We are now in September, my 7th month of nine in Qatar is complete. It is starting to cool down here. The weather has dropped from 100 degrees at night to only 95. Despite the respite from the heat, a stifling humidity has moved in. For my Florida family and friends, the weather at night […]
Author: Michael G. Lortz
What I’m Reading: August 2018 – Cyber Conflict, Facial Recognition, Strategic Thinking, and Changes in America
Here is what I was reading this month: Corporate Cybersecurity Is Becoming Geopolitical. Are U.S. Tech Companies Ready? – Harvard Business Review, 8/24/2018 This article details the need for companies to be aware of international actors and their intentions in cyberspace. Written by Ben Buchanan, author of The Cyber Security Dilemma, this article particularly points […]
Remembering the Great Star Wars Drought
Finally taking a moment to write about one of the best Star Wars articles I have ever read: FiveThirtyEight’s 2016 “Star Wars Killed a Universe to Save a Galaxy” and to comment on this chart: See that depression from 1987 to 1993? I remember that well. It was a dark time for Star Wars […]
6 Months in Qatar – The Adventure Continues a little bit longer
As many of you know, when I took this job and originally planned this trip, it was supposed to be for 6 months. As I have mentioned in previous posts, circumstances out of my control changed. When the position they said would be in Tampa disappeared, I began considering staying in Qatar a little longer. […]
What I’m Reading: July 2018 – Creativity, Data, Spies, Information Warfare, Cyber Warfare, and Big Brother
Here are the articles I enjoyed the most in July 2018: A very short guide to the most creative part of your brain – Fast Company, 7/23/2018 I’m always a fan of articles on creativity. This article discusses how to get out of the “control network” side of the brain and into the “default network” […]
What I’m Reading: Irregular Warfare Mixtape
Here are a few links that I wanted to share together, independent of my monthly list of links. Consider this a blog mixtape between official monthly releases. These all discuss modern conflict. Why jihadist insurgencies persist – OpenCanada.org, 5/23/2018 Very interesting article that takes an economic approach to insurgency dilemmas. According to author Aisha Ahmad, […]
5 Months in Qatar: The Adventure Continues
Greetings, I am now in month number five. By the original plan of January to June, I would have been home by now. By the first adjusted plan of February to August, I would have less than a month left. Now I am looking at October 1st. Or maybe home for the holidays. There are […]
What I’m Reading: June 2018 – Science, War, Information Conflict, Cyber Conflict, and Looney Tunes
Articles I found most interesting in June 2018: This Is Why Physicists Think String Theory Might Be Our ‘Theory Of Everything – Medium.com, Starts With a Bang, 6/14/2018 A quick look at a very deep subject. Theoretical physics has always fascinated me. Especially string theory. I’ve often wondered if the movement along the strings could […]
A Current Reading of Man, The State, and War by Kenneth Waltz
(As previously published on my Medium.com page.) As a former International Affairs scholar, I accumulated a lot of political theory books. Some I’ve read, some I hope to, and some I may never get to. But they look good on my bookshelves. One of the books I have always been interested in reading and recently […]
Ramadan, Star Wars, and My Fourth Month in Qatar
Greetings all, A few days ago I passed my fourth month in Qatar. I’m definitely in the routine now, but still trying to experience new things. Work is good. It is picking up and I am staying busy. I still don’t know when I will be returning back to the states. Government contracting work […]