View and vote on the article here: An in-depth interview with Ret. Marshal Ikioi
An in-depth interview with Ret. Marshal Ikioi| Category | | | Summary | In-depth Interview with Ret. Marshal Ikioi (aka. Goliath)
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| | Body | Hi Ikioi, please provide some history about yourself, i.e. When did you join CA? Why did you come to CA? What was your role in the beginning stages of CyberArmy? What level did you get to through Zebulun?
I joined CyberArmy just after the black background pages went away, around December 1998.
I came to CyberArmy like most for the tools. I believe what lead me to CyberArmy was a search result for John the Ripper. I was very much a script kiddie, but relatively harmless except to myself perhaps.
I really was taken in by Zebulun and the community. That hackers actually "commanded" other hackers like an army really appealed to me. In the beginning, I idolized a lot of the staff, and started learning from them as best as I could. I mostly learned how much I didn't know, and started reading all of available information. If I was to say that I aspired to be like anyone at CyberArmy, it was TheGame. I even tried to help out a bit on the Mr Fong Device. Needless to say, I didn't take to Perl/CGI very well, but I did learn a lot about leadership from those early days.
I achieved the rank of General through the challenges. Somewhat of a good anecdote is that I also achieved nearly every rank step by step with CHiCoSTo, ever since z2. I remember saying every time I passed before him, "Let's see if CHi is here yet -nt-" or if he passed me, "I see we meet again, CHI! -nt-". My nickname was very different back then. My nickname was Ye 'Ol Biznatch. Back then, there was no account signup, just hash keys to identify people. I had to drop the name when account startups began, and I chose Goliath, because the ' character was unacceptable in the system.
You were the creator of the Services and Support group - can you tell me some details about the creation and the key people involved at that time?
CyberArmy Services and Support was a group commissioned by CinC Scanjack. At the time, he felt that the workload of internal groups was being spread too thinly. What was recognized at the time is that most of the groups involved were really of the same goal, that being communications.
Going into the history a bit, there was some rivalry between the two groups that made up SAS, that being CyberArmy Public Relations (CAPR) and Internal Command (IR). One of the great challenges was that CAPR was going to make up a majority of the new sub-brigades, but it had to be done in a way as to not look as those IC was being "swallowed up".
This is not very apparent looking at SAS today, but at the time, CAPR comprised of many layers of sub-brigades, as well as many "concept" type brigades. Why CAPR would comprise most groups is that CAPR couldn't be combined very well. CA Radio couldn't share a sub-brigade with zZine for instance. IC on the other hand had very core groups. And while it didn't have as many, they were very well established and had great leadership and organization.
How I went through the process of merging the two was to identify what could be combined and improved vs. what worked great already, and shouldn't be messed around with. This was not an easy task by any means. Every single change would affect groups of people who I knew would strongly oppose such changes. It was a test of efficiency and diplomacy. What probably hurt the most was the decision that was made for the C/O position of the new brigade. CHi, as I said earlier, was a close and longtime friend. He was the C/O of CAPR. Axem was the C/O of IC. In terms of sub-brigade leadership, there was no question that it was unavoidable that most of the leaders in SAS would come from CAPR. I knew that CHi was being moved to a Brigade Coordinator spot, and out of the brigade entirely. There was some friction over that, and maybe a bridge burned or two. So, the decision, though really decided by default, was not easy in essentially choosing Axem over CHi. I believe strongly in loyalty. No fault to Axem at all, but I loved working under CHi as an X/O. Axem then ran into his own problems, and SAS teetered for a bit. His RL issues caused much away time, and he stepped down.
I think it was one of my best accomplishments to have the two brigades join without causing too much anger that I knew would come. As I've said elsewhere, I regret some of the decisions made that caused the combining of the two in the first place. Later, I became C/O of SAS, the first time and only time I became the top level C/O of a brigade. I must say, that I really missed getting my hands dirty. Leadership rarely allows too much of that. But, SAS definitely made me proud, especially those sub-brigades that came from IC.
I think it was never so much my or Scanjack's planning, but the commitment of the members of the brigades that made it work. Forum Moderation never skipped a beat, for instance. Had the merger failed, or workers given up, CyberArmy could have suffered greatly in areas like that, and for that, the members of IC and CAPR that joined have my great respect and admiration.
Do you remember a rough date the creation/merger took place? how long did it take to complete the integration
* Ikioi takes a minute to look through his old files.* http://www.zzine.org/read.php?op=view&item=414 , the Internet's memory far exceeds my own, especially when it comes to dates. :) Sept. 2002 the merger took place. Thanks to whomever took the time to import all the old zzine phpnuke stories to postnuke, then to the new system. Ok, I ported from php to post, but not to new system :P
Can you give me a summary of what the initial mission of Services and Support was? What did you have in mind for Services and Support to achieve?
I hate to answer questions like this, because basically, I have to explain my past ego. ;) The vision for SAS was a bit all encompassing. SAS had 3 core groups (apologies to those not listed): Moderation, Morale, zZine. By core group, I mean that these groups were meant to be very large and have extensive contact with people. The vision was this, that SAS took care of the member from birth through brigade. With zZine heading the way, along with other concept sub-brigades like CA Radio and Ambassadors, SAS would reach out to new members and get them involved.
Once in CyberArmy, Morale and user help/support groups (now basically the Feedback and Help and Support forums) was to help the member find his or her way, resolve issues, and become comfortable in CyberArmy. On the other side was Forum Moderation. But, I would expand this to also include the CA Store and Treasury. This alter ego of SAS was to keep the gears of CA running smoothly, and to foster a professional and self-sustaining site. When looked at this way, you can really tell that SAS is the combination of two visions. On one hand, we communicated, informed, and supported the members. We took their feedback, and used it to redirect those services as needed. On the other hand, SAS was service CA as a whole to promote stability, through moderation (forums being the lifeblood even today of CA), and funding. The creation of SAS was to bring those two elements together, because they are symbiotic. Without moderation, what good is morale, and vice-versa? Without communication platforms, what good is moderation, and vice-versa?
It was not a perfect fit by any means, but it was and is still the belief of SAS that these groups worked best when working together. Some sub-brigades no longer exist, but other's have picked up the slack in main areas. Above all, SAS is about bringing the users closer to each other, helping each other, and thus, closer to CyberArmy. Admittedly, that's a task of monumental proportions, and why I found the top spot there to be extremely challenging.
Is there any notable things you would have differently, and where do you think Services and Support would be if still under your command today?
I'm the first one to say that I was not a good C/O for SAS. There is a certain type of person to lead people. I think that I was a much better X/O than a C/O. I like working one on one with projects, without the immediacy of another project needing my attention. Also, I tend to be a bit strict as a leader.
If I still were C/O of SAS, I'm afraid they might be a bit miserable. :/ But, had I the chance to do it over again, I'd certainly do a lot differently. I had imposed a grading system because of poor sub-brigade performance. This was a mistake, in my mind. It created competition, and really, had the only effect of shaming the underperformers.
What I'd have done different in this regard was to spend a lot more one on one time with each sub-brigade. I would have shuffled away everything else except one sub-brigades immediate needs, and tried to fulfill it. A leader has to get into the trenches and prioritize. I think I tried too much, too fast. From my experience, I have a lot of respect for current C/O's, especially ones who have literally been with their brigade for several years. If I could do it over again, I'd have spoken to my fellow C/O's for advice a LOT more.
Tell me about some of the earlier projects that Services and Support undertook? how they developed and what happened with them? i.e. earlier SAS projects and those carried on from IC/CAPR, and the commanders of those projects
Two sub-brigades that stick out in my mind that are no longer here are Phydeau's Morale and Elm's Concept Planning. Morale was one of the best groups in CyberArmy, in as far as an IC/CAPR group went. I think what it did and how it died are both good lessons in what to do, and what not to do, as a brigade. Morale's sole purpose was to resolve conflict and personal issues. I think today's CA does lack something with it gone. Honestly, what greater purpose could an internal group have? All go towards that goal, in some capacity.
Unfortunately, it ran into two very big self imposed roadblocks. I don't know if readers of this will remember, but the last big issue over Morale was suicide. The question was whether or not Morale should attempt to talk to those considering suicide. There were legal and ethical questions about it that far exceeded CyberArmy's ability to come up with an answer.
On one hand, you can't ignore someone talking about suicide. On the other, if you say something wrong, would CyberArmy be held accountable? The lesson here: No matter how well meaning you want to be, everything can have a negative consequence.
The other roadblock was political. Morale was great at one on one, but not so great with staff and the other brigades. The lesson here is: Never ignore your mission statement, even if it is related only to administrative tasks. The other, Concept Planning, I just loved. I should, I created it. ;) Concept Planning was a brigade directly out of the movie quote from "Armageddon". "I'm sure you've got a room full of guys that just think shit up, and another room of guys to back them up.? That was Concept Planning. Elm was a bright new recruit to CAPR when it was created. And, like most new groups with a fresh recruit heading it, I gave him my simple instructions: "Make this work in 30 days, and you can run it." zZine was born in Concept Planning. CA Store was born in Concept Planning. CA Radio was born in Concept Planning. And while other projects went on to do their own great things, most started here in a safe "Try Anything!" environment.
I also remember it specifically for the projects that failed. CA Comics, Project Vagina, and a couple others that were just absolutely crazy. It was wonderful to see these new ideas being born and die, or go on to live on their own. It was creativity and brainstorming and no limits. It was the funnest sub-brigade I ever had the pleasure of overseeing. I'd also like to mention zZine. I've written up a history of it already. Despite all rumors, zZine was NOT my idea. I couldn't say who came up with the idea of a CyberArmy Magazine modeled like Phrack originally, but I heard it first from Wang. The name zZine was created co-operatively by CHiCoSTo and I in a brainstorming session.
The first C/O of it was TheOmlet. There have been a few rumors about other first C/O's, but they are all wrong. I gave TheOmlet my 30 day declaration, and he made it work, by God! He put together a quick staff of writers, and had an issue ready ahead of schedule. It was no flimsy issue either. The site code was horrible, and it really did look like an edition of Phrack, but it was enough to impress us all in CAPR. TheOmlet lead the group for a good many months, I believe. It ran into some problems, but the biggest was TO's leaving. He had a child, and real life can tear a brigade to pieces. It was a long time before it fully recovered from his departure, and I still miss working with him. Of the other sub-brigades, they are certainly noteworthy, but I could not give them the justice that their former C/O's could.
What are your fondest memories of Services and Support? any funny ones? Project Vagina?
My best memories aren't exactly my fondest ones. Over my time at zZine, I got some pretty horrible jobs. Actually, there was really only one horrible job, but I wouldn't dare let anyone else do it. I wrote the obituaries. The hardest one I had to write was one of a close friend at CyberArmy, BlackFlag. Also a member of zZine/CAPR I hated writing them all, because I knew them all. The best way to describe it... it was like writing the obituaries for an internal newsletter at a nursing home. No other task have I ever taken so seriously, or poured out so much at CyberArmy. Every one I wrote was posted with real tears.
Beyond that, I rather not go further into those memories. It couldn't ever do those friends justice. On the other hand, I have great memories from SAS. I remember the hours of goofing off on IRC with the brigade. I remember one particular time when someone set me up, I think it was CHi. I came into the chat room, and everyone else was opped and took turns kicking me, heh.
One of the great things about being in SAS was the Graphics sub-brigade. I can't even describe some of the strange things I saw. I remember someone made a Winamp skin one time devoted to the females of CyberArmy. No nudity, but someone obviously had a LOT of time on their hands, haha! Project Vagina... where to start... and no, it wasn't related to the Winamp skin. ;) Project Vagina was a study piece that Concept Planning started. It was a bit of a tongue in cheek name, but it was actually fairly serious.
Project Vagina was the study of emotion and stimulation. It's mission was to research color, light, sound, and texture that effected human emotion on a conscious and subconscious level. The object was to use this information to such ends as to promote CyberArmy and also identify Internet hazards. We covered a lot of diverse material, but some of it was jokingly fun. I remember when we considered taking the "Pokemon seizure inducing strobe effect" and putting it on the crash.html page (which was meant to crash the browser of cheaters). We thought, why crash the browser, when you can crash the eyeballs. ;) On the serious side, we looked into things like "Drunk Tank Pink" colors that specifically induce emotional states. For instance, there is a shade of pink that induces both calm for about an hour with direct exposure, but induces violence if viewed longer.
It could have been used for something like the Feedback forum background. Except, that it would have driven Feedback staff violent after spending too much time there. Project Vagina files are still on my drive. I have a 50 page study I wrote for it on Supermarket store design on the social engineering aspects of shopping. Project Vagina never produced much more than anecdotal evidence. It will probably never be released, but I'd enjoy reading any works by CyberArmy members that takes a reverse engineering look at everyday life and the hidden "tricks" played on our minds. All in all, then, my best memories of SAS was not just the people, but the work. I always loved the work and the creativity of dedicated individuals. The dedicated ones are the ones I tried to stay closest to.
Okay, so most know who Ret. Marshal Ikioi is, but who is "Goliath"? Why the change? :)
HAHA, you're treading dangerous waters there! Well, more goofy water's really. Goliath was my car. I got a special license plate that simply said "Goliath", because I had a $7500 stereo system setup in it. People started thinking that MY nickname was Goliath. No amount of correcting helped, so I just went with it.
No, it was not because of the size of my anatomy. ;)
And, no, I don't have anything against David. ;)
Goliath was what everyone knew, but it wasn't personal for me. As you can see, it held no meaning for me. I'm from the old school. Names are identity online. Ikioi is who I really am. I got the name from a necklace I got when in the martial arts. It means power and momentum. It is life and motion. If I'm not moving forward, I feel like I'm dieing. And, by that, I am Ikioi.
By the way, my nickname when I first got the Goliath plate was Rain/Desert Rain. That was when I ran a audio show website for the Team Fortress community. My slogan was "Get 'Em Wet". Unfortunately, the BMV didn't think "getmwet" was an appropriate plate to let me have. ;) I tried.
Tell me in brief, why you retired from the CyberArmy?
This is a hard one to be brief on, but I'll give it my best shot. I retired for a few reasons. First, I felt like I had been in for a good long time, and should move out of the way for fresh talent and new ideas, especially in SAS. New ideas are what made SAS exciting, and to be honest, I was out of them at the time. Second, I retired to work on ISPAN.
Scanjack approached me and said basically that I could come work on this brand new thing, and it could be a huge help to CA while at the same time doing something completely fresh. I only hesitated for a moment. Like I said, I'm Ikioi, gotta keep moving forward. And, I've never been one to hang on to power. I couldn't contribute very much more to CA, and staying was just robbing someone with fresh ideas from taking my place.
I've regretted being "in the loop", sure. Would I do it all over again, absolutely! CA is wonderful, but ISPAN took me from being "safe" to living "without a safety net", and that was really exciting!
On behalf of zZine, we hugely appreciate you taking the time to expand the knowledge of this community by providing us with some details of CyberArmy's history, so thank-you! Do you have anything further to add?
I'd like to just add a comment and direct it to zZine staff. A lot of people didn't think you'd make it when you started, and here you are still today. Never forget you are the underdog... it'll keep you vigilant!
Interview by Ret. Marshal craytonic
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This article was imported from zZine. (original author: craytonic)
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