Welcome to my blog!

I suppose I'd better introduce myself

The beginning

As a kid technology was a means to its own end - I learned more about how computers worked for the sake of enjoyment. Computers were something I was able to learn about with ease as there was no subjectivity in the interpretation of the way a system worked. There are always rules by which a system must operate and they were consistent - You either understood them or you didn't. So I liked having something that conformed to rules and my capability to make things happen was limited only by my understanding of those rules.

Not entirely wasted youth

To begin with, I learned more about technology and procured new and weird tech purely to try and understand it; No real practical purpose. Being a teenager I could be frivolous with my time. I was complacent. Having mastered what was asked of me in high school IT ( Microsoft Office xD ) I threw a little website together to host the java games of sites that were banned by our “RM Computers” web filter - I thought I could relax, confident that I was going to get a great grade in IT. Yeah… Turns out that “homework” they were giving me, which I ignored to pursue higher things like getting drunk in parks, contributed to my final grade and I suffered in my exam because of it. Running out of options for regular employment within IT I eventually decided to join the Army.

Any port in a storm

Like most guys within IT, I was quite introverted, The Army helped broaden my horizons and help me understand what I was capable of. My job was “Electronic Warfare Systems Operator” whose aim was to undermine the confidentiality, integrity and availability of enemy communications, in order to keep the “good guys” safe. Initially my target set used commercially available communications gear - Simple things like PTT radios operating within known bands and GSM mobile phones. After my first tour of Afghanistan prosecuting such signals, I requested a transfer to Cyprus as I was told they were doing some really interesting work - They weren't wrong! I was eventually asked to help mentor a couple of teams that were freshly created and had a lot of flexibility in their mission. It was a great place to finish my time with the Army.

The private sector

I left the Army to become a Cyber Security instructor with QA Ltd, delivering and helping to develop a whole range of courses internationally. It was a dynamic, fast-paced environment and a great change from the Army - Just what I needed. I spent 2 years with the company before leaving to work with a good friend who was tackling the challenge of forming an in-house information security capability for a business in the Northwest. It was close to home and I could cycle in on my mountain bike - about 12 miles a day. I helped form the technical processes and policies that would govern much of the day-to-day operation of the analysts but I yearned to return to a research-focussed role.

Now

This brings me to the current day. I work for an information security testing and training firm called NotSoSecure. I always enjoyed teaching their courses so I grabbed the opportunity to join them with both hands. My role will be focussed on training, delivery and course development. I no longer see technology simply as a means to its own end, I see it as a tool for the liberation or subdugation of mankind. I believe that automation has the power to provide for all of humanity's needs however it also has the power to allow some control over the rest of us. This in turn lead to me giving a damn about politics since the ideology of leaders we place in power now will weild that very power to liberate or subdugate as has never been seen before.

So what kind of stuff am I going to post about here?

All kinds of geekery! Everything from drone footage to technical research and the creation of small deployable gadgets. I like raspberry pi projects and have a few I've been meaning to get around to creating. Any projects I complete will be accompanied by decent documentation to allow others to follow along and hopefully give back to the community and the next tech-enthusiast kid who pursues tech as a means to its own end.