Some questions and some answers. (or: How I Got My Blog)
Q: So.. who the hell are you ?
A: My name is Paul van Geldrop. I'm 25 years old, live in the Netherlands and work as an ICT consultant. And this, in case you hadn't noticed, is my blog.
Q: Yeah, I got that bit. What's this place about anyway ? Are you a priest ?
A: Ehm.. no. I just called it my Holy Bible Of Everything because I couldn't think of a more fitting name. Sue me. This blog is about security, ISA server, Directory Services and anything else I might wish to share with the community, be it scripting, database stuff or even pictures of small fuzzy animals.
Q: Share _what_ with the community ? Herpes ?
A: Last time I checked, I was rather free of that, so.. no. I've been in ICT for over 7 years now and have seen/done/heard quite a lot of things. As is only to be expected, I've formed my own opinion on quite a few subjects, and will be sharing those with 'the community', i.e., anyone who reads this stuff.
Q: Opinions are a dangerous thing.. what are these 'opinions' about then, eh ?
A: Well, mostly on subjects like security, hacking, firewall techniques and so on. However, I've also been known to ponder upon more general matters such as life, death and the importance of fruit. I might just be sharing those as well. You'll have to wait and see.
Q: Woooaahhhh, woah woah, back up there, fella. Hacking's illegal!
A: Yes. And no. To utilize various tools, tricks and techniques to gain access to systems you have not been authorized for is, indeed, illegal. However, using those same tools, tricks and techniques to learn more about the security and technicalities of your own systems can be a very educational matter indeed. So, any articles on hacking will be performed on my own personal systems. I shall have to discuss with myself whether or not I'll grant myself the required access, but I'm sure I'm a lenient and reasonable sort of chap with an open mind and a thirst for knowledge.
Q: Hmm. Okay, alright, fair enough. But why are you doing this ? Don't you have a life ?
A: I do, actually. I've last seen it hide in a faraway corner of the gardenshed, feeding on insects and small mammals. My primary reason for doing this is to let others share in my experiences and mistakes, hopefully preventing them from making the same mistakes. My secondary reason lies in the need to vent the occassional rant on ICT, life or, again, fruit.
Q: I can just see you sitting behind the screen, typing all night long.. is this all you do ?
A: In my spare time I enjoy watching movies on my homecinemaset, having beers and good conversations with my friends, cuddling my two cats Optimus Prime and Morpheus (of whom I shall post some pictures in the coming days), playing the piano and guitar, cooking and reading. Surprised ?
Q: Ehm. Yes. Where do you find the time ?
A: I don't. Time finds me. So, if this page isn't updated every day, don't be surprised. I might just be doing something else. However, I have a lot of ideas on articles, so I should be posting regularly for quite some time.
Q: Just one last question.. where do the links in the Technical and Personal part over there in the righthand corner go to ?
A: Glad you asked. The first link goes to the ultimate website on ISA Server, created by Dr Tom Shinder, in the ISA community considered to be one of its greatest gurus. Just to be clear on this, I will not be posting tutorials on ISA Server on this blog. You can find all the tutorials you need right there. The second link goes to the blog of a colleague of mine, Jorge, a very knowledgeable chap when it comes to Active Directory. If you ever need someone to blame for my blog, blame him, he's the person that arranged it for me. The third link goes to the Windowssecurity.com site, where you can find all sorts of nifty information on security. The fourth link goes to another ISA site, Isatools.org. Isatools.org is maintained by mr. Jim Harrison, another ISA guru like Dr Shinder. Many ISA resources can be found there. The fifth link, the one in the Personal category, goes to my personal website which hasn't been updated in a very very long time. But I like to be complete in these things.
Q: Are there any ways of contacting you ?
A: I thought you said 'last question'.. ? Oh well. Yes, there are ways of contacting me. You can either do it through the contact link on this blog or through my personal website. However, please do not ask me have your children, tattoo my name onto your genitals or come over and give you a big cuddle when you're feeling lonely.. (unless you're an attractive young lady, in which case photographic material is required as evidence). I will very likely answer most other questions.