual Server: Free
Microsoft recently moved to release their Virtual Server 2005 software for free. This is a somewhat unexpected, yet not surprising move by the software giant. With the fairly recent move to release a free edition of VMware Server, as well as recent strides in the Linux Virtualization space; the pressure on Redmond to deliver is clear. This is a major step, and could have an interesting impact on the market. I’m wondering if we won’t see another Media Player vs.
Read more…Superstars & Monkeys
I really enjoy what I do, and though I work in a chaotic environment, I really do love my job. Being in the Software Development industry has some really nice perks, being a developer in today’s world really is a great thing. Development isn’t easy though, it is quite mentally demanding; clear focus is of paramount importance. Without absolute focus, progress will only be a dream. This fact is a key player as to what makes being in this industry so great.
Read more…VB: The dumbing of a Great Language
Visual Basic is at an interesting crossroads, it’s at a critical juncture between two paths. One path, it has followed since its earliest days, where simplicity and ease of use ruled over maintainability and solid design. The other, the longer, harder road, is that of design over ease. With the release of Visual Basic .NET, a major shift occurred in the direction the language is taking, though looking back now, nearly 5 years later, I’m finding myself concerned for the future of the language.
Read more…Look who’s blogging now…
A good friend of mine (as well as co-worker), Laura, has just went live with her new blog. If her other work is any indication, I’m sure we’ll be seeing some real gems from her.
Advanced .NET Programming
Advanced .NET Programming, by Simon Robinson This is a book I picked on clearance at the local Books-A-Million, being targeted at the 1.0 release of the Framework I was aware it was rather dated, though it was still a decent looking book (and it was cheap). The author doesn’t jest when he uses the word advanced, this is an in-depth book. While I tend to be forgiving of small typos in books, this book has an unforgivable number of errors.
Read more…1TB File Server, $500
The price of storage has been steadily dropping over the last several years, and this is the latest example: A Complete Terabyte File Server For About $500 – Yep, you read that right, a custom 1TB file server, in the $500 range. While I’m not sure what I could do with that much storage (I remember saying that when I picked a 1.25GB drive over a 1.5GB, saying I’d never need it), but it’d be nice to have.
Read more…MCTS
I think I’ve set myself up for an interesting adventure, I’ve decided to shoot for the MCTS, also known as “Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist” – and I’ll be taking the tests without a single guide book. Yep, you heard that right, no test study guide. Now, if I were you, I’d be asking “Why?!” – well, there are none. The tests required for the MCTS are so new, no books have been published on them.
Read more…Server Move
This site now has a new home, on a Linux/Apache box where it should have been from the beginning. When I built this site, I put it on my Windows server with the idea I’m slowly move to an ASP.NET solution, away from WordPress. Well, after realizing what I was missing (i.e. .htaccess files) I decided to go ahead and move it to my Linux server. This will allow for some nice changes, here’s a couple:
Read more…
About Me
Security researcher, engineer and software developer with more than 20 years of experience.
Work: I primarily focus on application security, usable security, secure communications, and cryptography. I build and lead strong and dynamic teams, who cover all facets of security and privacy.
Writing: I write about my research, security in general, development and software design, and leadership through my blog, essays, and various publications. I also engage in some creating writing when I can.
Photography: I am a purist fine art photographer, working primarily in black & white, and focused on sharing new perspectives of the world. Limited edition prints of my work are available on my online gallery. I also have a background in photojournalism, and volunteer in this field when I can.