me

this is information about me: who i am; what i do; what i like (and what i don't like); etcetera.

hi, my name is anthony. age/sex/location? i'm plenty old enough/yes, please/your place (not mine)!

me, suited and booted

i like fried chicken and watermelon 'cause they're delicious, not because i'm black.  i like big booties 'cause it's more fun to hump a plump rump, not because i'm black.  i like scarface 'cause it's a great movie, not because i'm black.  i liked menthol cigarettes because i'm black (and an ex-smoker).  duh!? if you're expecting to find some sort of comfort by placing me in a bag, that's not my bag, baby.  stereotypes, when applicable to me, are only so out of pure coincidence... save for my having smoked menthol cigarettes.  the world needs some mystery, right?

don't confuse me for one of these so-called "african-americans".  too many people of both my similar cultural and ethnic background sacrificed their lives so that one day that i, and others like myself, may one day be considered no different than anyone else born in this country (america): a citizen with rights under the law equal to any other citizen.  that day arrived prior to my birth and as a result, i'm an american by jus soli with rights under the law equal to any other citizen.  just because i'm black doesn't mean i'm from africa.  the term "african-american" signifies african first and american second.  it's an insult to me, to my american citizenship by birthright, and to all those who made the aforementioned possible.

i can't control how people choose to see and categorize me.  i'm a black american male.  i don't refer to myself as a poc (person of color) nor do i consider myself bipoc (black, indigenous, and people of color).  i'm black (and american and male).  this is how i identify.  and while this is how i identify, these things, and any others i'll speak about below, don't in anyway comprehensively define me.

i believe in jesus... having had lived where and when the bible says he did.  as for what he did and did not do, i believe that's a matter of perspective and up for debate.  i'm not a religious person.  i will never fault an individual for their religious beliefs.  however, i reserve right to both mock and lampoon that which you do believe in religiously.  in both essence and extension, the aforementioned could be construed as that of my faulting not only an individual, but all individuals whom share such religious beliefs.  it's to that which i say, "so be it".

in all fairness, as if that actually matters in the world we live in, one can be held accountable for those aspects of themselves for which they do have control over, such as their beliefs.  things such as physical features, nationality (with reservations), family, age, sex, etcetera, are out of any one individual's control for themselves.  thus, there is neither warranting nor justification to use these items as points of ridicule.  essentially, don't be a dick.

the united states of america is a republic.  we vote for individuals to represent our voices amongst the other elected officials, with an aim to do for the greater good.  for far too long politicians have been abusing the system which is supposed to benefit us, the public they're meant to represent.  and they've done so to such a degree that far too many citizens have lost interest or have never gained interest into the political system which greatly impacts how they live daily.  this is by design.  we need to take the power back as our government is a system of the people, by the people, for the people.

it would almost seem that "these days", such a thing as a black conservative is an oxymoron, a thing of fiction.  but in actuality, many blacks in america are conservative... without short memories.  we're well aware of how blacks have been treated, mistreated at that, by both the democrats and republicans which are now firmly in control of all things legal in america.

politically, i'm fiscally conservative and (somewhat) socially liberal.

so, i used to expand upon some of which it is specifically that i stand for and who it is that i have in the past voted for and in the future will likely vote for.  but... does that shit even fucking matter? to you, that is... does it fucking matter to you what my political leanings are, more precisely than what i've shared above? do you care? i don't fucking care, not anymore.  not trying to dictate direction in anyone else's life per se, but if you do care what it is that i stand for and who it is that i'm going to vote for in the next election, don't.  that is, it's my unwarranted suggestion that you don't care.  i also know that people are gonna people.

that is, i'm an avid computer user.  i know very well the ins and outs of computers as a result of my experiences in modifying both their software and hardware.  for some unknown and unfathomable reason, "hollywood" and the news media and even those in the field of information security (infosec) have ramified the term hacker into something pejorative.  while a hacker, as defined by its true term, would have the knowledge of how to breach a computer system or network it does not mean that they would do so.  nor does it mean that anyone who does breach a computer system or network is a hacker.  squares are rectangles but rectangles aren't squares.  eat both squares please.

i've been using computers since i was six-years-old and have been programming computers since i was seven-years-old (i cut my teeth on basic and logo).  i'm familiar with many computer programming languages and am "fluent" in a few of them, such as pascal, perl, and php to name a few.  in my early 20s (as i lacked sufficient funding prior to) i built both my first home computer and my first home computer network.  my knowledge of computer networks comes mostly from hands on experience (and friends and co-workers), not formal education.  i may be a code monkey but i'm no network gerbil... not that there's anything wrong with that... mostly.

my handle online is ickis, just like the "rabbit-eared" monster from "aaahh!! real monsters".  don't ask me why i chose ickis as i'm also unaware as to just what led to my decision to do so.  i'm nothing like ickis.  if anything, with regard to cartoon characters, i'm most like gir from "invader zim"... save for that whole dipping a chicken leg into mayonnaise thing.  i hate mayonnaise... fucking hate it (with exceptions... few exceptions).

i've experience working professionally within the infosec (or "information assurance" as some refer to it) space of information technology as both a security operator and a security analyst (in some shops, a security analyst/engineer).  at present, i'm working professionally as a (senior) security analyst for a washington-based healthcare services provider.  my time working in infosec has been split between the aforementioned, a colorado-based managed security services provider (mssp), a colorado-based global information technology consultancy, and an agency of a colorado municipality.  for those of you not in the know, basically, i help prevent or catch the "bad guys" that attempt to abscond things electronically like money and trade secrets.  more specifically, i analyze reports from routers, switches, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, intrusion detection systems, domain controllers, (etc.) and correlate them to identify various attacks or threats against networks and deliver the results, making suggestions on corrective actions and preventative measures, tuning the security devices to satisfy such.  alas, (senior) security analyst.  i'm kind of a big deal.

why infosec? back in the late 1990s, i used to play diablo... a lot.  i even wrote a trainer for diablo... and numerous chat bots/clients (like this one)... in visual basic! battle.net (the service that allowed for multiplayer functionality of diablo over the internet) had a few "security issues", like the one that allowed someone to write a widely used executable (dbip) that revealed the ip addresses of everyone in a chat channel.  another widely used executable (winnuke ) that sent out of band strings through netbios would create a denial of service condition for users of windows 95/nt which used dialup networking versions prior to 1.3.  these two executables would allow for an advantage in silly guild/chat channel wars on battle.net.  my research into this vulnerability and learning how to remediate it is what launched me into infosec.

infosec isn't just a "nine to five" for me.  it's essentially my life.  the only things that differentiate my life on or off the clock is being paid (or by whom i get paid) and deliverables (should any exist), otherwise there's no difference.  i'm "that guy" in the back of the café with an android tablet, arp poisoning and packet sniffing its free wi-fi network.  not for potential profit but for practical research.

while i currently wear a white hat (well, maybe it's a little gray... at times), in the past i've worn several different colored hats.  as a working professional, i've held various positions within various sectors of business such as: education; hospitality; manufacturing; retail; security; transportation.  i've worked for a company that employed fewer than five people and i've worked for a company that had a presence on five continents.  i've worked for a company that had revenue in excess of $1 million usd and i've worked for a company that had revenue in excess of $1 billion usd.  i sometimes wear a black hat... and a ski mask .

adapted from the biography of my first self-published book of lego photography:

in addition to photographing the lego things that i build, i also do other stuff with lego.  i maintain a lego city (more so like a slice of one) which spans two ikea dinner tables. (it has a modular roadway system which incorporates lego's new road plate scheme.)  and since i have a lego city, this means lego mechs, obviously, which is to say, i like lego mechs. i also design and build lego mosaics which i use as wall art in my apartment or give away as gifts.

my sigfig

you may have seen my work (outside of this site).  this hotrod i built from a brick separator and parts from 10683 (road work truck), which i've dubbed the brick separodder (see what i did there?), is likely my best-known creation, though, you've likely seen it as such in communications from lego.  but don't expect to see me on lego masters anytime soon... those builders are good.

i never went through a dark age.  i'm not sure what exactly constitutes being active within the afol community.  i'm not a member of any lug (lego user group).  though, i've been attending brickcon (formerly in seattle) since 2018, sometimes comment on afol sites, and am (sporadically) active on the lego ideas site.  i also send friends and family my (often hilariously inappropriate) lego photography.  i'm also a self-proclaimed unofficial and unpaid spokesperson advocating the merits of lego for encouraging creativity, stoking intellectual curiosity, and promoting positive mental health.  yes, a child's toy does all those things... and more!

i don't like using the acronym moc (my own creation).  it's overused and misused.  too often instead of stating, "this is my own creation", people state, "this is my moc".  my moc? my my own creation? did you pay for it by entering your pin number into the atm machine to get some cash? ucs (ultimate collector series) is a subtheme of star wars.  period.  and to that end, the size and display quality of the set is immaterial.  who determines a lego ucs set? lego does.  the price-per-piece metric is solid as two things are known about lego sets: the price; the piece count.  also, sometimes using smaller pieces when larger ones will work can be uneconomical... and sometimes still, using larger pieces when smaller ones will work can be uneconomical.  you learn this sourcing mosaic parts direct from lego, there's a sweet spot.

but currently, i reside in seattle, washington.  previously i had resided in aurora, colorado.  i still do occasionally visit my family back in michigan.  in addition to occasionally visiting my family in michigan, i also occasionally visit my family in california, arizona, and of course, colorado.  with respect to washington, in addition to both michigan and colorado, i've also lived in alabama and new hampshire as a result of my being an air force brat.

when i say i was born in detroit, unlike most people who claim the same, i mean i was born in detroit.  i was born not in dearborn, nor hamtramck, nor oak park, nor anywhere else but detroit, in a hospital in the detroit medical center.  the first dwelling i ever called home was an apartment in what used to be the brewster housing project (yeah, you read that correctly, i'm from brewsters... the 'jects, the pjs) in brush park in midtown which is just blocks away from downtown, near the intersections of both the fisher (i-75) and chrysler (i-375) freeways.  so, when i say i was born in detroit, that i'm not only from but also of detroit, know that i mean that shit... literally.

more specifically, i'm a detroit/michigan sports enthusiast and am a strong supporter of the detroit pistons in the nba, the detroit red wings in the nhl, and the detroit tigers in mlb.  i'm not really a lions supporter as i've no real allegiances in professional american football (the nfl), but... if i had to choose, my preference is obvious.  however, in professional english football, i'm a strong supporter of the red devils of manchester united in the epl.  my michigan sports enthusiasm isn't limited to the ranks of the professionals as it extends down through the collegiate level as well.  i'm also a strong supporter of both the university of michigan wolverines and the michigan state university spartans in the ncaa.

while i do like both playing and watching sports, like skateboarding and miniature golf, that's not all that i like.  i also like other stuffs and things like the stuffs and things in this alphabetized succinct list below:

don't bother asking to friend me on facebook or follow me on twitter (or anything else even remotely related to social networking) as i don't do social networking anymore.  i had been uing aol lifestream to test aim winamp status.  and for the record, i have never had a facebook or a twitter account (and never will).  i will however shamefully admit to once upon a time having had both a myspace and a livejournal account.  while i don't do social networking i do instant messaging.  i've accounts on google chat, signal, and skype.  i used to also have accounts on aim, bbm (as i've owned a few obama phones... think about it), google talk, google hangouts, icq, msn messenger, and yahoo! messenger... but meh.

if you want to contact me, for whatever reason (such as what my instant messaging contact information is), you can e-mail me to do so.