Bill Brenner

Why Can’t They Just Snap Out Of It?

by Bill Brenner November 13, 2014 SAD

For those who don’t experience or understand depression, it can be hard to understand the duration of someone’s melancholy and why, after a while, they can’t just snap out of it. I’ve spent a lot of time learning to keep my moods out of the way, carrying on in public like all is normal. But when I’m home, it’s exceptionally difficult to keep up appearances. No matter how hard I try to “snap out of it,”…  [Read More]

40 Years Ago in Amityville

by Bill Brenner November 12, 2014 Addiction

Some of you have seen the “Amityville Horror” and instantly think of it as the story of a haunted house. I never believed it, but I’ve always been drawn to the murders that started the whole thing off. This week marks the 40th anniversary of the murders, in which Ronald “Butch” DeFeo was convicted of killing his parents, two brothers and two sisters. I’ve always had an interest in it because at its bare core, this…  [Read More]

Metal Dad Scenarios

by Bill Brenner November 12, 2014 Parenting

As a metalhead and father of two children, I found this video amusing and, occasionally, a little bit too real.

Cognitive Impairment and Stupidity Aren’t the Same Thing

by Bill Brenner November 11, 2014 Communication Skills

Writers and editors at The Independent had some fun with an article about a virus that, as they put it, “makes people more stupid.” The problem is that they confuse impaired cognitive function with stupidity. The headline may get attention, but it’s irresponsible. Mood music: The article begins with this: A virus that infects human brains and makes us more stupid has been discovered, according to scientists in the US. The algae virus, never before observed…  [Read More]

5 Stages of Depression: Like Grief, Only Different

by Bill Brenner November 6, 2014 Dealing with life

I first wrote this in 2014. Amid COVID-19, a lot of us are going to go through bouts of depression. Back then, I found it useful to use the five stages of grief as a reference point for what I was feeling. It helped me get to the other side. May it help you now. It won’t make the depression go away. But it might help you deal with it.  There are plenty of articles…  [Read More]

A New Season of SAD: Self-Doubt Shows Up

by Bill Brenner November 5, 2014 Dealing with life

In what seemed like seconds after turning the calendar to November, a wave of depression hit me hard. It dogged me through the weekend and it’s with me now. With it comes feelings of self-doubt. Mood music: Those who know me see me as a confident man, and most of the time I am. I’ve been through enough to know that with the right attitude and will, things ultimately work out. I’m usually confident about…  [Read More]

Hackers for Charity: Essential Reading

by Bill Brenner November 4, 2014 Adventures in writing

One of the best examples of what makes the information security community special is Hackers for Charity, an engine for good started by hacker Johnny Long several years ago. Mood music: Long set up shop in Jinja, a town just east of the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Hackers for Charity brings to bear the skills of hackers worldwide to provide free technical support to cash-strapped local charities and organizations. Volunteers work to improve Internet connectivity and put technology into…  [Read More]

The Beauty in the Wreck

by Bill Brenner November 3, 2014 Dealing with life

Kelly Lum (a.k.a., @aloria) has been an acquaintance for nearly four years, though I wouldn’t say we’re close friends. We’re both part of the information security community and bump into each other at the occasional conference. When we do talk, we find one thing in common. A life-long struggle with depression. Mood music: I’ve been open about it in this blog. She’s been open about it in her social media postings. Last week, she published an…  [Read More]

The Fat Guy on the Plane

by Bill Brenner October 30, 2014 Dealing with life

An online posting about a guy who supposedly had to suffer through a flight sitting next to an obese man has gone viral. Like many things that go viral online, it’s bullshit. Mood music: Rich Wisken blogged that he paid an extra £13.50 for an exit-row seat, expecting to travel from Perth to Sydney with plenty of room. But he found himself seated beside an obese man. Wisken said “Jabba the Hutt” smelled like old cheese…  [Read More]

In InfoSec, Fear Shouldn’t Be a Barrier

by Bill Brenner October 29, 2014 Fear and anxiety

As some of you know, I’ve been deliberately signing up for uncomfortable, even scary tasks at work. Not scary in the grand scheme of normal life, but they are things a guy with a journalistic background doesn’t come to easily. This time I’m managing an incident management schedule. Managing schedules in any form is something I suck at, so it’s appropriate that this responsibility has crashed into my wheelhouse. Mood music: Truth be told, I…  [Read More]

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