Chris Merkel
@chrismerkel.bsky.social
Cybersecurity / Infosec Leader, Teller of Rambling, Pointless Stories, Provider of Dubious Career Advice.
Professional alt, unprofessional posts.
Masto: @[email protected]
Professional alt, unprofessional posts.
Masto: @[email protected]
Reposted by Chris Merkel
Okay so Long Kiss Goodnight is a Christmas movie and it is feckin' awesome!!
www.imdb.com/title/tt0116...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0116...
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) ⭐ 6.8 | Action, Crime, Drama
2h 1m | R
www.imdb.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Okay so Long Kiss Goodnight is a Christmas movie and it is feckin' awesome!!
www.imdb.com/title/tt0116...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0116...
Are we going to talk about the hipster to fascist pipeline?
I didn't realize that the pro-eugenics natalist couple that was inexplicably profiled by several major outlets for having a lot of kids through IVF started a podcast. Here's an unlistenable episode where they try and argue that Hitler was a hipster and not "right wing."
December 3, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Are we going to talk about the hipster to fascist pipeline?
Reposted by Chris Merkel
This Humble Bundle has a lot of really good hacking books from No Starch Press, and it supports EFF! Get it!
Humble Tech Book Bundle: Hacking by No Starch
Turn your curiosity about computer hacking into a fast-paced, proven, and practical career with the latest Humble Tech Book Bundle!
www.humblebundle.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:15 PM
This Humble Bundle has a lot of really good hacking books from No Starch Press, and it supports EFF! Get it!
Reposted by Chris Merkel
The FCC says hackers hijacked Barix studio-transmitter link (STL) equipment to broadcast obscene materials via state emergency systems
www.fcc.gov/document/fcc...
www.fcc.gov/document/fcc...
December 1, 2025 at 2:40 PM
The FCC says hackers hijacked Barix studio-transmitter link (STL) equipment to broadcast obscene materials via state emergency systems
www.fcc.gov/document/fcc...
www.fcc.gov/document/fcc...
How many times do I have to downvote garbage meme posting from the other ninety-eight percent or occupy democrats before the algo understands it?
December 1, 2025 at 5:57 PM
How many times do I have to downvote garbage meme posting from the other ninety-eight percent or occupy democrats before the algo understands it?
Reposted by Chris Merkel
I think best thing I did in 2025 is coined the term cyberslop, and basically shot an arrow across the bow of cybersecurity vendors.
Notice has messaging is changing. "how totally flaccid they are" "dark-LLM generated malware is based on known malware samples" www.darkreading.com/threat-intel...
Notice has messaging is changing. "how totally flaccid they are" "dark-LLM generated malware is based on known malware samples" www.darkreading.com/threat-intel...
December 1, 2025 at 4:05 PM
I think best thing I did in 2025 is coined the term cyberslop, and basically shot an arrow across the bow of cybersecurity vendors.
Notice has messaging is changing. "how totally flaccid they are" "dark-LLM generated malware is based on known malware samples" www.darkreading.com/threat-intel...
Notice has messaging is changing. "how totally flaccid they are" "dark-LLM generated malware is based on known malware samples" www.darkreading.com/threat-intel...
Reposted by Chris Merkel
Sweet potatoes are a method of delivering butter, brown sugar and marshmallows. This is the way.
November 28, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Sweet potatoes are a method of delivering butter, brown sugar and marshmallows. This is the way.
This is the only form of thanksgiving allowed in the 15 minute cities liberals want to trap us in.
They did it again! NYC subway Thanksgiving 2025, via @scootercaster.com!
November 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
This is the only form of thanksgiving allowed in the 15 minute cities liberals want to trap us in.
Mathematics classed critiqued by the dorks who barely made it past precalc for east coast English majors @nymag.com
I dare one of these weens to explain non euclidean geometry without using ChatGPT and even after they do, asking a follow up question like "explain what you just said".
I dare one of these weens to explain non euclidean geometry without using ChatGPT and even after they do, asking a follow up question like "explain what you just said".
ruin your thanksgiving by reading new york magazine's take on mathematics
![The Ten Most
Ridiculous-Sounding
Math Classes Currently
Offered at Liberal-Arts
Colleges
By Jessica Pressler, Janelle Zara, and Emily Watkins Rachel Stein andAviva Shen OCT. 19, 2010
Every year, liberal-arts majors anxiously scour their college's course listings looking for classes that will fulfill their math requirement but aren't so, you know, math-y. Here's what they're signed up for this year.
10. Topology: The Nature of Shape and Space: "In geometry we ask: How big is it? How long is it? But in topology we ask: Is it [Sarah Lawrence
9. The Mathematies of Chance: "Most topics are introduced ina case-study fashion, usually by reading an article in a current periodical such as the New York Times. [Bard]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreieq6gmwmropzlvjkaaxk6d2smd4tv4dy7qar66uoyv6mhs6naa3fu@jpeg)
![8. Mathematics in Many Cultures: "Mathematical ideas are found in many cultures, among both literate and non-literate peoples. This course examines both mathematics and the role it plays in the cultures. Examples chosen from the mathematical ideas of present-day peoples of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, as well as historic Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Islam and China." [Pomona]
7. The Magic of Numbers: "This course will explore the beauty and mystery of mathematics through a study of the patterns and properties of the natural numbers 1, 2, [and] 3." [Harvard
6. Models of Life: In particular, we will ask such questions as: How do you model the growth of a population of animals? How can you model the growth of a tree? How do sunflowers and seashells grow?" [Kenyon]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreic3c4ox53ouwr3ij3wsmvetmuknu2u2jai7hlvuigco3ahppeoabi@jpeg)
![5. Mathematical Origamist's Toolkit: "Topics include modular origami and how this models the creation of polyhedra and coloring of graphs, comparison of origami-axiomatic constructions to straight-edge and compass constructions, the combinatorics of possible crease patterns, the mathematics of origami design (circle packing, optimization), matrix models for paperfolding, spherical geometry, Descartes' Theorem, and Gaussian curvature." [Hampshire]
4. Mathematics and Narrative: "Many literary works (Arcadia, Proof, and Uncle Petros and the Goldbach Conjecture) use mathematics as an integral part of their narrative. Movie and television narratives such as Good Will Hunting and Numb3rs are also mathematically based. Nonfiction works about mathematics and mathematical biographies like Chaos, Fermat's Enigma, and A Beautiful Mind provide further examples of the connection between mathematics and narrative." [Vassar]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreigyk5tqjszw3fodt7ivmszq7mozpta55o7c552oyzpbqyphl26x7m@jpeg)
![3. Borges and Mathematics: "Jorge Luis Borges was one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Many of his short stories and essays were concerned with philosophical, metaphysical, and mathematical questions. The thesis motivating this course is that if we know the mathematies that Borges referred to, then we will read him differently, and we will read him better." [Bennington 2. Mathematics and Science as Art in Contemporary Theatre: "Playwrights such as Tom Stoppard, Rinne Groff, Michael Frayn, and others have effectively explored mathematical and scientific themes for artistic purposes. Through readings and exercises, and by conducting labs and staging scenes, this class will gain some first-hand insight into the complementary ways in which science and art aim to seek out their respective truths." [Middlebury]
1. Meaning, Math, And Motion: "Quoting a charming articulation by Kinsman (a mathematician-turned-oceanographer, in the preface to Wind Waves): "To the beginner, science is a conversation that has been in progress for a very long time. Our collective work is to catch up on the conversation. [Evergreen]
This is why Asia is winning, by the way.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreihglx3kxej43i22j4vggyoutp2oyomivtmmvgp6uvslqemm4hhpci@jpeg)
November 27, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Mathematics classed critiqued by the dorks who barely made it past precalc for east coast English majors @nymag.com
I dare one of these weens to explain non euclidean geometry without using ChatGPT and even after they do, asking a follow up question like "explain what you just said".
I dare one of these weens to explain non euclidean geometry without using ChatGPT and even after they do, asking a follow up question like "explain what you just said".
Introduce yourself with four spaceships
November 26, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Introduce yourself with four spaceships
Is anyone else surprised it took this long for people to figure out that Oracle E-Business Suite is a total security dumpster fire?
It should be front ended by an app proxy with a strong auth front end.
If you need expertise in this area make sure to follow @petefinnigan.bsky.social
It should be front ended by an app proxy with a strong auth front end.
If you need expertise in this area make sure to follow @petefinnigan.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Is anyone else surprised it took this long for people to figure out that Oracle E-Business Suite is a total security dumpster fire?
It should be front ended by an app proxy with a strong auth front end.
If you need expertise in this area make sure to follow @petefinnigan.bsky.social
It should be front ended by an app proxy with a strong auth front end.
If you need expertise in this area make sure to follow @petefinnigan.bsky.social
I'm generally really good at following back people who work in cyber and blocking all the spam follows, but somehow my follower count jumped.
Just followed everyone back!
(If I didn't follow you back and you work in tech cyber, I couldn't tell from your bio, sorry)
Just followed everyone back!
(If I didn't follow you back and you work in tech cyber, I couldn't tell from your bio, sorry)
November 25, 2025 at 2:27 AM
I'm generally really good at following back people who work in cyber and blocking all the spam follows, but somehow my follower count jumped.
Just followed everyone back!
(If I didn't follow you back and you work in tech cyber, I couldn't tell from your bio, sorry)
Just followed everyone back!
(If I didn't follow you back and you work in tech cyber, I couldn't tell from your bio, sorry)
Reposted by Chris Merkel
November 24, 2025 at 11:46 PM
There are two types of discs: floppy and extra crispy
November 24, 2025 at 2:27 PM
There are two types of discs: floppy and extra crispy
Imagine, at the very end of Pluribus, the protagonist, having lived through the transformation of the whole human race around her, doesn't change. That would be terrible.
Or not. Walter White never did. Maybe the alien virus gets a narrative arc instead
Or not. Walter White never did. Maybe the alien virus gets a narrative arc instead
November 24, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Imagine, at the very end of Pluribus, the protagonist, having lived through the transformation of the whole human race around her, doesn't change. That would be terrible.
Or not. Walter White never did. Maybe the alien virus gets a narrative arc instead
Or not. Walter White never did. Maybe the alien virus gets a narrative arc instead
Key Management and implementation is always the hardest part of crypto.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/w...
Cryptographers Held an Election. They Can’t Decrypt the Results.
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Key Management and implementation is always the hardest part of crypto.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/w...
I a world of Musks, be a Woz.
In an era filled with tech dipshits who never developed emotionally past the age of 13 & use their wealth to become odious monsters ...
... listen to Steve Wozniak.
... listen to Steve Wozniak.
November 21, 2025 at 9:10 PM
I a world of Musks, be a Woz.
What is Zoom doing with video lately? There seem like a lot of people who look like a bad texture mapped character from the Polar Express
November 21, 2025 at 8:36 PM
What is Zoom doing with video lately? There seem like a lot of people who look like a bad texture mapped character from the Polar Express
Reposted by Chris Merkel
Check out the ICIJ's page posting a series of articles and videos on their investigation. Kudos to everyone.
www.icij.org/investigatio...
www.icij.org/investigatio...
November 17, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Check out the ICIJ's page posting a series of articles and videos on their investigation. Kudos to everyone.
www.icij.org/investigatio...
www.icij.org/investigatio...
Reposted by Chris Merkel
I go to a lot of (cyber) conferences. So many people have so much cool stuff to say but I beg you, try really hard to put your presentations in front of people who you trust to take a machete to it. Suffering some critical feedback up front makes the whole presentation so much better.
Editors have a really hard job, and the good ones can make something unreadable readable, and the great ones can make something unreadable into something good. But they're basically invisible, until someone tries to write without one.
November 17, 2025 at 3:42 PM
I go to a lot of (cyber) conferences. So many people have so much cool stuff to say but I beg you, try really hard to put your presentations in front of people who you trust to take a machete to it. Suffering some critical feedback up front makes the whole presentation so much better.