RUN TCP/IP | Morgan Lucas is Tech Blogging

 Possibly the longest post title ever on this blog.   I grew up with the internet. It was easy to be fooled back then. Nigerian Princes. Chain Letters. Bonsai Cats (do not look that up).  It's - arguably - easier now. Entities are trying to sell you something, get you to buy into crypto, NFTs, or AI, or make you believe something that furthers their interests.  Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online by  Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg walk through how old techniques fall short of the new internet.   (Many of these entries are slight alterations from my LinkedIn posts on the subject while reading. This is not a review, just some thoughts.)  -----   Caulfield and Wineburg introduce the SIFT method;   Stop  Investigate the Source  Find Other Coverage  Trace the Claim to the Original Context I particularly like how, early in the book, 'Stop' is accompanied by ask...

  I can open any email in 2024 and have it mention AI. Today, I've opened one from NameCheap and every bit of copy is mentioning some other AI ('clever captions'...captions should be understandable first and foremost) . I'm not in the business of being against AI, more so against companies who use it as an excuse to cut staff, perpetuate human biases, and leave users with an inferior product. Less people being paid means less money you get as a company. Keep that in mind.  The book released in 2016, but the foundations haven't changed. Quotes from the book are italicized, and my comments follow.

 I read this in high school and randomly remembered it today. It's a book that made me want to be involved with network infrastructure.                                                               This is the Australian cover. Doesn't it look cool?  It's very well-researched (though some of the concepts it touches on seem to have died in real life). Also, terminology kind of marches on - "computer phones" is something constantly said. Searching that in 2020...You get smartphones and various 'use your PC as a phone' links from CNET.   I won't be breaking down every section of the entire book.   "They sent in sniffing programs to intercept his access code."    

This was briefly available for free on December 19th, so I picked it up to read over the holiday, enjoying a good novel.  I like the pixel art! It's how a fictional company goes from guesswork to greatwork regarding the many, many facets of its tech departments. "Processes are there to protect people." I realized quite a few interesting things:  High, lofty titles like VP of Technology may be for some people, but not for me. Give me good old, on the ground IT Help Desk or Network Technician any day. This had me rethinking my entire career path - applying for 3 years to possibly get into a company like this? But every career has its challenges and tough times. Nothing is immune, and if it is, it's not fun! However, if you'd like to share this blog with others so we get some views and maybe a sponsor, well, I won't be opposed to that.  #AvoidCorporateRigamarole2020

While rereading this book series - the first time was about six or seven years ago - I was struck at a rather cryptographic code in the final book and wanted to share it with you. The Gregor the Overlander series is written by Suzanne Collins - The same woman who wrote The Hunger Games . I think this would make an excellent movie series. Spoilers for a children's book that's eleven years old based off of the Holocaust and World War II featuring humans fighting talking rats, moles, ants, and many other natural anomalies.