A Long, long time ago… really about 11-ish years. I was in a home brewing phase. I would make two gallons of beer, cook up some good food, have friends over and we would talk about… well anything that came to mind at the time. As the batch of beer was so small, the fun would end when the keg was dry, and everyone went home. I joked at the time that we all should start a show and call it “Bits, Bytes, and Beer.” Later after I got out the brewing habit (and the company that made my home brewing system went out of business (Picobrew), Things switched back to whisk(e)y which has always been a favorite of mine and also many people I know in the IT and cybersecurity industry. So, the nebulous, not quite real idea of “the show” turned into Bits, Bytes, and Bourbon.
The idea was simple really. It was not really about any particular drink although it did make the alliteration fun. Instead, it was a variation of the “fire side chat” concept, just in an alternate setting. My idea was to talk to people about things that I personally enjoy and to bring in guests from time to time (as well as have live shows) who could talk about different topics. Everyone is welcome at the “bar” was going to be a central theme of the show. We did not need to stick to bourbon, or whiskey, or even have any alcohol in an episode. I just wanted the feeling of being in a place where everyone was welcome and felt free to talk, granted I would be the one doing most of the talking, but let’s not pick those nits just yet.
Anyway, this idea was always just one of those things that I talked about, but never really thought it would become a thing. It is like when people (mostly guys) say “let’s start a band” or “let’s buy a bar” … you just say it but are probably not going to do it.
Last year (2023), while I was at Black Hat, I had the chance to talk to aa few venture capital groups about changes to how venture capital money would be handled in the future. It was not all bad, but it was a significant change for many in the cybersecurity world. During the course of the conversation, I was asked what medium I used and answered that it was a website (because it is), but joked about Bits, Bytes, and Bourbon. To my surprise, more than one person who is responsible for reviewing and approving money for startup companies, liked the idea and thought that I should actually do it. I have to say I was very happy and immediately made plans to kick things off. I made lists of things I would need, designed a set, purchased a few special bottles, even asked a few people if they would like to be on the show… That was back in August of 2023. Life, and my overthinking, had other plans for me. I have (as of this writing), bought many of the things I would need for a video production, built 1/3 of the set, and have shot about 3 hours of footage which I have discarded because it was “not good enough”.
Still, I am not going to dwell on that. The Bar Set will get built and I will be putting up content on the YouTube channel as well as on Twitter and possibly rumble. The content will not be tied to any one subject, but will cover gaming, pop culture, movies, cybersecurity, technology, life, the universe, and everything, sarcasm as a service, bourbon, and so much more.
I hope that you will find something to enjoy in the content that will be coming down the road from this adventure and look forward to creating it.
