Aloha, I’m Dennis Gonzalez — you might know this site as NY2Honolulu.
I’m a retired journeyman electrician, 71 years young, and about a year ago I decided to stop watching cybersecurity from the sidelines and start building. No CS degree, no bootcamp — just consistent, documented, in-public learning. This blog is the paper trail.
Right now I’m working through Black Hat Python (2nd Edition) and the O’Reilly Python course in parallel, while running my own homelab cyber range: a Proxmox-based setup with Metasploitable2 and Kali Linux for hands-on offensive practice. Last week I hand-patched an actively-exploited SQL injection CVE on this very site after WordPress’s auto-updater silently failed — that kind of real, dated, sometimes-messy work is exactly what you’ll find documented here, wins and stumbles both.
I live at the intersection of deep tech and intentional living. By day (and often late into the night), I’m experimenting with local AI agents, Linux environments, cybersecurity tools, and automation stacks — documenting production-grade setups with Grok, Hermes, Python, and privacy-focused workflows.
On the other side of the keyboard, I’m a slow traveler and lifestyle designer, currently planning a move to Europe. This October I’ll be in San Sebastián, Nice, and Madrid scouting long-stay visa options — and celebrating my 71st birthday (Halloween) in San Sebastián.
Currently in progress:
- Black Hat Python labs + AWS DVA-C02 exam study
- Proxmox cyber range: next up, first nmap scan of Metasploitable2
- SANS ISC/DShield integration
This blog is where the two worlds meet: technical depth meets real-life transitions. No claimed expertise — just verifiable, dated proof of the climb.
Follow the Lab Journal for the hands-on stuff, or the News page for my curated cybersecurity sources. Welcome to the journey — from Honolulu, with an eye on the horizon.