Saw this interesting list and decided to come up with four additional books to add to it.

The first four SF books you should read if you’re working in social media

My additions:

Eastern Standard Tribe – Cory Doctorow

Great story with a backdrop of feeling connected via what time zone you are online.

Global Frequency – Warren Ellis

What happens with average citizens try to change the world as part of a real-time reactive global network that can handle any challenge. This is a graphic novel, but exceptionally done. You can also find a pilot for the failed TV project if you search in the right places.

Interface – Neal Stephenson
What if our political candidates reacted to our Twitter feeds? I’m Cool enough to have a copy of this published under the name Stephen Bury, the pen name Stephenson originally used until he was outed.

Gridlinked – Neal Asher
Trying to save a civilization with extreme grid withdrawal.

If you enjoy them or have any additional recommendations, comment below.

My favorite independent musician and friend Scott Albert Johnson has given me permission to release this live track on my blog for free.   The track is for sale at Scott’s site along with his debut album which is highly recommended.

Scott is a very talented musician who, along the lines of Jonathan Coultan and Geoff Smith, is working to make his music passion a full-time endeavor.   I’ve written about his debut album here on my blog in the past (Umbrella Man review).  I’m a big fan and happy to hear that Scott is working on a follow-up album (which I’ve already pre-ordered).  I’ve seen Scott perform live a few times in DC and the shows are always excellent.  I love Scott’s original portfolio of songs and I’m a huge fan of his cover of Peter Gabriel’s “I don’t remember”, which exceeds the original on so many levels.  I was pleased to hear from Scott that, based on my feedback, he’ll be including that cover track on his forthcoming album!

Magnolia Road is off Scott’s debut album.  It is not my favorite song on the album but it is a crowd favorite and will give you a good exposure to his vocal and harmonica talents.  If you can find someone that is better on harmonica than Scott (excluding John Popper of Blues Traveller), please let me know!

If you like the track, please go and buy the album.  If you aren’t happy with your purchase, I’ll buy you a drink the next time I see you. If you want to sample a few more tracks visit Scott’s MySpace page.

In the meantime, enjoy your free download of Magnolia Road live:

DOWNLOAD MAGNOLIA ROAD (via Amazon S3)

Here is the essay my daughter Maddie wrote after watching President Obama’s inauguration speech.

“Barack Obama is the new President. He is the first African American President. He is the 44th President. He has two daughters.

We will work for a better country. We will build bridges and houses. We will work to make the economy better. We have faith in Barack Obama that he can do these things.

I think Barack Obama is going to be a great President. I think he can make the world a better place. I believe that I can be the first woman President.”

One of my favorite recipes.  I’m sick of searching for it, so I’m blogging it in hopes that others can enjoy.  The Wegmans branded products can easily be replaced with more generic items.  Enjoy!

Steamed Meatballs with Asian Green Beans

Serves: 4

1 lb 90% or 85% Ground Beef
1 egg
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs or 1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Garlic Sauce, divided
1 bunch green onions, trimmed, sliced
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 oz fresh ginger root, peeled, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
1 cup Instant Brown Rice
1 pkg (12 oz) Green Beans
1 red sweet pepper, seeded, cut in thin strips
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil

Combine ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup garlic sauce, green
onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro, cracked pepper, and salt to taste;
mix thoroughly using hands. Shape into 16 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.
Pour uncooked rice into shallow pan or bowl. Roll meatballs in
rice, pressing to coat.
Place green beans and pepper strips in steamer basket. Arrange
meatballs in separate basket; stack baskets with meatballs on the
bottom and cover.
Heat 1-inch water in wok or tegame pan on HIGH to rapid boil. Water
must be hot enough to create steam below items to be cooked, but must
not touch it.
Place layered baskets in pan. Steam about 12 min. Remove from heat;
using extreme caution, remove lid carefully away from your face,
avoiding steam. Meatballs should have internal temp of 160 F;
check by inserting thermometer into center of meatballs.
Heat saute pan on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring,
1-2 min, until toasted. Add sesame oil, and remaining 2 Tbsp garlic
sauce. Heat just until warmed through, about 2 min. Serve over
vegetables with meatballs.

Option: Garnish with cilantro and drizzle with additional garlic
sauce.

Recipe featured in Wegmans Menu Magazine
Nutrition Info: Each serving (1 cup vegetables, 4 meatballs) contains
410 calories, 42g carbohydrate (6g fiber), 29g protein, 14g fat (6g
saturated fat), 125mg cholesterol and 250mg sodium.

Yesterday was my last day of employment at the Terrorism Research Center/TIS.  As an original co-founder of TRC in 1996 and it’s only active President and CEO, I was able to grow the company beyond any of the expectations we originally had.  It has been a fun and tremendously rewarding experiencing that will serve as a foundation for everything else I accomplish in my professional career.  I am greatly indebted to the remarkable team of folks I had the privilege of working with as we built the company.  I’ve often noted that one of my greatest skills as an entrepreneur was my ability to attract and retain talented and passionate employees. Without them, TRC would never have emerged as one of top research, analysis, and training organizations in the world.

We built the company from the basement to Ballston and watched it grow.   Early employees fondly remember my wife’s incessant questioning about when that large and loud web server was going to be moved from our basement coffee table to a more suitable location and the financial audit that was conducted by our customer while my daughter Maddie crawled around the basement floor.

Most importantly, TRC was positioned and ready to serve during a time when our nation and customers needed us most.  We continued to provide innovative products, programs, and analysis keeping true to our mission of helping the nation understand and combat the threat of terrorism and other global risks.  Many of the programs will have a living legacy for many years to come.  Programs like the Responder Knowledge Base, Terrorism Early Warning Group Expansion, Mirror Image training, T4 training, Pediatric Preparedness, and of course, the unparalleled wealth of knowledge that exists on www.terrorism.com.  In context, more than half of those programs were conceived and started prior to September 11, which shows how far ahead of the curve we were thinking.

Now it is time for a new generation of TRC leadership to take the helm and deliver the next generation of products and services our customers require.  While I won’t be with them to help, my heart will always be there and I wish them great success.

As for me, its back to the basement to figure out what’s next.  If you’ve got something in mind, feel free give me a call.  It is an exciting and apprehensive time, but one filled with endless opportunity.

Photo credit to Jessica Hagy.  You really must visit her site.

“I always say that in investing you want to buy stock in a company that has a business that’s so good that an idiot can run it, because sooner or later one will. We have a country like that.”  – Warren Buffet

This is exactly my frustration with the current market crisis we are currently going through.  Those that facilitated the crisis with irresponsible risky behavior are free of any sort of financial risk.  It is all reward, no risk at the leadership level and this introduces what I believe are unacceptable consequences.  Take a look at the list of multi-millionaires created through management failures.  Required reading here.

Which is exactly why we need to re-establish a link between risk and reward in public companies. The first step should be the following law:

If the government must step in and provide any sort of financing or guarantees for any part of a public company’s business, then all officers and directors lose all rights to severance pay and all outstanding vested or unvested options or warrants immediately become canceled. In the event the CEO of such corporation is not fired, but instead chooses to step down voluntarily, then the last 12 months of earnings is considered to be an interest free loan which the CEO must pay back over no more than a 10 year period.

Source:  http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/BORROW_Max_630_378.png

Wired is running a fantastic article about the 25th anniversary of the movie WarGames, which is arguably one of the most influential movies of my generation and certainly the most influential within the Generation X technology clique.

As noted this interview conducted with me in the year 2000, I had a WarGames poster in my office for years (it is now relegated to the server room in my basement).

When you enter the office of Matthew Devost, one of the most visible monuments to his life’s work is — a poster. More specifically, it’s a poster advertising the 1980s movie War Games, a hacker classic in which a high school kid almost starts World War Three. Devost would admit to the hyperbole of that Cold War film, yet he has become one of the most articulate advocates for educating leaders and the public by the growing threats from cybercrime and information warfare. (Future Presence Interview)

Wired deconstructs the impact the film had dealing with the subjects of nuclear war and technology proliferation at a critical time within the Cold War.

It was the year Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire”; the year the United Nations implored the Russians to withdraw from Afghanistan; the year ABC aired The Day After, a TV movie about the wake of a nuclear attack on the US. In the midst of all this came WarGames, a fizzy little thriller about looming Armageddon. It’s a deceptively simple story: High schooler David Lightman (played by 21-year-old Matthew Broderick) is a digitally proficient goofball who wants to play an unreleased computer game — and impress a pretty girl (Ally Sheedy). So he does something most Americans didn’t have a word for back then: He starts hacking. Little does he know, the “computer company” he’s infiltrated is actually a military installation running a missile-command supercomputer called the WOPR (War Operation Plan Response), and the game — Global Thermonuclear War — is real. Naturally, only David can stop it from setting off World War III.  (Wired)

Worth reading the entire thing.  It will also be interesting to put this in context with Kevin Mitnick’s book when it is released.  He has several quotes in the article discussing how the movie impacted his case including this one:

That movie had a significant effect on my treatment by the federal government. I was held in solitary confinement for nearly a year because a prosecutor told a judge that if I got near a phone, I could dial up Norad and launch a nuclear missile. I never hacked into Norad. And when the prosecutor said that, I laughed — in open court. I thought, “This guy just burned all his credibility.” But the court believed it. I think the movie convinced people that this stuff was real. They tried to make me into a fictional character.

My friend Scott Albert Johnson has released his new album entitled “Umbrella Man”. It draws on many styles and I hear songs that are reminiscent of Blue’s Traveler, John Taylor and a full-spectrum of old fashion blues with great lyrics and wonderful harmonica solos. The family favorite thus far is “Turn Out Fine”, which is a fast-paced upbeat ode to a former lover. Support this hard-working independent musician by picking up your copy today.