Block Ciphers -Huh?
November 2, 2025
Reading NIST's cryptography list I spotted lots of interesting tidbits. Block Ciphers really grabbed my eye. What are those? So, this daily is my regurgitation of what I learned.
DES and Skipjack are out -hackers should hunt this data? https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/131/a/r2/final
AES and Triple DES are in. AES is block cipher? I just found out.
Triple DES is newer, 2017. While AES was approved in 2001. AES seems to still be absolutely viable, but one must ensure using the correct block cipher mode. I'll focus on Triple DES from here on out.
I just did a search on Triple DES and found it's vulnerable, symmetric. So, no use investigating how to apply it.
Stick with IT?
November 12, 2025
I'm 53 years old. When I was 48 I decided to go into IT. I look back on that decision as a happy decision. I know it was later in life. Most workers should be peaking around 50 and enjoying the hard work served in previous decades. I'm not one of those people.
I earned a Journalism degree at 30. I know that was late in life as well. It was a goal of mine to finish a four-year degree. I thought the world would change and be perfectly laid out for me. I was wrong. I believe the first journalism job offer I was given motivated me to stay out of Journalism. The job was writing for a small town paper; earning $12 an hour and sharing an apartment with another writer.
After going back to school and scraping by to make tuition and pay bills, I wasn't having any of it. I look back on my decision sadly. It seems many times in my life I've traded convenience for growth. Instead of taking the writing job, I began working as a Supervisor in call center. It was decent pay, easy work and stupid easy bonuses. I had money to go out with friends on the town. I had money to travel. I had money to do all the things I couldn't do prepping to go back to school and making it through school.
I realize now that I could have done both. I realize now that life is always a struggle. There isn't a resting place until were gone. So no, I'm not going to quit IT. Is it hard at this age to push oneself, yep. But it's not any harder than any other age.
COVID started and my work closed down. I was taking unemployment for the first time in my life. I saw that I had a chance to steer my life a bit differently. I decided to begin my journey in IT. I went back to school again. I completed a two year program at Mt. Hood Community College. I'm currently working as Help Desk.
What I don't hear in my self-speak is that I'm unhappy with work. I may not like other aspects but work is enjoyable. Now, I want to practice writing and IT and find a middle ground. Perhaps I can start writing articles. Perhaps I still have a few good moves left in me.
Got the Books Out
November 17, 2025
I found the books I want to study with along with everything else I want to do!
"Learn POWERSHELL IN A MONTH OF LUNCHES"
"PYTHON CRASH COURSE"
"LINUX BASICS FOR HACKERS"
In addition, completing TryHackMe rooms and other challenges. I guess I am becoming a real computer jockey. It's better than remaining a couch potato! I don't get much time at work on the books. But I'm starting to sneak in Python with document scripts and security reading up on AD groups, BitLocker and keys.
I'm wondering what I can do with WSL at work. Does Linux tools actually make a difference over the work horse Powershell? I'm not sure. I don't have a Linux project. So, would Linux make a difference with Windows day-to-day in a work place where I'm working in AD, hardware and MaintainX?
Resumes Suck, Right
November 18, 2025
Thank God for Ai! Resume writing sucks! All I did tonight was start a resume. They seem like a jumble mix match to me. And does style even matter? So, Ai is great for resumes. Tomorrow I'll finish the rough of my resume. I'll then upload it to Ai, several different Ais, and have them recommend changes. I can ignore everything it suggests or cherry pick.
I suppose the entire job searching process if far easier compared to when I started job searching way back when carrying paper copies around for interviews was important. On the same subject of interviews, everyone was expected to dress up and look shopping catalog professional. The good side of job searching in those days was you knew if you were good after an interview.
Now there are so many reasons to get hired or not hired. It all washes out because one can apply or network easily now. This is all known, etc.
So, it's job searching time. I want to earnestly put the feelers out. Who knows, I might finally become okay with writing resumes, but probably not.
First Project: Reader's Dictionary
November 19, 2025
Next entries will follow my making a reader's dictionary. It's an idea I've had for years. Those of use that love words or want to simply record words we come across may like to have a personal lexicon/dictionary. The concept is to think of it as a word journal.
Features I want are above my skill! I'll still go for it!
- Book/source title
- Source type like Web URL, Book ISBN and others
- Page number from book
- A text box to type in sentence containing word wanting to define
- Perhaps pull a definition from an open source like FreeDict or Open Dictionar
- Pronunciation example
- Part of speech
- Save definition
- Share entry
Like I said. I have no idea how to make it, but it'll be a journey. I've wanted to make a project like this forever!