I'm baaaaaccccckkkkk!

Hello InfoSec world! I just wanted to let everyone know I will begin blogging again!

The Long Journey Back!
The first thing I want to blog about is a shout out to Johnny Long and his family. It looks like the Long's have come home after, what was it, 7 years in Uganda. Welcome home and I look forward to helping you here in the states. My family trip to Uganda and Kenya last year serves as a high point in my life. You were truly doing God's work and I am proud to say I could help!
Want more info, click here > http://www.hackersforcharity.org/

Derby! Derby! Derby!
I have been selected to speak at DerbyCon 6.0 "Recharge!" My talk this year is entitled "Hacking for Homeschoolers: STEM Projects for under $20." I am tentatively scheduled for Saturday at 3PM. Please drop in for a little bit of a Maker Faire, some cool toys, and learnin'.
Want more info on DerbyCon, click here https://www.derbycon.com/

P.S. Are you a person of faith? Do you have questions? Do you want to slow down and fellowship with fellow Christians during a hectic weekend conference? Don't forget about CrossCon at Derbycon!

PCI Community Meeting
I will be attending the 2016 North American PCI CM this September. The week of DerbyCon by the way. (Prayers needed now please). If you want me to ask any specific PCI questions, feel free to ask your question below or contact me directly by one of the means highlighted on the right frame.

The Main Event
Last month I went with several men from Immanuel Baptist Church to The Main Event in Nashville, TN. This was a blast! Not only did I get to fellowship with some of the men of my church, I got to meet and talk with men from all over America. There were guest speakers such as Tim Tebow, Nick Vujicic, TC Stallings, and Jonathan Evans. I particularly likes the speech by Jimmy Sites. He is a Christian adventurer/hunter/outdoorsman whose show, Spiritual Outdoor Adventures, can be seen online, on DirecTv channel 604, or on Dish channel 393.

Finally,
Vietnam! and Japan!
My family is in the midst of planning a trip to Japan and Vietnam for October. We will be gone of r2 weeks. The purpose of this trip is to allow my son Isaac to see the country of his birth and be a Christian witness to the world. This will not be a mission trip like last year's Uganda and Kenya trip. I will use this forum to blog about our travels. You can expect some security advice as well (after all, this is a Security Blog).

Bye for now!

Kenya. The pride of Africa!

Now that I am back in the land of wifi and clean electricity, I figured I would post some more pics from our trip.

InfoSec 101: Don't disregard ESET errors

Isaac makes a friend

Solome's church. What a fun time!

Preparing lunch for the churchgoers.

After lunch we hosted a medical clinic. We helped over 120 patients.

Solome shows us the community farming plot she started. She teaches men how to farm.

We gave Solome a laptop (donated by ANRC-Services) with Shamba on it. Shamba (donated by Hackers for Charity) is a farming program designed by Kenyan farmers for Kenyan farmers.

Goodbye Uganda and Our New friends

I just wanted to close out our Uganda trip with a final post.
Yesterday we visited Sole Hope. Their purpose is to go to communities, teach about sanitation, and find people affected by the flea locally known as a jigger. Each person is assessed for severity of infestation and the 15 worst cases are taken in for surgery. The tools used for surgery include pesticides (to kill the jiggers), a razor (to cut the skin open), and a safety pin (to dig out the eggs and larvae). I will never look at a safety pin the same.
We had lunch at Ozzie's. She is an 86 year old Australian fireplug who has lived here for over 40 years.
We wrapped the day up by teaching at the hackers pace.

This morning we got up early, ate breakfast, said our goodbyes, and headed to the airport. 4 hours later and here we are. Waiting on our flight to Nairobi where the hard work begins.

I want personally take time to thank the Longs again for opening their home to 7 complete strangers. I want to say goodbye to Mark since I didn't get to see him this morning. Finally, I wanted to mention Gerald, Johnson, and Henry. You are each special.

Hackers, Babies and Street Kids

Today was another wonderful day. The family went to Amani Baby Cottage while I spent the whole day at the hackerspace with Johnny, Mark, and Henry. I got to talk to Henry in detail about his iPhone app. It is ready for release but they still need to raise the $99 to register for an Apple id.

I worked with Johnny a little on a new educational build and Chromebook for Kenya. The build was put together by Kenyans for Kenyans. How cool. I also played with the LittleBits learning system. This is what we used tonight to teach the kids about circuit theory. Just like yesterday, they loved the education. I think Johnny will have a few good trainees that can benefit from this and can reach great heights.

The other thing I had fun with was assisting Mark with the 3D printer. I learned a lot from him.

P.s. I hope you enjoy the picture of the random Hello Kitty crane game. Gotta love Africa!

For the kids...

Today began slow and ended strong! We  intended to wake up at 8 and go to the central market. We all got up much earlier (thanks jetlag) and just sat around enjoying the view.

We made it to the Central Market after a quick stop at the Forex to exchange some money. The market was pretty cool. The kids purchased a few things (actually, it was just Audrey). I bought some spices for myself.

We ate lunch at the Keep Cafe again. That was excellent. Then we went back to the Jinga House for a nap!

After waking up we went to the Hackers for Charity hackerspace and helped Johnny Long teach a robotics class to street kids. What an experience. These kids were great. They all listened attentively, asked and answered questions, and lit up when they ''got their hands dirty."

Tomorrow I get to spend the whole day there with Johnny and Mark while the rest of the group goes to the Amani Baby cottage.

I hope you enjoy the pictures I have posted.

Good morning Uganda!

After 24 hours of flying, 8 hours in a hotel in Kenya, another 50 min plane ride, a 5 hour bus ride, and a full 8 hours of sleep at the Jinga House, I get rewarded with this view.

We are facing a relaxing Sunday. Church service at Calvary Chapel, lunch, then a boat tour of lake Victoria and the source of the Nile River.

Tomorrow we will be working in the new HFC hackerspace. We will be teaching kids logic and basic computer theory thanks to LittleBits.

4 Hours!

This blog post is approved by Emily (15). She can't wait to reunite with the kids at Future Hope orphanage!