spaf

spaf@mstdn.social

Spaf is a homunculus of possible extraterrestrial origin, tilting at windmills. Cybersecurity, bad jokes, political outrage, academe, non-sequiturs, entropy. See <a href="http://about.me/spaf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no">http://about.me/spaf</a> for more.

Posts

Post #4418122
Highly inspirational: "One day you will wake up, and there won't be any more time to do the things you've always wanted. Do it now." - Paulo Coelho Okay, maybe TOO inspirational. Who will Venmo some bail money?
Post #4241700
Some people have praised my problem-solving skills. In fairness, most of those problems were ones I caused.
Post #4205046
People have complained about my humor. They call it "sick." I'm not sick -- I'm twisted. "Sick" makes it sound as if there's a cure.
Post #4137127
I just learned that a former colleague has been arrested. What a shock! He has been accused of taking human skin from a medical supply company. He wasn't charged with theft -- it was graft.
Post #4036180
I've been thinking about what I might do to stay occupied if I retire. Perhaps a dating site for chickens? Without a regular income, I would struggle to make hens meet.
Post #3988076
Do NOT take the Cyclosporiasis outbreak lightly. Getting it from extra spicy tacos has consequences!
Post #3960295
A computer science department is a nonempty set of researchers such that each claims to be doing cutting-edge AI, and at least one other will insist that work is merely curve-fitting on a deprecated dataset.
Post #3937286
Post #3858846
The problem isn't that my attention wanders at work. The problem is that it leaves the building to get tacos, gets lost, then goes home to take a nap.
Post #3812030
This is a great distillation of some important points about risk, cybersecurity, and the NIST CSF. If your work touches on any of those, this is worth a read. https://cyberriskbook.com/ai-wont-save-you-from-weak-cybersecurity-fundamentals/ #cybersecurity #risk #NIST
Post #3786313
The only thing Flat Earthers fear is sphere itself.
Post #3763276
If someone near to you has not yet heard the news about Senator Graham, break the news gently. Tell them that Lindsay Graham has gone to caucus with Mitch McConnell.
Post #3742008
On a recent trip, we had to explain to our niece why there was no floor 13 in a high-rise. Imagine how, in a decade or so, we will have to explain why there are no floors 45 or 47.
Post #3718301
Over on the CERIAS Blog… Too many people are prone to accepting hype and myths about computing, and that often leads to poor decisions. 20 years ago, my first post in the CERIAS blog addressed an example — the folk wisdom that monthly password changes improve security — a myth that had already survived 30 years and that NIST needed until 2017 to retire. The same mythmaking machinery is at work around AI: the claim that LLMs make software developers, security analysts,… https://spaf.wordpress.c...
Post #3653401
New entry in the CERIAS blog. Fourth in my series on AI hype. The bill for replacing staff with AI has arrived: most CEOs report no return, AI-use mandates have become token rationing, two-thirds of employers that cut jobs are rehiring, and the new failure modes bypass controls built for human error. https://ceri.as/inv-e
Post #3633817
Well, we do need to note that MAGA does continue to remind us of questions requiring deep thought.
Post #3630081
OMB proposes rewriting federal research grant rules. Among other changes, political appointees could override scientific peer review on what gets funded. Comments close July 13. Polite comments of any length must be considered; a paragraph counts. https://www.regulations.gov/document/OMB-2026-0034-0001
Post #3533768
Asking for, er, a friend. The doctor advises making healthier choices. Which whiskey has the most antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals?
Post #3497125
It is a bit toasty in the Midwest US this week.
Post #3492591
Happy Tau Day! (US calendar notation) https://www.tauday.com/state-of-the-tau-current
Post #3471633
Pentagon warns US unable to fight two ceasefires simultaneously https://www.duffelblog.com/pentagon-warns-us-unable-to-fight-two-ceasefires-simultaneously/
Post #3317423
Historical comparisons to Roman imperial decline are incorrect. Yes, we have gladiatorial combat staged for the ruler's birthday, plans for a triumphal arch, and oaths of fealty. But the Romans had better roads, principled senators, and respect for science.
Post #2570685
I am so lucky -- my wife pampers me. Or huggies, or depends ... whatever is on sale.
Post #2488637
Revisiting the 2017 Ghost in the Shell eight years on: a better film than I remembered, and a line about memory and identity that resonates more now in the age of LLMs. https://spaf.wordpress.com/2026/05/13/revisiting-the-ghost/
Post #2358514
Post #2212885
Remember -- don&#39;t let ANYONE ruin your day. Don&#39;t empower them. It&#39;s YOUR day. Ruin it by yourself.
Post #2209335
Post #2020736
“Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” -- Thomas Edison What can we conclude from this aphorism? Really smart people are usually quite moist, and a bit salty.
Post #1891495
RE: https://mastodon.social/@hrbrmstr/116506420825705134 Not exactly a comic book, but it helped make a lot of superheroes!
Post #1853562
Found in my archive: Interviewer: What&#39;s your biggest strength? Me: I&#39;m expert in machine learning. Interviewer: What&#39;s 7+9? Me: Zero Interviewer: No, it&#39;s 16. Me: Ok, 16. Interviewer: What&#39;s 10+20? Me: 16