The Word Herder

How to start a business in Canada without any money

admin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:42:53 +0000

Many entrepreneurs come to investors starry-eyed, envisaging suitcases of cash. The cold reality is that in Canada, investment dollars are especially hard to come by. This article for Canada’s National Post looks at bootstrappers, who substitute chutzpah for cash. Uberflip is one company that has held out on VC funding to build equity value. >> Read

With cyber-attacks on the rise, is your company’s data safe?

admin — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:49:48 +0000

Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated, and there are more of them. Hackers are using multiple channels to get inside corporate networks. You wouldn’t know it to talk to many companies, who seem to be living in a state of denial. This Guardian article explores how corporate culture must change to accomodate these risks. >> Read

Scammed

admin — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:34:37 +0000

In this article for Matter, a crowdfunded investigative reporting site, I met Mike, an eccentric hacker who tracked down a phone scammer halfway around the world. The journey took both of us through cyberspace and beyond, from sun-soaked Boca Raton, through a small Minnesotan town, and finally to an Indian call centre. I followed him every step of the way. >> Read

Looking Good on Paper

admin — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 20:05:33 +0000

What do misused dumpsters, mailboxes and meth heads have to do with each other? The clue lies in dead trees. In this article for Infosecurity magazine, I explored the shady world of identity theft. While we may be making headware in cybersecurity, we are leaving far too many personal details left lying around in printed form. >> Read

Win, Lose, or Draw

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:56:49 +0000

June 2012 was a bad month for Charles Carreon. The lawyer took on Internet comic legend Matthew Inman, inventor of The Oatmeal – and lost, badly. This article was written for The Stranger, a newspaper based in Inman’s home city of Seattle. I also covered the topic for The Guardian newspaper. >> Read