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Cultivating Connection: Building Spaces for the ‘Other’
There have been many times in my life when I felt off—like the “other” in the room. It showed up in social settings, and it showed up in family ones too. I was simply different, and of course the old fan favorite: weird. I never knew what to do with that growing up. Adulthood has…
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Shadow AI and the Taoist Path of Mindful Awareness
In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu reminds us: “Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires.” These words, written over two millennia ago, cut straight to the heart of a modern crisis in information security. Today, in 2026, that crisis has a name: Shadow AI—the quiet, unsanctioned use of generative AI tools by…
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The Canvas Breach: A Taoist Reflection on Digital Flow and Impermanence
Water seeks the lowest places—flowing through systems we build, only to remind us that no dam holds forever. Recently, the Canvas learning management platform—used by millions of students, teachers, and over 9,000 educational institutions worldwide—experienced a major cybersecurity incident. The extortion group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility, stating they accessed approximately 275 million records, including names, email…
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The Tao of Tinker Mill: Reflections After a Visit in Colorado
A few days ago I left the quiet routines of my infosec work and drove through crisp Colorado air to Tinker Mill, a makerspace nestled in an old warehouse on the edge of town. I had no grand agenda—just a desire to move my hands and remember that creation itself can be a form of…
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Extreme Ownership Meets the Tao: Discipline, Flow, and the Art of Balanced Leadership
A recent interaction with tech support lead me to an interesting thought. Having been an avid reader of Extreme Ownership and implementing its concepts into my own leadership style I often find it frustrating that many do not take this approach in life. It got me wondering, how does it fit with Taoist teachings? In…
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The Green and the Tao: St. Patrick’s Day Through an Irish-American Lens
Today, March 17, 2026, the streets are alive with green. As someone raised Irish in America, St. Patrick’s Day has always been a riot of color, noise, and unapologetic joy—parades thundering down Fifth Avenue, Chicago River turned emerald, shamrocks pinned to every lapel, and pints raised to shouts of “Erin go Bragh!” It’s the one…
About Me
Security Professional, Aspiring Leader, 3D Printer, and of course, a Half-assed Taoist.
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