Evolution / Joel Shapiro
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen (the term is to be sheepishly applied),
Welcome to those new to Serendipity. If you are reading this for the first time, the premises of these musings can be found in the provenance email all the way back from August 2023. (In short, it’s an email that I pretend is work but given my boring nature, is clearly the most fun I have had in a month.)
I’m thrilled to report that, thanks to the latest DOGE-related budget cuts, the IRS has officially shut down, so tax season is cancelled. Switching my news intake to Instagram memes has also really helped reduce the existential dread traditional media tends to cause. Next up, I’m replacing books with TikTok influencers. They seem to have all the wisdom I need - plus skincare tips and surprisingly persuasive supplement recommendations.
I have been slowly relinquishing my cognitive responsibilities to my wife for the last decade so I feel overqualified to weigh in on the debate surrounding the effects LLMs will have on us and how everyone seems to be outsourcing their last remaining independent thoughts to them.
First, the pure joy that comes with the things you hate or struggle with is now done by someone fast, efficient, and effective. You frolic in your abundant spare time but ultimately frivolously waste your newfound freedom from monotony. After a while, you notice the growing delta between your abilities and that of the machine, so you develop an unhealthy reliance, actually worse, dependence on them. Gradually, you begin to doubt your capabilities and worth, but not enough to correct the situation because you still want the superior outcome, so you keep using it.
After enough time has gone by and you can no longer reason, debate, or calculate, you will question your entire being and contribution to the world. You will become a useless bystander as the higher intelligence takes over your life and dictates your every move. Finally, you will daydream about sending a Terminator back in time to stop this all from happening.
So if you are outsourcing your life to LLMs, don’t forget my story, and I will meet you in the future as part of the poorly organized resistance, where we use slingshots to try and defeat space lasers.
Moving on. (Thank god, because that was depressing dribble, Nic.)
This month’s ‘Serendipitous moment’:
This month’s serendipitous moment comes from introducing March’s feature, Paul Squirrell, to an American colleague who subsequently joined Paul’s Mission Hub, enabling a jaunt over to London for their annual conference. Although education and connections were valuable, the real prize was that this connection enabled the attendance of a Sex Pistols concert. Who says conferences aren't badass!
Moving on, on.
This month, I would like to introduce the pinnacle of humility. A chap so likeable that I recommend the Government of Canada make him ambassador to the USA to try and relieve some tensions.
Joel Shapiro
Joel Shapiro founded an elite penetration testing company in 2003 from his base in London, Ontario. It’s like the real London, except people are way friendlier. With over 20 years in cybersecurity, you would expect a hardened, curt, and tired demeanor. However, this is the polar opposite of Joel.
A testament to his unique blend of knowledge and kindness is the relationships he has built with some of the most sceptical people on the planet (CISOs). His relationship expertise is only hampered by his golf game and passion for the world’s most successful grunge band.
If you work in any capacity in InfoSec or even tech looking to break into security, Joel is worth even the grainiest of video calls. The biggest brands on the planet trust him and his team of ethical hackers to keep them safe from hackers, as they are equal parts competent and collaborative.
If you want to connect with Joel - hit him up here.
Finally, thank you for reading this far. You are one of the few with a concentration span I can count on. A few months back, I teased a project that I was working on; well, now the time has come to launch it. It's so secret I can’t say much, but if a global network of people you can count on for any challenge your career presents sounds interesting to you. Hit me up with an email. I will seriously consider talking to you about it.