“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”
A long, long time ago, when Twitter still existed and was a useful platform, that was one of my tweets.
“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”
But someone misunderstood it. Someone I didn’t even know, and who didn’t follow me, retweeted it and said something about it being the most outrageous example of white privilege and arrogance they had ever seen.
No, that’s not what it means.
It means that all instructions I receive are run through the filter of my personal values, morals, and – yes – desires.
I’m never the victim who does something because my boss told me I had to. If my boss tells me to do something, and I do it, it’s because I told myself: “That’s okay, do what your boss said to do.”
“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”
I outrank every person in authority. I always have final say over my own behavior.
I encourage you to take this authority for yourself.
Wherever you go, you’re in charge.
My detractor interpreted my statement as meaning I thought I was the authority over everyone else. No. I’m the authority over me.
Having final authority – having the power to say yes or no – can land you in jail, or result in physical danger. It can destroy friendships. It can mean looking for a new job.
It also gives you a heady feeling of finally being in control, of no longer being victimized. It is the end of manipulation. It is freedom. It is independence.
Say it to yourself. Mean it.
“Wherever I go, I’m in charge.”
Bummer. My favorite AI is down for a bit.
Photo description: Cropped screenshot says, "Oops... Duck.ai is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."
I was working on two different computers yesterday that were kicking my butt.
First one: removed McAfee, but don't have admin control of Microsoft Security/Defender, whatever it's called now.
Second one: it's telling me I only have a license for Win 11 Home. I bought a license for Win 11 Pro and upgraded it months ago. Shame on me for not keeping a record of the key, because now Microsoft says it doesn't exist.
All this to say, not every story is a success story.
It’s time to revisit the “know your worth” concept, and you may not like what I’m about to tell you. Specifically, I’m talking about compensation. Your paycheck and benefits. Money.
I’m NOT talking about your intrinsic personhood.
When it comes to art, or collectibles, or antiques, we’re all familiar with this idea:
“How much is it worth?”
“It’s worth whatever you can sell it for.”
It’s also true with ordinary merchandise. The “sweet spot” for pricing is:
Not too low, or you’re missing out on profits.
Not too high, or you won’t make as many sales.
And it’s not just physical merchandise. There’s an optimal price point for services, too.
The drycleaner. The housekeeping service. Lawncare. Tax preparation.
“How much can I sell my service for?”
“What the market will bear.”
Here’s the part you’re not going to like to hear: it’s also true about the monetary value of knowledge workers.
Information technology, cybersecurity, software development.
According to an article published in TechCrunch on July 31, there have been a lot of layoffs in the tech industry: more than 150,000 job cuts last year, and the workforce reductions continue this year. Microsoft, for example, cut more than 6,500 jobs in May, and another 9,000 in July. (Link https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/31/tech-layoffs-2025-list/).
So, what does that mean for you?
1. It means if you’re holding out for a job that pays you more than you made before you became unemployed, you’re going to be unemployed a long time. Meanwhile, someone else is going to take that lower paying job and keep making their house payments. But they won’t make yours.
2. It means if you insist on doing work in a narrow specialty instead of doing other work in the same industry, you’re choosing self-image over income. “I’m a pen tester” may translate to, “I’m an unemployed person who prefers to stay that way.”
Any source of income – selling merchandise, selling services, or selling your unique knowledge – is subject to the uncaring, unfeeling laws of supply and demand. Right now – same as last year, and the year before – your monetary worth is “what the market will bear.” You are in competition.
When you scream at the universe, “I know my worth!” make sure you’re not kidding yourself.
Microsoft keeps your deleted emails.
Screenshot of Deleted Items folder in outlook dot live dot com. It says, “Recover items deleted from this folder (2,015 items).”
In other words:
When I delete it, Microsoft doesn’t. They keep it.
I can’t find anything in the Menu or Settings that enables me to permanently delete emails from Microsoft storage.
UPDATE: I did figure out how to do it. Click on "Recover deleted items." It takes you to a screen that shows the deleted emails. Select all. Right click on the selected area, and you get a choice to Delete or Restore.
Microsoft keeps your deleted emails.
Screenshot of Deleted Items folder in outlook dot live dot com. It says, “Recover items deleted from this folder (2,015 items).”
In other words:
When I delete it, Microsoft doesn’t. They keep it.
I can’t find anything in the Menu or Settings that enables me to permanently delete emails from Microsoft storage.
Here’s what vendor abuse looks like.
A national company (in the USA) – you’d recognize them – contacted me to inquire about hiring me for a problem with some of their wireless equipment. Short-range wireless encrypted data, plagued with intermittent and unreliable performance. They were taking a reputational hit on social media, lots of customer complaints.
We had a “getting to know you” conference call. I don’t charge for those. It’s understandable that prospects want to gain some confidence before they spend a lot of money on a consultant. I signed a non-disclosure agreement and we scheduled the call. The company VP of Technology and his Senior RF Engineer were both on the call. It lasted a little over an hour. In addition to the technology issues, they asked about my rates. I thought the call went pretty well.
A couple of days later the VP emailed me: “Can we schedule another call? We have a few more questions.” I said sure. He had another person on the call with him this time; I don’t remember who. They asked how I would go about solving their problem.
Every consultant knows this is a dangerous moment. You have to tell them enough that they recognize you know your stuff, without telling them so precisely how to do it that they do it without you. This call, too, was just over an hour. They asked about next steps. I told them that now they need to send me a written request, a scope of work, that spells out what they want me to do. This is the document that will help us both know what success looks like. Then, from that specific request, I’d write up a quote and send it to them. If they liked the quote, they could send me a purchase order. The P.O. would constitute the Notice To Proceed (NTP), and I’d get busy.
Another couple of days go by, and the VP sent me another email: “Is there any way you can lower your rates?”
I emailed back the same day: “I withdraw my offer to assist your company. Our methods of doing business are incompatible.”
He emailed back: “Can we talk about this? It seems so sudden!”
I didn’t reply. He never contacted me again.
More than two hours on the phone at no charge, talking to a total of three people. I hadn’t given them a quote yet, and he asked me if I could reduce my rate. He didn’t even know yet how much it was going to cost. We’d talked about my rates – hourly, daily, travel – but there had been no request for an actual quote.
He showed me how horrible the company was to work with, and I walked away.
He thought the whole conversation was about me desperately wanting him to say “yes” to me. He completely forgot that he needed me to say “yes” to him, too.
THE LESSON
Don't take jobs, even short-term contracts, from people who reveal they will always be a problem.
#CallMeIfYouNeedMe #FIFONetworks
#entrepreneurship
Now offering personal cybersecurity setup for journalists, stalking victims, and others.
Secure communications channels.
Financial account separation.
Reduced location tracking.
Social media security settings.
All work can be done remotely.
It doesn’t matter where you are.
I don’t even have to know where you are.
I will never at any time be able to access your accounts.
Pay by credit card, PayPal, or Venmo.
For more information use the “Contact Us” page on my website.
It’s only me. You’ll be communicating directly with me.
https://fifonetworks.com/contact-us/
#introduction
I’m an old guy who chooses not to retire because cybersecurity is so much fun. Why would I stop doing something I love?
I’m safe to be around in the Fediverse, regardless of your ethnicity, gender identity, age, whatever. You be you; that’s important.
Self-employed since 2003. Taught college courses evenings and weekends for 17 years in addition to working during the day. I still teach technology to engineers and technicians at companies around the USA. My LinkedIn profile has more info.
Mostly I toot about the same things I do for money: cybersecurity (infrastructure, policy, training), wireless systems, and telecommunications.
I’m not here for politics, and no, I’m not flirting with you. Let’s just enjoy technology and humor about technology together.
Bob Young