I was a Christian, professional hacker, author, pirate and ninja. What am I now? It’s really hard to say. These days I spend most of my time in one of the poorest places on the planet trying to make a difference with Hackers For Charity. My life seems to be in a constant state of evolution, and this talk is as well. Normally, speakers submit an abstract to describe their talk, which is pre-planned and well-thought-out. This is not that kind of talk. Instead, this is an experiment. In the month prior to DerbyCon, I decided to cast caution to the wind and dedicate myself full-time to my work with Hackers For Charity. This meant stepping away from my part-time job despite the fact that the donations that used to keep us afloat are at an all-time low. But I simply couldn’t ignore the call of HFC, which had been floundering without my full-time attention.
A day after taking an unpaid vacation from my job, unexpected and monstrous bills started materializing. So far, the month has been an interesting one. I’ve trudged through war-torn towns and I’ve seen first-hand the damage inflicted by one of the world’s most insidious and cruel “terrorist” militant groups. I’ve worked alongside street kids, helped out the local police, and stretched Internet coverage to an area that’s never had it. I’ve witnessed several victories because of our efforts and experienced more than one crushing defeat. I’ve lost four Retina MacBooks’ worth of weight and more than one night’s sleep but overall, I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time.
The month has just begun and I’ve already learned a lot of things about life and gained some surprising insights that I wish I had picked up on ten years ago. How will it all pan out? I have no idea. But if you’re stuck in a rut like I was, feeling unfulfilled in your work or wishing you could do something big (or at least something different), I might have some suggestions for you.
Also, I’ll be making a Derbycon-exclusive release. It’s not an 0-day (sorry) but it will finally answer the long-asked question of, “What can I do to help?” We’ll present our new web site that lets you find charities in your own back yard that could use a technical helping hand.
Stay tuned!
Johnny Long spent his career as a professional hacker. He is the author of numerous security books including No-Tech Hacking, Google Hacking for Penetration Testers. Currently residing in Uganda, East Africa, Johnny’s now focused on his work with Hackers for Charity. HFC is a non-profit organization that leverages the skills of technologists. They solve technology challenges for various non-profits and provide food, equipment, job training and computer education to the world’s poorest citizens. Johnny’s website is http://hackersforcharity.org.