kestrel@3hz:~$whoami
kestrel
arlington heights, il · he/him
kestrel
3hz
naftali
localhost
cybersecurity
linux
ESCP certified
writing
philosophy
top 30 · picoCTF 2019
about
Security-minded technician, Linux hobbyist, and part-time philosopher. I fix things, break things intentionally, and write about what I find in between. Studying for a leap into cybersecurity.
Also: birds, anime, piano, and chasing the kind of clarity that doesn't come easy. The alias is a bird that hovers perfectly still while watching everything below it. Felt accurate.
Also: birds, anime, piano, and chasing the kind of clarity that doesn't come easy. The alias is a bird that hovers perfectly still while watching everything below it. Felt accurate.
readingMarcus Aurelius · Tao Te Ching (again)
writingThe Hastur Protocol (Lovecraftian horror, WIP)
studyingcybersec · post-ESCP cert grind
listening towhatever the piano feels like tonight
osmacOS (MacBook Neo A18) · ZorinOS on the side
likes
birdwatching
catppuccin
vinland saga
steins;gate
frieren
linux ricing
FOSS
philosophy
piano
marcus aurelius
tao te ching
meditation
nature
CTFs
vim
journaling
terminal aesthetics
slow mornings
links
projects
gnome-theme-switcher
bash / python
Dynamic GNOME theme switcher. Terminal or desktop shortcut. Built for ZorinOS daily driving.
★ linux desktop tooling
zorinos-gnome-themes
css / shell
Custom theme collection for ZorinOS GNOME. Opinionated, clean, built for daily driving.
★ desktop ricing
first-steps
linux / notes
Linux onboarding notes and scripts — the stuff I wish I had when I started.
★ community resource
more on github · most are unfinished and i'm okay with that
writing
The Hastur Protocol
A neural network learns something it was never meant to know. What happens at the boundary between machine pattern and cosmic dread.
[ excerpt coming soon ]
Beating The Game
On nihilism, grief, and whether the game was ever worth playing. Written for myself, shared for whoever it finds.
[ available on request ]
dispatches from the terminal
Linux, security, the nature of things. Informal. Whenever.
[ launching soon ]
faq
who is kestrel?
An alias. The person behind it goes by Naftali — security technician, ESCP certified, top-30 PicoCTF 2019 globally. Working toward a move into cybersecurity full-time. Real info at mitchellberg.org.
why kestrel?
A kestrel is a small falcon. Sharp-eyed, patient — hovers perfectly still while watching everything below it. Felt right. Also birds are a genuine thing for me. Grounding. The name picked itself.
what are all your aliases?
kestrel (current main), 3hz (security / Hytale context), naftali (hebrew name, used by people who know me), localhost (usually taken by the machine — the joke is the point).
what's 3hz?
An older alias, still mine. Used in security contexts — on Hytale as a security-focused community helper. Low frequency, quiet signal.
open to work?
Yes. Cybersecurity analyst, junior endpoint security, IT systems — Chicago area. Resume and real contact at mitchellberg.org.