Rick Tracy

March 14, 2025

Where I'll Be

I can’t move my arms or legs. I’ve walked these rocks hundreds of times during my long life, but always during daylight and when the park was open. I hadn’t noticed the seaweed as I walked along the cliff. It was as slippery as ice. Now I lie face down on cold jagged shale as the incoming tide gently sweeps over my body. Blood mixes wi...

January 23, 2025

Dollars in the Sand

Running along the beach in search of sand dollars, two young boys stumbled upon the skeletal remains of an old, once masted ship. Submerged in sand and subject to twice daily high tides, the old ship was in perpetual dry dock. The boys wondered if it was a pirate ship with a treasure chest. Would they become rich and famous for discove...

January 22, 2025

Lights in the Distance

Bang! Bubba, initially stunned, realized that he had just been in an accident and tried to open the door of his truck. The impact from the collision compressed the body panels of the truck making the door difficult to open, so Bubba forced it open with his feet. The door made a loud groaning sound as the body panels rubbed against each...

January 22, 2025

What Happened?

The long winter gives way to warm weather. The school year is over. Summer is here. It’s time to escape to the island where the magic happens for another fourteen glorious days of teenage independence. The island greets us like an old friend. The cool salty air feels good on the skin as the sun goes down. The eerie dark and quiet make ...

January 22, 2025

It Can Wait

Falling snow has erased the past two hours of work. It’s futile. Removing my coat and hat, snow falls on the floor and quickly transforms into a glassy puddle. The wind rages, pushing the snow where it will. It may kill me, but the snow will still be there tomorrow morning. The kettle’s on the boil as it’s time to warm up. But I’m conf...

January 21, 2025

The Third Floor

It was a short walk up the hill to my first college class - Pitt Street to Payson Smith Hall. There was a crisp bite to the autumn air and the smell of burning wood. Nerves were raw, but I wouldn’t reveal that. I sat four rows up in the center. The experience was magical, but grades didn’t cooperate resulting in a 43-year sabbatical. R...

January 20, 2025

Ghost Boat

Is it time to leave the island already? It feels like we just got here. Why does the time go so fast? Don’t forget the ghost boat. It will let you stay another hour. Have a seat. Relax. Take in 60 more minutes of intoxicating freedom from the things that ail us all. The additional minutes race by. The 60-minute reprieve has only prolon...

January 20, 2025

It's Been a While

It was a long trip to the old island cottage. How long had it been? No one could remember exactly other than to say – geez, it’s been a buncha years. We reflected on the fun we had in the past, bouncing around the island coastline in the dingy watching the sunset and haulin’ a trap or two. As we made our way out to the island there was...

January 19, 2025

The Good Shot

But I’m a good shot. Don’t worry. Are you sure? Yes, just put this over your eyes so you don’t flinch. That could be bad. Ok. Now let’s put the apple on your head and stand still. Ok. But are you sure you won’t hit me? Yes. I’m a good shot. Ok. Stand very still. Ok. But are you sure… Yes. Don’t worry. Don’t you trust me? Uh… Well I… St...

January 18, 2025

Stark Silence

Dense fog muted the sound of the oars as they gently punctured the glassy surface. Dim lights in the distance appeared to hover over the still gray bay. As the boat glided past the shack on the tiny island there was stark silence. The only sign of life was suffused light faintly emanating from two candled windows. As we drifted by, the...

December 20, 2024

Follow-through on Commitment – The 45-year Journey is over.

Occasionally someone will ask me how my college 2.0 experience is going, so here it is: It was two years ago today that I wrote my original post about follow-through and commitment. That is, going back to finish a college degree that I abandoned in 1980. When I first decided to return to college, it wasn’t clear how long it would take ...

November 5, 2024

Help Preble Street Help The Less Fortunate

Winter is coming. It’s getting cold. Less fortunate people need help. Great organizations like Preble Street help people in Maine who need help. The mission of Preble Street is to: Provide accessible barrier-free services to empower people experiencing problems with homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty, and to advocate for soluti...

December 21, 2022

Just One Cybersecurity Prediction

In 2023 there will continue to be many cyber incidents that could have been avoided by simply doing a few basic things. Now what? Happy New Year.

December 20, 2022

Commitments

In 1979 I was an 18 year old wide-eyed freshman at the University of Southern Maine (USM). My plan was to major in English, graduate, and become a famous writer. It all seemed pretty straight forward. However, like many teenage boys I was immediately distracted (consumed?) by things other than academics. I’m sure I don’t need to explai...

December 16, 2022

What Would Apple Do?

I was at an event last night. One of the people there asked me what I think is next for the cybersecurity industry. He rightly observed that, despite the emphasis and spend on cybersecurity, bad things keep happening. I told him I didn’t know, but in some ways it feels like the early days of cybersecurity (internet or network security ...

December 15, 2022

Core Values Are Worthless

Like many companies, Enron's core values were painted on walls and displayed in their annual report. At the time of Enron's collapse the words they used to describe their values were Integrity, Communication, Respect and Excellence. Look familiar? Even if not painted on walls, other failed companies like Theranos and FTX certainly woul...

December 13, 2022

Remote Works If You Want It To

As concerns about COVID start to subside we are begining to see the shine of remote work start to fade a little. The very work modality that was hailed as the savior of businesses everywhere during COVID is now being called into question by people who: • don’t trust employees to do their job when they aren’t in the office • claim that ...

December 6, 2022

Boards Must Prepare to Manage Cyber Risk

In March of this year the SEC issued a proposed cyber security rule for public companies. Among other things, this rule would require: “…disclosure about the board’s oversight of cybersecurity risk and management’s role and expertise in assessing and managing cybersecurity risk…”. In these times of nation state attacks on critical infr...

April 26, 2021

Return on Security Investment is a Myth

Security isn’t a profit center. It’s a cost of doing business. Think of security investment like insurance. How much security investment is enough to limit loss and liability? The return you get on security investment is reducing risk and protecting your business. Security investment helps prevent loss and liability. It won’t make you ...

April 14, 2021

Cyber Threat Information Sharing is Still Aspirational for Most

• ISAOs • ISACs • Stix/Taxii Some people may know what these information sharing initiatives are for. Some participate, but most don’t. If cyber threat information sharing is so important, why doesn’t every organization in the world participate in some way? • It’s not easy. It requires skills that many organizations don’t have. • It ta...

April 13, 2021

Traditional cyber security training doesn’t work

A recent report suggests that 61% of people failed a basic cyber security quiz. It’s not surprising. Cheesy videos with intentionally confusing and misleading test questions don’t work. With so much on the line why do we continue push outdated and ineffective cyber security training methods? The answer is likely compliance. You have to...

April 7, 2021

What exactly is risk appetite?

Synonyms for appetite include: • Hunger • Craving • Longing • Yearning Who has any of these desires as it pertains to risk? No one. We have an appetite for things like cheesecake, not risk. Let’s stop asking about risk appetite and frame the question using more realistic terms like risk tolerance and risk acceptance.