Shiny, Sharp Objects
We've built yet another tantalizing, dangerous thing. Are we capable of protecting ourselves from it?
Taggart Tech
Taggart's thoughts on technology, AI, learning, and society.
Latest posts
Community Computing: The Future We Deserve?
Tech companies keep making us embarrassed to be their customers. Maybe we don't have to live like that.
GenAI: Ban vs. Regulate
The ban-vs-regulate debate form is tried and true. Let's apply the form to AI and see what we actually care about.
Disclosure: Teachable's CDN Is Stealing From Teachers
Teachable's CDN is misconfigured. The result: bypassed paywalls and lost revenue
I used AI. It worked. I hated it.
I used Claude Code to build a tool I needed. It worked great, but I was miserable. I need to reckon with what it means.
California's Age Assurance Lacuna
California's Digital Age Assurance Act presents new headaches and concerns for operating system maintainers and app developers. But is it the catastrophe some claim?
Control
Ultimately, the cloud and AI industries are about robbing you of computing power and selling it back at exorbitant rents.
Goodbye, Goodbye, Hello
To build the future, you must destroy the present. TTI is leaving Teachable and Discord. Here's why and how.
Introducing Ringspace: A Proposal for the Human Web
For months, I've been working on a project to demonstrate how we can preserve humanity on the web. It's finally ready for testing.
The Mozilla Cycle, Part III: Mozilla Dies in Ignominy
Mozilla's new strategy document confirms their position, and the end of their stewardship of the open web.
TOAD Attacks via Entra Guest Invites
A new reverse phishing campaign uses Microsoft Entra Guest invites to bypass email filters.
Discord Alternatives, Ranked
Building an online community takes more than tools. But the right tool can make all the difference.
Faith
Generative AI answers prayers. That's why we should be terrified of it.
The Eidolon in Prague
I remember how we were. She remembers everything else.
On Wheels and Reinvention
Building the same thing close-to-home can be the right choice for your project, even if it feels like reinventing the wheel.
The Tyranny of False Positives
It's time to move beyond true/false, positive/negative.
Announcing The Homelab Almanac: Version 3.0
The best guide to homelabs just got a lot better—and bigger.
For Mom, One Year Later
It's been a year since my mother passed away. I wrote her eulogy, and I'd like to share it with you so she is remembered.
ClickFix Fixes Ranked
The cool thing about ClickFix remediation is nobody walks away happy.
Evil Deno: Abusing the Nicest JavaScript Runtime
Deno offers a wonderful developer experience for those who work in the Node ecosystem. Turns out, it also offers a great deal for offensive security researchers—and the bad guys.
Prophecy
How a liberal arts education showed me the future
How and Why to Ditch GitHub
How much of your code do you feel like entrusting to Microsoft? How about American data centers? Here's an easy way to jump ship and maintain operations.
The Mozilla Cycle, Part II
What is Mozilla? What do they think they are, how does that differ from our expectations?
The Mozilla Cycle, Part I
For decades, Mozilla and the open source community have been thick as thieves. Recent events call that relationship into question.
It's Not a Damned Calculator
Generative AI is not a calculator. Thinking of it that way misses the point.
Your Private Wireguard Network from Scratch
Let's learn how to set up our own private network for secure self-hosted services.
The Year of Disconnect
In 2024, Tech companies gave up the game. They never cared about you, and they never will again.
Where to Go After WordPress
WordPress is acting weird. If you wanna back away slowly, here are some safe exits.
Your 2025 Cybersecurity Jobs Guide
My advice for job hunting to actually get hired, not chase ghost jobs.
The Bluesky Questions, Part 2
Why our experience of social media matters more than the technicals, or moral absolutes
The Bluesky Questions, Part 1
The big Bluesky questions answered, maybe not the way you'd like
Run, Hide, Fight
I don't know how many options we have right now. Survival is victory.
My Shell Setup
Curious about customizing your terminal experience? Here's how I do it.
Cardboard-Covered Wagons
The dangers of overselling
Meditations on The Human Web
To save the internet, we may have to rebuild it.
Announcing The Homelab Almanac, v2.0.0
Stability, refinement, and depth. The same Almanac, but better.
Interfaces
LLMs are coming for search, and the internet will never be the same.
One-Click Deploys with Azure, Terraform, and Traefik
Fully certified apps from start to finish with one move.
Homelab Essential Questions
What to ask before you buy the server
Truth in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
LLMs are scary, but not for the reasons you've been told.
Meeting You Where You Are
A new approach for courses on The Taggart Institute
Interrogating Bias in Incident Response
When you're trying to catch the bad guys, you can't let your own brain stand in the way.
Quasar: Compromising Electron Apps
We've all heard how insecure Electron apps are. Here's a way to make that easy to demonstrate.
Chrome Extensions for Post Exploitation
You've landed an implant on a low-priv endpoint. Instead of trying to dump LSASS, watch how SSO environments can be used against themselves.
The Federated Future
Now is the time to seek a better internet. I found some of it in the Fediverse. Maybe you can too.
On Learning and Fear
Safety and risk are not mutually exclusive. But nevertheless, I firmly believe you can't truly learn without a support system.
Do I Need a Degree to be Successful in Tech?
Ask five tech professionals about the usefulness of degrees, you'll get eight opinions. Let's cut through the hot takes and figure this out.
What a Teacher Wants InfoSec To Know, Pt. 3: Constructing Knowledge
We are responsible for building our own domains of knowledge, but how does it work?
What A Teacher Wants InfoSec to Know, Pt. 2: The Zone
Time to drop a little education theory, starting with Lev Vygotsky and the Zone of Proximal Development.
What a Teacher Wants InfoSec To Know, Pt. 1: Safety
I would like to tell you this post is not inspired by Bean Dad. That's mostly true, although I'd be lying if I said he wasn't the inciting incident