Whenever I read a non-fiction book, report or dissertation I often spend more time than it takes to read it researching the author's background and researching her/his chosen topic to put what’s written into its true perspective.
That may sound odd but it’s not odd in the "intelligence" arena I have inhabited for too long now. Indeed, it is particularly important in this era of deceit and disinformation as it helps to get one's facts right.
Out of several prima facie unlikely places one might look to do a bit of quick background research on people I have found Everipedia invaluable because it covers a lot in those grey areas where more staid encyclopaedic websites like Wikipedia don't venture given their old-fashioned rules about citations and notable persons. Interestingly, nowadays the FBI probably get more convictions courtesy of intel gleaned from social media and other data which Wikipedia still doesn't consider adequate to support citations. I'm not knocking Wikipedia, but it has its limitations even though I typically refer to it for quick guidance several times a day!
By way of example, if you are interested start with this short article on Steemit - https://steemit.com/introducemyself/@... - it explains how an intelligence agency tried to track down information about me over a ten-week period. Then look at one of my biographies released a couple of years later - https://everipedia.org/wiki/bill-fair... after their inept investigation.
If only they had waited! If that whets anyone’s appetite they can always read Beyond Enkription but do note it was written more along the lines of a scholarly film script with more layers than a Russian onion than a John Le Carré masterpiece … although some found that very refreshing!
That may sound odd but it’s not odd in the "intelligence" arena I have inhabited for too long now. Indeed, it is particularly important in this era of deceit and disinformation as it helps to get one's facts right.
Out of several prima facie unlikely places one might look to do a bit of quick background research on people I have found Everipedia invaluable because it covers a lot in those grey areas where more staid encyclopaedic websites like Wikipedia don't venture given their old-fashioned rules about citations and notable persons. Interestingly, nowadays the FBI probably get more convictions courtesy of intel gleaned from social media and other data which Wikipedia still doesn't consider adequate to support citations. I'm not knocking Wikipedia, but it has its limitations even though I typically refer to it for quick guidance several times a day!
By way of example, if you are interested start with this short article on Steemit - https://steemit.com/introducemyself/@... - it explains how an intelligence agency tried to track down information about me over a ten-week period. Then look at one of my biographies released a couple of years later - https://everipedia.org/wiki/bill-fair... after their inept investigation.
If only they had waited! If that whets anyone’s appetite they can always read Beyond Enkription but do note it was written more along the lines of a scholarly film script with more layers than a Russian onion than a John Le Carré masterpiece … although some found that very refreshing!