2026 Focus and Growth
I’m heading into the new year with a clear focus on networking and skill-building. My goal is to attend several high-impact conferences, and I’m already laying the groundwork to ensure I’m there. These are the specific events I’m targeting.
- Zero Trust World in Orlando March 2026 (Great conference, and because Leo Laporte & Steve Gibson will be there, I have been a fan of theirs for over 20 years now!)
- OSMOSISCON in Bonita Springs in May 2026 (amazing opportunity to meet some OSINT professionals and see some of my friends)
- Layer 8 Conference in Boston June 2026 (attended last year and it was great!)
- DEFCON in Las Vegas August 2026 (This has been a huge dream of mine for the past 20 years, but I have never been)
- SimplyCyberCon in South Carolina November 2026 (missed last year, but I have many friends I need to see there)
- BSides in various Florida locations (I have never attended a BSides yet)
Note: Just putting it out there: if any of my friends happen to strike it rich or win the lottery, a ticket to one of these conferences is at the top of my wishlist!
I’m eager to carve out more time for my family tree research. There is a unique thrill in scouting through old newspaper articles and archives to find forgotten stories. Moving forward, I want to bridge the gap between my OSINT skills and my passion for genealogy, finding innovative ways to integrate these two investigative fields.
I want to identify a niche in OSINT that I can dive deep into. I want to focus less on tools and more on building knowledge in OSINT methodologies and tradecraft.
Here are a few personal things I want to do in 2026.
- Read more books
- Learn about Meshtastic and building it up in my community
- Get back into Ham Radio
- Buy a metal detector and taking it to my local beaches
- Visit some new State Parks
- Take my wife on a much needed vacation
- Buy myself a truck (I haven't owned a truck in several years!)