My friend asked me about this because he is contemplating a new career in cybersecurity. I’m sharing my response here:

There are good and bad things about a career in cybersecurity. Good in that there are a lot of jobs out there if you understand the tech. Bad in that it’s a lousy career. You’ll have job security, but if you do a great job, nobody cares because nothing happens — the best thing that can happen to you is you don’t get fired. And then people are always trying to cut corners in security, because it’s so nebulous. You…

I recently released this book. The title and subtitles pretty much speak for themselves regarding what the book is about! Info at https://www.mariakonner.com/new-book

It was quite a lot of work, but a labor of love, and I wanted to capture the excitement of living in San Francisco while transitioning, including the excitement, the confusion along this journey, and so many things I discovered about the culture of this wonderful city and the spiritual and divine experiences of crossing the gender divide. Please check out the book and take a little journey…;)

Here’s a description:

Self-discovery. Sexuality. Trans. LGBTQ. Gender Fluidity. Drag. Kinky Sex…

For years I wondered if I was a woman, or just a sensitive guy. When I lived 100% as a guy, I remember always feeling the tug of humiliation almost every time I expressed the way that I felt about something, especially to other guys. For example, me complaining to my friend:

Me: “People at work are so focused on looking good, they don’t care about what they’re doing. It’s so frustrating!”

Mansplaining “Regular” guy: “That’s the way the world works, you need to get better at understanding the dynamics of the work environment and how you can make yourself…

A glossary for discussing these times is helpful, especially for our young people.

Stoking / Stoker

Somebody who makes a mountain out of a molehill, finds division when there isn’t any, etc in order to get power. Often Stokers will create a problem (without people knowing) and then claim to be a solution to that problem. Here are some examples:

• Demonizing the other party
• Using terms like “killing babies”, “pro life” and creating a “Pro Life” vs “Pro Choice” narrative when in reality most people are largely in agreement (e.g. …

I have to refresh my supply of guitar picks regularly. I’ve never solved the puzzle regarding how they just vanish all the time. The prevailing theories are:

1. Conversion to pure energy: They literally just disappear. The matter in them suddenly ceases to exist. Most people argue that’s impossible because according to E=MC2 that would create the energy of a nuclear bomb. But maybe there is a flaw in Einsteins equation.
2. Wormholes: They disappear into a wormhole and emerge somewhere near Barnards Star. That theory at least keeps Einsteins equation intact
3. Aliens: Aliens have a serious deficiency of guitar pics on…

I’m not quite sure how democracy really works considering that it’s pretty much impossible to have a productive detailed discussion in a group with more than 4 or 5 people. Just think of how hard it is to choose a place to goto dinner with your family. And then talk about politics? Forget it. When you hit 20, it’s downright impossible, and anything beyond that no way. And then try to do it online…ha!

I love the concept of the wisdom of crowds as it applies to supporting a populist candidate like Bernie Sanders or AOC. But it can also…

This is probably obvious, but we have to always remind ourselves what game is really being played so the ensuing drama doesn’t overcome us. And set any respectful debate in the right context, free from the emotional manipulations of the mediocre. (Which is really hard to achieve on social media because the person who shouts loudest gets the most attention — sigh).

The founding fathers of the US were afraid of the 2 M’s:

• The Monarchy — who had too much concentration of power
• The Masses — who at the time were relatively uneducated

So they structured the government to…

There are many religions in this world, for example:

• Money and power
• Sex and power
• Fashion and power
• Victimhood, anger and hate
• Love

Most of which are of course egocentric. There is nothing wrong with a healthy ego, but there are many people in power who prey on inflating our egos — for example politicians, advertisers, and religious / cult leaders and dictators. This technique of controlling people has demonstrated century after century to be highly effective, and an essential tool for organizing and sustaining societies and economies. …