Conversations with a Ghost | A True Story of the Architects of the Digital Unknown This is a true story based upon my work in artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity research. Names and roles have been generalized to protect individuals and systems. It is written for the ones who stayed
The Trunk Monkey Effect | Why Suppressing the Right People Backfires
Meet the Trunk Monkey Every organization has its high-profile leaders, its visible innovators, and its front-facing experts. But in the background, often underestimated, overlooked, or even outright suppressed, are the true force multipliers. These are the people who see the threats before they happen, fix the unfixable, and step in
Hunterstorming is the New Rickrolling | Origin Story
Hunterstorming Is the New Rickrolling A parody of the original rickrolling phenomenon, hunterstorming is taking the world by Storm! Hunterstorming is the new rickrolling. Dive into this article to learn more about this hilarious Internet karma phenomenon. What is hunterstorming? It is a harmless and humorous Internet prank that is
How to Avoid a Social Media Ban
How to Avoid a Social Media Ban (Unless You Want One, in Which Case, Make It Count) Ah, social media, the digital Wild West where you can share your thoughts, connect with like-minded people, and accidentally step on a landmine that gets you booted faster than a cat video goes
Predictive Text Could Not Predict This
Reflecting on Unpredictability and Welcoming the New Year Do you ever look back at old posts and think, “Wow, I didn’t even know what was coming?” That’s exactly what happened when I saw this one, reminding me that I was unpredictable to predictive text. This one still makes me smile.
How Internet Pranks Became the Blueprint for Psychological Warfare
From Internet Shenanigans to Strategic Tradecraft Early Internet pranks became psychological warfare (PsyOps) in the modern era. Here’s how it happened. In the mid-1990s, a handful of us early internet users were just having fun. We weren’t thinking about intelligence, warfare, or large-scale influence campaigns. We were experimenting, messing around,
The Ghosts of IRC | How Early Cybersecurity and PsyOps Pioneers Crossed Paths Without Knowing It
The Ghosts of IRC | How Early Cybersecurity and PsyOps Pioneers Crossed Paths Without Knowing It In the early days of cybersecurity and psychological operations (PsyOps), an entire generation of professionals, hackers, cryptographers, and intelligence analysts unknowingly crossed paths in underground forums, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) channels, and obscure message