I just read an article on HD Moore, one of the most influential and brightest “non-corporate” white hat security researchers, in which he answered a quick question on his favorite hangout, “A dark room full of electronics.”
Not only is that cool, but it got me thinking about what my own favorite room or hangout would be. I’ve been doing some casual thinking lately on owning property sooner than later, and how I would plan to do some stuff with it. Right now, I’m in “money-saving” mode, so my spare apartment bedroom is acting mostly as a place to put things I don’t have a place for, instead of being developed into something much cooper.
So, what would I deem as a perfect room to hang out in? Honestly, I have three major ideas on that question.
1) The dark room full of electronics. Some people feel at ease and most happy when surrounded by other people or doing social things. For people like myself, I feel similarly when surrounded by electronics and maybe a person or two of like mind. A dark room illuminated by the soft glow and unjudging winking of LED lights and monitor displays. Maybe an indirect light source or two with a narrow cone of light to important places that need lit. It would need to be cooler than warmer. I would also prefer a house as opposed to an apartment, so that I could set up a decent (but not high-end) speaker system so I can play such music from quiet classical/ambient to pound out some industrial or metal depending on my moods. A clutch of test machines, a couple separated networks (one a main network and the other a sniffed, testing one), a workbench for system surgery and parts. The monitors would preferably be displaying specific things as opposed to operating screensavers. One should play movies that I can half watch in the background, another display an active packet watch on my main system (just to watch now and then and learn more) or even my test network if I am running something, another with network monitoring, and another with a security dashboard up or even cycling through a few. That would be an awesome hangout.
2) Now, even the most hardcore of us needs to unplug every now and then. For a more unplugged experience in my abode, I would love to have an entertainment room that has a nice tv and sound system, is ideal for watching movies or sports events (about all I watch, I don’t take to television anymore), and is filled with plants and a pleasing atmosphere. Something calm and idyllic, a place to relax and lounge and sprawl out in, to read a book, magazine, listen to some music, or watch a movie, or even pull a laptop into to just chill out, but not dominated by obvious electronics all over.
3) Lastly, completing the unplugging, my third preference would be the great outdoors, away from most everyone else and anything technological. Give me a breezy, amazing woodlands or mountaintop or tropical island beach, and I could find some real peace there. Give me a cabin up in the woods that I can escape to and some space to roam. Internet connection…debatable. 🙂