Dan Wallach

Program Manager, DARPA Information Innovation Office (on leave from Rice University)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danwallach
Github: https://github.com/danwallach
Homepage: https://www.cs.rice.edu/~dwallach/
Medium: https://medium.com/@dwallach

Last Notes

2026-05-17 17:50:05 UTC

Peter G. Neumann has passed away. 94 years old.
Haven't seen an obit posted yet, but here's a detailed interview with John Markoff from 2012.
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/science/rethinking-the-computer-at-80.html

2026-05-01 23:11:31 UTC

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When I was a grad student attending CCS '97 in Zürich, I ended up having an hour-long conversation with Ross Anderson in the otherwise empty hotel bar. Somehow I got over my fear and just approached him and introduced myself. Amazing, talking to a legend and having a real discussion about my career.
More recently, on the paying it forward front, I was invited to a CRA event (representing DARPA, at the Watergate Hotel!) where I'd stay at a round table and ten fresh assistant professors would show up. We'd talk for 15 minutes, then DING, a fresh round and start over again.
So, these kinds of things do occur, but they could definitely stand to happen more often. You just need to somehow break the ice, so prospective folks won't be afraid to even sign up.

2026-05-01 01:03:29 UTC

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I was invited to give a keynote at NDSS. I gave the first talk of the day. After that, I had a huddle around me, in the hallway, for the entire rest of the day. Lots of junior faculty asking for career advice. While exhausting, it's intensely rewarding to pay it forward.
I like your calendar idea. See if you can get other folks to do the same, and make it a bigger effort, get the conference organizers to announce it, etc.

2025-07-12 21:06:51 UTC

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I got into bread baking when the NYT started the "no knead" crazy in, what, 2006? These days, I make a lot of sourdough rye.
https://fd.discuss.systems/media_attachments/files/114/842/293/177/031/068/original/80191bf5b5bbe457.jpg

2024-12-17 16:11:27 UTC

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It would be cool if they were reproducing hand-tinted b&w photos, which were certainly a thing back in the day, but the photos here look way too good, too clean.