Missing Link

Understanding the difference between vulnerability and threat is a key skill that most organizations (and people) lack.

A vulnerability is most assuredly bad,   but a threat much more so.

Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in a system; weaknesses which may or may not result in a compromise of that system.

Threats are vulnerabilities with a high probability of being exploited, where that imminent exploitation is likely to result in a compromise of the contents of that system.

Threats are far more damaging, and far more costly.  You should pay attention to them.

True danger comes when looking at vulnerabilities in a system and attempting to prioritize.  Frequently this is done without assessing real threat first, which leads to poor decisions and far greater risk.

Back in 2006 I decided that I didn’t want to bother with shaving any more.   I can’t recall the exact reasons, but it most likely had to do with me being lazy and deciding I’d rather just not deal with it anymore.  So, I stopped shaving and grew a beard.  I didn’t do it because I particularly wanted a beard.  I hadn’t actually considered what having a beard would be like – I just did it.   It turns out I also liked having a beard, so it worked out pretty well.

Last week, after my face had been itchy for a couple of days of bad allergies and with the temperatures soaring,  I decided it was time for a change.  I shaved it all off.

So here it is, a week later, and I’m still clean shaven*.   I remember now why I hated shaving and eventually stopped doing it.   I remember WHY I liked having a beard.  But now I also remember what it was like without a beard – something I had forgotten over the past five years.

Despite hating shaving, and liking a beard, I don’t think I’ll grow mine back anytime in the near future.   I’ll probably give it until the weather starts turning cold again.

Back in late October and early November of 2008 my dad and I took a road trip.  We had a lot of fun and enjoyed spending a week together driving around the western United States.  The trip took us from Las Vegas (where we flew in and met each other) to Lake Tahoe, to San Francisco, to Monterrey & Caramel, to San Simeon and back to Las Vegas to fly home.  It took us a full week and was one of the top three trips I’ve taken in my life.

Our first night of the trip we were looking for a place to eat in Vegas that wouldn’t be ridiculously expensive,  isn’t particularly touristy, and where we could get good beer.  The hotel recommended we go to Town Square and eat at Yard House.  We really didn’t know what to expect as we made our way from the hotel to Yard House, but any expectations were blown out of the water when we arrived and saw their beer selection.  Well over a hundred beers on tap.

The food was pretty good, too.

When we got back to Vegas for our return flights home we had time to grab some lunch.  Dad suggested we head to Yard House again, and we did.  I thought it fitting that the first and last meals we had on the trip were at the same place, bringing us full circle.

I’ve been to Vegas twice since that trip, both for business.  Each time I’ve made it a point to stop and have a bite to eat and a couple of very tasty beers at Yard House.  Each time I think of Dad and that fantastic trip.