non·ver·sa·tion (n
n
v
r-s
shn)
n.
Snagged this from William Gibson’s blog. Speaks for itself, I think.
The Hacker Manifesto
by
+++The Mentor+++
Written January 8, 1986
Another one got caught today, it’s all over the papers. “Teenager Arrested in Computer Crime Scandal”, “Hacker Arrested after Bank Tampering”
Damn kids. They’re all alike.
But did you, in your three-piece psychology and 1950’s technobrain, ever take a look behind the eyes of the hacker? Did you ever wonder what made him tick, what forces shaped him, what may have molded him?
I am a hacker, enter my world.
Mine is a world that begins with school. I’m smarter than most of the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me.
Damn underachiever. They’re all alike.
I’m in junior high or high school. I’ve listened to teachers explain for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction. I understand it. “No, Ms. Smith, I didn’t show my work. I did it in my head.”
Damn kid. Probably copied it. They’re all alike.
I made a discovery today. I found a computer. Wait a second, this is cool. It does what I want it to. If it makes a mistake, it’s because I screwed it up. Not because it doesn’t like me. Or feels threatened by me. Or thinks I’m a smart ass. Or doesn’t like teaching and shouldn’t be here.
Damn kid. All he does is play games. They’re all alike.
And then it happened. D door opened to a world, rushing through the phone line like heroin through an addict’s veins, an electronic pulse is sent out, a refuge from the day-to-day incompetencies is sought. A board is found. “This is it… this is where I belong…” I know everyone here, even if I’ve never met them, never talked to them, may never hear from them again. I know you all.
Damn kid. Tying up the phone line again. They’re all alike.
You bet your ass we’re all alike. We’ve been spoon-fed baby food at school when we hungered for steak. The bits of meat that you did let slip through were pre-chewed and tasteless. We’ve been dominated by sadists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that had something to teach found us willing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.
This is our world now, the world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We make use of a service already existing without paying for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn’t run by profiteering gluttons, and you call us criminals. We explore and you call us criminals. We seek after knowledge and you call us criminals. We exist without skin color, without nationality, without religious bias and you call us criminals. You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us and try to make us believe it’s for our own good, yet we’re the criminals.
Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. My crime is that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like. My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me for.
I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto. You may stop this individual, but you can’t stop us all. After all, we’re all alike.
Yoinked from the virtual hands of Headless Hollow, this choose-your-own-adventure is the culmination of a project I’ve been following since it first appeared on A List Apart. Bravo.
I tried (with limited success) to do something similar with my Earthdawn site. I will be updating that site very soon with all new hotness.
In a continuing effort to better myself, I will be attending the Winter Wonderland Workshop in Chicago, my first official training in stage combat since I was in high school. It is my goal to eventually become a certified Fight Director under the Society of American Fight Directors within the next five years.
The next time I can likely be certified would be at a three week conference in July in Las Vegas. While I’d love to do this, the ~$2000 price tag (not including room and board) combined with the necessity of taking so much time away from work is likely to be a bit more than I can manage.
Perhaps I can barter my web skills to offset some of the costs. Wish me luck, if you’re so inclined.
In an earth-shattering fusion of band nerdery and button-mashing glee, some high school kids make their mark.
Mario Unleashed [google video]
See also: Ben Plays Mario [embedded mpeg, OFN]
The grim and intriguing story of Michael Malloy.
New additions to steelbuddha.net:
1. Google search in sidebar makes me money.
2. Google ads in sidebar make me money. You see something you might want to buy, you click it. Simple.
3. Explorer Destroyer spreads Firefox love… and makes me money.
4. I’m taking pre-orders for this shirt:
Model and t-shirt image stolen without compunction from American Apparel. Shirts will likely be bought elsewhere.
This shaved-head tattooed guy is standing in front of an ice cream truck; that’s appropriate.
I hadda hack BB’s site to get this link, but it was worth it.
Random Chuck Norris Fact: Top Thirty Facts
See also: Vin Diesel top 30 and Mr. T top 30.
Remember those old middle school games where you would fantasize about what your life would be like? What city you would live in, what car you would drive, how many kids you would have, etc?
Well, I’m not driving a tricked out Ford Aerostar with superhero-like accoutrements. I don’t have the two kids I thought I would; the ones I do have are disappointing to say the least*. The closest I have to a pool and helicopter are a little spot of drool on my pillow in the morning and a broken clock whose hands spin too fast.
But, I was right about one thing: Vancouver is the best place in the world to live. [ via Headless Hollow ]
Don’t believe me? Don’t believe the EIU? Cast your doubting eyes on this bit of knowledge and prepare to eat crow, non-believer!
I wonder if I can claim that as a religious holiday.
* – I don’t actually have kids. Don’t call Social Services on me.
