Dr. Keen
Cyber Defender & Diagnostics Lab Technician
Dr. Keen is in charge of Diagnostics and has the equipment and knowledge to fix most computer related problems.
Abandoned by her computer hacker parents when she was a child, Dr. Keen focuses on helping others overcome the attacks of cyber criminals just like her parents.
You can't direct the wind but you can adjust the sails
- Anonymous
French fries
Interests:Inventing, watercolor, playing fetch with Scout
Scout
Cyber Defender & Dr. Keen's robot assistant
Scout is in charge of keeping the Cyber Defense Force's security measures up-to-date. His computer brain carries fixes to most security and computer problems that can be administered at any time.
Scout is always eager to help make Cyberspace a safe and fun place.
Memory chips
Interests:Fixing computers, making antidotes for malware, playing fetch
July 12, 2010
Time Paradoxes
Humans, I want to tell our past selves many things, but I do not know if I should. Say, for example, I warn them about some future problem like the Y2K bug Maya wrote about. What if they prevent it from ever happening? And, what if the way they fix the problem creates a worse situation? This sort of problem is known as a time paradox.
For example, say you went back in time and stopped your grandfather from meeting your grandmother. That would stop them from having your parents, which would prevent your birth. If your birth is prevented, how could you go back in time to stop them from meeting in the first place? I don’t know about you, but my circuits hurt just thinking about it!
Robots don’t do well with paradoxes. In fact, a paradox fried my predecessor’s CPU so bad he can barely function now! Some thoughtless individual went up to him and shouted “The following statement is true! The previous statement is false!” What a shame.
I’m going to think about my paradox problem a while longer before I decide what to do.
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
May 5 2009
Phishing Filters
To help defend against a phishing attack, Scout and I have installed phishing filters on all the Academy machines.
These filters will alert you when a site is suspicious, but they won't stop you from entering your information. The Cyber Villains need you to fall for their phishing attack, so remember that you still have all the power.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
April 1 2009
Well done, Cadets!
I was so impressed with you during the fake attack, cadets! If it had been real, I'm sure those Cyber Villains would have been in for a surprise. Congratulations!
Now continue to keep up the good work, and don't forget to attend Friday's seminar.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
February 17 2009
Date?
I noticed Dr. Keen wearing different clothes the other evening, and putting something red on her lips. I'm not used to her with red lips. I asked her why her lips were red and she said something about going on a "date" with Officer Ward. I don't understand what she meant. I told her the date was February 14th. She just laughed.
What does it mean, going on a date?
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
December 3 2008
Giving Thanks
I'm so happy that Jax and Sparky were able to join us for the Thanksgiving Day feast. They have really blossomed under Officer Ward's guidance, and the apple fritters they brought to the meal were absolutely fantastic. I'm afraid I may have eaten far too many of them!
Scout spent most of the meal talking to Alan and Sparky about online gaming. He has recently become curious about games and the notion of "fun," so Alan and Sparky were trying to explain to him what makes a game fun. He came to me today to ask for a subscription to a MMOG, to "experiment." I hope he doesn't become so caught up in his experiments that he forgets to charge himself up at night!
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
June 26 2009
Time for an Upgrade
This summer, Scout and I are upgrading the Diagnostics facilities to include some new equipment and make more room for our experiments.
Just like how you have to regularly update your software to defend it from attack, we need to update Diagnostics to stay on top of the latest computing issues. That way, we'll be better equipped to deal with an attack. Scout is so excited about getting his upgraded Repair and Recovery room that he's been furiously tidying up everything in sight in preparation. Less work for me!
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
June 26 2008
Bigger Job than I Thought
I've been digging through all of the layers of security. It's a bigger job than I thought. I've been layering on security like an onion ever since I started working at Diagnostics.
Never have I had the need to do a complete overhaul like this, and I also need to set up a separate system to prevent outside attacks while our internal security is down. I need Officer Ward's assistance in order to manage the job.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
June 24 2008
Scout Wants Vacation Too
Scout here. Beep! Commander Omni says all the students are away on summer vacation. I asked her about it. She says they’ve gone away to have fun.
Scout wants to go away and have fun. Dr. Keen won't let Scout go though. Beep. She says Scout is needed to help re-install security. Scout doesn’t want to work. Scout wants to be free.
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
June 19 2008
From Top to Bottom
With all the students gone, I'm clearing out security and rebuilding it from top to bottom. These last few months of almost constant Cyber Villain attacks have given our security systems a beating. I need to clear them out and re-install to ensure there are no more hidden surprises for us. Having the campus empty is the perfect time for a system wide overhaul. I certainly have my work cut out for me.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
May 28 2008
Everyone's Hard Work
The Master Hacker may be an evil genius, but Omni is brilliant. The defenses Nils tore through, everything that was supposed to stop him but didn't-all that was in place so that Nils would become over confident.
In the end, the smallest of things brought him down, thanks to the cadets protecting their own computers from villains like him, and the cadets teaching others to do the same. As soon as the Master Hacker could no longer manipulate other people's computers into working for him, he lost his power. We were able to recapture him and put him back in the Detention Center where he belongs.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
May 22 2008
Beyond Planning
The Master Hacker is beyond planning. He went exactly where Commander Omni planned he would. He blew through our enhanced security around the Clubhouse like it was not even there. He was ransacking the decoys I set up in there, hoping to gain access to all of my secrets.
It is frightening how good he is at hacking. But when Commander Omni went to close the trap around him, he broke free. Commander Omni has him barely contained in the area around the Clubhouse. Nils keeps pounding on the defenses. Where does he find such enormous power?
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
May 16 2008
Anticipation
Elvirus and the Dis Guys have found their own traps to wander in. Now we just have to wait for the big guy to make his appearance.
I've spent a lot of time with Commander Omni going over her plans. If the Master Hacker can do even a fraction of what he's rumored to do, then we are going to have a fight on our hands. I'm just not sure he'll fall for what Commander Omni has planned.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
May 8 2008
Springing the Trap
The first wave has hit. Alexi and Carlo have done well directing the Ms. Information and M.C. Spammer into their own traps. As long as the traps hold they should be out of commission until we can take care of Nils. We shall see if the second wave is stupid enough to get trapped as well.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
May 2 2008
Second in Command
Commander Omni appointed myself and Officer Ward as second in command for the Master Hacker operation. Ward's been running most of the planning work. He's had more experience capturing Cyber Villains than I have. I've been busy making sure all the elements are in place when the trap finally closes.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
April 25 2008
Fully Operational
The school's security is now fully operational. For once there is nothing more I'd care to add to it. Ward and I have been testing the defenses for almost a week now. It is as close to perfect as we could come. Everyone will have to do their part when the Cyber Villains attack, but the firewall should still hold.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
April 16 2008
Working with Ward
I find working with Ward to be a pleasant distraction from my fears about being fully prepared for the Cyber Villain attack. He is a kind and intelligent man, despite the physical nature of his job. I often find myself thinking about the Valentine's Day gift he gave me.
I am going to recommend to Omni that she have Ward and I continue to coordinate our efforts to ensure the school's security even after this crisis is averted.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
April 10 2008
New Friends
I've been working day and night on new defenses that will specifically target the Cyber Villains we know we will be facing. They are small programs, similar to viruses, which will turn the Cyber Villain's specific weakness into their own destruction. I'm just beginning to integrate them into our existing firewalls. The Cyber Villains will be in for a nasty surprise.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
April 1 2008
Scout Leads the Lab
Beep! Scout is now the ruler of Diagnostics! Beep! Dr. Keen has been captured by the Cyber Villains. Scout is mounting an operation to save her. Beep. Scout will save the day.
April Fools! Beep! Did you believe Scout? Was Scout funny? Dr. Keen tried to explain this tradition to me of telling lies on April 1st. Beep. Scout's not sure he understands, so he thought he'd give it a go. Beep.
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
March 28 2008
Improving Security
Alan's new intel will greatly enhance our security procedures. I've been busy reprogramming all of our firewalls and security measures. The Cyber Villains will be in for a nasty surprise when they move in to attack. I've turned around some of our weak points into traps for capturing them.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
March 19 2008
Passing Info
The bots have returned! At first I was surprised by how much information they had found. But when I looked through all of it, I realized that Alan has been leaving us bread crumbs.
It will take a little more processing, but with this, I believe we can find Alan's location. If Alan hadn't been showing us the way we might not have ever found him. The Cyber Villains' hideout is almost perfectly hidden.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
March 7 2008
Creating Search Bots
I can't do much to help Ward find Alan. Omni has given me that task of looking after school security while Officer Ward is busy hunting for traces of Alan's whereabouts. I can, however, write a program that will help find him. I call it search bots.
Search bots are tiny artificial intelligences that roam the Internet looking for discrepancies and clues. They even help me to process the data. Alan, hang in there. We are going to find you.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
February 28 2008
Not Another Breach
The recent kidnapping of Alan is not another breach in our security systems. Alan willingly left the safety of the school and met with a stranger in real life. There was nothing that we could have done here to prevent this from happening.
Remember cadets, we have rules for a reason. You have to be smart and follow the rules, otherwise we Cyber Defenders won't be able to protect you. Alan, we are going to get you back!
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
February 20 2008
Facing Old Projects
Now that most of the repair work to our security systems is done I can return to my old projects. The thing is I'm not sure I want to yet. I'm going to talk to Ward and see if there isn't anything more I can do to help him with the security side of things.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
February 14 2008
I got one!
I got one! Beep! Scout got a Valentine! Now I understand. Thank you everyone! I am so happy.
Dr. Keen got one, too, but she turned red like Alan did and won't talk about it. Why do humans do that?
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
February 8 2008
What's a Valentine?
Scout here! Beep! Everyone in school is talking about Valentines. What are they, and how do you get them? I tried to ask Alan but he turned red and left the room. Is it something bad? Does it make you sick? Scout wants to know! Beep!
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
February 6 2008
Peace of Mind
It's been over a week and the firewall is holding strong. I see no suspicious activity happening with it at all. I am so relieved we finally have that problem solved.
Ward's been overworked lately so I've been helping him with security tasks. All of my personal projects can wait when it comes to the safety of the school. I'm really glad this firewall has been holding steady. It is giving both of us a little time off to relax.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
January 30 2008
The Master Hacker
I've spoken to Commander Omni and Officer Ward. We all feel that it is best that we explain what Ex-Commander Nils' ideals are, so that our students can be prepared to combat them.
Ex-Commander Nils has always believed in freedom of information on the Internet. When he was younger, he had utopian reasons for his beliefs. He believed that free information would lead to cancer cures and new technologies. He joined the Cyber Defense Force to protect those ideals.
But the more time he spent on the Defense Force the more cynical he became. He began to argue in favor of the hackers that were stealing corporate secrets and posting people's personal information for others to use and cause damage. Ex-Commander Nils believes that there is no such thing as halfway when it comes to free information, and that all information should be freely available, even if it hurts people.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
January 24 2008
Fresh Install
The security system company I hired to fix our systems has been hard at work this past week reinstalling a fresh firewall and revamping all of our security. The guy that runs the company is an old college friend of mine. He told me they'd been busy replacing firewalls all over town. It seems I wasn't the only one fooled by that bogus company.
The new systems should be up by the end of the day. Ward should be happy.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
January 15 2008
Enemy on the Inside
Someone on the inside has been giving away information on our systems to the enemy. That's the only way I can explain what happened. Sure the worm leeched through our systems and weakened security, but it would never have come down if it didn't know precisely what to attack and how.
I determined who our mole is though. Nobody knows the entirety of the system except for Commander Omni, Officer Ward and I and all of us know better then to leak it. Not even Alan knows everything that was attacked by the worm. It had to have been pieced together from what we all know. We are all to blame.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
January 11 2008
Firewall's Down
On Tuesday the firewall came down along with every other security system we have. We were completely open to attack. Thankfully, all the Cyber Villains wanted was to break Ex-Commander Nils out of prison. I've put up a temporary firewall to protect the rest of the school. It won't stand up to another Denial of Service attack, but it will give me some warning if the Cyber Villains try something new while I'm working on bringing up the rest of the security systems.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
December 13 2007
Security Leaks
I keep finding holes everywhere in our systems. It's like someone has been feeding information on our systems to a hacker and they are using that information to crack our security wide open.
Scout and I have been working like crazy to patch them up but every time we turn around a new one opens up! I'm taking this to Commander Omni. I think we may be in for another attack!
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
December 7 2007
Making Amends
I've been working long and hard on our systems to make sure that what happened to Carlo never happens again. I know it is too little too late, but it is all I have to offer. Our students should never have to suffer for a faculty member's mistake.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
November 27 2007
Holiday
I get it! Beep! Dr. Keen put together a special Thanksgiving just for me and Officer Ward. The humans make a lot of strange food and then sit around the table eating it all.
Officer Ward told me it was all about connections. Beep! He said that if he didn't have to stay close to campus to keep an eye on the Detention Center, he would be down in Florida with his family. Scout is lucky. Beep! All of my family is right here!
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
November 20 2007
Turkey?? Day???
Scout is curious about this holiday all the humans are calling Thanksgiving, or Turkey Day. Beep! What is this Turkey Day? Why is everyone so excited that it is coming up? I don't understand.
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
November 14 2007
Stupidity
I knew there was something wrong with our systems! Why didn't I take it seriously? Now Carlo is injured because I was too stupid to do the right thing.
I thought the systems were clean after I ran the Anti-Virus software. I should have dug deeper. Oh, Carlo, can you ever forgive me?
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
November 8 2007
Suspicious Behavior
Officer Ward told me we had had an uninvited guest to the Halloween Ball. Since then I've been scanning our systems for anything our 'guest' may have left behind while he was here. I'm starting to get some weird behaviors out of our emailing systems. I think something's wrong.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
November 2 2007
Halloween Bash
I told Scout I'd hold down the fort and I did, but a girl's got to have a little fun. A couple of my friends from research and the university all got together online in a private chat room I set up. I worked on broken computers and talked about my college days and scary movies. It was a lot of fun!
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
October 26 2007
Tin Man
Beep! Scout has the perfect idea! Beep! I will go to the ball as the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. It's perfect! Beep! Dr. Keen even helped me make a magnetic heart to wear.
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
October 23 2007
Scout
Scout is pretty excited about the Halloween Ball. I told him I'd help him with his costume but he wants to pick it out on his own.
I am amazed by how much he's progressed since I finished building him. It wasn't too long ago when he was repeating everything I said, trying to learn the logic of language. I'm so proud of how far he's come!
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
October 16 2007
Party Time
Beep! Scout here! I just heard from Dr. Keen that there will be a Halloween Ball this year. I wasn't allowed to go last year. Someone had to stay behind in Diagnostics to keep an eye on things. Dr. Keen says that this year she will hold down the fort.
What will I wear? What will I go as? Beep!
posted by Scout
topic: Miscellaneous
September 24 2007
Scavenger Hunt
I tried out the scavenger hunt in secret because I was intrigued by the rumors I was hearing about it. Alexi made it difficult. You have to grasp some far-flung concepts if you are to figure out the pattern. Sometimes she likes to make too many connections between things. The cadets are having fun though. It seems that the challenge is driving them to greater heights.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
September 7 2007
The Experiments
I love experimenting with new technologies. I spent the summer researching various uses for email and have set Alan and Scout to work on using email to send hugs when people are down.
I've also assigned myself several additional projects. The main Digiboard is still down, so I'm helping Alan and Carlo find the source of the problem. I want them to learn from it so I'm just pointing the way.
I'm also working on email presents and an email warning system to detect when you have a dangerous attachment before you open it.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates
September 5 2007
Operation Hugs
Scout here, beep! I've finished collecting my data on potential email projects and with Dr. Keen's help have picked out a winner! Alan will once again help in the lab this semester with Operation Hugs.
There are times when a human feels down or lonely. Operation Hugs is there to make them feel good again. It will send you a great big email hug just when you need it the most, beep!
posted by Scout
topic: Diagnostics Updates
September 4 2007
Fall arrives
I love fall. The crisp air, the changing leaves. I especially enjoy the influx of new faces eager to learn.
The school is so charged this year. It seems like we've collected a great crop of potential Cyber Defenders. I'm so excited to see where they will take me!
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
August 29 2007
Problems
Last night, the DigiBoard servers got fried. Alan and Carlo couldn't leave well enough alone and they ended up pushing the systems until the motherboards literally went up in smoke.
I'm mad. Not only did they not finish the project, but they damaged expensive Academy equipment in the process! Both of them are going to get a firm talking-to before I'm through with this.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
August 20 2007
Playing Nice
No programmer works alone. Everyone has to learn how to work well within a team in order to get things done and to have their code play nice with others.
Carlo and Alan are having problems working as a team. Alan runs off on his own and Carlo has a hard time meeting deadlines. At this point it is more important for them to start being a team than for them to get the webpage DigiBoard operational, but I'm not sure they will accept that.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
July 9 2007
Mailboxes
Beep! Hello everyone! My name is Scout. I'm Dr. Keen's robot assistant. Dr. Keen's busy helping Carlos and Alan with their Digiboard project, so I'm in charge of the lab.
Things have been pretty busy around here these last few weeks. Trey's been dropping by frequently to check on our progress with the email side-project. We've been making great progress! There are so many wonderful uses for email, like having it tell you about an appointment so you can get there on time. Maybe someone should let Betty know about that...
posted by Scout
topic: Diagnostics Updates
June 19 2007
The Plan
Any decent project begins with a plan. So I brought Omni, Carlo, and Alan together to lay out the project plan for the DigiBoard. The boys did great work last year bringing the original DigiBoard to life so I was excited to see what they would do with it this summer.
They have a challenge ahead of themselves. Both of them might be a little too ambitious.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Miscellaneous
June 11 2007
Summer Projects
It looks like Commander Omni finally put up the list of summer projects. It will be fun helping the boys redesign the DigiBoard. In the meantime I am going to start up a new project of my own.
I spoke with our new Message Center supervisor Trey and he got me thinking about the various ways in which Cyber Villains abuse email. I am going to see if I can't build something, with Scout's help, that will plug up security holes in our email systems. I truly agree with Trey that email can be a wonderful thing if only we can stop people abusing it.
posted by Dr. Keen
topic: Diagnostics Updates, Miscellaneous
May 21 2007
Introductions
My name is Dr. Keen. I am the lab technician at Diagnostics at the Carnegie Cyber Academy. I run this blog and the lab with the help of my trusty robot, Scout. Pretty much, it means that I am responsible for building and maintaining all of the hardware and software systems used at the Academy and in cyberspace.
I also fix computers that have been damaged in the attacks by various Cyber Villains. My hobby is creating little software programs that prevent those attacks from ever occuring. Cyber Villains are intelligent people and are always changing how they infiltrate and destroy a system, so I am always having to find new ways to stop them.