Bill Brenner

You Call It Selfish, I Call It Survival

by Bill Brenner July 21, 2014 Work-life balance

A friend once lamented that she tries to make everyone around her happy. She’s a self-described people pleaser, and it’s led to a world of hurt. She wanted to know how I got past it and was able to out myself. Here’s my attempt to answer the question. Mood music: I used to be a people pleaser. I probably still am to some extent. But nothing like how I used to be. I wanted desperately to make every boss happy, and I…  [Read More]

Bad Customer Service Is a Mental Health Threat

by Bill Brenner July 17, 2014 Mental health

There’s a reason the recorded call with a belligerent Comcast employee went viral. It wasn’t for sheer entertainment value, though some will undoubtedly find it amusing. It’s because practically every Comcast customer has suffered one of those dreadful service calls. For Erin and me, the last such experience was a couple weeks ago, when we called for repairs to our Internet service. Mood music: In the case making news, a customer service rep gave one…  [Read More]

The Blogger with the Self-Destruct Button

by Bill Brenner July 16, 2014 OCD

I’ve been an obsessively prolific writer over the years, and, frankly, I’ve had to take stock in what I’m doing. Overkill is an art for those of us with OCD, and it’s hard to say no when someone asks me to do something new. I have two new ongoing projects. I’m doing a new podcast in addition to my Akamai Security Podcast. I’ve also started blogging for the Liquidmatrix Security Digest. But I’m still going…  [Read More]

Carter Center Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism

by Bill Brenner July 15, 2014 Mental health

People love to pick on the presidency of Jimmy Carter. To be sure, there’s much to criticize. But Carter has done awesome deeds since leaving Washington 33 years ago. One such deed: working to break the stigma around mental illness. Mood music: Being a journalist, I know how important it is for skilled writers to lift the veil off the scourge so the masses can understand. I never tackled such a beat as a reporter,…  [Read More]

Johnny Depp Visits Revere Beach

by Bill Brenner July 14, 2014 Dealing with life

Filming for the movie based on the book Black Mass is taking place around Massachusetts. Last week, they did some scenes on the beach I walked daily as a kid. I was young when Whitey Bulger was enjoying his reign of terror on Boston and the surrounding communities, and I don’t remember much about it other than a couple news reports from the 1980s. I was busy walking Revere Beach every day. It was often…  [Read More]

Tools to Fight Your Demons at #Defcon, #BlackHat and More

by Bill Brenner July 11, 2014 security drama

This isn’t a post about how I think you should behave at DEF CON. I’ve already said my bit about the drama aspect and shared my experiences being a sober guy at security cons. This isn’t an anti-drinking tirade or a lecture about the treatment of women at these events. It IS a resource for those who have demons they’d like to control during our so-called Security Summer Camp. Mood music: There’s been some talk…  [Read More]

Sleep or Exercise: Which Matters More?

by Bill Brenner July 10, 2014 Well-Being

I’ve been trying hard of late to get my exercise regimen back on track. But I keep hitting the same wall: sleep. Specifically, I can’t get my ass out of bed at the appointed time so I keep missing my workout window. Mood music: For a guy who used to obsessively walk 3.5 miles a day no matter the weather or amount of rest, this is baffling. True, I am pushing my mid-40s. But really,…  [Read More]

Impostor Syndrome, Part 2

by Bill Brenner July 9, 2014 Dealing with life

I’ve been way off my game lately. My diet and exercise regimen is all over the place. I’m working my ass off at the job, but I feel like I’ve gotten little accomplished. I’m cranky a lot. I’ve been here before. It’s a flare up of impostor syndrome. Mood music: I’ve always harbored the fear that someday people will discover I’m really not as smart and talented as they currently think I am. I’ve had a…  [Read More]

Stripping the Drama from DEF CON

by Bill Brenner July 8, 2014 security drama

People in my industry love the word drama. The word is tossed out like Tootsie Rolls at a holiday parade. In my opinion, the word is used a bit too much, especially in the month or two before the DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas. Mood music: Each year, someone suggests there’s sexism at the conference, and someone responds by yelling “Drama!” Each year, someone complains about an overabundance of drunken debauchery and someone else…  [Read More]

Gross Overreaction Still Haunts Kiera Wilmot

by Bill Brenner June 26, 2014 Communication Skills

A year ago, I wrote about Kiera Wilmot, a student at Bartow (Florida) High School who was expelled and criminally charged for setting off an explosive after her science class volcano experiment backfired. Mood music: The trumped-up charges were eventually dropped, but Wilmot’s brush with the law continues to haunt her. According to civil liberties site Police State USA, the charges continue to taint Kiera’s record and impede her chances for success. “All my charges have been…  [Read More]

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