Vegas Decompression Complete

Above is Saturday night.

Below is Sunday night.

(didn’t achieve top score, he just let me put my name, kept tanking the putting)

What an over-stimulating environment, Vegas.

Don’t like the city, and coming up on 20 visits ugh; the blog tag is annoyingly large –Vegas (25).

It’s the extreme excess, and how people’s level of entitlement to it all severely increases… gross. 

But Black Hat ahhhh. Guys I learned so much.

Upcoming Security Posts

– car hacking stuff obvs
– defeating 80% of all proximity-keyed doors
– the “Avoid being Social Engineered” Series with Social-Engineer, Inc
– update your Android phone NOW (really, don’t wait for the post – Google “libstagefright” and install ASAP)

Next Car Reviews

– 2015 Jaguar XJ & XJL
– 2015 Subaru Crosstrek
– 2015 Ford Focus ST

Plus the post: My Vegas Photos will Bore You

Three weeks left of summer, book stuff this week because we’ll blink and it’ll be September. Here’s to a strong start to your week!

xo Keri

 

 

First Time I’ve Ever Used an Emoji

Best interpretation I received:

The most obvious message I got from that is that “It’s ok to talk to the hand, carrying flowers while walking with a donut to catch the bus.. you would like to have target practice with floppy disks while reading charts and graphs under lock and key for the Department of Defense.” – John Knox

The actual meaning is less colourful – I scrolled through all possibles, chose my favourites along the way, then hit post.

Know what though? And filing this under predictions:

Prediction: our method of communicating is coming full circle, and we’ll soon be back to hieroglyphics.

 

 

So Much Stuff Happening Everywhere & Fast

Because I only confirmed yesterday afternoon I’d be attending the conference (see post below), today has been in fast forward to pull it all off before I fly out Tuesday to Vegas.

That includes writing all my newspaper deadlines ahead of time, because the network at this conference is the most hostile in the world, and to be avoided as much as possible. More about the network here.

Next week’s column is about HUD’s – Heads-Up Displays – week after that has to be finished too – autonomous car infrastructure – so I’m sorry for the light blog update today but that’s why!

Here’s a photo of me with my dream car – Jaguar F-TYPE R – and sorry again gotta run here xo

 

 

Before & After Photos of my House Renovation

One year ago today I picked up the keys to my new house.

After pulling off the world’s fastest home purchase (real estate lawyer and bank’s words,) then the world’s fastest move, I lived on an air mattress for a couple months because it was a 3-season house that I winterized while living in it (it occurred to me while typing this I’ve slept on it 1/3 of a year.)

Let’s take a tour! First stop is the guest room.

I made the comforter set, I love sewing. And welded that guy.

In we go to the freshly painted crisp whiteness. I argue with everyone: no I don’t want colour in here. I am the colour.

Best joke of the renovation:

With 2 friends, walking into a hardware store that sells paint, “Careful Keri, there’s colour in here.”

Let’s take the tour upstairs and work our way down.

My office. Where the words come from.

Here’s an old closeup of my lanyard collection.

Typing Before & After on these photo collages is so satisfying holy crap.

The mirror makes all the difference eh, creates the illusion of space. Remember when it fell off the wall?

Most conflicting compliment of the renovation:

Checked out your blog, it looks like a home renovation show.

Good because means my documenting skills are sharp, bad because omg I run a home and decorating blog now? Ugh. Gonna create a DIY tag and smother myself with it.

Bathroom. Grey walls! Deviated from all-white, that’s huge for me.

When the electrician asked where to install the lights:

Me: eye level
Him: your eyes? That’s shorter than most, what about your guests?
Me: don’t care, my house, everything is to be my size

Can’t believe how much I’m now into infrastructure, and things like hot water tanks. Remember how gross the old one was? Remember all the insane things discovered during this project?

Minimalism always and forever.

Bedroom. Note the grey wall behind the headboard.

That’s not the best bed I ever made though, this one is.

We’ll conclude the tour with the kitchen.

Pendent lights are so classy eh.

Will conclude the tour with this.

Traded my old table for that one, it belonged to my neighbour. I was describing my dream table and he said wait, I have one in my shop basement. Come ON.

Took a year, but I have home owning under control now.

It was a steep learning curve though. Had no idea what I’d got myself into. Didn’t even have a plant, now I own trees.

Probably the best part are the neighbours that came with the house.

Finally, I’m pleased to report that with this post, the blog tag renovation is now closed, and it’s back to regularly scheduled programming here – Cars, Security and a Peek into my Life.