"Playing Through the Pain: The Impact of Dark Knowledge on Security and Intelligence Professionals" and "The Road to Resilience: Strategies for Playing Through the Pain." See both on you tube.It was a fantastic talk, Richard. So glad to have heard it live!Important to address these issues OUT LOUD so changes can take place and cultural change can actually happen.Brilliant talk. You held up a mirror to the infosec geeks and showed them who they are and what they can become. They were hanging on every word. You have become the spiritual advisor to our nation's intelligence and hacker communities - a frightful thought. When you connect the dots, this group may hold the keys to our planet's political future, and perhaps ultimate survival. Really profound talk. You rocked it. Maybe it was the first overt mention of religion and love but I’ve gotten undertones of that for years from you. That is why I refer to you as our hacker shaman. I’ve always felt your love for the community, the world we are building and our responsibility to it and each other. I only got to one talk this year and it was yours.Thank you for sharing Richard - an enthralling watch all the way to the end!I feel in the presence of a new Pauline prophet and teacher as I watch this talk.Your DefCon speech is fantastic and so needed.... I see so much of what you describe.This one was your best yet!You're one of our favorites and always a BIG hit! we only received rave reviews! Your presentations are always so entertaining, fascinating, and intriguing.the most moving and important talk for my time at DefCon this year.Your observations and insights cut to the core. You say things most never think about and bring light to things that are deeply hidden. You bring empathy and warm the place that is always cold and dark. I describe you to intelligence officials as a sort of high priest to the hacking community, a spiritual guide through the digital wilderness. A great talk.

I speak professionally about change due to numerous technologies and illuminate how to respond effectively. Consulting ranges from workshops on communication to deep insight about changes in identity and how they impact organizations, work, security and intelligence - everything. I make people think about the assumptions they take for granted, the consensus realities that mask the deeper truth.See extensive client list and client responses at www.thiemeworks.com.

Keynote Speaker at AusCERT, govcert.nl, IT Defense, GOVIS.nz, Black Hat, Def Con, Microsoft Israel, Troopers, HITB, South Africa Security SummitA letter of reference from Sol Tzvi, CEO of Genieo and former Microsoft Security professional:Richard has been my inspiration in the last decade. After hearing his key note at a Black Hat Briefings Conference, I invited Richard to keynote in a Microsoft Israel TechEd event in 2003. A year after, because of his great success with the Israeli audience, I invited Richard again to give two speeches about hackers and security. My relationship with Richard turned into a deep friendship. I have met many great thinkers from all over the world in my personal life and career. Richard is one of those few people that plant a seed in you for a new way of thinking as a gift for life. He shines light on areas you never knew were there and helps people reinvent their capability for seeing what was always there but untouched.Richard is an artist of words and ideas. He brings life to thoughts and creates a new world parallel to ours. Technology affects life in so many ways; our social being has changed forever. As individuals, we affect others so easily now and Richard is the perfect thinker to show us how. Richard teaches people around him how to reinvent themselves as persons and members of a community. He teaches experts to see with “beginner’s eyes” and hackers to think like philosophers..We are witnesses of one of the biggest changes in human history. Richard makes you believe in what you witness every day when you open your digital device and begin digital life. Hearing or reading his words - you believe in the Matrix.

"the only way you can tell the truth," a friend said, "is fiction.," So I did. "Mind Games" includes 19 stories of non-consensual realities - hackers, intelligence prosfessionals, puzzling anomalies, spirituality, mysteries of consciousness, the paranormal, UFOs, aliens - in short, everyday life. “The depth, complexity, and texture of Richard Thieme’s thoughtprocesses break the mold.” Brian Snow, Sr Tech Dir, NSA “Thieme’s ability to communicate complex, abstract concepts andpersonalize them is like verbal origami.” - Jeff Moss BlackHat/DC Silent Emergent, Doubly Dark is very imaginative writing, with acomplexity that raises [it] to the fringes of slipstream. We’re left wondering what’s real and what’s not ....” Steven Pirie, Future Fire“Beautiful descriptions and intriguing concepts ...” The Fix (UK)“Buy this book!” – Robert Morris, Sr. Chief Scientist, NSA ,holding up "Islands in the Clickstream" “The reader is left reeling, dizzy with insight.” Robin RobertsChief of Information Security R&D CIA "Richard Thieme takes us to the edge of cliffs we know are there but rarely visit. He wonderfully weaves life, mystery, and passion through digital and natural worlds with creativity and imagination. Delightful deeply thought provoking reading." - Clint Brooks Sr Advisor Homeland Sec, Asst Dep Dir NSA FOAM: a novel. 2015. Exurban Press.UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry. Anomalist Books 2012 Mind Games. Duncan Long Publications Apr 2010Islands in the Clickstream, Syngress Publishing.July 2004“Entering Sacred Digital Space” in New Paradigms for BibleStudy: The Bible in the Third Millennium from T. & T. Clark June 2004“Silent Emergent, Doubly Dark” in Subtle Edens (ed A Ashley, Elastic Press Norwich UK: 2008. “Identity/Destiny” Prophecy Anthology, Volume 1 2004"The Changing Context of Intelligence and Ethics: Enabling Technologies as Transformational Engines" Defense Intelligence Journal and New Paradigms for Security Workshop 2008

These speeches had real impact on intelligence and security professionals: "Playing Through the Pain: The Impact of Dark Knowledge on Security and Intelligence Professionals" and "The Road to Resilience: Strategies for Playing Through the Pain." Both on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA8GksT707o&t=364sIt was a fantastic talk, Richard. So glad to have heard it live!Brilliant talk. You held up a mirror to the infosec geeks and showed them who they are and what they can become. By the time you got into moral injury they seemed to be hanging on every word.You have become the spiritual advisor to our nation's intelligence and hacker communities. Which is a frightful thought. When you connect the dots, this group may hold the keys to our planet's political future, and perhaps ultimate survival. Really profound talk.You rocked it. I refer to you as our hacker shaman. I’ve always felt your love for the community, the world we are building and our responsibility to it and each other. I only got to one talk this year and it was yours.An enthralling watch all the way to end!Your DefCon speech is fantastic and so needed.... I see so much of what you describe. I re-watched your talk ... your best yet!""You're one of our favorites and always a BIG hit!!! ...we only received rave reviews! Your presentations are always so entertaining, fascinating, and intriguing.Important to address these issues OUT LOUD so changes can take place and cultural change can actually happen.The most moving and important talk at DefCon. An important reminder of the price we pay to lead the lives we enjoy: not only for those who help secure it, but those who we secure it against.

Biology is technology. Information security has matured as an industry, while biotechnology and biosecurity has become the tail that wags the security-dog. From young hackers exploring biohacking to research by corporations and military and intelligence agencies, biotech is exploding so fast that no one can grasp all of the developments and implications. My speeches on this subject provide an overview of the ways our essential humanity is being altered, the ethical and legal implications of this event, and how we can avoid being victims of the process by being proactive on our own behalf - at the least, being aware of what's happening, and at the most, doing something about it.

Stories in my collection, "Mind Games," have been called slipstream, literary works, science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism."Mind Games" comes from Duncan Long Publications, all stories have been previously published in literary journals and sci-fi venues such as Analog (2), Zahir (3), the Nth Degree, another realm, and others, and have been frequently republished and anthologized. Non-fiction was collected in "Islands in the Clickstream" from Syngress/Elsevier in 2004 and received a number of (sincere and genuine) rave reviews.

Biohacking including DIY Bio is where computer hacking was in maybe the early 1980s but because the info revolution has happened it is moving forward faster. The tools are available and increasingly affordable and genetic engineering, artificial life, etc. are moving into the hands of the masses instead of only R&D depts. of large companies. Understanding the implications of this movement is critical to emerging concepts of identity, security, and our essential humanity. "Natural" and "artificial" are distinctions that have gone the way of foreign/domestic.Thanks to feedback like this, we carry on, knowing it can make a difference:"You have no idea who I am, but I attended a talk you gave at Defcon 2009 on BioHacking and it changed my life. Thank you for giving that talk."

tweets during the ITWEB Security Summit in Johannesburg SA 2011Thuthuka.Sithole: "Listening to Richard Thieme: GENIUS"angusclarke: Richard has my attention. superolz: ok converted! Richard has serious valid points!Visi_Ace: This is deep stuff.swan_e: Richard's talk is *packed* with info! Definitely need to touch base with him! From a letter from Rob McNie, Catalyst IT, New Zealand:Richard has the ability to make you think. Not just think, but think beyond your normal comfortable boundaries. That he keeps getting invited back to speak at the same high profile conferences speaks volumes for his qualities. His vendor independence is also very redeeming. After sitting through countless speakers and death by power point it is very refreshing to put down the pens, listen, think and be challenged. I have heard Richard four times and each time I have been challenged to think. After the Wellington session I contacted many of the attendees and they all found it a similar experience and would by happy to hear him speak again. Richard fits into a small bracket of speakers that I find inspirational rather than just very interesting. I have been on the organising committee of eight conferences and I would put Richard into the top keynote speaker either to open or close the conference with no hesitation.And from Stefan Strobel, IT Defense, Berlin:We invited Richard to be a speaker at IT-Defense, the most respected commercial IT-security conference in Germany. Richard gave a keynote speech. His presentation stood out because he managed to make the audience think beyond their normal environment. His presentation got the best feedback from attendees and motivated a lot of discussion.He is open to new ideas, one of very few people that can stand in front of an audience without PowerPoint slides or technical details and get the attention of people from a completely different background. I recommend him for other conferences without hesitation.

My first speech was at Def Con 4. Black Hat began the next year and I keynoted the first two. In 2015 at Def Con 23 it was 20 years! I gave a closing speech for Def Con Kidz too. Jeff Moss wrote:I have known Richard for over years. He has spoken at several computer security related events I organize, including Black Hat Briefings and Def Con.... Richard has always acted as a bridge between subjects, adding context and thinking about issues on a different level. He sees strategic where people are bogged down in tactical.Since I have known him, Richard has reinvented himself three times. It is my opinion that when he feels he has explored a genre or subject matter enough he seeks to start fresh. It is not an addiction to whatever is new and shiny as it is a constant quest to better understand new areas and test himself. The audience gets to be a spectator in his thought process.He has an unorthodox background and unique life experience that gives him a different perspective. His ability to communicate complex, abstract concepts and personalize and internalize them is like watching verbal origami performed in front of your eyes. In the conference business, few speakers can pull off a “Thieme” talk. From technology to conspiracy, from the journey of life and the quest to understand ethical challenges and responsibility, many try but few succeed.Black Hat and Def Con draw the most diverse and extensive audiences of any technical conference. Over the years Richard has become a crowd favorite, often speaking to standing-room only auditoriums. His speeches have resulted in the only standing ovations given at those conferences. The reaction of one technical expert sum it up: "To see thousands of geeks mesmerized by oratory alone without a single multimedia prop in sight was inspiring" – quite a testimony for the “connected generation.” Richard's ability to be open-minded, conspiratorial, ethical and subversive all at the same time is inspiring."

Some tweets from Black Hat USA 2011 and Def Con 19:Richard Thieme doesn't use slides. Best speaker at Blackhat. All the speakers could learn from him. Awesome.Saw my first Richard Thieme talk the other day. One of the few times I wished for a longer session. Top of my speaker list for future cons.Richard thieme. Track 4. If you've never seen him before, don't miss this one.Just picked up "islands in the clickstream" on amazon by @Neuralcowboy Richard Thieme. Next payday I'm ordering "Mind Games". Can't wait!incredible talk from Richard Thieme, makes up a bit for the missing Android talk I got up for earlier.Richard Thieme is giving a great talk. "When your doing a job you know can't be done..." Richard Thieme at #defcon, relevant to security burnout.Thank you Richard Thieme. Mind blowing talk today. Keep 'em coming.“Encryption = the opiate of the naive" - Richard Thieme aka @neuralcowboy < AMEN brother Richard!Amazing talk by Richard Thieme at #BlackHat, I'll have to watch it again later. There's a lot to grok here.Taking in some visceral truth from Richard Thieme: "We can't help but be assimilated into the cultures we're in. The borg is us." Richard Thieme: "What keeps me up at night? Chief Technologist of CIA telling me he can't sleep at night."

Four speeches in Canberra Melbourne and Sydney on a melding of Staring into the Abyss: The Dark Side of Security and Professional Intelligence and Creativity in Response to Seriously Big Challenges. Feedback from the Sydney conference included:"Refreshing Perspective" "Great Big Picture speaker" "He kept my attention which is rare, I could have listened to him all day" "Excellent ... a very captivating speaker, very relevant talk" "Exceptional. A font of knowledge. Time went so quickly, i wanted to hear more..." "A great story teller" "Interesting & Thought provoking"

http://blog.ecomm.ec/2011/07/richard-thieme-closeout-keynote.html*Richard Thieme - Closeout Keynote (2011) - Emerging Communications BlogEngaged with three days of cutting edge presenters and concluded conference with an illumination of the meta-themes and their implications. Here are some tweets during the keynote:Brough Turner Richard Thieme : If you get a chance to hear him speak, don't miss itMartin Geddes Richard Thieme is totally exceeding my high expectations for closeout #ecomm talk. This man doesn't just join the dots, he fuses them.http://www.thiemeworks.com/ -- tour-de-force of future of humanity, technology grounded in ethicsRichard Thieme is delivering the best presentation I have heard in my life. #dumbstruck #ecommKelly Fitzsimmons @neuralcowboy - You rocked #eComm #MKE and the #humplings are proud! 20 years together & yet your POV always feels fresh and new.clarkdodsworth Extraordinary closing keynote: Richard Thieme defines "Humplings" & the identity of the herd, flying in a mobile cage.AnthroPunk_UKCAnthro Richard Thieme should open up a conceptual hacker space.Bent Stamnes Richard Thieme delivers a thundering, beat-poetry-like ending keynote at #ecomm 2011. Loving it!AnthroPunk (really, this is an awesome keynote.) #ecommMatt Stockton Richard Thieme talk blowing my mind away. Very awesomeJeff Fitzsimmons Richard Thieme closing out eComm. Great insights and very funny! Jeff Fitzsimmons Awesome closing keynote. The crowd won't let Lee take Richard off the stage and you can tell he doesn't really want to

The frames of ethical systems and the systems from which they derive are all going through the looking glass of transformation. Our points of reference - for self, God, and "the right thing to do" - are all changing. So "being a mensch" is contextual and not simple to discern. Excerpts from a letter of reference from Brian Snow, senior technical director NSA (ret) (full letter on request) re: ethics & security. "R is an author/speaker, but his essential contribution is as a genuine inter-disciplinarian. In this role he challenges audiences to think outside whatever box they brought to the conversation. The depth, complexity, and texture of his thought processes break the mold. Buckminster Fuller held an audience for hours discussing the optimal interactions of various technology threads with each other and extrapolated possible futures. Richard also discusses the interaction of different technology threads, not just optimal interactions that will arise to achieve a goal, but many of the possible interactions that could arise. He not only “stands on the interface”, but is capable of walking on both sides of it, getting inside the skin of practitioners on both sides and exploring the texture of the culture they come from for additional, unexpected impacts on the culture at large if the envisioned interaction of technologies occurs and is fruitful. He discusses unintended consequences of technological progress as well as extrapolating expected consequences. He discusses new capabilities that will be available to humans and what impact living in the context of such capabilities will do to what it means to be human. Fuller drove an audience with the power of his ideas, even though he was not a gifted speaker. Thieme is a far more eloquent speaker, addressing technology and where it is taking us with more depth and texture with regard to consequences than Fuller delivered. You feel exhausted but exhilarated after hearing him and ... you will be changed."

There were other positive comments but this one, from my liaison with FBI Infragard/ISSA, sums it up:"The talk was spellbinding."

Reference Letter for Richard Thiemefrom Internetwork Defense CSO Larry GreenblattRichard Thieme is easily one of my favorite speakers. From the first time I saw Richard giving a speech around 2000, I have been overwhelmed by his incredible ability to weave tales from science and spiritual journeys together in a way that appear to provide very appropriate, even important lessons for the modern human. A true Renaissance man. Since that time I have read many of his writings and have seen him speak in person and on the net and he has never let me down. Always very informative, relevant, unpredictable and thoroughly entertaining.I was thrilled when Richard agreed to speak at events sponsored by my information security company, InterNetwork Defense, in 2004 and again in 2008. In both occasions he managed to exceed expectations. It is truly an honor to say that I twice shared a stage with a man I consider to be, one of the great thinkers of the cyber-world. I cannot say enough to express my gratitude and respect for Richard and his work. I look forward to working with him again.Sincerely,Larry GreenblattCSO InterNetwork Defense21st and Chestnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia PA.866-219-6031INTERNETWORK DEFENSE is a premier provider of Information Security Training and Consulting Services in the Mid-Atlantic region. Founded in 1997, we are the Delaware Valley's first IT Security Governance training provider.

Shared a panel with Brian Snow, Richard Ford, and Steve GreenwaldCHANGING CONTEXTS OF SECURITY AND ETHICS: YOU CAN’T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER... PostWorldWar II, R&D in the many branches of the intelligencecommunity and military services have shared responsibility for creatingtechnological engines that have transformed human identityand therefore the Kuhnian paradigm in which we frame possibilitiesfor action. Action means options, and options mean ethics. Idefine ”ethics” for the purposes of this panel as the options that aremost congruent with our core notions of identity, self, integrity, and“the right thing to do.”Because all technological transformation processes cause a fundamental“identity shift,” our awareness of options must be referencedto those transformational processes because they also alterreligious experience, ideation and organizational structures and theway we frame ethical imperatives. It is, therefore, our first ethicalimperative to be accountable to a fuller awareness of what thismeans for the people we serve by our work....... Information security as one task, both offensive and defensive,of the intelligence community sanctions breaking foreign lawswhile prohibiting similar activities on American soil. But simpledistinctions of “foreign” and “domestic” no longer hold. The convergence of enabling technologies of intrusion, interception, andpanoptic reach, combined with a sense of urgency about the counterterror imperative and a clear mandate from our leaders to do everything possible to defeat an amorphous non-state entity defined by behaviors rather than boundaries, borders, or even a clear ideological allegiance, has created an ominous but invisible set of conditions that undermine the previous cornerstones of law, ethics, and even religious traditions.... “All great truths,” Shaw said, “begin as blasphemies.” Today’s blasphemy is tomorrow’s “truth.” Between times, however, we live in the fog of war ...

A reference letter from Jack Phillips, CEO and co-founder of IANS:As the CEO of IANS, I am thrilled to offer this letter of recommendation for Richard Thieme, who has keynoted six of our 2-day Information Security Forums in the U.S. Three qualities in Richard have made him an ideal fit to address our technical security audiences: Level of preparation, ability to make complex topics consumable, and his humor & wit. In every case, Richard came well prepared to address the material we had discussed in advance. In my business, “no surprises” is the key to success, and Richard was always among the most reliable moving parts of our conference. Every fact shared is researched and footnoted, every claim backed up, and every opinion well thought through. His level of preparation makes him predictable. That is an essential quality.“Mind-bender” and “he really made me re-think how I think” are common remarks from our attendees who hear Richard speak. He has a knack for taking technical topics and boiling them down to essential human concerns, and that sells well among my audience. He is a “futurist” in the truest sense of the word.Finally, if you need someone to increase the energy of a group, Richard is a great choice. His humor and wit are sophisticated, but really put a room full of professionals at ease.Richard is able to draw from so many experiences outside of technology to bring a lighter side to so many technical topics.In sum, Richard unfailingly brings inspiration and hope to our audience. Attendees walk out of our events with Richard’s words stuck in their brains, and a sense of what’s possible. They then think of IANS as the source of that inspiration, and that’s good for my business.Without hesitation I recommend Richard to speak to any professional audience.

Keynoted four conferences for MIS: WebSec, HealthSec, InfoSec, and the Conference on Identity Management.Jean Hay, Vice President of Conferences for MIS Training Institute, wrote:Richard Thieme has presented the keynote address at four of MIS Training Institute’s conferences, appearing before as many as 1,000 people at a time and consistently keeping the audience riveted for the duration of his speech. While the audience he has addressed on these occasions comprises mainly of IT professionals, Richard’s perspective leads them to see technology in a far broader and more philosophical light than they are used to, introducing them to exciting concepts they have never considered. In terms of payment and other aspects of negotiations, Richard has always been reasonable and is happy to help out on-site in any way he can, including serving as a panelist in a session if necessary. Far from the prima donna sort of keynote we have hired on some occasions, Richard is a team player and willing to help in any way he can to make the event a success.If you wish to contact me to further discuss Richard’s value as a keynote speaker, please feel free to do so.