Category Archives: article

Cyber and Academia in the US: Ivy League Labs to Federal Research Programmes

In the United States, academic institutions are deeply embedded in the architecture of national cybersecurity. Universities and colleges serve as research engines, policy advisors, workforce pipelines, and launchpads for venture-backed startups. From federally funded research to deep partnerships with DARPA, NIST, and the Department of Defense, U.S. academia drives both innovation and influence in cybersecurity.

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Two Sides of a Dying Blade: Yojimbo, Sanjuro and the End of the Samurai Age

This article explores Yojimbo and Sanjuro as two sides of the same coin, charting the decline of the samurai in feudal Japan. Yojimbo depicts the “why”: the collapse brought on by greed, corruption, and the rise of firearms, where mediocre men with guns en masse overpower disciplined swordsmen. Sanjuro shows the “how”, the aftermath, where the last true samurai are left to kill each other while naive reformers blunder around them. Together, the films reflect Kurosawa’s shifting mood and Japan’s uncertain transition into modernity.

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Yearning for Roses: Dostoevsky, Miller, and Hope in the Despair

This article compares Dostoevsky’s reverent depiction of the human yearning for belief with Henry Miller’s scathing rejection of it. While Miller sees the search for meaning as self-deceiving, Dostoevsky honours it as a vital and dignified part of being human. The piece argues that, despite the pull of nihilism, the refusal to stop seeking meaning reveals something essential about the human spirit.

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Cyber and Academia in Europe: Horizon Projects, Hubs, and Collaboration

Europe’s cybersecurity academic landscape is distributed, multi-lingual, and deeply integrated into public policy and industrial ecosystems. With powerful funding mechanisms like Horizon Europe, a strong regulatory backdrop (e.g. NIS2, Cyber Resilience Act), and a rising number of EU-funded collaborative hubs, academia in Europe isn’t just producing talent and research, it’s driving long-term cyber resilience at national and EU levels.

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Databricks vs Snowflake: A Critical Comparison of Modern Data Platforms

This article provides a critical, side-by-side comparison of Databricks and Snowflake, drawing on real-world experience leading enterprise data platform teams. It covers their origins, architecture, programming language support, workload fit, operational complexity, governance, AI capabilities, and ecosystem maturity. The guide helps architects and data leaders understand the philosophical and technical trade-offs, whether prioritising AI-native flexibility and open-source alignment with Databricks or streamlined governance and SQL-first simplicity with Snowflake. Practical recommendations, strategic considerations, and guidance by team persona equip readers to choose or combine these platforms to align with their data strategy and talent strengths.

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The Roger Penrose Reader: Shadows, Symmetries, and the Shape of Thought

A reflective exploration of Sir Roger Penrose’s intellectual contributions, spanning his three-worlds metaphysics, Gödelian critique of computational theories of mind, twistor geometry, and Orch-OR theory of consciousness. The piece situates Penrose as a singular figure whose work challenges reductionism and insists on the profound interconnection between mathematics, physics, and consciousness.

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Cyber Collaboration in the West Midlands: Skills, Strategy, and a Shared Future

On 29 April 2025, the West Midlands Cyber Working Group met at Gowling WLG in Birmingham to explore how collaboration can drive cyber resilience, skills development, and strategic growth across the region. Speakers, including Andy Hague (TechWM), Dan Rodrigues (CyberFirst), Dave Walker (AWS), Sarah Gray and Louise Macdonald (Gowling WLG), and Wayne Horkan (WM CWG Chair) shared insights on scaling regional leadership, building inclusive talent pipelines, addressing AI security risks, and navigating evolving legal frameworks. The event underscored a shared ambition to position the West Midlands not just as a participant but as a leader in the UK’s cyber ecosystem.

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Tech Nation Rising Stars Midlands Final 2025 – Notes from the Canopy

There’s a quiet satisfaction in sitting on the edge of things, absorbing detail, thinking clearly, watching structure unfold. Last April, at The Canopy at The Bond in Birmingham’s Digbeth district, I was glad to attend the Midlands Regional Final of Tech Nation Rising Stars 2025. This wasn’t just a pitch competition; it was a sharp snapshot of the region’s entrepreneurial promise, delivered without bluster but full of energy.

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Cyber and Academia in the UK: Research Centres, Spinouts, and Influence

The UK’s academic institutions play a foundational role in shaping the country’s cybersecurity ecosystem. They don’t just educate the workforce, they produce world-class research, support government policy, commercialise IP into high-growth spinouts, and influence standards through international collaboration.

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Cybersecurity Meets Health Innovation: Rethinking Risk at the OT Frontline

Cybersecurity in healthcare isn’t an IT sidebar; it’s now a core operational risk and a foundational element of patient safety and innovation. This write-up captures the highlights, insights, and next steps from our June 2025 event (last Monday), convening leaders across health, cyber, academia, and business.

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The Shahnameh in the Context of Persian Gulf Mythologies: Convergences, Divergences, and Cultural Resonance

This article explores the Shahnameh with other mythologies of the Persian Gulf, including Mesopotamian epics, Arabian folklore, and South Asian traditions. It examines shared narrative archetypes, hero-kings, monsters, and cosmic conflicts and highlights the Shahnameh’s distinctive Zoroastrian moral framework, linguistic refinement, and vision of unbroken national continuity. The piece situates Ferdowsi’s work as both a uniquely Persian creation and part of a wider regional mythopoetic tapestry.

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Global Cyber Powerhouses: The Leading Vendors and What They Offer

Cybersecurity is a global industry, but it’s also a geopolitical one. The vendors featured in this guide are not just tech companies. They’re often strategic assets, embedded in national security frameworks, powering defence alliances, and influencing cyber norms across continents.

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The Virtuous Triangle: Rethinking Risk at Scale

This article introduces the Virtuous Triangle as a strategic framework for understanding cyber risk through the combined lenses of vulnerability assessment, threat intelligence, and contextual risk analysis. It argues that meaningful risk assessment only emerges when these components are integrated and automated at scale. Drawing on decades of experience, the piece reflects on the limitations of standalone data and the necessity of systems thinking in cybersecurity.

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The US Cyber Giants: Vendors, Solutions, and Federal Reach

The United States is home to the most powerful cybersecurity vendors on the planet. These companies don’t just sell products, they influence standards, embed themselves in national security supply chains, and shape global policy through their scale, threat intelligence, and lobbying power.

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Military Theatres and Battlefield Tech: Archetypal OT, Misgoverned as ICT

This article examines how military theatres, battlefield systems, and drone technologies are quintessential Operational Technology (OT) environments, yet are often mismanaged under traditional ICT frameworks. It highlights the real-time, cyber-physical, and life-critical nature of defence systems, and argues for a shift toward mission-aware OT security governance to prevent strategic and kinetic failures.

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WMCA and BCC: Who’s Who in the West Midlands (And How the Money Actually Flows)

This guide demystifies the differences between the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Birmingham City Council (BCC), explaining who they are, how funding and decisions flow, and what each controls. Essential reading for funding applicants, policy professionals, community leaders, and anyone trying to get projects off the ground in the West Midlands, it offers clear scenarios, ecosystem insights, and a detailed comparison table to navigate this complex landscape effectively.

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No More Bollocks Bollocks: A Closing Rant on Hype, Hysteria and Half-Truths… For Now!

And so, dear reader, whoever you may be, here we are. Thirty-something articles in, and the word bollocks has been rendered almost entirely meaningless. Like the terms AI, Web3, or disruption, it’s been stretched, squeezed, and shouted so often it’s begun to sound like an apology for caring too much.

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Theatres of Risk: Rethinking Cybersecurity in Healthcare as Operational Technology, Not IT

This article argues that medical theatres and hospital systems should be treated as Operational Technology (OT) environments rather than traditional IT. It highlights how flat networks, embedded legacy systems, and an overwhelming focus on availability over security create critical vulnerabilities. The piece calls for a shift in governance, risk modelling, and procurement practices to align with the cyber-physical realities of modern healthcare infrastructure.

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Environments That Are Actually OT (But Often Misclassified as IT)

This article identifies and evaluates real-world environments that function as Operational Technology (OT) systems but are typically treated as standard IT infrastructure. It outlines the cyber-physical risks of this misclassification and calls for a shift in risk posture, governance, and tooling to reflect the real operational realities of these spaces.

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Understanding OT: Operational Technology in Context

This article defines Operational Technology (OT) as distinct from traditional IT, highlighting its core characteristics, such as real-time control, safety-critical processes, long-lifecycle assets, and minimal security by design. It is the first in a short series of articles that argues that failure to recognise OT environments as such leads to systemic cybersecurity blind spots, particularly in sectors like healthcare, logistics, and building management.

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