Yep, the blog is feeling a bit neglected. I am working on a solution to that, and sometime in the next few weeks my content output should jump. I don't know exactly where or when it will jump, but it will jump. It may involve moving this feed to FeedBurner and possibly a new URL. Details to follow, film at eleven, etc.
For now, a couple of stray thoughts.
When I was a one-man IT shop and I was this busy I cut corners. Not small-time, but chainsaw-style corner cutting. It happens to everyone on some level, and that is a bigger problem for security than any zero-day, virus, bot, trojan or cracker. Manage everything from anywhere, with telnet? Sure, if it saves time. Buy a sub-standard "solution" from a vendor when you know you can build better yourself? Of course- because as hard as it is to get money, time is even harder to find. Note: When I hear people advocate spending the time to learn a program and deploy a "do it yourself" solution, I hear people who haven't battled the 70 to 100-hour workweek (these are real, and I can assure you that you are tired at the end of them, and I'm glad I am not that busy anymore). One of the many great things about my current position with Astaro is that I can usually turn off the BlackBerry when I'm not at work (OK, only one of the BlackBerries gets turned off- but it is a start).
Sometimes you need to unwind, and I really enjoy putting things in the fire and then hitting them with a hammer. Last weekend was the 30th annual New England Blacksmith's Spring Meet, and it was a great time. Over 100 blacksmiths of all experience and skill levels attended and worked together on a set of community service projects for the recreational area of Brentwood, NH. This fall we are working with several other groups to present the first Atlantic Coast Blacksmiths Conference in Olivebridge, NY. If you are interested in the craft and will be anywhere in the area, stop by, check out the demonstrations, and say hello.
Jack
