My Recommended Reading and Watching

On this page is a list of things that I’ve read or watched that were either interesting or inspiring.

Essays

How To Become A Hacker - Eric Steven Raymond: An interesting piece of writing that has informed my ideology, although I don’t agree with some of it. Also, the original author would completely disagree with my usage of it, given that most of what I do is more inline with his definition of “cracker” rather than “hacker.”
The Word “Hacker” - Paul Graham: An interesting musing on the spirit found in a hacker, and how it relates to the larger society.
Undergraduation - Paul Graham: A how-to guide about becoming a hacker while in college.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R Tolkien: Classics that I grew up reading and keep coming back to again and again.
Dune - Frank Herbert: Just a masterpiece that was a big part of my childhood.

Permanent Record - Edward Snowden: This book was a really interesting insight into the motivations and ideals of a person that I’ve admired for a long time (to completely destroy my chances of working at the CIA or NSA now). It was an interesting look into how patriotism and idealism can be found in a hacker.
Ghost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick: Not a super applicable or relevant book to security today, but it’s a fun read.
Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking: Just an interesting and practical book about what makes humanity tick.
Creating True Peace - Thich Nhat Hanh: Although I don’t 100% agree with the philosophy posited by Thich Nhat Hanh, I found this book both insightful and inspiring, and it definitely gave me a great appreciation for the work of the monk.

Bruce Schneier - Information Security in the Public Interest - DEF CON 27 Conference: A great talk that redefined my goals as a computer scientist.
The Search for the Perfect Door - Deviant Ollam: Deviant Ollam is a master of public speaking and entertaining stories, while also demonstrating the real security problems in the physical world.
Katie Knowles, How to (Holiday) Hack It: Tips for Crushing CTFs & Pwning Pentests | KringleCon 2019: A video I rewatch every time I’m stuck on something. It goes through a really helpful and inspiring problem-solving methodology.
John Hammond, 5 Steps to Build and Lead a Team of Holly Jolly Hackers | KringleCon 2019: Just a good video about bringing people into the community as a leader of an organization.

Ron Bowes, Reversing Crypto the Easy Way | KringleCon 2019: One of the best and most interesting introductions to reverse engineering crypto. It’s helped me understand that the weakest link in a crypto program often isn’t the crypto itself, but the implementation around it, and I’ve used that to great effect in several challenges.
Tom Liston, RFC-3514 Compliant Pentesting: Being Good While You’re Being Bad | KringleCon 2021: Really funny video that also teaches you how to use python to automatically alter outgoing packets on the fly.
Nancy Gariché, Disclosing Security Vulnerabilities to OS Projects.. Like a Boss! KringleCon 2021: Super useful video that outlines good practices for disclosing vulnerabilities in OS projects.

Should We Abolish Copyright? - Tom Nicholas: An interesting discussion about the merits of copyright in the internet age.
A Meat Eater’s Case For Veganism - CosmicSkeptic: Although I found this video after I went vegan, it’s still the best summary of the arguments that had been simmering in my head for years that eventually convinced me.