Another Seattle Area Tech Worker | Pronouns: He/Him
It hit me today: next week is the last full (official) week of summer. On Tuesday, the 22nd, we roll into Autumn. And, as school has started, Starbucks, et al, have deployed Pumpkin Spice’s joys, and the leaves outside my window that turned red days ago are now turning brown, I’d say autumn is here. Resistance is futile!
As I wrote a few days ago, though, I’m biased in this regard. I love autumn! So I don’t lament the passing of summer as much as some.
Are you a fall fan?
I just read ‘Sophisticated’ AI swarm attacks are months away, OpenAI warns: What experts say businesses must do and now have a solid guess of what I’ll be coping with the rest of 2026. Whee!
So, as we’re cataloging all the recent rogue AI attacks, things are becoming sobering.
The list is amazing and a bit frightening. Reading the article will give you a solid intro to the key attacks to date.
There are some things those of us in IT need to be considering in order to harden our network’s defenses, too. The article gives some basic insights.
But, really, what are WE, as individuals, to do? The article points to a couple of things:
These things are good starting points. Be watching for more news over the coming days. Do watch the ones that are tinted with hysteria, though.
I just read a post from a friend who hosts the “Small Wonders, Big Thoughts” blog (you might notice this site on my blogroll): Approaching Autumn. Here in Seattle (she lives in Colorado), Autumn is quite solidly here, at least in terms of weather. As I look out the window, leaves are quite red, with a few brown, and some falling. The heat of summer is gone; my car windows were damp and misty this morning, and I’ve been wearing sweaters. Afternoons are still generally warm, but not hot.
Like her, I’m not eager to abandon the joys of summer, but am anticipating the coming season. I adore autumn! It is my favorite season!
Perhaps due to my dislike of the extremes of summer and winter, I find Autumn and spring more pleasant. And that shades my opinion. Perhaps…
Anyway, please give her post a quick read. I think it’s worth your time. And let me end on the quote she opened with, for I love it (and Mary Oliver, but that’s for another post):
“Don’t you imagine the leaves dream now how comfortable it will be to touch the earth instead of the nothingness of the air and the endless freshets of wind?” – Mary Oliver
I came across the image above on Pinterest this afternoon. The line in the image, “always be ready to say goodbye to anything”, made me think of the Madonna song, The Power of Goodbye.
There’s no greater power
Than the power of goodbye
Life is ephemeral, transitory, and we need to be prepared to release what no longer serves us. We are not static beings. We evolve, we change.
Let me close with this post I came across on Instagram about change recently.
while the sun descends
dark clouds moving in the west
but the rain holds off
the wind through the firs
trees dancing within the song
tranquil joyousnes
I love this song, and I delight in playing it in…September, which is one of my favorite months! The autumnalphile in me is ready for cooler temps and pumpkin spice. (Yeah, I know it’s still TECHNICALLY summer, but explain that to all the kids starting school today).
dusk begins to fade
slowly, starlight emerges
streetlights sing along
as the birds chatter
raindrops begin falling
dawn drifts through the clouds
the breeze now cooling
hints of autumn this summer
clouds engulf the sun