none-rey-pickett-consulting-llc-njbse

Dirt

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:55:37 GMT

DIRT

I had no intention of growing up in this way. I spent most of my adulthood avoiding dirt. I enjoy a clean house. I do not hunt, nor do I fish. I’m not a fan of insects of any species, and no one in the history of the world has called me “outdoorsy”. I joined the Navy instead of the Army because I had no intention of sleeping in a hole at any point in my life. I avoided camping until I was 40. Again, the whole sleeping outside thing really turned me off. I focused my attention during my studies as an undergraduate anthropologist towards a medical and cultural lens instead of archaeology. Again, the dirt. I was fine being excluded from the shovel bum squad if that meant I did not have to spend my career sitting in the dirt.

I have nothing against dirt. It just never called to me like it did others. I am that person that appreciates snow from inside a lodge, not on skis. I discovered something in my 40’s. I have absolutely no idea what life is about, nor am I a subject matter expert in fun. Rather I am quite the opposite. I am far too analytical to be amusing when I am in one of my moods. I can be amusing, my husband says I’m a living muppet when I’m happy and getting into shenanigans. I am a recent transplant to the midwest after living in Florida for over twenty years (minus deployments and duty stations). I figure since I am uncomfortable in pretty much all areas, why not embrace adventures I formerly refused? I spent this last weekend doing a Mud Girl run with my oldest daughter Charlotte. We decided to shlep ourselves to Springfield Ohio and recruited my cousin to adventure with us.

I have to confess the mud was not as abhorrent as I assumed it would be. My broken veteran body and titanium femur and I hobbled pretty well around the obstacles. The whole adventure made me reconsider my vendetta against dirt. It almost made me wonder if I would have made a bangarang archaeologist had I not be so resistant to dirt. I had no idea I enjoyed mud runs until this weekend. I wonder what else I like?

This substack is dedicated to documenting social commentary, general observations, obstacles, successes, politics, current events academia, short stories, and whatever happens to inspire the muse when the mood strikes.

Fair Winds and Following Seas,

your favorite adventuring anthropologist.

Nichole Carminati

AI+ Expo

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:19:20 GMT

https://open.substack.com/pub/nicholecarminati/p/ai-expo?r=8j98fw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Rey Pickett Consulting, LLC hit the trade show circuit this year entering both the technology and defense industry spaces. The AI Expo (May 7 ^th , 2026) initiated with protestors disrupting the keynote speaker, Maria Corina Macchado’s opening speech. I was not surprised to see protestors, as the event was open to the public and registration was [surprisingly] free. Anything that whispers the letters A & I in that sequence gets attention from the media these days, and the protestors decided it was their chance to get their voices heard. Thankfully, security was on scene and there was minimal disruption as the protesters were escorted out.

The current events of the Iran War/ conflict/ insert-approved-word-here—provided an opportunity for companies in the tech and defense space to show their real-world applications of their technology. Counter-terrorism and asset-protection were overlapping themes at the Special Operations Forces show in Tampa I attended, just a few weeks after. The difference between the shows stood out when referring to the term “assets”. The AI expo assets in questions were material goods or information. The SOF show in Tampa’s focus on assets were the human users of the tech. I saw several companies at both events. Each show had a completely different energy about them. Operational security and situational awareness were handled with precision at the SOF show. There were a few moments at the show that felt very “Black Mirror” with the pack of robot dogs, a gaggle of automaton jokesters at desks waiting for a prompt to manufacture a chuckle, and android baristas scattered about steaming and pouring while looking at the line of thirsty customer with anxiety in their eyes… like a modern Rosie from “The Jetsons”.

The intelligence game is alive and well in our Nation’s capital, or so it appears. I saw booth after booth at the show all promising accurate information/ data/ intelligence with software ranging from historical records of presidential debates to maritime security in real time from the Strait of Hormuz. Our Nation’s capital was the perfect setting for a show potentially crawling with people who may be there for information gathering. As such, it seemed only fitting to end the event at the Watergate Hotel. I scanned the Top of the Gate cantina with a suspicious eye, but thankfully…I didn’t see a single plumber.

Influential Women Article published January 15th 2026

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 15:51:00 GMT

“Well, The Problem With That Is…”