Kennedy, Don, Sgt

Electronics Maintenance
 
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Life Member
 
 Service Photo   Service Details
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Current Service Status
USAF Veteran
Current/Last Rank
Sergeant
Current/Last Primary AFSC/MOS
30450-Radio Relay Equipment Repairman
Current/Last AFSC Group
Electronics Maintenance
Primary Unit
1977-1979, 30450, 2187th Communications Group
Previously Held AFSC/MOS
30430-Apprentice Radio Relay Equipment Repairman
Service Years
1974 - 1979
Other Languages
Italian
Spanish
Official/Unofficial US Air Force Certificates
Cold War Certificate
Enlisted srcset=
Sergeant


 Ribbon Bar


Expert Marksman
Machine Gun
Pistol


 

 Official Badges 

Base Honor Guard Combat Crew US Air Force Honorable Discharge


 Unofficial Badges 






 Additional Information
What are you doing now:

 

Retired, but now specialize in creating 3rd party programs/applications for IP Cameras. I still also continue to remain very active with computer, network security and IP Cameras as both an author of articles and also as a security expert, referenced and called upon by others, for their articles.


Foscam.us Forum IP Camera forum


My background includes service in the U.S. Air Force AFCS ("Air Force Communications Services") division, as a Satellite/Wide Band communications tech 304x0 for voice and data in the 2nd MOB ("Mobile Operations Battalion"), 2nd CCG ("Combat Communications Group") and AFCS NATO as well as later providing consulting services and/or creating custom software for the U.S. government, branches of the U.S. military, major banks worldwide, major brokerage firms, stock exchanges, such as the NYSE, Skype and other companies.


With a focus, on their very complex real-time communication needs by providing custom software and/or modifications to software by me, as well as, in many cases, creating software that does automatic load balancing of multi-processor based systems to support their real-time communications needs and processing requirements of these entities and their networks.


Which is how I got the nickname after founding the Overlord company and creating the Overlord balancing software:


 OverLord Profile


 OverLord Balancer


When I founded the Overlord company and created the original Overlord balancing software, when people learned of my role as not only being the president of the company, but also being both the founder of the company and also the author of the balancing software, they would often say things like "Ah..so you are The OverLord" or "Ah...so you are The Uber OverLord" of OverLord, as well as being called the hacker slang of "ZOverLord", which stands for "The OverLord".


Hence how I got these nicknames.

I am and have been a systems programmer consultant with 45 years of experience with a focus on network communication interfaces and their security and also automating system resource utilization/allocation. Which also includes, 10 years of working with the Skype public API, wrappers for the public API and also SkypeKit.


My background also includes being the author of many articles on computer and network security and having also contributed to many other articles as a computer and network security expert. From 80 Micocomputing magazine in the early 1980's to Rootkit.com. Where I wrote a featured article on a Key Logger I designed and created that at the time. Was not able to be found and located by any anti-virus software, worldwide. It was known at the time as "The world's smallest functional Key Logger" and was less than 4K bytes in size. It was given this name because not only did it log all keystrokes entered from a keyboard, it included the domain name of the computer that entered those keystrokes, the user name on that computer that entered those keystrokes, as well as what Windows class and application those keystrokes were entered into and the titles of those applications windows that those keystrokes were entered into. Multiple copies could also be running concurrently on the same computer on a per computer user name basis. With their own logs


I produced a working example of that Key Logger with that article, due to my frustration with anti-virus software vendors at the time. After not only giving them six months to be able to locate that Key Logger with their anti-virus software, I even included the source code of the Key Logger. Sadly, it was not until the rookit.com article was published publicly six months later, as the featured article there for 2 months. That any anti-virus vendors did anything to protect their users from this Key Logger.


I have contributed to other authors articles as a security expert in the Washington Post and Krebsonsecurity.com as well as others.


When required. I also formally report security vulnerabilities I locate and work with vendors and manufacturers, as needed to resolve those vulnerabilities. As was done in this example. Where I located severe security vulnerabilities, that affected several different IP camera brands and models, at the same time:


http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/265532


A test tool was also created by me for IP Camera owners. So that they could determine if their IP Cameras were exposed to these vulnerabilities I found. Because these vulnerabilities covered many different IP Camera brands, models and clones.


I have also been a worldwide moderator in the Skype community forums, for Skype and a beta tester for Skype as well as a consultant for Skype. Currently I am a "Super User" in the Skype community forum and designated as a "Master Coder" in the Skype Developer forum and have donated my time to help Skype developers and Skype end-users.


I am currently a moderator in the Foscam.us forums for IP Cameras. Where I donate my time to help other IP Camera owners.


These types of designations. Don't come by "accident". They come by earning the trust and respect, of others. While still retaining the ability. To analyze, concepts, processes, security and approaches. To see if modifying them. Will conclude, in more positive results. For the project and/or company. In question.


I recently have been diagnosed with Stage III terminal lung cancer expected lifespan now is about 9 months as of 4/15/16. I accept this and thank you all for your friendship.


   
Other Comments:


Best method to contact me is via Skype, my Skype name is: TheUberOverLord please be concise about your reasons for contacting me.

My status

I have created many 3rd party programs/applications that work with Skype, which are free and located here:

SaveOnTelephoneBills.com

I also have created many free interfaces for IP cameras as well:

Free IP Camera Interfaces: Click Here

Don

   

 Enlisted/Officer Basic Training
  1974, Basic Military Training (Lackland AFB, TX)
 Unit Assignments
3380th Technical School (Cadre), Technical Training Center - KeeslerTraining Units2nd Mobile Communications Group2nd Combat Communications Group
Department of Defense (DOD)Air Force Communications Service (AFCS)2187th Communications Group
  1975-1975, 30430, 3380th Technical School (Cadre), Technical Training Center - Keesler
  1975-1975, 30430, 3399th Student Squadron (Cadre)
  1975-1977, 30450, 2nd Mobile Communications Group
  1975-1977, 30450, 2nd Combat Communications Group
  1975-1977, 30450, Department of the Air Force, Pentagon
  1975-1979, 30450, Air Force Communications Service (AFCS)
  1977-1979, 30450, Detachment 27, 2187th Communications Group
  1977-1979, 30450, 2187th Communications Group

 Photo Album   (More...


Reflections on Sgt Kennedy's US Air Force Service
 
 Reflections On My Service
 
PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE.
Grew up as the oldest of 4 in a single parent household. Started kindergarten at age four so was always one year younger than most everyone in school.

Took summer school every year after 8th grade and was able to graduate as a junior in high school, at age 16.

My high school was the first high school in Illinois to have a dial up TTY interface to a computer that supported creating programs on ticker-tape, in Focal, Fortran and Basic. So I started creating software for teachers for things like "bell curves" for grading and many other things at age 13.

Tried 1 semester at community college in Business Mid Management. at age 16, Was not my cup of tea.

Took aptitude tests for all branches of the military, wanted a trade, could not afford regular college.

The Air Force offered me the longest training as a "Missile Systems Guidance Analyst " as a guaranteed job, since I scored so high on tests because of my past programming experience. So that's why I ended up joining the Air Force.
WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
Sadly, I caught double pneumonia while in boot camp, so my "guaranteed job" of being a "Missile Systems Guidance Analyst" was gone due to ending up in the hospital for 8 days, since that school had started already.

I was offered 4 choices to pick from, based on the current school openings and none of them included programming.

Because my test scores were also very high for electronics, one of the current open school positions was 304x0 Radio Relay Equipment Repair, which also had a very long technical school. So, I picked that.

Needless to say, I was very upset in learning that my "guaranteed job" was not guaranteed. More later.
OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
They all were great in their own ways. Will write about some of them soon.
FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
Sgt Don Kennedy (TheUberOverLord) - From your entire military service, describe any memories you still reflect back on to this day.
There were many, but this is a very funny one.

We had a high power tropo shot from Martina Franca Italy, to Lefkas Greece ("A rock of an island off the coast of Greece. About as desolate and isolated as it gets"). Pictured here. Please click on the picture to get a better view of the Lefkas site.

Of course we had to do testing from time to time and even the fact that Martina Franca was remote duty, as well, it was Disney World, compared to being assigned at Lefkas.

At the time, Suzanne Somers the actress and Bob Hope the comedian were doing tours to military bases.

So, as a joke over the orderwire to Lefkas we informed them that Suzanne Somers was going to come do a performance for us and also asked them, what was new with them, trying to pull their jealous reactions.

There was a long delay of maybe 2 minutes before the response of :

"Well, we got some new sheep!" came over the orderwire.
WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
In the process of getting my records for all of them, will update them, as soon as I get them. For the moment I have listed some of them.
OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
Being in the Patrick AFB Honor Guard was an experience that allowed me to represent the U.S. Air Force in many ways to many different organizations and people.

As on example. I was allowed to represent the U.S. Air Force to people who visited Disney World for one week. Anyone could ask me questions about the U.S. Air Force and some may have ended up actually enlisting in the U.S. Air Force.
WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
The TI's I had in boot camp actually help me realize that you can do anything once you put your mind to it.
CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
There are many, trying to decide which ones I should write about and which ones could get me in trouble ;-)
WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
This is what is so funny now.

I was very angry that I lost my guaranteed job" of "Missile Systems Guidance Analyst" due to getting double pneumonia while in boot camp and instead became a 30450-Radio Relay Equipment Repairman.

Watch how life works.

When I got out of the Air Force I had both programming experience as well as very technical communications experience. Which few had at the time.

This is just when banks started to want/need branches all over the world as well as banks installing ATM ("Automatic Teller Machines") and communications interfaces to the federal reserve for things like wire transfer and fed funds purchases as well as communication interfaces to stock exchanges.

All of these things required creating both new communication interfaces as well as custom software.

One could not go to college and learn these types of skills at the time.

Because of my combined experience in communications and programming I soon became a very sought after resource and started doing freelance consulting as of 1983 after working as an employee since 1979.

While I am now retired. I maintain 17 web sites and do offer consulting work and generally focus on helping developers for Skype 3rd party applications using both the public API and SkypeKit.

I am open to providing other consulting services, if I think it makes common sense, for me to get involved in the project.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
It gave me honor, drive and confidence.
BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE AIR FORCE?
Be proud, stay proud. Your experiences, cannot be learned anywhere else on this planet.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
I have not searched for anyone since I left the Air Force and now I have a goal and the methods, to change that and also help others as well find the people we served with.

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