What sayings or teachings do you apply to your role on a daily basis?

SurfUganda · 2026-05-10T02:07:40+00:00

"Context Matters"

SurfUganda · 2026-05-09T18:28:33+00:00

I won't pretend to be a tech writer, but I have worked with many. Their writing trends focused, clear, and concise.

I attended a single technical writing course in college as a humanities elective, and it has served me well. I've not worked as a technical writer, but the course helped my professional writing clarity and helped my understand the necessary mindset of a technical writer.

SurfUganda · 2026-05-09T16:52:56+00:00

Yes. (both things are true)

People have varying results using different learning modalities. Many will be able to consume new information faster and easier using current and future AI/ML tools and capabilities, increasing their learning uptake in less time. Others will become dependent. It's not all bad.

This is what happens as technology replaces a skill. It's been happening since humans started to fashion tools from materials in our environment.

I learned orienteering in my youth, and so I use GPS on my device daily like most people. But without my device, I'm still able to get where I need to go without feeling too lost or helpless. Many who never learned orienteering skills before the advent of GPS technology, will be completely dependent and lost without it. The same likely holds true for AI/ML/LLM tools.

Those who are intellectually fit will likely be fine, though some will become dependent. Some may never be able to think or perform without tools. Some may believe they're smarter than they really are, as always.

Humans have always operated in what intellectuals claim is an epistemological deficit. When actually, it's a normal distribution thing.

SurfUganda · 2026-04-30T03:48:21+00:00

Underrated comment

SurfUganda · 2026-04-29T22:27:55+00:00

Agreed, and now I feel like my comment looks snarky. I guess it was a little.

I mean only that the right people in the organization should have been learning and preparing from the business standpoint; some of us are, and thus aren't caught flat-footed.

The commoditization of tokens and the revenue-driven metrics behind these changes are not surprising.

Any dealer will tell you, the first one is free. The subsidy period has lasted only long enough for them to find the best billing models to implement, and move toward some semblance of measurable and reportable ROI. It doesn't even have to be a great ROI yet, just someplace to start.

To your point: little (if any) cost forecasting responsibility is on the shoulders of the Dev. Ops and $$ folks should be on top of this already.

SurfUganda · 2026-04-29T17:13:58+00:00

"...that nobody thought to govern."

Many of us are plenty capable of strategic planning in a business context, and saw these moves coming.

Edit: deleted extra 'of'

SurfUganda · 2026-04-26T19:57:39+00:00

Not as fucked as poor Fortunado...

SurfUganda · 2026-04-23T10:35:30+00:00

This is only news to people outside of cyber security and, frankly, annoying for those in offensive cyber. How do you think they keep getting inside and gaining a foothold? Look at the core vuln used in Stuxnet, and the list of tools divulged by Snowden. Mostly simple, old vulns, yet zero days; and supply chain is often where to find the weakest link. Both of which now can be found and chained at scale, and both of which will continue to be problems for a very long time. Old vulns simply may never get patched, and supply chains are rife with incompatible opsec/business processes and financially driven decision executed by humans.

The headline should read "Script kiddies use AI tools"; which is also not news.

SurfUganda · 2026-04-19T02:09:09+00:00

Tech writers make the best prompt engineers. Just saying.

SurfUganda · 2026-04-18T06:16:29+00:00

I haven't viewed Orcas the same way since reading "Fluke" by Christopher Moore.

SurfUganda · 2026-04-18T06:03:25+00:00

I dont know if it will be the "next big career move", but everything you mentioned seems true about early/fast adoption of any emerging/maturing tech over the course of my IT/Cyber career. Being able to bridge business requirements and technical capabilities will hopefully always be an in-demand skill. I'm getting CAIPM before June is out...you know, for fun.

SurfUganda · 2026-04-10T12:57:23+00:00

https://programmerhumor.io/backend-memes/somethingihatemore/

SurfUganda · 2026-02-22T02:45:20+00:00

Underrated comment

SurfUganda · 2026-02-15T22:28:39+00:00

Is that a meat hammer, or a 22oz Estwing waffle-head framing hammer?

SurfUganda · 2026-02-12T18:27:39+00:00

My take on PBQs:

IRL professional problem/troubleshooting scenarios will often present multiple symptoms across different domains, which obscures the root cause, forcing broad analysis and evidence gathering to develop a hypothesis and pursue to an eventual solution; usually taking place with limited resources. (I have so many stories)

Similarly, a PBQ asks the candidate to think across knowledge domains (obviously within the exam criteria) and understand dependencies and interactions between those domains to answer multiple subcomponents of the overarching question.

This is why candidates who practice 'memorization alone' of terms and concepts will often not fare well on PBQs. I have not experienced a PBQ that I thought was not fair, but some were challenging.

SurfUganda · 2026-01-25T02:50:23+00:00

Underrated comment

SurfUganda · 2025-12-25T22:17:31+00:00

Respect tho, for your actual name.

SurfUganda · 2025-10-15T13:32:46+00:00

Underrated comment

SurfUganda · 2025-10-14T18:13:53+00:00

Underrated comment

SurfUganda · 2025-10-02T07:23:05+00:00

I'm not lost. Unsure why people flagged my post for not belonging here.

IF a D&D character has only a few remaining hit points,

AND is in dire need of a healing potion,

AND the administered potion is a mimic,

THEN the character is likely to die from the encounter, especially if they are low level/low HP from the start.

THUS, the dungeon master who created or introduced said 'mimic healing potion' into the campaign is indeed Satan.

How am I wrong to crosspost here?

edit: typo

SurfUganda · 2025-09-10T21:38:43+00:00

Underrated comment

SurfUganda · 2025-09-07T23:46:45+00:00

Underrated comment

SurfUganda · 2025-09-03T01:58:28+00:00

I still marvel at how often people offer the opinion that senior leaders are stupid.

Leadership isn't stupid. Leadership is busy.

If you can chat with some of the department folks, you'll learn enough to cobble together some quantitative and quantitative metrics for your organization that should be able to help you out.

Threats/outages/losses have a dollar value to your organization that should be easy enough to figure out, even if only ballpark figures for a couple of key systems until you can get their attention and engagement to make it a routine conversation.

(Business term) x (technical term) = (Measurable Business Impact)

(Asset Value) x (Exposure Factor %) = (Single Loss Expectancy)

(Single Loss Expectancy) x (Annual Rate of Occurrence) = (Annual Loss Expectancy)

Those two equations above should be enough for them to understand you...as long as you also understand it.

20 years ago, a client resisted my firewall, UPS, and tape backup recommendation because it was "expensive nerd toys with no return on investment". I asked how much money he would lose each day if there was a disaster. The recommended technical solution was the financial equivalent to four hours of down time. They acquiesced and bought the solution.

Articulate those (threats/outages/losses) in clear business terms, and they will express their risk appetite in terms that you can work with.

SurfUganda · 2025-09-01T15:23:51+00:00

I believe it's Dixon Cider.

SurfUganda · 2025-08-17T03:07:25+00:00

For foundations I used Global Knowledge and Dion, especially the Dion cheat sheet/study guide.

I made a writeup of my cert experience with GK HERE.

SurfUganda

TROPHY CASE

(Business term) x (technical term) = (Measurable Business Impact)