Goals and Purpose – Richard Callaby

Trying to adapt the new normal of Artificial Intelligence creeping into the software development field.

There are some pretty rapid developments in the field of software development with the advent of artificial intelligence. Adapting to these changes means you will have to try and change rapidly.

Below I have written a brief article on how you could adapt to these changes. Now, obviously, I am going through this as well so over time I may update this list on this website as I discover ways that others can adapt to this new reality.

Adapting to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in fields like software development and information security requires a combination of upskilling, mindset shifts, and proactive engagement with emerging technologies. Here are some strategies for professionals in the technology field to adapt effectively:

Continuous Learning and Skill Development: Stay updated with the latest advancements in AI technologies and their applications in your field. This may involve enrolling in relevant courses, attending workshops, participating in online forums, or pursuing certifications in AI and machine learning.
Embrace Automation and Augmentation: Understand that AI is not here to replace human workers entirely but rather to augment their capabilities. Embrace automation tools and AI-powered platforms that can streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more creative and strategic endeavors.
Collaborate with AI Systems: Instead of viewing AI as a threat, collaborate with AI systems to enhance productivity and efficiency. Learn how to leverage AI algorithms and tools to optimize software development processes, improve code quality, or strengthen cybersecurity measures.
Adopt AI-Driven Development Practices: Explore AI-driven development practices such as AI-assisted coding, which can help software developers write better code faster. Similarly, in information security, utilize AI-powered threat detection and response systems to bolster cybersecurity defenses.
Enhance Data Literacy: AI heavily relies on data, so improving your data literacy skills is essential. Understand how to collect, clean, analyze, and interpret data effectively to derive meaningful insights and make informed decisions.
Focus on Creativity and Problem-Solving: While AI can handle routine tasks, human creativity and problem-solving skills remain invaluable. Cultivate these skills to tackle complex challenges, innovate new solutions, and add unique value to your projects.
Ethical Considerations: As AI becomes more pervasive, it’s crucial to consider the ethical implications of its use. Stay informed about ethical guidelines and best practices for AI development and deployment, and advocate for responsible AI adoption within your organization.
Stay Agile and Adaptive: The technology landscape is constantly evolving, so cultivate an agile mindset and be prepared to adapt to new developments and trends in AI and related fields.
Networking and Collaboration: Engage with peers, industry experts, and AI enthusiasts through networking events, conferences, and online communities. Collaborate on AI projects, share knowledge, and learn from others’ experiences to accelerate your AI learning journey.
Stay Curious and Open-Minded: Approach AI adoption with curiosity and an open mind. Be willing to experiment with new technologies, learn from failures, and adapt your strategies based on feedback and evolving best practices.

By adopting these strategies, professionals in the technology field can effectively adapt to the increasing adoption of AI and position themselves for success in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Now, these are just some of the ideas that came to mind. They may seem obvious to many but implementing them in practice takes a lot of work. Hopefully, since you know these changes are coming you can start to develop a backup plan or other means of making a living. Remember, your job shouldn’t define who you are but rather what you can contribute to this world.

As a software developer you can solve problems and think rationally and logically, that means you should be valuable as an employee regardless of what happens. Eventually, software developers may become even more valuable than they are now as software development becomes highly specialized.

CyberSecurity Roles: Why you should consider both Blue and Red Team Roles?

As the field of cybersecurity continues to grow, there is a growing demand for professionals who are skilled in both offensive and defensive security tactics. While offensive security (commonly referred to as “red teaming”) is often seen as the more glamorous and exciting side of cybersecurity, it is essential to recognize the critical role of blue team tactics in protecting against cyber threats.

In this article, we will explore why individuals studying offensive security should consider learning blue team tactics and how it can benefit their career in cybersecurity.

What is Blue Teaming?

Blue teaming refers to the defensive side of cybersecurity, which involves protecting systems and networks from cyber-attacks. Blue team members work to identify vulnerabilities in a system, develop and implement security measures, and monitor and respond to security incidents.

Blue teaming tactics involve a wide range of activities, including network monitoring, threat hunting, vulnerability management, incident response, and security assessments. These activities are critical for maintaining the security of a system or network and mitigating cyber threats.

Why Learn Blue Teaming Tactics?

Understanding the Other Side

As an offensive security professional, learning blue team tactics can help you gain a better understanding of the other side of the coin. By understanding how defenders operate, you can better anticipate their responses and create more effective attack strategies. This understanding can also help you develop more robust and resilient systems that can withstand attacks.

Enhancing Your Skill Set

Learning blue team tactics can expand your skill set and make you a more well-rounded cybersecurity professional. Many of the skills and techniques used in blue teaming, such as network monitoring and incident response, are transferable to offensive security. By mastering these skills, you can become a more versatile and effective cybersecurity professional.

Job Opportunities

As the demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to grow, many employers are seeking individuals with both offensive and defensive security skills. By learning blue team tactics, you can increase your employability and stand out in a competitive job market. Additionally, having experience in both offensive and defensive security can lead to higher-paying job opportunities.

Improved Cybersecurity Awareness

Understanding blue team tactics can also help you develop a more holistic approach to cybersecurity. By understanding the methods and techniques used to protect against cyber threats, you can better identify potential vulnerabilities in a system or network. This knowledge can help you develop more effective attack strategies and make you a more effective cybersecurity professional overall.

Ethical Considerations

As a responsible cybersecurity professional, it is essential to consider the ethical implications of your actions. By learning blue team tactics, you can gain a better understanding of the impact of cyber-attacks on individuals and organizations. This understanding can help you develop more ethical and responsible offensive security strategies.

While offensive security is undoubtedly exciting, it is essential to recognize the importance of blue team tactics in protecting against cyber threats. By learning blue teaming, individuals studying offensive security can expand their skill set, gain a better understanding of the other side, increase their employability, and develop a more holistic approach to cybersecurity. Ultimately, by combining offensive and defensive security skills, cybersecurity professionals can become more effective in protecting against cyber threats and making the digital world a safer place.

Being Consistent on GitHub – My thoughts.

Maintaining a consistent presence on GitHub is important for any developer, especially if you are looking to use the platform to showcase your work and skills to potential employers or clients. One key aspect of this is regularly pushing updates to your profile.

But what does it mean to be consistent in pushing updates to your GitHub profile, and why is it important?

Consistency refers to the regularity and frequency with which you make updates to your profile. This could be anything from committing new code to existing projects, to creating new repositories for new projects. By updating your profile consistently, you demonstrate to others that you are actively engaged in your work and are committed to keeping your skills and knowledge up to date.

There are several benefits to being consistent in pushing updates to your GitHub profile. First and foremost, it helps to build your credibility as a developer. When others see that you are consistently committing code and working on new projects, they are more likely to view you as a skilled and reliable developer. This can be especially important if you are using GitHub as a way to attract potential employers or clients.

In addition, consistency can also help you to improve your own skills and knowledge. By regularly working on new projects and committing code, you are able to stay up to date with the latest technologies and best practices in the field. This can help you to continue learning and growing as a developer, which is essential in an industry that is constantly evolving.

So, how can you be more consistent in pushing updates to your GitHub profile? Here are a few tips:

Set aside dedicated time for coding and updating your profile. This could be a few hours each week, or even just a few hours each month. The important thing is to make sure you are consistently setting aside time to work on your projects and update your profile.
Use tools like GitHub’s own project management features or external project management tools to help you stay organized and on track. This can make it easier to prioritize your work and ensure that you are consistently making progress on your projects.
Make use of GitHub’s collaboration features. By working with others on projects, you can help to ensure that you are consistently committing code and updating your profile. This can also be a great way to learn from others and expand your skillset.
Consider joining or starting a coding group or community. This can be a great way to stay motivated and accountable, as well as to learn from and collaborate with other developers.
Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges. Pushing yourself to work on new and difficult projects can be a great way to improve your skills and keep your profile up to date.

Overall, being consistent in pushing updates to your GitHub profile is important for any developer who wants to build their credibility, improve their skills, and stay engaged in their work. By setting aside dedicated time for coding, staying organized, and taking on new challenges, you can ensure that you are consistently making updates to your profile and staying active on the platform.

Some thoughts on Privacy in the age of Social Media.

Privacy on the internet has become a major concern for many people, especially as it relates to social media. Social media platforms collect a vast amount of personal information about their users, including their names, location, age, interests, and even their relationships. This information is often used to target users with advertisements and to build profiles of their habits and preferences.

One of the main concerns with privacy on social media is the lack of control that users have over their personal information. Once you share something on the internet, it can be nearly impossible to take it back. Even if you delete a post or account, there is still the potential for that information to be saved by someone else or to be cached by a search engine.

Another concern is the use of third-party tracking and profiling. Many social media platforms allow third-party companies to track user’s activity and use that information for targeted advertising. This means that even if you are careful about the information you share on social media, you could still be tracked and profiled based on your online activity.

There are steps that you can take to protect your privacy on social media. One of the most important is to be mindful of the information you share. Think carefully about what you post and consider whether you are comfortable with that information being publicly available. You should also be cautious about accepting friend requests or connections from people you do not know.

Another important step is to review your privacy settings on social media platforms. Most platforms allow you to customize your privacy settings to limit the information that is visible to others. You should also be careful about the apps and services you connect to your social media accounts, as these can also access your personal information.

Overall, it is important to be aware of the potential risks to your privacy on social media and to take steps to protect yourself. While it may not be possible to completely eliminate the risks, being proactive about your privacy can help you feel more secure when using social media.

Should Online Instructors ask their students what courses to make in the future?

There is something I see quite a bit online, and honestly, I am a bit perturbed by it. As an instructor, who will soon have some courses online, I don’t ask my students what I should study next to be able to teach them in the future. I believe as a teacher, or instructor, you should be the thought leader.

Now, in marketplaces such as Udemy and Skillshare, getting a feel for demand for a course is a wise idea. However, as someone who is a thought leader you should be able to anticipate the needs of your students beforehand. I can understand the reasons why some instructors do this as they don’t want to waste their time on creating a course that potentially will have no buyers.

Surveying your students about what they would like to learn next shouldn’t be your primary concern. Surveys’ amount to very little in the real world. Surveys don’t actually translate into sellable courses. What matters, and what should be the ultimate determinate of demand for your courses is how well they sell!

The old expression about “money talks” means quite a lot online.

Besides, if you are a true thought leader, you should be more concerned with creating an online curriculum that enhances every other course you make. By creating a curriculum, or a series of courses that can be tied together, you can in effect create more sales.

Anyways, this is something that has been bugging me for quite a while, and I had to get this off my chest and articulate my argument as best as I could! If you disagree with me, please don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments below!

Updates are forthcoming to this website!

Hey all,

This website has sadly been neglected for far too long. This is hopefully going to change. As I continue to write and produce content for Udemy, Kindle, and other platforms I am aiming this to be a portal to those particular platforms.

There are various reasons I have neglected this website. However, as I continue to produce content on other platforms this will be the best resource to get updates/deals on any course(s) I offer.

Please stay tuned to this website for any updates because the best deals will obviously originate from this website first!

For instance, my latest YouTube Tutorial series can be found here:

Eventually, I may need to do a complete overhaul of this website as the need may arise. Thank you for reading any of my articles on this website. I appreciate it!

Video Production – How to create your own online video course using free resources

Recently I have been tempted to take a course on MatadorU for Travel Video production. The main reason being is that I believe I can get better at this and the instruction at this website seems to be far above what many others seem to offer. However, it dawned on me that I probably didn’t even need to do this; I could in fact create my own video production course from freely available resources.

There is a plethora of excellent tutorials available on YouTube. Sure, you may have to wade through some of the bad channels to find some good examples from experienced people who know their craft. The channels I am going to point you to be what I consider to be some of the best around. Of course, I may have missed a few and if so please do let me know so I can add them to the list.

Now, of course you will not get the one on one feedback from a structured course but this should get you going to where you want to go. After you have practiced on your own you could then sign up for the MatadorU course to see how well you learned these concepts. The point that just about every channel and YouTuber seems to drive home is just use what you have available and not get bogged down by your lack of equipment or knowledge. Practice here is what seems to really make a good videographer above all else.

Below is a bunch of channels I have found useful in learning how to create better videos for just about any medium. You can translate this into your travel videos and also you could create a side business as a wedding photographer/videographer from what you may learn on these channels.

FilmRiot
The folks at FilmRiot are pretty hilarious. Using humor as a tool to help you learn is something that many youtubers don’t seem to realize is highly effective. Since these are film makers they don’t necessarily use the same techniques you would see if you were to become a full time travel photographer/videographer.
However, if you plan on making your travel videos with some flair and some extra bit of effort you will learn quite a lot from this channel. The equipment that they are reviewing now will probably be out of your price range if you are just starting out, however, these tools are certainly aspirational and would add quite a bit to your videos and cinematography.
Ultimately when you are creating travel videos you want to tell a story. These people will help you do just that; you may even want to script out some scenes while you are out and about and see how that goes. I am going through this channel and I learn quite a bit from them every day. Each day I just watch one or two videos and take notes to expand on what I have already learned. Eventually, I will be able to put these tools and techniques into practice to make some pretty interesting videos.
Definitely check these people out if you have the chance, it is time well worth spending.

https://www.youtube.com/user/filmriot

FilmSkills
This is yet another youtube channel that has some interesting tidbits to learn about making better videos. Many of their more recent videos seem to be teasers for their own courses on film making. That is all fine and well but you will be able to find a few good things to learn from these folks.

Going deeper into this channel is certainly a learning experience. The videos teach you how to do basic film skills and should get you started on your way to making some compelling travel films. Clearly if you have had no knowledge in the past about these sorts of things you will learn a couple items with each video. If however you already have a degree in filmmaking then you may not learn quite as much, although you may pick up a trick here and there.

The manner in which this channel teaches is pretty standard and there is nothing wrong with that, being too funny is distracting after a while. Overall the content in this youtube channel is certainly worth a giving it a go and you will be able to expand on your knowledge of how to create the perfect shot no matter where you may be filming.

https://www.youtube.com/user/FilmSchoolOnDVD

UglyMcGregor
This is an interesting title to a very interesting youtube channel that supplies quite valuable information to those wishing to up their video production skills. Clearly, you can see that the tips and tricks he provides are going to come in handy regardless of the genre you wish to record. Basically, you could learn more from this channel and some of the other channels combined than you could if you went to professional film school.

As a disclaimer I never did go to a film school so I have no idea if that is an accurate assessment but it just sounds good. However, with the amount of free information supplied by these various channels I am curious as to why anyone would go to a film school other than networking as many of these video tutorials seem all you need to learn.

If you are into using DSLR cameras than this channel will come in very handy as some of the tips and tricks mentioned and shown in this channel can be used to make your videos look outstanding. Later on I really hope to show the efforts of my work and to prove that my film skills have improved.

https://www.youtube.com/user/UglyMcGregor

Philip Bloom
The shots on this channel are beyond stunning. It is really fantastic work. That is why I listen to what the man has to say when he reviews products. Clearly, you can learn a lot from just watching his videos and seeing how they are edited together.

Product reviews on his channel are deep and show a depth of knowledge I really aspire to one day. It is apparent he puts a lot of effort into his craft and that is why you should subscribe and listen to what the man has to say on this subject.

https://www.youtube.com/user/philipbloom

Dave Dugdale – Learning DSLR
This channel is packed with tips on what else but learning the DSLR. It is most assured that you will be using a DSLR camera on your travels, or for whatever you wish to shoot later on in life. As opposed to just reading a blog post or reading the manual seeing someone go through the effort to help you learn the DSLR is quite good.

There are some other channels I could mention but honestly I think this blog post is getting a bit big and I have probably lost about half my readers already. Needless to say you can find out a lot by just using youtube. Should you bother creating your own video course? That really is up to you to be honest.

Learning from others is probably the only way to really learn anything. It is true that if you want to get better at anything you should practice it and with the amount of information supplied from the channels above it is clear you will have plenty to practice. Now, the next step is just to get out there and actually do it.

https://www.youtube.com/user/drumat5280

The argument for taking a structured class

These videos are all well and fine but they don’t give you immediate feedback. One of the benefits of taking an online course, or a in person classroom course is that you can get instant feedback. No youtube videos are going to be able to give you constructive criticism and unless you want to hear from know-it-all youtube commenters about how you should improve your videos you won’t get any immediate feedback.

That is one of the compelling reasons to take a course offered by MatadorU is that they can give you feedback on their assignments that they give out on a weekly basis. You can then go back and redo these assignments to see if you improved. This kind of feedback loop is what is going to help you become better at your craft, and as a result get more viewers and hence more revenue on your channel.

Now, creating some compelling images and a story would dramatically help you get more views. However, as many people don’t expect a huge budget on youtube you shouldn’t always try and impress your viewers with some flashy videos. It seems as though the best channels have a mixture of both low budget “real” films and some good travel videos with some great shots, good music, and good narration.

Ultimately what story do you want to tell? What is that you want your viewers to learn from you? That is going to get you to be more focused on what is in the content of your videos and by and large that will help you create better videos in the future.

There is something to be said of writing a script and telling a narrative over a bunch of B-Roll to give you the impression of something more “professional”, this is going to take time and honestly may not be something you want to do right off the bat. Do you really want to replicate what you see on the Travel Channel or even National Geographic? If so, then you may have to practice a lot at home before venturing out into the wild with your camera and your editing skills.

What I didn’t include was some classes or even books on screenwriting or even software to use when trying to come up with a story to tell. The reason for this was simply because I believe that this may be better suited for a blog post of its own. In the future I may very well review some books and pieces of software on this subject so be sure to keep a look out for that, it will be worth your time.