Supply chain attacks and genAI

Many executives and leaders still treat AI tools as plug-and-play; buy it , trust it, install it, connect it, use it , automate it, scale it. 

That assumption is becoming a liability. A huge one.

The LiteLLM supply chain attack in March of this year (2026), exposed exactly this philosophy. Attackers didn't need to breach their targets directly. They compromised a trusted security scanner inside a development pipeline, used stolen credentials to distribute poisoned software updates, and gained access to cloud keys, Kubernetes secrets, and live AI provider credentials across corporate environments. The front door was never touched. It wasn't even knocked on in a sense. 

The same principle applies to attacks on municipal water systems. You don't have to breach the facility itself when you can compromise a trusted management interface and control what sits behind it. And some of these city and county water and wastewater management systems have old PLC and other technology that was never supposed to be connected. Never designed for it.  

AI platforms create a similar choke point. They connect companies to dozens of services, so compromising one trusted dependency can provide access far beyond that single system.

Yet many organizations still rely on periodic audits, vendor trust, and reactive credential rotation. They rely on MVP products sold as GA v1 enterprise ready and aren't even close. But not everybody vettes these or vendor politics at play so forced onto teams and employees. That security model was built for a threat environment that no longer exists.

Every external software update should be treated as an unverified artifact until its provenance is established. Zero trust to the extreme. Supply chain attacks, at scale, should be a priority.  

Every centralized access layer should be treated as an elevated-risk target requiring continuous logging and monitoring.

The executives and leaders who understand this aren't treating cybersecurity as an IT cost center. They're treating digital infrastructure like any critical supply chain; with verified provenance, real-time visibility and zero assumption that something is safe simply because the package carries a familiar name.

This blog and description has more details about that liteLLM hack back in March.

liteLLM Hack March 2026

The amateur was bad

 The Amateur movie review on medium

I watched the movie , 'the Amateur' last night. Saw the trailer before, poking through Amazon prime and it was free, so figured why not. 

The premise was interesting even though it's been done a thousand times over.  Revenge. Fish out of water. Conspiracy. Second guessing.   Why not give it a shot. I remember thinking the trailer looked promising and some big names in the movie.  A few actors who have shown they make movies better than they should have been in the past.  Worth it. 

What a bad movie though.  The premise, again, interesting enough with a catch,  as the guy isnt Jason Bourne or some MMA ex military tough guy. A lot of the Mr. nice guy but was a former seal or secret agent troupe is overdone and kind of annoying. So at least it wasn't that. 

But it was like they took some of those movie ideas Jason Bourne like premise and then thought hey let's get the guy who played Mr Robot as a hacker to be this bored analyst with a revenge plot.  And it started early. Demands. Weird situations. World travel. Unlimited money. Random secret hacker like friends. It was like they had a room full of writers using chatgpt and throwing anything and everything and why not. Let's do that. 

It was slow. But no real build up to care. That's the worse for a show or movie. Slow buildup but too quick where you have no connection to any of these people or story. It's like some bad Saturday night live satire sketch that wasn't funny or dramatic or serious and the comedians just going through the motions. Or they brought in some big name who isn't exactly a great actor and it falls flat. 

The common Hollywood troupe of computer geeks and hackers is always annoying.  The Amateur though, he wasn't even a hacker. CIA threat intelligence analyst who seemed to have certain clearances and relationships, but macgyver like traits, breaking bad Walter chemistry knowledge, Jason Bourne like revenge and connections, Mr Robot like hacker skills and it was just ridiculous and annoying. 

  I wonder if it even gets made or winds up lost and hardly watcher if they casted someone else to be the lead. Casting directors probably thought, "hey he was a hacker in Mr Robot" let's get Rami. it was good casting to get the guy who played an intelligent hacker in a somewhat successful show to play the lead. 

So let's go with the CIA like threat intelligence analyst in the basement who is somewhat of a hacker.  Somehow all that intelligent mindset was lost as he's using credit cards , IDs given to him by the CIA,  knows they can track him, knows he's basically committing treason and being targeted and his boss director  will have it out for him.  It was really like chatgpt wrote the movie with no context and everybody thought, hey this sounds cool.   I understand the nature of stress , fish out of water, and he's in over his head but all the build up was too slow but too quick and the overall revenge played out more ridiculous than the next. 

Jason Bourne has many plot holes and points but at least the idea he was getting revenge, figuring stuff out and one bad mofo was legitimate. Even in Mr Robot , he was a hacker out to get shady bad guys and then conspiracy to the extreme, there was still some semblance of suspension of belief where some of to makes sense and you understand.  

The Amateur. It was so bad. 

Flock needs a VP

 

Interesting after all the uproar and media buzz , flock has a VP of Product opening. Wonder if someone had enough and quit or the environment and culture is playing out in different circles and is at an inflection point.    It'll be interesting to follow and see what leader they wind up hiring for this and how things change or stays the same .

The posted job JD

"

VP Product

The Problem

As Flock expands into new markets and use cases, scaling our portfolio across hardware-enabled infrastructure, firmware, and cloud software requires dedicated executive product leadership. Maintaining product differentiation and earned trust across complex technology layers demands a strategic leader who can align engineering execution with long-term business goals. You will lead end-to-end product strategy across core product lines, mentor product managers, and represent our technology with clarity to cross-functional partners and external stakeholders.

What You'll Own

Lead end-to-end product strategy and execution for a multi-layered portfolio spanning cloud software, firmware, and hardware systems.

Direct and develop a team of Product Managers responsible for driving core product areas from initial roadmap conceptualization to market execution.

Partner with Engineering leadership to align product roadmaps with technical architecture, platform evolution, and delivery capabilities.

Translate customer needs, competitive dynamics, and market signals into prioritized product roadmaps that balance innovation, system reliability, and speed to market.

Represent Flock's product portfolio and guiding development principles in high-stakes external conversations with customers, partners, and public stakeholders.

What This Role is Not

This isn't a hands-off corporate strategy position, you will actively engage with engineering teams on technical tradeoffs and dive deep into product architecture.

This is not a single-product or software-only role, you will oversee an integrated portfolio combining hardware devices, firmware, and cloud platforms.

This isn't an isolated internal management function, you will serve as an external product spokesperson who can explain technical systems clearly to diverse audiences.

What You Bring

Proven track record leading and growing complex, multi-layered technology products across software platforms and hardware-adjacent systems.

Strong product judgment with the ability to prioritize effectively across competing demands and incomplete market information.

Demonstrated experience developing and managing product managers to drive cohesive execution across distinct product lines.

Capability to partner deeply with Engineering on platform architecture, technical sequencing, and development tradeoffs.

Clear executive communication skills with the ability to represent complex product capabilities to non-technical external stakeholders.

Compensation

In this role, you'll receive a starting salary between $280,000 and $300,000 as well as Flock Stock Options. Base salary is determined by job-related experience, education/training, as well as market indicators. Your recruiter will discuss this in depth with you during our first chat.

Why Flock

Every community deserves to be safe. Flock builds the technology that makes that real: last year we supported over 1 million criminal investigations and helped locate more than 10,000 missing people. We're 1,700 people building the impossible with over $1B in funding, and the expectations are high on purpose. If you want a role where the stakes are real and the pace matches, this is it.

Some problems get solved faster in the same room, so we prioritize candidates in Atlanta and Boston. Hub-based roles mean real in-person time with your coworkers. Remote roles exist, and when a posting is open to remote work, it says so.

Building the impossible takes every kind of mind. Flock is an equal opportunity employer, and we know the best solutions come from diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills working together with mutual respect

"

Definitely will follow this.

Water systems challenge in Minnesota

 Water supply systems Minnesota

US blaming Iran

"Officials are investigating after a cyber attack targeted water systems in several Minnesota cities, but they say there is no threat to the drinking water. FOX 9's Bill Keller reports."

These old public utilities, parks and everything government related have a lot of old tech, forgotten about tech and maintained by a few people overworked and overextended who aren't IT or cybersecurity or OT individuals. Nor should be but it's easy to just say system is flawed and blame certain folks.

Ice Rinks: The Reality Behind the Surface

 Ice Rinks: 

The Reality Behind the Surface

Guides , manuals, blogs , video's , old heads will tell you ice should be perfect. Thin. Level. Precise. But made to last and think long term not just short term. Especially old barns. 

In reality, most rinks don’t get that luxury. There isn't the time , patience , experience or equipment for all that.  The ice needs to be 1.5 inches thick or more to survive a day of high school games, beer league, clinics, and youth camps and games and part time temporary zamboni drivers. 

The people maintaining it are often part-timers. Ten minutes to cut and flood. Not really flood. Temperatures fluctuate. Old compressors wheeze. Pipes leak. Water quality varies. HVAC systems are aging, sometimes broken. You learn quickly that “ideal” ice is a fantasy.  And many people don't even care unless it's really bad. Or the locker rooms and bathrooms are a mess , then they start chomping about ice quality too. 

Every day, someone adjusts on the fly: adding water, watching the cracks, watching the puck slide differently depending on the morning temperature, last night's usage and the days schedule. It’s improvisation, judgment, and experience. And yet, somehow, the ice holds. Mostly. Even when it doesn't and the paint starts peeling or looks too bright , deep, dark its more about flooding , light cutting and get it back to 1.5. Somehow, games are played, practices happen, kids learn, and adults compete. Day after day, night after night, week after week, month after month and year after year. Mostly. 

Ice maintenance isn’t glamorous. It’s sweaty, precise, repetitive, and unforgiving. Ice depths can be as simple as a drill , pen and paper and a metal depth ruler. It requires attention to detail, patience, and an understanding that conditions change with every hour. It’s like life; rarely perfect, often frustrating, but always moving forward.

Sports technology can help. Sensors, analytics, monitoring systems add visibility, consistency, and insight. But no tech replaces judgment. And a lot of the tech was built by people who never played or stepped on the ice or drove a zamboni.  But that's silicon valley and tech startup culture.  Many never actually care about the customer much less spent any time actually getting to know the day to day and week to week and pain points.  AI replaces experience, but it doesn't. The rink survives because people care, notice, and adapt. That grumpy old Zamboni and rink operator actually cares about the rink, the ice and hockey, figure skating, sled hockey , broom ball, skippyball, boot hockey, curling and more. 

So when you step onto the ice, remember: there’s a world beneath the surface. One layer of frost at a time. And sometimes, that’s enough.

Linkekdin has become a joke

 You open LinkedIn and everybody is posting about square and block and Jack laying off 40% of his workforce.  It sucks.  Its sad. It's blaming AI again. But linkekdin has become this click bait useless platform where recruiters proclaim the market is back and everybody is hiring and that AI isn't replacing everybody.  

You have other's post random quotes and stories like Olympic Men and women won gold , here is how that relates to NOTHING. It's just stupid posts. Tons of AI junk content. Recommendation that show linkekdin can't do recommendations right.  

And finally everybody jumping on some guy like Jack posting lay offs and AI and why this or why that. It's like who asked.     And oh yeah they all ignored that block shares went up right after the announcement. Guess Jack and his buddies made out. 

Frozen Frontier: Sustainability, AI, and My Education on the Ice

The Journey of a Rink Family

Some families spend weekends at soccer fields or baseball diamonds, but mine grew up at the rink—from the high summer heat in Atlanta, the desert cool at night in Southern California, to the deep freeze mornings in Minnesota. My kids’ hockey bags have collected red Georgia clay, bits of Los San Diego beach sand, and the muddy lake water or melted snow and ice particles of Minneapolis and Edina and everywhere in between. I didn’t just become a hockey parent or a techie fascinated with next-generation rinks ...

I became a regular at the helm of a Zamboni, learned the quirks of resurfacing, and joined the ranks of rink maintenance crews who keep the game alive for everyone willing to lace up.

This is not a distant issue for me. I have felt, smelt, and shoveled the ghost ice. I have worked with control panels older than me, juggled compressor faults in real time, and debated with managers on the merits of hot- versus cold-water resurfacing. It’s in these personal trenches, with kids on the ice and a wrench in hand, that the crisis and and opportunity of sustainable rinks became clear.

Hockey’s Hidden Cost: The Energy and Climate Challenge

Hockey is a thread in the fabric of North American communities. There are 4,800 indoor rinks in North America, with an average age over 30 years, most built before sustainability featured in facility designs[1].

The core problem? 

Rinks are energy hogs. They are expensive and complicated.  Refrigeration accounts for about 43% of total rink electricity use, with heating, lighting, and humidity control making up much of the rest. The typical older rink burns through 1–1.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) each year, releasing up to 800 tons of CO₂e—a climate footprint rivaling small manufacturing operations[2]. 

In many municipalities, rinks account for 20–30% of civic building emissions. For any community promising a “net zero” commitment, rinks are a central challenge and opportunity[2].

For operators like me and rink managers everywhere these numbers are felt every month in utility bills. The idea of  five-figure electric bills in the Upper Midwest, even in the spring, and gas bills that spike in the deep of winter, not from heating the stands but from keeping compressors churning are real.  Get down into the southeast heat or Southwest and California summers and it's even more costly. 

Ghost Ice and the Human Factor

Another rarely discussed challenge is operational inefficiency.  

What some people call “ghost ice”: the invisible layers or variable thicknesses due to cautious but outdated maintenance. Many rinks over-flood between events or struggle with uneven resurfacing, leading to ice layers up to 20% thicker than necessary.

Each extra millimeter of ice not only diminishes the quality of play but increases energy demand by thousands of kWh per season. Case studies estimate a single rink’s excess thickness can waste $50,000 per year...money literally locked in ice and melted away by compressors[2][3]. As a rink worker, the drive is always to avoid “soft” moments or dangerous ridges, but often this leads to overcompensating with water, and in turn, energy loss.

Regulatory Sword: R-22 Phase-Out and the Cost of Delay

There’s a regulatory shadow falling across this landscape. Many rinks still rely on R-22 refrigerant, which destroys ozone and has been regulated out of production in most of North America[2]. Existing stores are dwindling, prices are rising, and in 2030 the final legal loopholes will close. Failure to convert means the risk of fines in the tens of thousands per day, a true existential threat for community-run operations.

A New Era: Green Rinks and Next-Generation Solutions

Turning this crisis into an opportunity is neither science fiction nor a tech utopia; it’s happening today, facility by facility, through bold investments and smarter planning.

Case Study: Great Park Ice — The West Coast Standard

Consider the Anaheim Ducks’ new 280,000 square foot Great Park Ice facility, the flagship for sustainable design in California[1]. Despite high upfront costs, the rink brings together a portfolio of green solutions:

• Recycled Water
•  All ice is produced with 100% reclaimed water, reducing potable water demand in drought-prone Orange County.
• Electric Zamboni
•  Eliminates the indoor air hazards and fossil fuel use of older resurfacers.
• EV Charging and Green Design:
• Parking lots feature extensive electric vehicle charging, and landscaping is drought resistant.
• High-Efficiency Refrigeration
• Advanced automation allows precise control of ice temperature and humidity, minimizing waste.

Great Park Ice is a candidate for LEED Silver certification[1][3]. The message for parents and staff is that “green costs more at the start, but pays society back for decades.” I’ve watched my own kids’ tournaments, games and practices here and felt the ice quality—hard, fast, consistent—and noticed how the air smells fresh, not chemical-heavy like the older rinks.

Canada’s Net Zero Cohort: Leading with Community and Data

Canada is setting the global bar for community-driven transition. A recent project brought together seven southern Ontario municipalities to develop real retrofitting roadmaps for their nine most-used rinks[2]. Their findings:

• Big Impact:
• Operations alone (training, automation, anti-idling practices) can reduce emissions by 26%. 
• Coupled with capital retrofits (heat recovery, modern chillers), 85% reduction is achievable
• up to 99% in best-case scenarios.
• Real Savings:
• Each roadmap anticipated savings of over 243 tons CO₂e by 2050 per rink. Collectively, this will eliminate 2,189 tons of emissions.
• Economic Win:
• Over a rink’s 40-year life, net-zero upgrades pay back, not just in utility savings, but in lower maintenance, higher occupancy, and community value.

Their method? 

Zero-over-time: use every replacement or capital improvement as a chance to add an energy upgrade. Integrated design and cohort-planning ensured that mistakes and lessons are shared, not repeated[2].

My Zamboni Dream: Sustainability From the Driver’s Seat

Where do I fit in? For me, sustainability is not an abstraction. Every shift on the Zamboni is a learning lab in heat transfer, efficiency, and technology transfer.

• Water Choices
• I’ve experimented with both hot-water and cold-water resurfacing. Hot water melts and smooths ice well, but is energy intensive; cold-water systems, now proven at several Canadian sites, do nearly as well with technique and slash gas bills.
• Ice Thickness:
• Digital sensors and “smart sticks” are replacing the old coin-on-a-rope method for measuring ice. 
• I can now ensure we maintain a bare inch—no more, no less—cutting both water waste and compressor run-time.
• AI and Automation:
• Early-adopter rinks are turning to digital Building Automation Systems (BAS). 
• These monitor compressor cycles, forecast weather, and directly control brine temperatures and energy loads for maximum efficiency
• a quantum leap from the patched-up control panels

Simple changes, backed by data and guided by collective expertise, add up fast. I’ve seen operator morale rise when they receive training and new tools; the pride in maintaining “perfect ice” with a lower footprint is real.

Barriers and Lessons: What Still Gets in the Way?

Progress is slowest when data is incomplete, or when managers and staff fear new techniques might sacrifice ice quality. In the Canadian study, missing blueprints and records created delays[2]. Often there is institutional inertia, if a method worked for 20 years, why change now?

Financially, capital retrofits are daunting. Even with incentives, budget cycles favor crisis response, not prevention. But life-cycle costing is turning the tide: planned, staged upgrades, timed with equipment failure, are vastly cheaper and smarter[2].

Knowledge-sharing is now critical. Webinars, workshops, and peer mentoring are bridging the learning gap. When I get an invite to a “cold resurfacing” demonstration, the learning comes straight from veteran operators, easing mistrust.

Innovation Beyond the Rink: AI, Automation, and New Business Models

Looking to the future, the most exciting area is the integration of AI-driven energy optimization, digital twin modeling, and alternative funding models.

1. Digital Twins and Predictive AI
1. SmartICE projects in Canada and advanced automation at Dallas Stars’ facilities in Texas have proven the value of digital twins
1. virtual copies that can be tested for compressor failure, power outages, or optimization scenarios without risking actual downtime[4][2].
2.  AI controls can now anticipate peak demand windows and pre-cool at the lowest rates, reaching annual energy cuts of 20–35% and improving operational uptime.
2.  Community and Web3 Funding
1. Increasingly, communities are experimenting with tokenized or “community bond” models
1. enabling families, local businesses, and even global hockey fans to fund sustainable upgrades. 
2. While still an emerging space, these models, alongside public grants, are unlocking retrofits that would otherwise remain unfunded.
3. Environmental Social Governance (ESG) as Rink Value
1. Many municipalities now publicly report on rink emissions, using their successful upgrades as a core plank in broader community climate pledge
1. a public win that builds stakeholder support for the upfront expenses.

Bringing Sustainability Home: The Future for Hockey Families

For me, rink sustainability is not just about LED bulbs or smarter chillers. It’s about the assurance that my children, and their teammates in Atlanta, San Diego and Orange County, and Edina , St Louis Park, Minneapolis, will grow up with affordable, accessible, safe, and quality rinks[1][2].

It’s also a matter of pride: knowing that our small changes, smart resurfacing, careful thickness management, speaking up for retrofit, contribute to a much bigger movement. When I walk into a rink that smells fresh, hums quietly, and posts energy usage stats above the front desk, I know we’re skating into a brighter future.

Conclusion: One Rink, Many Lessons

Hockey may always be costly, cold, and logistically complex, but it doesn’t have to be unsustainable, or inaccessible. The green revolution in rink technology proves that with the right mix of ambition, data, community, and personal commitment, we can solve this hidden climate challenge, one Zamboni lap at a time[1][2].

As both a parent and a rink worker, every practice becomes a classroom: one where I’m still learning, and sometimes teaching, how to keep hockey’s legacy alive for generations-and climates-to-come.

References:

• Ducks practice facility incorporates latest environmental technology | NHL[1]  
• Case Study: Creating a shared path to net zero ice rinks | Green Municipal Fund[2]  
• Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena - Irvine Ranch Water District[3]
• Dallas Stars Ice Skating Rink | Trane Commercial HVAC[4]  

Citations:

[1] Ducks practice facility incorporates latest environmental technology https://www.nhl.com/news/anaheim-practice-facility-incorporates-latest-environmental-technology-306973030

[2] Case Study: Creating a shared path to net zero ice rinks https://greenmunicipalfund.ca/case-studies/case-study-creating-shared-path-net-zero-ice-rinks

[3] Great Park Ice and FivePoint Arena - Irvine Ranch Water District https://www.irwd.com/waterstar-business/great-park-ice-and-fivepoint-arena

[4] Dallas Stars Ice Skating Rink | Trane Commercial HVAC https://www.trane.com/commercial/north-america/us/en/about-us/newsroom/case-studies/community/dallas-stars-ice-skating-rink.html