This is a heartfelt expression of gratitude to Michael Bazzell, for your invaluable contributions to the security community over the years, with a special mention of your remarkable podcast, The Privacy, Security, and OSINT Show, which has unfortunately been recently confirmed to be on an indefinite hiatus.

I vividly recall the very first episode of the podcast I ever tuned into back in 2019. I was at the gym, eagerly anticipating this new addition to my podcast playlist. I won't sugarcoat it – that initial experience was quite challenging. The content was undeniably dense and exceedingly technical, making it a struggle to endure the first 30 minutes. However, my determination prevailed, and I'm sincerely grateful that it did.

At this time, I had been an avid fan of 'Darknet Diaries' for quite some time. Little did I know then that your podcast would become the catalyst for my journey into the realm of personal digital security and eventually lead me to pursue qualifications in the field of cybersecurity.

While I'd never go to the same extremes as the ones you practiced and advocated, I've managed to pick up some invaluable nuggets that have found a place in my own life. Thanks to your podcast, I've adopted some great personal security habits, understood just how much information is harvested from every aspect of our daily lives, discovered privacy and security focused tools and software, and learnt some fantastic general OSINT strategies (that I have never really needed to put into practice, but the day I need to I will be ready).

I hold immense respect for your unwavering dedication to privacy and security, and I'm genuinely grateful for your openness about the successes and, equally important, the failures in your pursuit of these goals, which you generously share with our community. Your podcast served as a wonderfully convenient way for me to stay in the loop on the latest security developments and best practices, without having to be in front of a screen.

While it saddens me to bid farewell to this podcast for the time being, I want to express my profound appreciation. It's safe to say that there isn't a podcast out there that can quite fill the void left by what you've provided us. Thank you Michael for this fantastic resource, see you in the blog.