Smart thermostats, Rabbits, and TV Pickup

In a paper titled Unintended consequences of smart thermostats in the transition to electrified heating, researchers discovered that most people don't bother changing the default heating times on these thermostats. As a result at 6am, the strain on the electricity grid peaks as every thermostat clicks on. Akin to launching an inadvertent DDoS attack. Of … Continue reading Smart thermostats, Rabbits, and TV Pickup →

BMW charging an $18 subscription for heated seats

BMW, a brand known for its amazing cars, a model for everyone - built with the infamous German engineering and now offering a whole bunch of options as a monthly subscription. In some ways it makes sense. Streamline your production and build each and every car with the exact same hardware, but then limit options … Continue reading BMW charging an $18 subscription for heated seats →

Rolling Pwn lets you drive a Honda without the keys!

The Rolling Pwn vulnerability can be used against some keyless Honda's to unlock, start and drive off. It allows you to eavesdrop on a remote key fob from about 100 feet away (which for my American friends is the distance from pitchers mount to the outfield grass). On Twitter, @RobDrivesCars replicated the bug in a nice video … Continue reading Rolling Pwn lets you drive a Honda without the keys! →

Writing the perfect resignation letter

Over here in the UK we've had dozens of MPs (members of parliament) tender their resignation over the last day or so. While I'm not interested in politics, seeing so many resignation letters did provide me with the template to create the perfect letter. It consists of a few steps. 1. Yellow paper (not the … Continue reading Writing the perfect resignation letter →

The Million Dollar Homepage

Back in the olden times (in 2005) a website was setup called the Million Dollar Homepage. A brainchild of student Alex Tew who wanted to raise some money for university. The concept was simple, get a webpage composed of a million pixels and sell them all for $1 each. They were sold in 10 x … Continue reading The Million Dollar Homepage →

3 takeaways and a ramble

It’s been another weird year for many. Most of the world had vaccines, came out of lockdown, only to be hit by another variant, and ending up in a weird limbo lockdown all over again. As someone who has predominantly worked from home for the last 8 years, I have welcomed the last couple of … Continue reading 3 takeaways and a ramble →

The Value of Certifications

“How does your degree compare to my 10 years practical work experience?” This was something my very first manager used to say often to me and other fresh-faced graduates. He had a point – we knew nothing about the business, any of the tools, or the job compared to him, or indeed anyone else who … Continue reading The Value of Certifications →

November Blog a Day Reflections

I'm no writer of novels, but I allowed myself to be influenced by national November novel writing month and thought it would be a good idea to attempt a blog a day through the month. In the end, I wrote 17 blogs during November, the most I've written in a long time, perhaps ever. There … Continue reading November Blog a Day Reflections →

This isn’t the place to make a name for yourself

It was T's first week in a new organisation and they went into a project meeting for a new product that was about to be released. T: Has this product been pen tested? Project manager (PM): We don't usually do pen tests on most systems, unless they're really high risk, and even then we wait … Continue reading This isn’t the place to make a name for yourself →

The Ying Yang of Your Engine

I recently argued that I don’t really care about an aeroplane’s engine and that I only cared about the experience I have travelling on it. Some people argued with me that the engine is very important and without an engine the aeroplane won’t fly. Allow me to elaborate my thinking with the example of a … Continue reading The Ying Yang of Your Engine →