Eric Burns Online — My Virtual Take on Tech

A user holding a security alert faces a maze of support forms, email routes, tickets, and dead ends before the report reaches a security operations team.

Security Reporting Is a Security Control. Treat It Like One.

This is Part 2 of When Your Brand Becomes the Bait, a three-part series examining brand-impersonation phishing, security-reporting friction, and the privacy risks created when abuse reports are forwarded to suspected operators. In the first article in this series, I described a phishing attempt that reached me through Nextdoor shortly…

A Fake Nextdoor Page Asked for My Credit Card. What Should Happen Next?

August 6, 2026 High Level Tech Intro Startups Technical Tutorials & Developer Education No Comments

This is Part 1 of When Your Brand Becomes the Bait, a three-part series examining brand-impersonation phishing, security-reporting friction, and the privacy risks created when abuse reports are forwarded to suspected operators. On Friday, July 31, I posted several items for sale on Nextdoor. Almost immediately, I received a direct…

The Overcorrection Is Coming. Lean Firms Won’t Wait for It.

July 30, 2026 Attitude Startups No Comments

Here is what always happens after a technology binge. The early adopters go all in, often without governance frameworks to match their ambition. The bills arrive. Leadership overcorrects. Access gets restricted, licenses get canceled, leaderboards come down, and the finance team gets a seat at the table it probably…

They Called It Tokenmaxxing. I Call It Goodhart’s Law With a Credit Card.

June 25, 2026 Attitude Startups Technical Tutorials & Developer Education Uncategorized No Comments

There is a concept in economics called Goodhart’s Law. The short version: when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. You’ve seen it in sales organizations where reps optimize for activity metrics instead of revenue. You’ve seen it in customer support teams where handle…

I’ve Watched Big Companies Kill the Thing They Just Bought For 25 Years

May 31, 2026 Attitude Random Notes Startups No Comments

I started at a telecom startup in 1998. It was a great place to be – the engineering team was beyond sharp. The product they designed was ahead of its time, and the components they designed with were cutting edge. This isn’t meant as bragging as it was the only…

What I Learned Exhibiting at Bay Area MakerFaire

April 27, 2026 Attitude No Comments

If you have never exhibited at MakerFaire, it is hard to describe the energy. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people wandering through a space filled with robots, art installations, high voltage electricity demonstrations, and yes – people like me showing off IoT projects on folding tables. It is…

Vibe Coding a WordPress Plugin – What Worked and What Didn’t, plus What I Paid Attention To

March 30, 2026 High Level Tech Intro Technical Tutorials & Developer Education No Comments

I use vibe coding more and more lately as see opportunities to safely leverage it. There are areas where I’m hesitant to use it though. Not because I didn’t think it worked, but because of information security concerns. I’ve spent enough time writing code across different languages and environments to…

Resilience, Not Audacity

February 13, 2026 Attitude Sales No Comments

Cold calling really has a lot to do with resilience, and this week I got a good reminder of that. Early in the week I commented on an LinkedIn comment where someone felt cold calling was about chutzpa. When I hear that word, I think of audacity. I had replied…

Personalization Beats Volume

January 8, 2026 Attitude Sales No Comments

Quick outreach tip for anyone in sales or recruiting: Before emailing someone about services, take 30 seconds to see what they actually do. If someone works at a software services company, pitching them software services isn’t outreach – it’s spam. Personalization beats volume every time.

Progress Happens Beneath the Surface

December 25, 2025 Attitude No Comments

As 2025 winds down, many of us are reflecting on the year – its wins, its lessons, and its challenges. To those still grinding but not seeing the success you deserve, know this: progress often happens beneath the surface. As Steve Jobs wisely said, “Some years you win. Some years…