I’m at Starbucks. What, again? How can this be? Well friends, that’s where the drugs er, I mean . . the . . ah coffee is. So, that’s where I go. Besides, I am currently stealing my friend Tony’s T-Mobile Internet Hotspot account so what the heck. He’s not using it right now so it won’t hurt him. Besides, it’s unlimited so let’s push that limit, dammit! Can you say limewire? I know I can.
Anyway, apparently, the internet is supposed to come crashing down around us on Thursday as a bunch of “terrorists” launch what they like to call “electronic jihad” That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it. How do we know that it will happen on Thursday? Well, a Russian internet security expert said so. So there.
Isn’t Russia one of the main countries where crackers strike at computers across the internet? Notice please, I used the word “cracker” not “hacker”. And no, I didn’t mean “cracker” as in “red neck” or whatever. I mean “cracker” as in cracker. As in someone who cracks into networks and computers where they don’t belong. Hacker used to have a good connotation but over the years has developed a bum rap. Probably due to that below average movie “Hackers” or maybe even as far back as Matthew Broderick in “War Games”. Although, I really loved “War Games”.
Now a Hacker has to identify himself as a “white hat” or “black hat” or even “grey hat” lest he be lumped into the bad hacker category immedietly. Anyway, i know some hackers and all they ever do is probe and prod to find ways into places so they can inform the people about those vulnerabilities. Not to break into or compromise systems or data.
There is even a poor hacker who did just what I am talking about but is now probably going to jail because of it. Although, what he did wasn’t completely benign. He did add his name to the list of contributors at the New York Times.
Probably not a great idea to use your real name. Oh well, he didn’t actually destroy any data or compromise the system so its a bit of a grey area. I think he deserves a stern talking to but not jail. It’s not like he started “internet jihad” or anything.
So, we will see if the internet is still here come Friday or if we are all offline. What will we do then? Read a book? Go outside? Or, God forbid, talk to other people?
No, I’ll probably just watch TV or something until this “jihad” thing blows over.
Later.
