Richard Thieme

Bio

Richard Thieme is a business consultant, writer, and professional speaker focused on "life on the edge," in particular the human dimension of technology and the work place, change management and organizational effectiveness. He is a regular featured speaker at the Black Hat Briefings and Def Con and a contributing editor for Information Security Magazine.

Thieme's creative use of the Internet to reach global markets has earned accolades around the world. He is a member of the "cyber avant-garde," according to CNN . "a prominent American techno-philosopher" according to LAN Magazine (Australia) ... "a father figure for online culture," according to the (London) Sunday Telegraph ... "a keen observer of hacker attitudes and behaviors" according to Le Monde (Paris) ... "one of the most creative minds of the digital generation" according to the editors of CTHEORY and Digital Delirium and ... "an online pundit of hacker culture" according to the L.A Times ... and "extremely subtle and deep" according to the Linux Journal.

Thieme has published widely. Translated into German, Chinese, Japanese, Slovene, Danish and Indonesian, his articles are taught at numerous universities in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States. His work has been frequently anthologized. His column, "Islands in the Clickstream," has been published in Singapore, Toronto, and Capetown and distributed to subscribers in 58 countries. Archived copies are at http://www.thiemeworks.com, a USA TODAY Hot Site of the Day.

Thieme has spoken four times for the Black Hat Briefings (intelligence and corporate security) and five times for Def Con, the annual computer hackers convention. He has also keynoted "invitation only" conferences for computer hackers, such as PumpCon, Xmas Con (New Orleans 2600), RubiCon and RootFest. At DefCon VIII, he moderated a panel that included the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Director of Information and Infrastructure Assurance for DOD, and the Director of the Federal Computer Incident Response Team who came to "dialogue" with more than 5,000 computer hackers. He was invited to moderate because, according to the National Security Agency officer who asked, "You're the only one in the room with the acceptance and respect of both the hacking community and the Feds."

Selected articles:

"Computer Security is No Sure Thing" - An account of the journey of Bruce Schneier, author of Applied Cryptography and the Blowfish and Twofish algorithms, from the perfect world of mathematics to the messy world of computer security. - Forbes Digital

"Hacking the Future" - An article in defense of computer hacking, properly understood. Village Voice and LA Weekly.

"Cyborg Creep" - how wearable computers and ubiquitous wireless environments undermine independence and compromise security. Information Security ("21 Infosec Experts Explore the State of the Industry at the Turn of the Century.")

"BO2K Brouhaha" - Is Back Orifice 2000 best used for computer security or to break into networks? Information Security.

"Designing the Future" - how the skills and mind set of former underground hackers bring unique value to business and government clients. Forbes Digital.

"The Human Dimension of Y2K" - Information Security

"Don Quixote Goes Digital" - the end of "the golden age of hacking." Salon Magazine. Articles anthologized in: Digital Delirium, Cyber Reader II, and Cyberculture (U.K.).