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Book Review: "Steal This Computer Book 4.0" by Wallace Wang
By Dennis Wyman on January 15, 2010 4:26 AM | Permalink | 2 Comments
Whenever there is a trend, there will always be somebody to spoof it. Such has been one of the mantras of culture jamming: Use parody as a form of critique. Abbie Hoffman went to his trial dressed up in judicial robes to poke fun at the judge. Sub Pop sales rep Megan Jasper once fed eager reporters from the New York Times the scoop on "Grunge Speak," that was only revealed as hoax after the newspaper printed an entire column on the topic. Or Trent Reznor's Strobe Light, a not-so-subtle critical take on Chris Cornell's latest solo album disaster with Timbaland. Well, Steal This Computer Book is kinda like that.Quietly slipped into the section at your bookstore where they place all the "For Dummies" computer manuals and security books, Steal This Computer Book is, on the surface, a parody of the internet security frenzy, which, if you catch the hype-driven stories of "rogue computer hackers and e-terrorism" on the mainstream news media, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Steal This Computer Book delves not only into real-world security issues, but into the hacker mentality in general. Presented in the form of a technical manual, the book is divided into chapters, each discussing a specific topic, ranging from viruses and malware to filesharing to identity theft to con artists and much more. However, rather than approach these topics with a particular point of view, Wang describes them objectively in plain english so even some of the most novice users can get an idea of how things work. For example, when talking about trojan horses, Wang explains the basics of how they operate and how they get into your system, followed up with how they are created.
Continue reading Book Review: "Steal This Computer Book 4.0" by Wallace Wang.
Popularity of Constitutional Amendments Ranked by Facebook Users
By Dennis Wyman on October 30, 2009 1:37 AM | Permalink | 1 Comment
Social networking has done a lot for us these days. We can more and more easily converse with distant friends, find new friends based on similar interests, or find new enemies to harass based on opposing interests. And no one website has proved itself more valuable to catering to people with a wide range of interests than Facebook.The fan page feature is one of the more interesting areas of the social networking behemoth. Not only can you become a "fan" of your favorite things, but for journalistic types such as myself, it becomes an invaluable tool for instant polling results of your average internet populace. People of all ages and demographics are using the site, so you can easily cross-compare the popularity of various interests. I'll admit right now that it is far from the most accurate source of opinion data, but more times than not, it provides a decent snapshot. (Or, at least some very interesting numbers.)
So we decided to scour the Facebook fan pages to determine the popularity of amendments to the Bill of Rights, that lovely piece of paper that us Americans like to flaunt so proudly over other countries. But how exactly do we feel about the so-called "rights" the Bill of Rights provides? To Facebook!
Continue reading Popularity of Constitutional Amendments Ranked by Facebook Users.
On Balloons, Hoaxes and Media Frenzies
By Dennis Wyman on October 20, 2009 4:15 PM | Permalink | No Comments
I really hate the mainstream news media. I really do.No doubt by now, you've all heard of the story of the boy trapped in a balloon that turned out to be an elaborate hoax. The reason I say "no doubt" is the 24/7 news coverage this story has gotten over the past week. As soon as the makeshift aircraft went up in the air with a boy supposedly inside it several thousand feet in the air, a media frenzy descended upon Fort Collins, Colorado, eager to capitalize on the harrowing story of a boy on the brink of death.
So everything else was literally dropped, and "Balloon Boy" had quickly become the only footage on TV as the entirety of America was glued to their sets waiting to see Balloon Boy's craft crash and get a glimpse of the child's entrails shoveled into the back of an ambulance so they'd have something to talk about at work the next day.
Needless to say, ratings skyrocketed and fed the frenzy, and with broadcasters going as far to proclaim that it could not possibly be a hoax. In fact, when the solid balloon crashed, the only possible scenario was that the boy had somehow passed through the solid walls of the balloon and fell from it and a manhunt was organized to find his pieces. Because after all, it could not possibly be a hoax, right?
Continue reading On Balloons, Hoaxes and Media Frenzies.
Being Homeless in STYLE
By Dennis Wyman on August 19, 2009 4:42 PM | Permalink | No Comments
What happens when you mix urban decay with a homeless gypsy ingenuity? Why, you end up with the Shopping Cart Camper, which requires nothing more than a stray shopping cart and one of those junk popup campers people give away for scrap on Craigslist.A working, fully-functional camper, it has a crank-arm that lifts the roof from its storage position, with two day-benches that can convert to a bed for two. Diagrams describing the features of the camper mention it as "superior to all tents," with a bed 44 inches off the ground, "good for flood prone camp sites."
Though this is only half of what he has available. Browsing around Kevin's website also brings you to the Camper Bike, a 3 wheel bicycle with a full camper built onto the back of it. Looking quite like something you'd expect to see in a dystopian Blade Runner environment, or perhaps the back alleys of a Jet Set Radio game, it certainly could provide a great place to rest and relax after a long day of panhandling at the end of the highway's exit ramp. Just make sure to chain it up before enterprising thieves snatch it to sell for scrap metal.Both of these projects, as well as Kevin's various paintings, can be found on his homepage, KevinCyr.net.
Continue reading Being Homeless in STYLE.
Quit Waiting For A Revolution
By Dennis Wyman on August 18, 2009 3:54 AM | Permalink | No Comments
Inaction.
This one word pretty much defines the state of Western society, and it is one that most of you are likely guilty of as well. Pure inaction. There are not a whole lot of people out there willing to stand up for what they believe in, or live the words they preach to others. It has always been human nature to retreat to familiar safe surroundings, both in the physical realm and in terms of ideals. Do you want to know why there are so few radicals? Because everybody is too afraid to rock the boat or challenge their own worldview.
I know to some I will be preaching the obvious, but I hope this may serve as a wake-up call to others. Specifically, this little rant is for the people who already have started to think for themselves, but just are not really doing anything.
This one word pretty much defines the state of Western society, and it is one that most of you are likely guilty of as well. Pure inaction. There are not a whole lot of people out there willing to stand up for what they believe in, or live the words they preach to others. It has always been human nature to retreat to familiar safe surroundings, both in the physical realm and in terms of ideals. Do you want to know why there are so few radicals? Because everybody is too afraid to rock the boat or challenge their own worldview.
I know to some I will be preaching the obvious, but I hope this may serve as a wake-up call to others. Specifically, this little rant is for the people who already have started to think for themselves, but just are not really doing anything.
Continue reading Quit Waiting For A Revolution.
Graffiti Research Lab and L.A.S.E.R. Tag
By Dennis Wyman on August 11, 2009 10:48 PM | Permalink | 1 Comment
For those in the know, these guys are nothing new, and even if you haven't heard of them, you may have already witnessed this innovative graffiti technique that can get a message out there, but won't get you busted by law enforcement for vandalism.What am I talking about? Graffiti Research Lab, and their method of choice for painting your neighborhood walls: L.A.S.E.R. Tag.
Hit the jump to read more.
Continue reading Graffiti Research Lab and L.A.S.E.R. Tag.
Current Earth Status: Not Destroyed
By Dennis Wyman on September 10, 2008 7:15 PM | Permalink | 1 Comment
[19:11] <UncleMeat> what's that image?[19:11] <capn|away> the large hadron collider is turned on today
[19:11] <capn|away> that image goes on our home page to alert people if the earth is destroyed
[19:11] <UncleMeat> oh I think I heard about that
[19:11] <UncleMeat> black holes or something, eh?
[19:12] <capn|away> and STRANGELETS
[19:12] <capn|away> if one strangelet touches normal matter
[19:12] <capn|away> it turns it into STRANGE MATTER
[19:12] <capn|away> and starts a chain reaction that doesnt stop until the entire earth is converted into strange matter
[19:12] <UncleMeat> sweet
[19:12] <capn|away> i know, right?
[19:13] <UncleMeat> I'd love to be officially strange
Continue reading Current Earth Status: Not Destroyed.
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