I went upstairs to help my son with his homework, but I found him playing GTA IV. I saw him blasting some dudes and then get gunned down in the game, which made me quite upset. I told him, "Son, this isn't what I've taught you. Stay in cover, pick your targets, aim and use controlled bursts!"

I rewatched Lola Rennt (1998) last night for the first time since the 1990s. I absolutely loved that movie when I was in my teens, but wasn't sure if I would feel the same now. It was nice to see that I still think it's brilliant and now also quite the nostalgia trip (in all the best ways).

So what’s in the box? Echodyne radar. You can add Bosch (primary close range optical sensor) and Teledyne FLIR (primary mid range optical sensor), and Epirus (directed-energy defeat). New partner is Sentrycs (= 🇮🇱) The Israeli system adds cyber takeover, controlled landing & forensic capabilities

Working from home, trying to tell my dog that it's not quite time yet for the pre-lunch walk...

Currently thinking about what kind of research funding to apply for next, and from where...

I just placed an order for a new Kobo e-reader complete with cover and stylus. I also managed, with some effort, to extract and de-DRM all 173 of my books I had on my Kindle. Finally I can ditch Amazon for good and maybe even get a reader I can also use for work (i.e. to read articles).

Do you work on the intersection of intelligence and democratization or specialize in a country that democratized in the 1990s? Check out the International Journal for Intelligence and Counterintelligence's latest call for papers: networks.h-net.org/system/files...

Soviet deception operation you probably never heard about. Operation STORM, #MGB plan to fake the landing of #CIA agents in Lithuania. Based on my ongoing archival research at @hooverinstitution.bsky.social The link for my article: tinyurl.com/5h4zyj6c #spies #coldwar @socintelhist.bsky.social

Good, interesting, and concerning thread here. Would definitely like to read more about how survey researchers are dealing with everything like this.

My son went rummaging through a box with some of my old DVDs and VHS tapes, and came back with his choice for tonight's movie: The Spider (1958). He wanted to watch a real old B movie from the golden age of low budget horror. I was happy to oblige.

We just had a birthday party for my daughter, a total of fourteen 9-yr old girls. In terms of noise levels and sheer chaos it was like being stuck in the middle of an ancient battle for three hours. The barbarians stormed the gates repeatedly but I held them off with burgers and ice cream.

I saw an amazing Dobermann yesterday while I was out on a walk with my dog. What a magnificent creature, but also an absolute beast. One of the biggest dogs I've ever seen, and that's with a thin, flat coat. All muscle and jaws. Lying perfectly still in his yard but watching us carefully.

The Netherlands Travelling Experience Me: Excuse me, could you please tell me which tram to get on to get to [address]? Dutchman/-woman: Ah, you mean [clears throat]. Me: Uh, I guess so? Dutchman/-woman: It's tram 1, down there and to the right.

Headed home now after two very rewarding days at Europol in The Hague. So much excellent input, I'm leaving with lots of new ideas and acquaintances.

I once tasted an Asian soda (I don't remember exactly where it was from, Malaysia maybe?) which had "bird's nest" as an ingredient. The can was full of squishy semitransparent small "eggs" presumably made of gelatine or something like it. It was a truly nightmarish product.

Time for a rest, but better keep the frisbee close just in case someone wants to play

In order to facilitate my ongoing studies of Danish culture and customs, a friend sent me a video featuring, among many other memorable quotes, this statement, which I will ponder during the weekend.

Scandinavian submarine captains/surface warfare officers watching this:

My trusted companion is keeping me company. 14 years have passed since I picked her up. The old lady said: "You have to take her, she's not doing well here", so I took her in along with her sister. The sister did fine, but this one hid under the sofa for two days, refusing to eat.

The Joys of Being a Cat Owner: 7:15 am Me: *sleeping soundly* Cat: *pukes on the carpet right next to the bed* Me: Ugh, better clean that up or it'll leave a stain. 7:35 am Cat: *kneads on crumpled up paper, making a racket* 7:47 am Cat: *dips paw in glass of water on the nightstand*

Watching Young Indiana Jones with my son. In tonight's episode: Freud, Jung & Adler; Archduke Franz Ferdinand; Puccini and Florence. Many legendary old Swedish actors in this one, even Ernst-Hugo Järegård. The Vienna segment was directed by Bille August! Such a wonderful show.

This one was brilliant: a 1970 BBC audio drama about an ex-SOE (?) officer who served in occupied France. Just as he's writing the last chapter of his memoirs, he's found dead along with his dog. Is someone trying to hide the truth of what actually happened in 1944? archive.org/details/mich...

Talented, idealistic and unpredictable, Karin Lannby deployed her unique personality in the service of Swedish intelligence throughout the Second World War. Karin Lannby, Sweden’s secret soldier | Henrik Berggren engelsbergideas.com/portraits/ka...

I wolfed down a bowl of Chinese takeaway for lunch yesterday in a hurry right before a meeting. It was drenched in a sauce full of Sichuan peppers. I was able to grab a cup of Earl Grey tea afterwards and just barely make it to my meeting. Then I drank some tea, without thinking. That was a mistake.

I decided to pick one of my vintage polyester ties for today, this one was made by the Swedish company Atlas Design. Quite wide, I love how easy it is to get deep folds on it.

Gillar du att jobba med data (i Stockholm) Varför inte jobba med data med mig????? se.wikimedia.org/wiki/Teknisk...

⁉️ Earlier this year we saw Blaise Metreweli selected as the next "C". But how do you appoint an SIS/MI6 Chief? In this Diplomacy & Statecraft article, we use archival material to study the process and the role of officials in picking "C". The article is free to read: 🔗 t.co/PzFDdPcg2i

Other people read spy novels for fun, but often that feels like work to me, so I'll read other people's work literature for fun instead.

He got me again. I started crying right as I was eating my pasta. This guy strikes a sentimental type like me right in the feels with surgical strike precision.

This one was brilliant, a proper British 1970s murder mystery in a noir style. Good acting, a nice plot and even a decent relationship drama back story. youtu.be/wjC6gylNdng?...

I accepted an invitation to chair a panel, which of course triggers both my innate Swedish and acquired old military instincts for punctuality, so now my timetable for the panel is starting to look like the Schlieffen Plan. Hopefully it will work out better though.

Late Saturday night, I suddenly hear faint music from my son's room. I realize he's listening to 1980s original cassette tapes on one of his vintage hifi decks (which he's paid for with his own money), and the legit banger Joue Pas by François Feldman comes on. I've done something right, at least.

Spending a few years doing multidisciplinary work is a bit frustrating because I've realized that I want to get at least one more PhD and an MD on top of that. It's not going to happen, but there's so much I want to learn outside of my own field (to the extent I have one).

Doggo is ready for the crayfish party

Technical intelligence is often associated with collection (SIGINT, MASINT, etc.) but an overlooked aspect of intelligence is the kind of analysis where the technology is the target rather than the collection method. Time for a thread on Swedish technical intelligence & the MiG-29! 1/19

Saab has signed a contract with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) for a larger uncrewed underwater vehicle (LUUV) 🇸🇪 www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

Both Russian and Ukrainian media and government sources confirmed an attack on the Laguna-class SIGINT ship Simferopol, a Ukrainian intelligence gathering vessel, that was operating near the mouth of the Danube River 🇺🇦💥🇷🇺 Story by @cjohnston.bsky.social www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

Make Cnut the Great again!

Interesting news from Denmark this morning: at least three American men with ties to Trump have been traveling back and forth to Greenland to recruit locals and gather information on people hostile to Trump. A spectacularly amateurish covert operation. www.dr.dk/nyheder/indl...

My dog when she noticed my wife had left the gate to the stairs open and she managed to sneak upstairs undetected and ate all the cat food she could find

Ja, det här, liksom... guard.io/labs/scamlex...

Listen, we need to bring B-17s back. Imagine what one of those babies would do to a bunch of drones. Just think of all those sweet turrets and waist guns!

I just noticed that a publisher jacked up the prices on one of the books I use in one of my courses, to obscene levels. Well guess what? I'll make sure that book comes off the list when I revise the literature list and syllabus next time. You're not going to fleece my students on my watch.

Doggo: gentle reminder, it's soon time for a walk Me: sure, we'll head out in a few minutes Doggo, after 30 seconds of waiting:

Det är rätt intressant att följa detta steg för steg. Läs hela! Fenomenet säger en hel del om dagens internet, och dagens värld.

Jävlar vilken final och den sista bollen var ju helt sanslös! Efter detta vill jag inte höra något skitsnack om Eslöv någonsin igen.

Last night it was finally time to watch Alien (1979) with my son. I've waited for years to make sure he'd be old enough to handle the horror but also I wanted to give him that pure experience you can only get if you watch it at a young age.

An incredible find on YouTube, a 1996 BBC production I'd never heard of. I'm currently 40 minutes in and enjoying it: youtu.be/HsZtSGJ8ZIs?...