Apothecary Shed

Sorry, In Advance: New Year’s Eve 2018

January 2, 2019

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New Years Eve 2018 was a bummer. A few of our best friends actually came even though we let the dogs out and turned off all of the lights. Sorry.

Figuring out when “advance” is can be tricky near the international date line

This creepy guy showed up and flashed just about everyone

Fortunately the absinthe fairy saved the day

Well sorta. There were some killings. Accidental, of course. And the killer was really sorry before he even showed up at the party.

The Seelbach (a drink that we are really sorry about)

We’re sorry if you caught any communicable diseases. Really. The hooker said she was clean.

Look who’s pregnant now (and who has whose nuts in a very small jar)

Someone is looking crazed well after midnight when the absinthe was flowing.

And someone else is looking wasted

Cheers!

Braxton Hicks is a bitch

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. WE’RE SORRY. IN ADVANCE.

The 2018 Solstice Fire

December 24, 2018

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The weather cooperated spectacularly for the 2018 solstice party. The rain cleared for a day or two. The moon was full. It was a crisp cold night with a beautiful sky.

Our ritual of gathering good friends from all walks of life every six months took place again without a hitch. Thanks to all who came to help us turn the sun.

Sunset before the party

This year, the fire lighting was cheered on by a rising full moon. The fire caught quickly and burned hard and fast.

Full moon and unlit pile

Lighting (time to run away)

Lots of people arrived for the lighting this year

Every solstice party is different in interesting ways. This year lots of people showed up for the lighting at 5:45. Then the BOILO got the party rocking. The lighting is always a sight to see.

The fire gets going

2018 solstice fire

The moon was incredible and lent a silver tinge to everything.

The barn was alight in party mode

This year the unplanned potluck food supply was great with chilli, meatballs, sloppy joes, fried chicken, and even krispy kreme donuts. The barn bar took a licking. Gonna need some serious restocking before summer!

Sorry about the terrible Christmas music in the barn. That’s just how it goes. At least there is a disco ball.

Marco. BOILO! There’s nothing quite like extremely local product.

A violin burns

Possibly the most ridiculous and surprising part of the evening was the violin sword fight instigated by Josh Henry (my trusty and talented violin and bow repair guy). Unbeknownst to everyone, Josh brought three dead rental violins to the party. So when we got them out and started sword fighting vigorously with them and then threw their remains into the fire, the 20 somethings who were already wondering just what those old people across the fire were all about, freaked out. They thought just for the smallest moment that I was destroying my actual violin.

LOL! Got you.

There was lots of music this year. It started early and went late. Thanks music makers! We love playing with you all.

Late night the music continues

Ember glow

I know, lets do it again this summer!!

Moonglow (picture by Amy Barley)

Amer Picon Experiment 3

December 13, 2018

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We’re there I think. Our third shot at homemade Amer Picon is in the jar. Next comes siphoning.

This time we adjusted the recipe only slightly with the addition of some bark infusion. Hopefully that will not kill us.

The key to all this is make sure the oranges are green and burn the heck out of the caramel.

BASE RECIPE HERE.

Strain the infusions (three this time)

Mix in a big old jar.

Looking good. Once the material settles, we’ll extract our Picon. We need a centrifuge!

Thanks to Christa for the raw materials and the inspiration!

Marco. BOILO!

December 13, 2018

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This is how a tradition is born. First a seemingly innocuous cocktail article. Then edition one. Then fun. And here we go down the slippery slope to BOILO.

Step 0. Gather ingredients.

The makings of BOILO

What is that fancy ass ginger beer doing in there? And mace from Grenada?! Yeesh.

Step 1. Combine and boil down for 30 minutes or so.

Boil the BOILO

Step 2. What are we missing?

No really, what are we missing??!

Step 3. Eureka.

Step 4. Let the BOILO steep overnight (or 5 hours, whichever is longer)

Final product steeps

Now we are ready for the solstice! Yes we are.

Burn, baby, burn. Solstice fire 2017.

Escher in Melbourne with Sam

December 12, 2018

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Sam clicks

Escher with legs

Escher with legs and a hat

Art or sam?

Not Escher

Leaving Cigital/Synopsys After 23 Years

December 11, 2018

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After 23 years at the same company, much of which I was a senior executive and member of the Board of Directors, I am leaving Synopsys on January 4th. Here is the message I sent to staff on November 9th after deciding to leave in September.

Please note that my email address is now gem@garymcgraw.com (change in all places). Learn more at http://garymcgraw.com.

hi everyone,

After 23 years of working for the same company in various forms, I will be departing Synopsys in January. Synopsys has turned out to be a good home for Cigital. I am pleased with the progress SIG has made since the acquisition two years ago and its direct impact on the growth of software security as a field. Business is booming, cranks are cranking, and the field is exploding. All of that notwithstanding, the time has come for me to move on.

Pardon me as I wax nostalgic for a few lines. Here are seven things that stand out in my mind when I think back over the last twenty or so years I spent with you guys. I had a blast:

Taking on Sun, Netscape, and Microsoft directly during the Java Security years (1996-1998)
Releasing of ITS4 (It’s the Software Stupid Security Scanner) in 2000 — the world’s first code scanner for security
Publishing “Building Secure Software” in 2001 (the first book in the world on software security)
Licensing the DARPA-sponsored Cigital technology behind Fortify to Kleiner Perkins in 2004
Launching Silver Bullet in 2005
Creating the BSIMM measurement tool with Sammy and Brian Chess in 2009
Selling Cigital to Synopsys in 2016

All of these things required a cast of hundreds of dedicated people. We built the field of software security together. Over the years I have had the distinct pleasure of watching as the ideas behind software security became a reality. Thanks for that.

What will I do next? I will remain a fiercely independent participant in the software security conversation. I will serve as a Technical Advisor and Board member to forward-thinking firms. I will continue to collect data, make measurements, and do science. And I will dust off my machine learning and AI chops and see what happens when those fields intersect software security.

I am not disappearing from the planet, so keep in touch. My website http://garymcgraw.com will stay up to date. My preferred email is now gem@garymcgraw.com

gem

Day Trip to Stradbroke Island (aka Straddie)

December 3, 2018

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Part of the fun of the Yow Conference circuit in Australia is the days in between sessions. We were slated to sail a huge catamaran in the ocean, but the seas were too high. So we refactored with a visit to Stradbroke Island.

Here’s how that went.