My 8th week in a row doing my weekly retro, this week I setup an air quality sensor in my office, went AFK for some driving and much needed exercise, and reflect on being addicted to working.

You are not your work

This week I had a bit of a realization that I have been far too invested in my work. Since I began working in security as a hobby, as a passion project, when I switched to working in it full time I never really stopped spending my spare time also working on security related things. I’ve been all tech all day for like the last 6 years, and mostly tech most days for like 10 years before that. This has been helpful for my career progression, but it has come at a cost.

I used to participate in a local martial arts school before I moved to the Bay Area, and that was a good way to get out and get active and I felt like there was another pillar to my identity. But when I moved to the Bay, I never took the steps needed to find a new school, and I shifted into just being all work all the time. It turns out this is pretty unhealthy, just like all my friends and family and coworkers have been telling me for all this time.

So this past week I’ve been spending more time away from my keyboard, trying to get more exercise, going on evening drives (but not too many at $6/gallon), and working on my musical interests.

I hope this can serve as a reminder for you to get out and away from your computer, away from social media, and remember that there’s more to life than just working. Or maybe I’m the only person who needed to hear this message.

Airgradient One Setup

photo of an airgradient one air sensor

This week I got an Airgradient One delivered and set it up with esphome and am sending the data to my home assistant server (which I setup in weekly retro 2024-W16 ). It wasn’t too difficult to get setup and now I have good idea of when I need to open a window or turn the purifying fan up a bit.

I was surprised to learn that within about 30 minutes of entering my home office, with the door closed, the CO2 levels spike up to around 1000 ppm, which explains why I have been getting headaches and having a hard time focusing so much. I’m being much better about getting some fresh air circulating more regularly now.

What I’m Reading

Book cover with Bruce Lee's face displayed prominently.Title is Bruce Lee, Artist of Life. Edited by John Little.

Bruce Lee: Artist of Life

By Bruce Lee, John Little

ISBN: 978-0804832632
Learn More
Keeping with my reminder that there’s more to life than being at my computer all day every day, I’m opening up a book about Bruce Lee that I bought several years ago and never finished reading.
  • Unbound Merino Review - I’ve been looking to simplify my wardrobe recently and Unbound Merino looked interesting but I wanted to see if it was up to the hype. This review covers the sustainability benefits of it, as well as several lived-in experiences packing basically only the Merino wool products. I ordered a sweatshirt and a couple active shirts, and am looking forward to their arrival.
  • The Problem with Using a UUID Primary Key in MySQL - This post covers the details of UUIDs and the problems that come with using them as a primary key in a database. I have been an advocate of UUID primary keys for some time now, but this has me rethinking. I still think autoincrementing integers aren’t great primary keys, but maybe UUID isn’t a good answer either.
  • Keyviz - A free and open-source tool to visualize your keystrokes and mouse actions in real time. I’ve seen some streamers using this and didn’t know it was this tool, but when I found it, I wanted to capture it for future reference. You should consider using it if you’re recording yourself and find yourself navigating with the keyboard a lot.
  • Homerow, Shortcat, Alfred, Raycast - A handful of MacOS productivity tools to help you navigate more quickly, setup shortcuts and automation, etc. I have been using Alfred for some time, but a coworker sent me Shortcat and Homerow recently and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about being able to do basically all navigation with my keyboard.
  • Alpine Speedstars Map - A coworker sent me this map recently while we were chatting about fun drives around the Bay. I think it might not be very actively updated anymore, but it gives me a lot of ideas of places to go for some spirited driving.
  • LexisNexis Consumer Report - You can order a copy of the data that LexisNexis has on you. This is helpful for understanding what information data brokers have on you, especially since LexisNexis is one of the biggest brokers out there.

Upcoming Projects

  • BSides Las Vegas Talk - Pending feedback on CFP submission. (Due: N/A - Done)
  • OWASP Global AppSec Training - (Due: N/A)
  • Defcon 32 Call for Artists - This week I’m going to put together a soundcloud playlist that I can share as my set list, and pick a photo to use for a promo photo. (Due: 2024-06-01)
  • Defcon 32 Call For Soundtrack - My new song, “Oh Dade”, produced by Mikal kHill, is pending mixing before submission. If it’s accepted, it will debut on the Defcon soundtrack. If it’s not accepted, I will release it the same day I find out it’s not accepted. (Due: 2024-06-01)