Lumeria

Reddit Refugee, writer, cybersecurity red teamer, SH advocate, Discordian, Nerf Herder

[digitaldreamspace]

[cypheroxide]

Well... I feel attacked.

[cypheroxide]

A coworker at the NOC brought in one of his "toys" because one of his Dev groups on Discord were working on creating custom drivers and firmware to port Linux over to it. What in the bowels of christ led to the toilet birth idea that this was necessary?

It's a Light L16, a 16-lens camera that can only save raw images. It's awful and as loud as a screaming peccary.

[cypheroxide]

Found a journal entry from 8 years ago when I was struggling with depression and existentialism trying to coexist in my head. I don't *think* I was taking medication at the time.... But I *did have* memory struggles back then.

"There's been this nagging feeling I can't shake, like some cosmic, universal break occurred that shattered the proper flow of time and sent our universe careening down a twisted path. Little things seem off, uneven, like they don't quite line up with how things should be. Major events play out strangely, wrong people vanishing and others reappearing. The logic feels fractured, as if reality itself glitched and we're living in the fragmentation. Planes frozen in the air, reality around buildings turning to hazy mist...

I can't pinpoint when or how this happened, but it feels like there must have been some pivotal moment that split our timeline to this weird course. Our present day seems too far removed from what the world should be. It's almost as if we're not quite in the right universe anymore.

The more I think about it, the more apparent the cracks become. Pieces of our reality that don't quite fit, synchronistic echoes of better days whispering that all is not as right as it appears. We're shadowboxing our way through the ashes of a broken world that may never be made whole again.

At least there are small comforts that help me cling to hope. Laughter, nostalgia, the reminders that beauty still blossoms in unexpected places. A pokemon card collection found at the bottom of a bin after a decade of believing it lost to a flood. And there's always imagination to light the way forward, even on the darkest roads. And yet, I wonder what the break was...

Robin Williams, perhaps? He's no longer with us and how can that make any sense in a just world? His absence is a cosmic injustice all its own, a glitch that darkens every day. The broken timeline theory feels true every time I realize again that his light is gone. Could it be that his death caused the fracture that destabilized everything? Is this spiral of chaos and confusion simply the aftermath of that loss slowly unraveling the fabric of reality itself?

I guess some things just can't be fixed once they shatter. The most we can do is gather up the pieces, hold them safe, and try to make sense of how they might fit back together in some new mosaic. Cherish the memories that linger and build something new from whatever remnants remain. But the true whole is gone, that original radiance forever lost in the break.

We're left now to navigate this splintered world without one of our brightest stars to guide the way. The happy moments feel more bittersweet, each laugh touched with the echo of one now silent. All we can do is trudge on down this irregular path, remember the lights that illuminated it once before, and try to conjure up some light of our own as we go along to find our place over the stars."

[cypheroxide]

So, last week I tried streaming on Twitch for the first time ever. I wanted to show the process I go through for installing and setting up my workstation for cybersecurity and gaming. The catch is that I use Linux as my main operating system and **WHILE I WAS STREAMING**, my capture desoldered itself and my Arch install disc got corrupted.

45 minutes into a stream, a week of posting on my socials, setting up OBS and reconfiguring my desk setup for dual pc streaming, and my social anxiety was correct. I should have never hit "start streaming".

And now I'm reconsidering.... I wonder, now that my setup is finished and tweaked to my preference, should I try streaming again? Maybe this time I'll do the install in a VM instead of a live production machine... Or maybe I should just listen to the 8 pounds of anxiety meat slopping around in my head and stay a social hermit.

[cypheroxide]

The End of an Era

   Welcome to the New Era, from Cyber Chaos to  Hope Integrated Systems: Experience Our Digital Transformation. Dear Valued Subscribers, We’re thrilled to announce a significant milestone in the journey of Hope Integrated Systems – the launch of our newly redesigned website! As we continue to evolve and expand our horizons, we wanted our digital presence to mirror the innovation and commitment…

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[cypheroxide]

Staying Relevant: Balancing Learning and Life as an Ethical Hacker

Have you experienced burnout while trying to develop your skills and you just don't have the time to do everything? Finding balance is the key to improving your skills in a healthy way. In this article, I explore healthy habits to grow without burning out

You’ve heard it before – cybersecurity is a field that evolves at a blindingly fast pace. The tools, techniques, and technologies threatening networks transform rapidly. As an ethical hacker, your skills can become obsolete within months if you aren’t continuously upgrading your knowledge. Point #4 on our hacker roadmap deals with knowing the latest and greatest when it comes to the state of…

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[cypheroxide]

Things I've Learned By Living in the South (from Florida to Texas)

1. Save all bacon grease.

You will be instructed later how to use it.

2. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic.

Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive truck with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly.

Don't try to help them.

Just stay out of their way.

This is what they live for.

3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular.

"All y'all" is plural.

"All y'all's" is plural possessive.

4. Get used to the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity".

And the collateral phrase "You call this hot?

Wait'll August."

5. Don't tell us how you did it up there.

Nobody cares.

6. If you think it's too hot, don't worry.

It'll cool down-in December.

7. A Mercedes-Benz is not a status symbol. A Jeep, Chevy, Dodge, or Ford is.

8. If someone says they're "fixin" to do something, that doesn't mean anything's broken.

9. The value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but the availability of shade.

10. If you see a slower moving vehicle on a two lane road pull onto the shoulder, that is called "courtesy".

11. BBQ is a food group.

It does NOT mean grilling burgers and hot dogs outdoors.

12. Yes, weddings, funerals, and divorces must take into account for Gators, Canes or Noles Football games.

13. Everything is better with ranch dressing.

14. DO NOT honk your horn at us to be obnoxious, we will sit there until we die.

15. We pull over and stop for emergency vehicles to pass.

16. We pull over for funeral processions, turn our music off and men remove hats or caps.

Some people put their hand over their heart.

17. "Bless your Heart" is a nice way of saying you're an idiot.

18. No matter what kind: sprite, coke, pepsi, mtn dew, it isn't called soda or pop.

Its all called coke

19. If you don't like the weather in Florida, wait 15 minutes, it will change.

20. No, most of us won't call the law if you break into our home. We'll call the county coroner and only tell our cousin at the police department when he comes over for Bean Night.

21. A Walmart in your town is a luxury, most of us do grocery shopping at the Dollar General.

22. Buccee's is not a gas station, it's an experience.

[cypheroxide]

Building Your Technical Skills

Real world experience is more valuable than a piece of paper nowadays. Developing these skills can give you the level up you need to succeed in ethical hacking and cybersecurity.

The Key to Hacking You’ve mastered the fundamentals. Read all about phishing, SQL injections, and buffer overflows. Set up your home lab with Kali Linux ready to go. When it comes to actually developing those ninja hacker skills though, where do you start? What technical abilities will serve as your trusty tools and weapons as you dive into the world of ethical hacking? Mastering a few key…

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[cypheroxide]

The Hacker's Guidebook:

Aspiring hackers! I’ve created a guide covering core cybersecurity concepts new hackers should master before tools. I break down networking, OS internals, & hacking tactics. Recognize hacking as lifelong journey—arm yourself with the basics!

Core Concepts for Budding Cybersecurity Enthusiasts The Building Blocks of Ethical Hacking So you want to become an ethical hacker and enter the exciting world of cybersecurity. That’s awesome! However, before you dive headfirst into firing up Kali Linux and hacking everything in sight, it’s vital to build up your foundational knowledge across several InfoSec domains. Mastering the fundamentals…

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[cypheroxide]

Coding and Scripting for Beginner Hackers

Learning to code and write scripts is a crucial skill for getting into ethical hacking and cybersecurity. Scripting allows you to automate repetitive tasks, develop your own custom tools, analyze data, and program everything from small hacking tools to machine learning models. Understanding and knowing how to code in different languages can be extremely useful when doing deep dives into malware…

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[cypheroxide]

Building Your Own Cyberdeck:

What do you do when you have extra time between a job and your next? How about building your own Cyberdeck? Check this article out for tips on building your own!

The Ultimate Hacker Project For aspiring cybersecurity professionals, cyberpunk enthusiasts, hardware hackers, and circuit benders, one of the best hands-on projects you can take on is building your own cyberdeck. Despite overwhelming schedules full of training programs, full time work weeks, sometimes limited funds, and the endless possibilities of hardware combinations, many fans of the…

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[cypheroxide]

IT Department - Hiring Unicorns Only

The Elusive Search for the IT Unicorn The camera pans across a bustling office and zooms in on a sign that reads “IT Department – Hiring Unicorns Only.” In the world of technology today, companies aren’t looking for regular IT professionals anymore – they want unicorns! This is a scene that has been playing out in my head as I continue to put in 40+ applications per week, trying in vain to…

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[cypheroxide]

WARNING FOR ALL MALES FROM ME when buying a security device for a loved one.

Last weekend I saw something at The Gun Show that sparked my interest. I was looking for a little something different for my wife ######. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized Tazer.

The effects of the Taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long term adverse effect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety...??

WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home.. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time, I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs.

AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to ###### what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right?

There I sat in my recliner, my cat Leo looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target.

I must admit I thought about zapping Leo (for a fraction of a second) and then thought better of it. He is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised.

Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a singlet with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and Taser in another.

The directions said that:

a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant;

a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; and

a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water.

Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries); pretty cute really, and thinking to myself, 'no possible way!'

What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.

I'm sitting there alone, the cat looking on with his head cocked to one side so as to say, 'Don't do it stupid,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny lil ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it.

I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and...

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. WHAT THE... !!! I AM CERTAIN I JUST MET JESUS!!!

I'm pretty sure Hulk Hogan ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs! The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note:

If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a Taser,

one note of caution:

There is NO such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor!

A three second burst would be considered conservative!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape.

· My bent reading glasses were on the top of the TV.

· The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was.

· My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching.

· My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs.

· I had no control over the drooling.

· Apparently I had crapped in my shorts, but was too numb to know for sure, and my sense of smell was gone.

· I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head, which I believe came from my hair.

I'm still looking for my testicles and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!

PS: My wife can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift and now regularly threatens me with it!

(found on the inter webs, not really me)

[cypheroxide]

SH and Time {possible trigger warning}

A long time ago, I promised myself I would get clean. SH wasn't a coping mechanism, it was definitely an addiction. Not a way to escape pain or to feel, but my method of becoming empty. It was the key to my void place, a place where I had perfect control and clarity of thought. I went clean 11 years 2 months and 6 days. The secret for me started off as a promise, and not a light one.

I made a promise to my then fiance and our kids that I would stop, even though I was thinking it was just a believable lie. A day or two would pass by and I could safely go back to routine. Turns out that was the real secret answer; routine. It's been a hard road, but forcing myself to stick to a routine and a set pattern of actions is what kept me clean. In hindsight, I think I just shifted one addiction to a different one, a razor traded for apacked schedule. Maybe I'm still in the SH scene with how busy I keep forcing myself to be. I forget the last time I slept more than 3 hours, except maybe on a weekend...

Before I start to ramble, my advice is this: find an activity or thing to do in place of SH. It's going to be hard to just think of something, and you might say you've tried this or that and it never sticks, or maybe you won't be able to think of something you deem fit to replace the SH. That's the addiction. It's like the angels have come to call and it's hard to fight the pull of it. But that's when you need to force yourself away and into something else. Pour yourself into something, anything at all, and hold on tight. When you feel the pain, the craving, the anger or sadness or whatever it is, you grab it and you hold it tight and you shove that feeling into almost any other activity.

It hurts, but if you can push yourself to even one day longer than the last time, you'll have already made progress. And every day you hold that feeling of SH away, you'll have pushed farther than the day before. There will be bad days, and you might fall. But that's okay. No one ever breaks free from SH without a few slips. I broke after nearly 12 years clean. But I believe you can make it happen. I know it's going to be hard, but that's what makes it worth it. Because once you get past this and find something to get lost in, the urge will lessen.

The Longing was definitely a hard time to push through. At the worst of times, I don't think it ever really went away. After I broke and returned to SH, it took a few months before I could stop again. I had to move to a new area because I ran out of room without crossing over old scars. But the thing that helped me stop was realizing that it was the ritual that had been my addiction. The cleaning and stropping of the razor, laying out the kit, the measured strokes across skin, and the final cleaning of the blade and the wounds before adding bandages that gave me the relief. The endorphin dump and rush was nice, but it was the practiced ritual that helped me find peace from the storm in my head.

A bit of sunshine with a little hurricane and I could be back to a clear head and believable mask that almost convinced myself that I was okay. It rarely lasted long, but finding a routine that was long term helped make my clean streak last. There will, of course, be that void that used to be filled with SH and the rush. But in time, it fades to a dull craving rather than a painful urge or addiction. Over even more time, you may find yourself forgetting about those feelings more often. My philosophy is that if you can go just one more day, you've set a new record.

I hope I get to hear about your success. No need to rush it. It takes time, and I believe that you have so much waiting ahead of you. It's just going to take time. But if no one else, I'll keep my ear open and waiting to hear how you made it. Even if it's just one more day.

Good luck.

-R.N. Stone, aka Cypher

[cypheroxide]

A Tale of Courtship: Intent and Effort, but Failing Hard.

A man boarded an airplane and took his seat. As he settled in, he glanced up and saw the most beautiful woman boarding the plane. He soon realized She was heading straight towards his seat. As fate would have it, she took the seat right beside his:

Eager to strike up a conversation he blurted out. "Business trip or pleasure?"

She turned, smiled and said. "Business. I’m going to the Annual Nymphomaniacs of America Convention in Boston."

He swallowed hard. Here was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen Sitting next to him and she was going to a meeting of nymphomaniacs!

Struggling to maintain his composure, he calmly asked. “What’s your Business at this convention?"

“Lecturer." She responded. "I use information that I have learned from my Personal experiences to debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality."

“Really?” He said. “And what kind of myths are there?”

“Well.” She explained. “One popular myth is that African-American men are The most well-endowed of all men, when in fact it is the Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait. Another popular myth is That Frenchmen are the best lovers, when actually it is men of Mexican Descent who are the best. I have also discovered that the lover with Absolutely the best stamina is the Southern Redneck."

Suddenly the woman became a little uncomfortable and blushed.. "I’m Sorry." She said, “I shouldn't really be discussing all of this with you. I don’t even know your name."

"Tonto." The man said. "Tonto Gonzales, but my friends call me Bubba." ...........

[dweebspace]

"You can't be a lurker on tumblr." Yes, you absolutely can. I've been quietly reblogging things since 2014 and I haven't interacted with anyone in years.

[cypheroxide]

Yes. This absolutely true. No need to force something to fall out of your head.

[cypheroxide]

Hours ago, I posed an idea to fellow reddit refugees elsewhere. If the blackout proved to be ineffective or Spez and his team of admin ball lickers decided to play god with the database and forcibly remove the people behind the blackout (like they have done), my idea was simple: Malicious compliance.

If Spez wants us to use the platform and official app, fine. But if we are going to be forced to go back public, the we erase everything of value to the walking bell-end spez followed by uploading useless garbage. If he wants to be an ego maniac, then by malicious compliance, we use the platform according to the rules *incorrectly* and devalue the content.

When the co-founder Aaron (kn0thing) Swartz sadly took his own life when facing 35 years or longer in federal prison for a WikiLeaks dump, spez wiped his existence from the platform; we should have known what kind of person he was. Aaron believed in a free internet and freedom of speech and information whereas spez only saw the internet as a money making tool. So I say it's time for a movement.

The blackout is failing, the time for Operation kn0thing is now. Reddit holds value to spez, not the communities that keep it alive. So let's make it worth his opinion of the people. #makeRedditnothing #Operationkn0thing