Why Felix the Cat is a Detective Hero
Posted: September 5, 2020 Filed under: Investigations | Tags: black hat seo, brand protection, Business, criminology, Hacking, Los Angeles, Private Eye, Security Leave a comment
I was running an errand the other day in Downtown Los Angeles. As a big fan of classic Hollywood and detective fiction, I relish in the landmarks and mainstays, from the outdoor urban paradise of MacArthur Park to the crowds of bustling travelers at Union Station; from the authentic Hispanic heritage so beautifully displayed on Olvera Street to the architectural marvel of the Bradbury building (where, by the way, the most cinematic scene from “Blade Runner” was shot). But none of them tickle me as much as the iconic Felix the Cat sign atop the almost century-old Felix Chevrolet. Read the rest of this entry »
All Hackers Are Phonies (Sort of)
Posted: October 29, 2019 Filed under: Investigations | Tags: Hacking Comments Off on All Hackers Are Phonies (Sort of)
Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man. If mountain ranges and oceans can be overcome, then anything built by man can be overcome. ~ George S. Patton
Let’s face it. Unless you are trying to fix a busted drainpipe or something similar, your adversary is a living, breathing being. You can hunt deer, fish, a wolf, a serial killer, or even a hacker. And conflict can be easily boiled down to living beings and their tools versus other humans and their tools. Read the rest of this entry »
Reputation Management Lessons From Roseanne
Posted: May 31, 2018 Filed under: Investigations | Tags: baseball Comments Off on Reputation Management Lessons From Roseanne
There are very few things more important to a company than reputation management and Roseanne Barr has inadvertently helped rewrite the handbook. I was in my early adulthood when Roseanne’s ground-breaking television show was in its prime. In its original nine year run, “Roseanne” led the charge in advocating homosexuality. Not only was “Roseanne” the first show to feature prominent homosexual characters, but she backed it up by stating that her two real-life siblings are gay. As ground-breaking and inclusive as the show was, I never cared for it. Read the rest of this entry »
Warner Bros Cast Jim Carrey as Mark Zuckerberg and Didn’t Even Know It
Posted: April 13, 2018 Filed under: Investigations | Tags: facebook, google, Los Angeles, social media Comments Off on Warner Bros Cast Jim Carrey as Mark Zuckerberg and Didn’t Even Know It
With all of the news stories being published in recent days about social media data and privacy, I cannot help but be reminded of a not-so-great, yet brilliantly prophetic, film of the 1990’s. Let me first set the table. I was twenty-four years old and had just moved to Los Angeles to become a stand-up comedian. Months earlier, when I was a busboy at a Jersey Shore bar, I was constantly barraged by drunks shouting “Fire Marshall Bill!” This was due to my uncanny resemblance to Jim Carrey, referencing his recurring character in the critically-acclaimed sketch comedy show of the time “In Living Color“. My resemblance to him was not the only connection. Ever since I saw Carrey impersonate the entire cast of “My Three Sons” on Johnny Carson in 1983, I was hooked. I wanted to be him. Read the rest of this entry »
Steve McQueen’s Advice About Online Threats and Leaks
Posted: January 9, 2018 Filed under: Investigations | Tags: Hacking, Security Comments Off on Steve McQueen’s Advice About Online Threats and Leaks
I saw the classic Hollywood disaster film The Towering Inferno in my twenties, two decades after it was released. I watched it after I read Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel
