Orcadian OSGEOINT Exercises

In late 2011 and early 2012, I found myself stuck in a back office in an unnamed Middle Eastern country, bored out of my skull due to a dearth of assignments, but nonetheless required to put in long days at a desk. I ended up spending some of that time acquainting myself with websites pertaining to Orkney. Based on some of those discoveries, I decided to try to combine satellite imagery with available ground photography to identify the location of the Howar Farm on North Ronaldsay. I used one descriptive line...

"Walk along North Ronaldsay's prettiest beach, Nouster Bay, to Howar farm[.] From the Pier or the Bird Observatory it's 30 minutes brisk walk along the sandy bay. Longer if you dawdle to enjoy it."

... and two photos (the headers to this page and this page) as my guides. Below is a montage combining those two images with two aerial images.

The inset, zoomed out image shows the vantage points of the two ground images using white and grey chevrons, the grey chevron being replicated on the lower image. Aside from that, the colored arrows correlate the various elements of each photo for comparison. Here are a few things to note:

Note the two skylights in the barn denoted by the green arrows, and the difference in height between the differently colored roofs of that building.

Note the skylight/vent in both images denoted by the grey arrow.

Note the point at which the out building denoted by the beige arrows narrows.

Note the greenhouse, which appears transparent from above, denoted by the purple arrows.

I went through a similar process to identify The Ruah at the Green Farm on Eday, but they've since updated their website, so I can't take you through that process as well. All that said, it's been really great practice in open source imagery analysis.

Operation Cassandra

A couple of years ago, I blogged about Operation Irene, my effort to turn an old laptop into an "open source geospatial intelligence platform". This post is sort of like that... Sort of.

Let's review.

I worked a variety of jobs between 2006 and 2012, and really wanted to get into some sort of foreign policy analysis gig, but couldn't seem to break through. Between 2010 and 2012, I saved a ton of money (assisted in large part by a contracting gig in the Persian Gulf) and then spent fifteen months getting my master's degree in Scotland, where I graduated with distinction with an MSc in Strategic Studies (of the International Relations variety). (That's Scottish for "at the top of my class".) Despite this, and some other sweet credentials, it took me ten months of job applications and five interviews, tops, to get hired into basically the same job I was doing in 2010. I relocated to my current digs with the intent of eventually transferring or getting hired into something more commensurate with my background.

Fast forward nearly two years, and that plan has yet to pan out. I haven't gotten to the point of giving up on ever doing something related to strategy, but it appears that the foreseeable future shall be spent in information technology. So, in 2016, I need to shore those skills up so that I can poise myself to either get promoted here, or else generate opportunities to leave. Truth be told, if I'm going to be locked into IT work, I don't really feel the need to shackle myself to this particular locale. I need to open up some maneuvering room.

So, what to do? Well, the magic bullet seems to be the Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification from (ISC)². I think it may require a couple of other certifications to get me up to the point of being ready to test for it - the CAP and the repeatedly aforementioned PSP, to name but two. I've decided that I need to create some opportunities for hands on experiences on my own home network in order to force some of the more complex concepts to make more sense.

And thus, operation Cassandra, which is like Operation Irene ratcheted up to eleven.

I'm still making final tweaks to the overall plan, but I have it divided into five phases. In Phase 1, I'll be getting my existing equipment sorted. That means basic maintenance on my existing (more-or-less) twin laptops, and tightening up the settings on my home networking gear. Phase 2 will involve organizing my information, to include determining and then loading a "Hitchhiker's Guide" load on my original Kindle Fire. Phase 3 will focus on getting a bit smarter about home network engineering.

The initial phases get me ready for the heavy lifting in Phases 4 and 5. Phase 4 will involve setting up a home enterprise network composed of a set of four or five Raspberry Pi 3 boards configured as servers, and accompanying peripherals. I'm tentatively planning to figure out how to build a web server, a file server, a firewall and intrusion detection system, a GIS server, and potentially something involving shortwave radio. Phase 5 will involve using that home network, and particularly that GIS server, to learn QGIS. In addition to all of the hands-on training, I'd like to accompany the whole thing with the requisite documentation involved in the National Institute of Standars and Technology's Risk Management Framework, which is the federally mandated (and industry standard) framework for establishing, authorizing, and maintaining secure information systems. When all's said and done, I'll include the documentation, via the web and file servers.

If I can pull it all off, I'll have hopefully picked up some actual skills to accompany my existing theoretical understanding of some of these technologies; produced some functional work samples; and made some progress toward some of my personal and professional goals. It'll also get me started in the GIS field, in which I may pursue some formal certifications in the next couple of years.

I have a lot of work ahead of me. I'll try to chronicle each phase for the blog as I'm able.

Culinary Adventures: Manti and Pierogis

Here's another one that doesn't exactly involve a recipe, per se, but I'm counting it as one of my two "recipes" for the month of March. On occasion, I visit a Russian grocery and buy dumplings, pierogis, and "Riga style" sour cream, which I'm pretty sure is just sour cream. Anyway, I normally boil the dumplings and pierogis, which works well enough. However, I tried my hand at lamb manti, and they ended up retaining a lot of fluid, which made them sort of messy. They also didn't quite agree with me. I looked at the actual instructions on the next package, and it claimed that I'm supposed to be steaming them. Steaming them? How am I supposed to do that?

Well, the thing is, I actually have an Oster rice cooker. I hadn't paid much attention to the steaming tray that comes with it, but as it turns out, it's as stupid easy to steam manti and pierogis in a rice cooker's steaming tray as it is to cook rice in a rice cooker - though I'll note that the steaming is a touch more messy than cooking rice. I've done it twice now, and I think I'm going to be making more trips to that Russian grocery to keep my freezer properly stocked.

I've also got some packages of gnocchi that I got from a nearby Italian grocery. As fate would have it, some dude on YouTube has suggestions for cooking gnocchi in the rice cooker, too, so I may give that a try as well. More to come on that topic!

Culinary Adventures: YouTube CrockPot Meals

I've been interested in CrockPot cooking for a long time, but I've never done much of it. Since I'm trying to cook more in 2016, I decided to scour YouTube for a few CrockPot recipes. I found two that I decided to try. First, from a blog by way of a prolific vlogger going by the moniker "She's In Her Apron", I made Honey Sesame Chicken as described in this video.


The second recipe is for Cream of Mushroom Chicken, from a YouTuber going by the name TosTinMan.


I'll be honest, neither of these recipes really lit me up. I'll admit that I didn't follow TosTinMan's advice by removing the skin from my chicken thighs before putting them in the CrockPot, but aside from that I was pretty faithful to both recipes. Neither were terrible, and other folks might have better luck, but I probably won't repeat either of them in the near future. That's actually too bad for the Honey Sesame Chicken, since I now have two bottles of sesame oil (unbeknownst to me, Lady Jaye already had one in our cupboard), and I have no clue how I'm going to use it up. Maybe I'll think of something!

Culinary Adventures: DoD Lime Baked Fish

Unfortunately, I can't count this particular recipe as "new", as I've cooked it before. However, it's my favorite fish recipe, and it's super simple, so I wanted to share it. I've made it two or three times in recent weeks because it's currently Lent, Lady Jaye is Roman Catholic, I'm almost certainly going to end up Roman Catholic as a result, and Catholics are pescatarians on Fridays during Lent, so the time is right.

As I mentioned in that previous post about the DoD Orange Chicken, I get this recipe from The Gitmo Cookbook. My next Gitmo Cookbook effort may end up being a side dish like garlic cheese potatoes, or peas with mushrooms. Anyway, the recipe...

Lime Baked Fish

1 and 3/4 lbs. flounder or sole fish fillets

2 T. lime juice

2 T. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika, ground

3/4 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Arrange fish in a single layer on a large, sided cookie sheet that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Combine lime juice, butter or margarine, salt, and paprika. Mix well. Drizzle mixture over fish. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 12-15 minutes or until fillets flake easily and are lightly browned. Garnish with parsley before serving.

This is a fantastic, easy recipe. I've been substituting tilapia fillets for flounder or sole, and I dispense with the parsley. Also, the original version of this recipe calls for lemon juice, but I prefer a limey taste, so that's how I've presented the recipe. Like the Orange Chicken, I eat it with white basmati rice out of the rice cooker, and it's fantastic.

Culinary Adventures: Ultimate Shepherd's Pie

When I visited Orkney in late 2012, I was introduced to an Orcadian dish called clapshot, which is a mix of mashed potatoes and mashed Swede turnips ("rutabagas" in the American vernacular). One of the more involved dishes I've ever made is shepherd's pie. I decided to make a unique dish combining the two. In early 2010, I concocted a dish I referred to as Shepherd's Pie 2.0, which derived from Rachael Ray's recipe. But, it's not that simple.

I first mentioned clapshot in December of 2012. Last July, I recounted Radio Orkney's Great Clapshot Debate of 2015. I'd found this recipe, and then an Orcadian friend sent me this recipe as well. I knew I was going to have to do a bit of improvisation, and my buddy Gray 1 had told me two things of interest: that 1) it's not clapshot unless the neeps and tatties have been through a freeze to chemically alter the sugars, and 2) some people say it's okay to accomplish that freeze through the use of a freezer. I decided to consult with the Orcadian Equestrian, the source of that second recipe link, for some advice:

Tom: Question for you, ma'am: I've got two neeps and three tatties in the freezer in preparation for clapshot. How long do they need to stay in there before they're ready for cooking?
The Orcadian Equestrian: Your tatties don't need to be in the freezer (although it won't hurt them). My mum - the font of all neep knowledge - would say a week would do, and she boils her neep from frozen and then adds the tatties 15 mins later.

So, in early January, I blocked off a Monday evening and began to experiment. At this point, I'll refrain from sharing my recipe since the first batch I made was highly experimental. I'll also note that it got better with age: in subsequent days, the last pieces were the best, and a good ninety seconds in the microwave appear to have helped in that process. This ended up being my first new recipe of 2016, and I'll count it as an incremental success!

Culinary Adventures: DoD Orange Chicken

In mid-January, I had a brief conversation with a pregnant friend whose family Lady Jaye and I will probably try to take a meal to once she delivers. They're pretty solidly progressive, so I was teasing her that we'd bring them some vegan concoction. She reminded me that:

"You realize the meal that it seems we will traditionally share is fish, right?"

This reminded me of my favorite fish recipe out of The Gitmo Cookbook, which got me thinking: one of my resolutions for 2016 should involve cooking. So, I've set the goal of cooking two new recipes each month. This one was actually the second.

Chicken in Orange Sauce

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp. salt

nonstick cooking spray

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 med. onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. black pepper

3/4 c. orange juice

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary

2 T. flour

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

4 T. sugar

Wash chicken thoroughly under cold running water. Drain well. Remove excess fat. Arrange chicken in a single layer on a large, sided cookie sheet that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. DO NOT OVERLAP. Combine orange juice, flour, sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, rosemary, and garlic powder; mix well. Add onions; stir to blend. Pour over chicken. Bake at 400° F. for 22 to 24 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165° F.

So, how did it turn out? I actually really love this recipe. I think I've made it three times now, with a couple of variations. In lieu of cooking spray, I just wrap my cookie sheet in tinfoil and discard the foil when I'm finished. I cube the chicken breasts and dispense with the rosemary entirely. I've cooked this with four, three, and two tablespoons of sugar, and haven't really tasted a difference. Feel free to throw in another tablespoon of flour to thicken the sauce a bit. (The sauce will congeal anyway as it cools, but I prefer it a bit thicker.) I haven't tried this as a freezer meal, but it's tasty (I eat it over white basmati rice), easy, and pretty quick.