Alexander Merritt
@alexmerritt.bsky.social
Programmer, parent, pianist, coffee-lover
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-merritt-a5783119/
Personal: https://alexmerritt.de
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-merritt-a5783119/
Personal: https://alexmerritt.de
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
This was so much fun to talk about! If you want to find out how we found this bug, the raw story is here first, in my own words :)
This episode of #OpenSourceSecurity I chat with @alex.zenla.io from @edera.dev about the #TARmageddon vulnerability they found
I've coordinated a lot of vulnerabilities in my day, but never have I had to even think about something as difficult as this one
I've coordinated a lot of vulnerabilities in my day, but never have I had to even think about something as difficult as this one
TARmageddon with Alex Zenla
Josh discusses the TARmageddon vulnerability with Alex Zenla, CTO of Edera. In this episode, we explore the discovery of the TARmageddon vulnerability. It’s especially interesting because it’s Rust, b...
opensourcesecurity.io
December 1, 2025 at 7:08 PM
This was so much fun to talk about! If you want to find out how we found this bug, the raw story is here first, in my own words :)
I watched the 2020 documentary film Crip Camp last night. It's about the history behind Section 504 and the ADA, starting with Camp Jened and some of the young folk who attended in the 60s. The film illustrated many wonderful personalities, and the effort put in by many to seek equality in the US.
November 20, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I watched the 2020 documentary film Crip Camp last night. It's about the history behind Section 504 and the ADA, starting with Camp Jened and some of the young folk who attended in the 60s. The film illustrated many wonderful personalities, and the effort put in by many to seek equality in the US.
We really need a fix for smart phone keyboard "typing". It's slow and cumbersome to edit your text, and autocomplete often makes embarrassing faux pas.
On iPhone you either struggle tapping with a fat finger to move the cursor, or long-press spacebar and fight to get it into just the right spot.
On iPhone you either struggle tapping with a fat finger to move the cursor, or long-press spacebar and fight to get it into just the right spot.
November 18, 2025 at 3:08 PM
We really need a fix for smart phone keyboard "typing". It's slow and cumbersome to edit your text, and autocomplete often makes embarrassing faux pas.
On iPhone you either struggle tapping with a fat finger to move the cursor, or long-press spacebar and fight to get it into just the right spot.
On iPhone you either struggle tapping with a fat finger to move the cursor, or long-press spacebar and fight to get it into just the right spot.
I want a battery-powered speaker with buttons and storage. Don’t need kids mucking with a smartphone and Bluetooth to play songs. I want the iPod back 😢
November 17, 2025 at 4:26 AM
I want a battery-powered speaker with buttons and storage. Don’t need kids mucking with a smartphone and Bluetooth to play songs. I want the iPod back 😢
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
Why Booth #2041 should be a part of your KubeCon plan, a thread. 🧵
November 11, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Why Booth #2041 should be a part of your KubeCon plan, a thread. 🧵
Are there devices that play music which are suitable for kids without needing a voice interface? Something like the original iPod or with clicky buttons and images of the artists / albums for easier identification?
November 4, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Are there devices that play music which are suitable for kids without needing a voice interface? Something like the original iPod or with clicky buttons and images of the artists / albums for easier identification?
Rather than use rare earth magnets for the iPhone chargers, what would be the problem with electromagnets? Only activate the magnet when the charger itself has an active power source. What is the need to have the magnet work when there is no charge supplied to the phone?
November 3, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Rather than use rare earth magnets for the iPhone chargers, what would be the problem with electromagnets? Only activate the magnet when the charger itself has an active power source. What is the need to have the magnet work when there is no charge supplied to the phone?
TIL you can see how much overhead your ZFS raidz vdev has for certain data after expansion
~> du -Ash foo
4.2G foo
~> du -sh foo
6.4G foo
foo consumes 4.2Gi of "normal" storage, but after expansion remains with old data:parity ratio. Rewrite it:
~> zfs rewrite -P -r foo
~> du -sh foo
4.2 G
~> du -Ash foo
4.2G foo
~> du -sh foo
6.4G foo
foo consumes 4.2Gi of "normal" storage, but after expansion remains with old data:parity ratio. Rewrite it:
~> zfs rewrite -P -r foo
~> du -sh foo
4.2 G
October 29, 2025 at 5:50 PM
TIL you can see how much overhead your ZFS raidz vdev has for certain data after expansion
~> du -Ash foo
4.2G foo
~> du -sh foo
6.4G foo
foo consumes 4.2Gi of "normal" storage, but after expansion remains with old data:parity ratio. Rewrite it:
~> zfs rewrite -P -r foo
~> du -sh foo
4.2 G
~> du -Ash foo
4.2G foo
~> du -sh foo
6.4G foo
foo consumes 4.2Gi of "normal" storage, but after expansion remains with old data:parity ratio. Rewrite it:
~> zfs rewrite -P -r foo
~> du -sh foo
4.2 G
15% tariff ordering books from Germany is expensive. Shipping is already 20-30% additional to the purchase price depending on the composition of the order.
No alternatives to obtain these books locally, so my kids are stuck without their choices, or I end up paying more. Nobody wins here.
No alternatives to obtain these books locally, so my kids are stuck without their choices, or I end up paying more. Nobody wins here.
October 29, 2025 at 3:12 PM
15% tariff ordering books from Germany is expensive. Shipping is already 20-30% additional to the purchase price depending on the composition of the order.
No alternatives to obtain these books locally, so my kids are stuck without their choices, or I end up paying more. Nobody wins here.
No alternatives to obtain these books locally, so my kids are stuck without their choices, or I end up paying more. Nobody wins here.
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
Edera's virtualization stack relies on the Xen hypervisor for securing and isolating container-based workloads. On top of that is a vital control plane, orchestrating guest lifecycles, resources, and networking.
@alex.zenla.io explains why we wrote the the Xen control plane in Rust.
@alex.zenla.io explains why we wrote the the Xen control plane in Rust.
Rust or Bust: Edera's Rewrite of the Xen Control Plane | Edera Blog
Discover why Edera rewrote the Xen control plane in Rust—and how memory safety gives us a real security edge in container and GPU infrastructure.
edera.dev
July 3, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Edera's virtualization stack relies on the Xen hypervisor for securing and isolating container-based workloads. On top of that is a vital control plane, orchestrating guest lifecycles, resources, and networking.
@alex.zenla.io explains why we wrote the the Xen control plane in Rust.
@alex.zenla.io explains why we wrote the the Xen control plane in Rust.
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
It may be July now, but we just want to say that regardless of the month, LGBTQ+ people have always been here and will always be here, no matter what various entities might try to say to the contrary!
July 1, 2025 at 3:23 PM
It may be July now, but we just want to say that regardless of the month, LGBTQ+ people have always been here and will always be here, no matter what various entities might try to say to the contrary!
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
AI security isn’t just about new tools. It’s about whether your infrastructure can handle secure AI workloads at scale.
This article from @kaylintrychon.bsky.social in @thenewstack.io breaks it down:
The real threat isn’t prompts—it's your architecture.
thenewstack.io/ai-security-...
This article from @kaylintrychon.bsky.social in @thenewstack.io breaks it down:
The real threat isn’t prompts—it's your architecture.
thenewstack.io/ai-security-...
AI Security Needs Better Infrastructure, Not More Tools
A recent industry analysis reveals a major gap in AI infrastructure security between marketing hype and actual enterprise needs.
thenewstack.io
June 23, 2025 at 4:44 PM
AI security isn’t just about new tools. It’s about whether your infrastructure can handle secure AI workloads at scale.
This article from @kaylintrychon.bsky.social in @thenewstack.io breaks it down:
The real threat isn’t prompts—it's your architecture.
thenewstack.io/ai-security-...
This article from @kaylintrychon.bsky.social in @thenewstack.io breaks it down:
The real threat isn’t prompts—it's your architecture.
thenewstack.io/ai-security-...
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
Okay, you know what, there's been so much popping off in Edera-land this week, that even the admin is having a hard time keeping track. From Apple basically saying "Edera is cool and right and you should listen to them", eBPF support, new docs updates, and more. So let's do a round-up, shall we?
June 13, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Okay, you know what, there's been so much popping off in Edera-land this week, that even the admin is having a hard time keeping track. From Apple basically saying "Edera is cool and right and you should listen to them", eBPF support, new docs updates, and more. So let's do a round-up, shall we?
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
Check out my thoughts on Apple Containers!
thenewstack.io/what-you-nee...
thenewstack.io/what-you-nee...
What You Need To Know About Apple's New Container Framework
Starting in macOS 26, every macOS developer will have access to proper container isolation in their development workflow.
thenewstack.io
June 12, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Check out my thoughts on Apple Containers!
thenewstack.io/what-you-nee...
thenewstack.io/what-you-nee...
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
FACT: @edera.dev's container startup time beats Apple's Container system by about 100ms on equivalent. AND we can likely do even better.
In some cases, Edera can launch containers faster than Docker due to how we handle container images.
In some cases, Edera can launch containers faster than Docker due to how we handle container images.
June 11, 2025 at 6:31 PM
FACT: @edera.dev's container startup time beats Apple's Container system by about 100ms on equivalent. AND we can likely do even better.
In some cases, Edera can launch containers faster than Docker due to how we handle container images.
In some cases, Edera can launch containers faster than Docker due to how we handle container images.
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
After yesterday’s release of Apple’s Container Framework, one thing is clear: this validates that hypervisor-isolated containers are our future.
I wrote my thoughts here:
edera.dev/stories/appl...
I wrote my thoughts here:
edera.dev/stories/appl...
Apple Just Validated Hypervisor-Isolated Containers (Here's What That Means) | Edera Blog
Apple’s new Swift-based Containerization Framework brings hypervisor-isolated containers to macOS—raising security to the next level.
edera.dev
June 10, 2025 at 4:52 PM
After yesterday’s release of Apple’s Container Framework, one thing is clear: this validates that hypervisor-isolated containers are our future.
I wrote my thoughts here:
edera.dev/stories/appl...
I wrote my thoughts here:
edera.dev/stories/appl...
One thing I've noticed in many public libraries in the US where I have lived, is that they have a severe lack of non-English books, and books on music. Even less to speak of in the children's sections. One librarian told me they would only grow those collections through donations. I'm disappointed.
May 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
One thing I've noticed in many public libraries in the US where I have lived, is that they have a severe lack of non-English books, and books on music. Even less to speak of in the children's sections. One librarian told me they would only grow those collections through donations. I'm disappointed.
When I make or drink coffee, the dusty coffee fines clog my paper filter, or make mud at the bottom of my cup when brewed with a french press. Instead of buying an expensive / accurate grinder, one idea is to put the grinds into a sieve with a fine mesh, and then shake to extract the dust. Cheers! ☕
May 19, 2025 at 2:30 PM
When I make or drink coffee, the dusty coffee fines clog my paper filter, or make mud at the bottom of my cup when brewed with a french press. Instead of buying an expensive / accurate grinder, one idea is to put the grinds into a sieve with a fine mesh, and then shake to extract the dust. Cheers! ☕
If you have an Aarke Carbonator Pro: if after pressurization of the bottle, you cannot release the lid (and it seems the system is still fully pressurized) try gently unscrewing the gas canister. That allowed me to release the bottle.
May 7, 2025 at 6:41 PM
If you have an Aarke Carbonator Pro: if after pressurization of the bottle, you cannot release the lid (and it seems the system is still fully pressurized) try gently unscrewing the gas canister. That allowed me to release the bottle.
My iPhone has been having trouble charging with the lightening connector these past months, until I discovered there are clumps of dust in the port. Scraped them out (carefully!) with a plastic tooth pick and problem solved. The cable fits snug. Regardless, another reason for wireless charging IMHO.
May 7, 2025 at 2:35 PM
My iPhone has been having trouble charging with the lightening connector these past months, until I discovered there are clumps of dust in the port. Scraped them out (carefully!) with a plastic tooth pick and problem solved. The cable fits snug. Regardless, another reason for wireless charging IMHO.
Reposted by Alexander Merritt
The Edera research team has been working on an approach to confidential compute that satisfies most threat models without requiring specialized hardware.
We're starting a blog series exploring confidential computing and ways organizations can think about implementing it.
We're starting a blog series exploring confidential computing and ways organizations can think about implementing it.
Mind the Gap: How Edera Accelerates Confidential Computing
While confidential computing is powerful, its adoption faces challenges including hardware requirements, compatibility issues, and performance costs.
edera.dev
May 1, 2025 at 4:49 PM
The Edera research team has been working on an approach to confidential compute that satisfies most threat models without requiring specialized hardware.
We're starting a blog series exploring confidential computing and ways organizations can think about implementing it.
We're starting a blog series exploring confidential computing and ways organizations can think about implementing it.
Power outage. Of course my Chelsio network adapter decides to now shit itself. Not visible in the PCI tree even, red LED on the board remains lit.
Good excuse to upgrade to the 6-series though. Hopefully the newer series is cooler, so I don't need to drill small fans to the heatsink.
Good excuse to upgrade to the 6-series though. Hopefully the newer series is cooler, so I don't need to drill small fans to the heatsink.
April 19, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Power outage. Of course my Chelsio network adapter decides to now shit itself. Not visible in the PCI tree even, red LED on the board remains lit.
Good excuse to upgrade to the 6-series though. Hopefully the newer series is cooler, so I don't need to drill small fans to the heatsink.
Good excuse to upgrade to the 6-series though. Hopefully the newer series is cooler, so I don't need to drill small fans to the heatsink.
Using SSH agent forwarding with persistent tmux sessions, your git commit operations will fail as the agent socket is no longer present.
After you log in via SSH, capture the value of SSH_AGENT_AUTH. Attaching to your tmux session, overwrite the current variable with the captured socket path.
After you log in via SSH, capture the value of SSH_AGENT_AUTH. Attaching to your tmux session, overwrite the current variable with the captured socket path.
April 11, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Using SSH agent forwarding with persistent tmux sessions, your git commit operations will fail as the agent socket is no longer present.
After you log in via SSH, capture the value of SSH_AGENT_AUTH. Attaching to your tmux session, overwrite the current variable with the captured socket path.
After you log in via SSH, capture the value of SSH_AGENT_AUTH. Attaching to your tmux session, overwrite the current variable with the captured socket path.
Network connections die / hang after you return to your laptop in the morning for work? Using wired Ethernet? On macOS your machine might be sleeping once the display is off. Settings -> Battery -> Options -> Prevent automatic sleeping [...]
April 9, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Network connections die / hang after you return to your laptop in the morning for work? Using wired Ethernet? On macOS your machine might be sleeping once the display is off. Settings -> Battery -> Options -> Prevent automatic sleeping [...]
These import tariffs are only going to do harm. Computer storage prices for HDDs are climbing. I observed ≥15% for re-certified disks on third-party websites. Seagate, WD are both American, but like with much of computer manufacturing, components are produced in eastern Asia. Toshiba? Japanese.
April 8, 2025 at 8:37 PM
These import tariffs are only going to do harm. Computer storage prices for HDDs are climbing. I observed ≥15% for re-certified disks on third-party websites. Seagate, WD are both American, but like with much of computer manufacturing, components are produced in eastern Asia. Toshiba? Japanese.