Concept and narrative framing are crucial skills for success in practically every profession, though I'd argue even more paramount in technical disciplines. Grasping a diverse array of complex, techincal concepts can be difficult, especially if you're relegated to paging through ASCII formatted request for comments (RFCs). Today, we cover two resources that help explain security and technology concepts clearly via a "zine" format, and one — where I double dip a bit — that explains how you can use the same technique to help others learn.

Security Zines

Y'all know I'm in cybersecurity so anytime I can find a resource that will help make complex cybersecurity topics accessible to a larger audience, I'm all in. Today I caught a glimpse of Rohit's (@sec_r0) Security Zines, and I'm hooked.

The site bills itself as "[a] graphical way of learning concepts of Application & Web Security," and it does so in a clever, stylized way that captures and keeps attention.

The zines themselves are 👍🏽, but Rohit covers a multitude of needs by also providing flyers, black-and-white printable versions, and even some fit for presentations.

Each release is inexensive, informative, and creatively crafted, and would be a great way to spice up training programs and 'splainer materials.

Wizard Zines

While I was not familiar with Rohit's work until today, Julia Evans (@b0rk) amazing Wizard Zines are the stuff of legend.

Julia is a software developer hailing from Montreal, and describes why she engages in these creative endeavors as:

• being delighted about programming

• showing how topics traditionally considered “hard” and >“scary” are actually accessible and interesting and fun (TCP! / Kernel hacking! / Traceroute! / gzip! / databases! / SSL!)

• asking questions and getting better every day.

• how being clear & curious & humble is better than sounding like I know it all already

• experimenting with alternative ways to teach hard concepts (zines!)

I'd like folks to support her work, so I'm only posting one portion of what she's done on grep (that tool we talked about in a Wordle context yesterday) that she also provides for free:

Each zine is super accessible, lots of fun, and usually has at least one item even the most seasoned of us did not know about prior to her spot on explanations.

Julia's new "How DNS Works" zine should be out soon after this newsletter drops:

and you can sign up for her zine announcements so you never miss a new release.

Making Your Own Zines (a.k.a. "How to teach technical concepts with cartoons".)

I'm double-dipping on Julia's content because I spent most of the day with my six month old grandson and hanging with my daughter's fam ahead of the long drive home tomorrow.

Zines are a fun way to present potentially dry content in an accessible way. Wouldn't it be great if we could do what Julia does?

Well, we can!

Julia dropped some solid knowledge on "How to teach technical concepts with cartoons", that does into detail with examples on how you can tap your creative side and start framing content with a whole new skillset. Thankfully, one thing she stresses is "cartooning isn’t about drawing skills", which is great for someone like me with two left feet for hands.

FIN

That's a wrap! As noted, I'm on the road tomorrow so the next issue will be super late as well.

Tell us what your favorite zine or zine maker is in the replies. Remember, the only rule is to be kind to one another. ☮