Cyber Storm by: Matthew Mather

Not sure this title is appropriate for this book.  It is more of a "preper" book than a "Cyber" book.  The book takes place mostly in NY City where a power outage affects the entire city and from the lack of communication, the New Yorkers do not know if this is exclusive to their city or if it has affected the entire United States.

The book drives home the fact those that fail to plan, will plan to fail. Some level of prepping is necessary.  Especially in this day and age where the liberals push for urban living, it is important to be prepared.  In tight quarters, when things go south, chances of survival diminish.  The book covers some neighboring families that bond together to survive in the aftermath of a widespread power outage and an ensuing blizzard hitting NYC.  Chuck, the avid preper has supplies stored in a storage unit in his building.  When things go south, they soon find that someone has broken into the storage unit and has wiped out the supplies that will carry them through this ordeal.

I found a lot of similarities to the Florida Hurricane Alley way of living. We too have been without power for extended periods of time after a hurricane hits our area.  We run out of water, food, gas, and it is usually within the hottest months of the year where the inside of your house easily hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  Thankfully, folks in South Florida have been burned before and have made some  strides to be prepared when a hurricane warning has been issued, but never for any extended period of time.  Usually 3 days.

The scary part about this book is the fact that they were in a gun controlled state and because of that, their circumstances were far worst than they could have been with proper weapons.  Mather writes about the challenges in getting food, logistics in getting the food back to their location and the danger posed by other citizens that were as desperate if not more desperate the Michael and Chuck's family.  I myself have had this conversation with my wife.  If things go South, and people run out of food and/or water, they will come and try to take it or if I am that person that needs it for my family I WILL go and take it.  I am wondering if the author of Zello the Walkie Talkie app read this book and copied the idea of the "Mesh Network".  Recently after Hurricane Irma hit South Florida, it was the hottest app to have.  Neighbors were all communicating.  Even setting up APs meshed together to be able to communicate with each other.

The book showed a lot of promise but quite frankly fell short at the end.  The last chapter seemed like the author had somewhere to go and just slammed something together to end it.  As I stated, the book is more about surviving a natural disaster coupled with a bunch of coincidences.  The title was "click bait" for me since I am an Information Security Practitioner and thought it would be more about an actual "Cyber" Attack against the US.



Paperback: 362 pages
Publisher: PhutureNews Publishing; 1 edition (March 23, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0991677196
ISBN-13: 978-0991677191
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Private by: James Patterson

This book is a typical book for James Patterson.  The two page chapters are typical for Patterson.  The book covers four cases.  One of which is a cursory case with very little coverage.

The issues I found were from a technical perspective.  There are many inaccuracies with the technology in the book.  I think they should have had a consultant, or a better consultant to review the tech.

Not a book I would recommend as a MUST read, but if you have access to it, go for it.  Short review because there was nothing ground moving with this one.


Series: Private Novels
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Lrg edition (June 28, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316096237
ISBN-13: 978-0316096232
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.5 x 9.4 inches

Dangerous by Milo Yiannopoulos

Fantastic book.  Sure I am probably going to get hate mail for this comment but it truly was fantastic.  What I loved was his unabashed sense of being and his insatiable quest for freedom of speech even at his own demise.

Yiannopoulos is a self proclaimed "Faggot, Kyke that loves black men" and a Troll Master extraordinaire.  Sadly, he makes valid points and points out the great ignorance by the left.  They are quick to call him a 'white supremacist' , a homophobe and a racist, however he is not easily housed in any of these categories based on his lifestyle.  He is similar to a Howard Stern that is 'shock jock' while Yiannopoulos is a self proclaimed 'troll'.

In his book he shows the inconsistencies with today's SJW (Social Justice Warriors) and the left in general.  The dichotomy of the left when vehemently supporting Musslims when they are completely outside of what the left purports to be against from a LBGTQ and women's rights as well as overall conservatism.  Yiannopoulos also calls out the media and states examples of their bias.  Anyone that watches any of the news channels should be able to see that the media outlets are extremely bias.  Aside from Fox News which is bias for the right, all other media is wholeheartedly leftists.  Gone are the days of media being non-bias and reporting the news as it happens.

I believe that political correctness and the identity warfare taking place is going to be the destruction of our society.  Today if you are a black woman, with one leg, lesbian, atheist, vegan, you have more 'value' as a black straight woman with both legs.  Eventually we are going to sub-divide ourselves into so many different groups that your identity will eventually disappear.

I do not identify with any groups, and no group speaks for me.  I am an individual and with that, I am able to think what I want on a number of subject without having to check what my 'group' stands for.  When you allow a group to speak for you, eventually your voice is silenced.  People use labels such as racist, homophobic, sexist etc so much, it has lost the sting it used to.  I would be irate if someone would have called me a racist 5 years ago, however today it is as normal as someone calling you 'dumb'.  It is sad because there are REAL racists, and sexists etc and their efforts and thoughts are being swept under the rug, essentially due to the ignorance of these label warriors.

I do not agree with EVERYTHING Yiannopoulos says, but being a libertarian, I can surely appreciate someone standing up for freedom of speech.

If you read this book with an open mind, you will at the very minimum get a glimpse into how ridiculous the detractors sound like when they contradict themselves.  If you are going to read it with a closed mind, DON'T, you will be trolled.  He will offend you with words like faggot, kyke, etc. He talks about his sexual orientation and his partners.  I recommend you read this book.

Here is a great interview with Bill Maher
https://goo.gl/4nXRCZ


Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Dangerous Books (July 4, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 069289344X
ISBN-13: 978-0692893449

Running with the Devil By Noel E. Monk

This is a great book about the rise and sadly, the fall of one of the greatest bands in rock-n-roll history; IMO.  Anyone who followed this band as it rocketed to the top of the charts knows how this band essentially imploded in the 80's.  Many will argue that "VanHagar" was an equally impressive band, however that argument is easily broken.  Although I enjoyed 5150 and the other Halen/Hagar projects, NOTHING comes close to the feeling I get when I hear the opening riff of "Unchained" and the thundering voice of "Diamond Dave"

The author of this book is none other that Noel Monk, the band's manager for over 6 years during the "best" times of the band.  In this book, he discusses how he came to meet the members of Van Halen and how his role evolved in the "organization".  Monk was the manager for Van Halen from 1978 until 1985.  He was eventually fired as the manager allegedly due to Alex Van Halen's distrust and eventual desire to have his wife's family run the band, although I think there may have been resentment from Alex and his "friendship" with Jan, Noel Monk's wife.

Their on-stage characters are not far from the true characters of the band; at least from David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony's perspective.  Roth is a person that was addicted to the limelight.  I once met him at "The Doll House" in Pompano Beach, FL during lunch in the middle of the day.  He was there with a small entourage and we had no option but to sit with them since ALL the girls were gravitating to his tables.  He was full of himself, but at the time with reason.  He was the former front man of one of the greatest and iconic bands of my time.  As for Michael Anthony, Monk describes Anthony as a low-key, and overall good person which apparently seems to be the case.  I have never heard anything about Anthony regarding scandals or criminal charges of any kind.

The book is more about "Van Halen" the business as oppose to the music.  Monk describes the whirlwind life of the band and antics and quite frankly shenanigans of the band.  The turmoil that would ensue and eventually be the destruction of Van Halen.  Monk describes the substance abuses as well as the sex during the tours, man was there plenty.

In his book, you can see that Monk truly liked Eddie, (Edward as he refers to him) for his incredible talent and was amazed at how Eddie would treat the guitar as part of his body.  The tension between him and Alex is palpable as was his utter dislike of Roth.  Michael was almost absent in the book.  I assume this is because there is not much of anything from Anthony that could make a book interesting.  Monk introduced the band to the lucrative side of merchandising which netted the bank a great deal of money.

As with other incredible bands of the past, Van Halen were able to catch lightning in a bottle and yet their egos and inability to see things for what they were destroyed them.  I am sure, that looking back now, where Eddie, Alex, Michael and David are not really doing anything of value, they probably would have traded the egos for the opportunity to be in the likes of Rolling Stones and even Motley Crue (who were able to make it happen agin).  D

Definitely a well written book and at least for me, it was a page turner. I love(d) Van Halen.  Their music brings back so many memories.  Wishing they could put their differences behind them and make great music again.  Here is an article about Hagar and Roth touring with Van Halen and even Michael Anthony. It would be curious to see the other perspective, maybe of Alex Van Halen of what he perceived that happened.

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Dey Street Books; 1 edition (June 13, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062474103
ISBN-13: 978-0062474100

Van Halen c.1978

Scores: How I Opened the Hottest Strip Club in New York City, Was Extorted out of Millions by the Gambino Family, and Became One of the Most Successful Mafia Informants in FBI History

The tail of naked women's skin trade, mafiaosos  and FBI investigations.  At first, Blutrich was a bit annoying.  However after the third chapter, I was hooked.  This book is about the "World Famous" gentlemen's club; Scores.  Scores was the first NYC "lap dance" clubs and "completely" naked club serving booze.  Blutrich was a successful attorney, and shrewd businessman.  After opening multiple businesses.  He was indicted in Florida prior to opening Scores for banking fraud.

Ironically, the owner of this bastion of naked women and heterosexuality was in fact a homosexual.  He accounts how the dancers of Scores, knowing he was gay, would never try to use sexual advances to curry favor for better schedule.

The most hilarious part of the book was an interaction with Angelo Urgitano where Urgitano, searching for a wire up Blutrich's leg and being close to finding it, when Blutrich turns his back to Urgitano's chest and grabs his penis.  I can only image what the tough guy Urgintano must have done.

Blutrich was in fact a great informant.  Not that I condone that, but from a LEA perspective, his law degree I think helped him in knowing what was needed.  In the end, Blutrich ended up recording over 1000 hours of conversations and meetings over a year via secret wires and cameras that prosecutors used in indictments against the Gambino crime family in 1998.   John Goddy Jr. and 38 other in the Gambino and other crime families were indicted due to Blutrich's cooperation.  The State of Florida reconsidered the sentencing for Blutrich.  They served over 13 years even with the cooperation from him and his partner.

Here is a video interview Blutrich did in May 2017.
Interview Video

Michael Blutrich

Hardcover: 328 pages
Publisher: BenBella Books (January 31, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1942952635
ISBN-13: 978-1942952633
Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.2 x 9.1 inches

American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind behind the Silk Road Drugs Empire By: Nick Bilton

Depending on who you talk to, you will get a different definition of what Silk Road was.  Here is the pre-2000 version of Silk Road:

The Silk Road or Silk Route was an ancient network of trade routes that were for centuries central to cultural interaction originally through regions of Eurasia connecting the East and West and stretching from the Korean peninsula[1] and Japan[2] to the Mediterranean Sea.[3] The Silk Road concept refers to both the terrestrial and the maritime routes connecting Asia and Europe. The overland Steppe route stretching through the Eurasian steppe is considered the ancestor to the Silk Road(s).
 ~ Wikipedia

Modern day definition is a little more sinister and refers to the illicit underground, online drug trade via one man's dream of "sticking it to the man" by creating an "Amazon.com of drugs"

This is a great book and covers details about this case I was not even aware of.  The book covers the life of Ross Ulbricht  the founder and mastermind of Silk Road the website. The Silk Road website was a website, only accessible via Tor that facilitated the purchasing of illicit drugs, guns, human organs and even murder.  It was known as the Amazon of drugs.  Ulbricht, AKA "Dread Pirate Roberts" AKA DPR was worth over 28 Million dollars at the time of seizure by the US Federal Government.

This book was a page turner for me. I was not only interested in the technology they discussed but also the libertarian views of the Ulbricht.  The book begins describing Ulbricht's early days and how he was interested in becoming a physicist.  He was, in all accounts a failure; nothing really to show from an accomplishment perspective.

Ulbricht was libertarian leaning.  He ascribed to the NAP (None aggression principal) of libertarianism. He read Rothbard, Mises, and Hyak.  He talked about free markets, personal rights and freedoms, and the legalization of drugs.  In full disclosure, I share many of those beliefs myself.  Anyone that knows me, knows that "fiscally I am more conservative than Conservatives and socially, I am more liberal than Liberals" but enough about me.

Ulbricht constructs a mushroom 'farm' so he could be the first supplier of drugs in the Silk Road, little did he know that this website would take him all over the world and finally landing him in prison for the rest of his life.

The book covers the theft of Bitcoin from Silk Road by Secret Service and other LOE.  It talked about how LOE straddled the fence from LOE to accomplice.  It served to prove to me that no one is immune to crime, even those sworn to enforce it.

It is  great read and I recommend it to anyone interested in the interworking of Silk Road.

Silk Road Logo from the Website

Ross Ulbricht AKA DPR, AKA Dread Pirate Roberts

DEA Agent Carl Force (Left) and Secret Service Agent Shaun Bridges currently serving time for stealing Bitcoin from Silk Road during their respective investigation as well as crossing the "LOE" line.

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Portfolio (May 2, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591848148
ISBN-13: 978-1591848141

Creating Magic By: Lee Cockerell

If you are in a leadership position, this is a must read.  Cockerell started his career in the US Army.  He worked his way through multiple hotel chains in the kitchen and other duties.  Eventually he came to run one of the largest movie, theme parks and over all entertainment companies in the world..... Well not running the entire thing but the hospitality side and general operations.

Cockerell goes over 10 common sense leadership strategies every leader should follow.

1. Remember, everyone is important.  (e.g. Make yourself available, know everyone on your team).
2. Break the mold. (e.g. Be clear who is responsible for what).
3. Make your people your brand.
4. Create magic through training.
5. Eliminate hassels (e.g. Try an audit exchange program)
6. Learn the truth (e.g. get a ground level view).
7. Burn the free fuel (e.g. Spend time with employees, catch them doing something right and make it public.
8. Stay ahead of the pack.
9. Be careful what you say and do.
10. Develop Character

This book changed my management style.  I was more sympathetic for my team.  I learned that leadership does not require you to tell people what your title is.  I taught me to listen to my people and truly try to understand them.

I can only hope that I am able to attend the Walt Disney Institute of leadership.

Hardcover: 270 pages
Publisher: Crown Business; 1 edition (October 14, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385523866
ISBN-13: 978-0385523868