Pontificating on Nepal

Just some random thoughts

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Over the last few weeks, I have traveled and attended several different events, so I did not have an opportunity to dive into a specific writing topic. I have many in the works, but could not complete them by this posting. So, instead, I have decided to proffer some thoughts on the various things that I have experienced recently. Please do indulge me.

Be Nerd

I am delighted to announce that the Be Nerd podcast, hosted by Sabin KC, invited me on the show. We discuss a lot about me and about technology. If you ever wonder what it is like to be indecisive professionally, this podcast is for you! I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. Be sure to open the video in YouTube to help boost their channel! You can also visit Sabin’s LinkedIn here.

Softwarica College

Currently, I work at Softwarica College of IT and E-Commerce. My role includes teaching workshops on digital forensics, cybersecurity, and ethical hacking. In these short programs—usually about 12 hours per cycle—I offer creative analyses on ‘routine’ topics. I prefer to introduce concepts that many students never hear about in their normal courses. As an example, I spent an entire session teaching the use of fuzzy hashing in malware analysis. (I wrote about it too, see below!). In my most recent class, we examined how malware can be hidden within photos, which is why one should never click on an unexpected attachment in an email or SMS message.

In addition to teaching workshops, I bring education to the public. As noted above and below, I speak on or host podcasts, I recently gave my first Ted Talk (I will post it when it goes online), and I offer brief classes to the general community covering a variety of tech issues for laymen and laywomen. One such talk was sponsored by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television. The guests represented all different age groups, split relatively equally among males and females. Not long before that, I discussed my research project at an event called the AI Community Bootcamp, graciously hosted by SecurityPal Nepal. You can view it here.

A few months ago, I gave a speech at St. Xavier’s College where I encouraged graduates to go abroad, acquire whatever knowledge interests them, and bring it back to Nepal. My message consistently broadcasts this view. Nepal is an exquisite country that, like every other, has many problems. Only the best and brightest can solve them. Go get that experience and knowledge, and bring it back to make this wonderful place even better.

One of the most compelling parts of working at Softwarica, however, is the camaraderie. I mentioned in opening that I recently traveled. Softwarica faculty and staff took an outing to the Trishuli River Villa—a trip of about 4 hours’ drive from Kathmandu. What is interesting about the journey is that we only traveled 65 to 70 kilometers. It required 4 hours of driving because the road was under construction for seemingly the entire distance. Regardless, approximately 30 of us piled into a nice tour bus and we made the most of the drive by playing some Nepali music and just having lots of laughs. Upon arriving, we observed that the resort sat beautifully perched above the river, but on the opposite side from us. To make our way to the place, we had to cross a cable-wire bridge that stretched probably near 150 meters long, and perhaps as high as about 15 or 20 meters.

During our stay there, I am happy to report that I spent time with some of the college’s board members talking about all sorts of interesting things. One of them, I learned, has a very strong interest in physics and outer space. We discussed time travel, the speed of light, intergalactic vessels, and many of the topics I tend to write about here.

Zoom in to see the cable bridge.

One of our topics of conversation:

Another element of Softwarica I want to mention is our research project. Partnered with one faculty member and five students, our team is incorporating artificial intelligence and computer vision to unlock certain secrets contained within the most mysterious manuscript in history—the Voynich Manuscript. My section on this platform adopting that name describes various features of the manuscript and what work others have conducted on it. See those articles here.

EALS Global Foundation and Volunteer Corps Nepal

The non-profit I established called the EALS Global Foundation focuses upon creating technologies to assist with disasters. Our primary project is the EALS mobile application. It collects data from a number of sources to provide intelligent early warnings for floods and wildfires and, hopefully soon, landslides. A key aspect of this project is informing response organizations. For that reason, we have partnered with Volunteer Corps Nepal (VCN) who does incredible work in that sector. Visit their website here, their Facebook here, or check out my podcast with Deepak Chapagain, the founder and president of VCN.

GATE College

I wish to extend my gratitude to the Global Academy of Tourism and Hospitality Education (GATE College) for showing me their exemplary hospitality by providing me a place to stay for the last several months. This college teaches students how to become the best tourism industry professionals on the planet. It offers programs in Hospitality Management and numerous Professional Services. Students, faculty, and staff always greet me warmly. The two guards and the campus dogs—two large mastiff breeds and a shepherd—provide a very powerful sense of security. I am very happy to call the CEO my brother from another land. If you or your family is interested in a hospitality career, this is the place to start!

Mr. Khem Lakai, CEO and founder of GATE College and I with the Himalayas stretching out behind us. We look like gangsters here, but I assure you we both are sweet as pie!

Also make sure to check out the article Khem and I wrote together on Nepal’s unspoken health crisis.

The Beauty of the Land

In my speeches, I talk often of why the youth should go abroad if they desire to, then bring back with them that global knowledge and experience. Many Nepalese suffer from what I call the ‘Niagara Falls Syndrome.’ By that I mean that my house is just 45 minutes’ drive from one of the wonders of the natural world and yet I rarely go there and often feel unimpressed when I do. This is a byproduct of familiarity. Here in Nepal, people live adjacent to another true wonder of the world—the mighty Himalayan Mountains. Locals often forget that, caught up as they are among the drudgery of day-to-day existence. I, myself, feel it from time to time. But then, I remind myself that in those instances when fortune allows me to lay eyes upon those glistening snowy peaks, I am gazing upon a thing that a substantial portion of the world will never see—except maybe on YouTube or Facebook. Whether by God, Science, Maths, or Luck I am blessed to enjoy such an experience, I make sure never to forget it. As the ahistorical William Wallace in Braveheart said, “Every man dies, not every man truly lives.” Regardless if I die with not a penny left to my name, I have truly lived.

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I am a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner, Certified Crime Analyst, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Certified Financial Crimes Investigator with a Juris Doctor and a Master’s degree in history. I spent 10 years working in the New York State Division of Criminal Justice as Senior Analyst and Investigator. Today, I teach Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, and Digital Forensics at Softwarica College of IT and E-Commerce in Nepal. In addition, I offer training on Financial Crime Prevention and Investigation. I am also Vice President of Digi Technology in Nepal, for which I have also created its sister company in the USA, Digi Technology America, LLC. We provide technology solutions for businesses or individuals, including cybersecurity, all across the globe. I was a firefighter before I joined law enforcement and now I currently run a non-profit that uses mobile applications and other technologies to create Early Alert Systems for natural disasters for people living in remote or poor areas.