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2000 words, 10 minutes. Attack Surface Reduction “Out of every hundred men, ten shouldn’t be there, eighty are just targets” Heraclitus 535 - 475 BC. My posts on Winning Systems for Cyber Security Practitioners are my most popular. In them I attempt to change your perspective on the relative importance of products and skills in securing what’s precious to you. I make the case for using systems (in the broadest sense of the word) not goals. »

1750 words, 9 minutes. “Who rules East Europe commands the Heartland. Who rules the Heartland commands the World-Island. Who rules the World-Island commands the world.” - Sir Halford Mackinder, Democratic Ideals and Reality. 1919. Do you work in technology, are you building a company? You should think about how your product or service fits with the wider world, because aligning with large movements is a winning system. Amongst my tweets on Cyber Security, Product Management, and company building, I occasionally mention International Relations or Geopolitics. »

2500 words, 12 minutes. Here I describe a lemma1 or helping theorem for technical compliance of IT with a focus on Information Security. It’s an approach for all compliance regimes whether regulatory or corporate. It doesn’t date, nor is it predicated on a technology or platform. It isn’t a trick. It doesn’t provide cover for inadequate security or incompetent staff. If you’re looking to evade compliance, disguise incompetence, or shirk accountability then you’re in the wrong article. »

1000 words, 5 minutes. “But how was one to explain repeated instances of derisive laughter at melodramas and films that hardly set out to be funny?” - Prof. Eric Rentschler1 Out of place laughter is an anarchist in the dark. Someone who refuses to let the film cast its spell. Imagery is important. Moving or still. Whether it be religious iconography, depictions of national myth, a coat of arms, a rallying military standard, your company’s brand, or something as incidental as clip art. »

2200 words, 11 minutes. “In 1882 I was in Vienna, where I met an American whom I had known in the States. He said: ‘Hang your chemistry and electricity! If you want to make a pile of money, invent something that will enable these Europeans to cut each others’ throats with greater facility.’” - Hiram Maxim. Selling arms during an arms race is such an interesting topic it warrants its own post. »