F R E Q U E N C Y : inside the hacker mind FREQ22 JULY 2002 Cover - http://bobandchad.com/hackermind/images/Freq22.gif =============================== 1. “Summer of the Hacker” 2. Don’t Support This Site 3. The Rights of the People 4. Firestorm: The Essence of the Flame 5. Altering Login Screen Text 6. Tragedy, Media and Marketing 7. The MPAA Speaks For Itself 8. Random Stuff From the Net 9. Crosstalk 10. Closing Arguments 11. Crew =============================== “The important thing is not to stop questioning.” -Albert Einstein 1. “Summer of the Hacker” Greetings, salutations, and other pleasantries to you, the beholder of this newest issue of Frequency. Rather than the usual rant about the wrongs of the world, I decided to open this issue with a sense of hope, and oddly enough, good news. July 2002 is almost upon us, and that means it’s nearly time for H2K2 (Hackers on Planet Earth 2002) in New York City. Yes, that’s right, the fourth HOPE conference will be here within a month, and you can already feel the excitement in the air. But of course, it wouldn’t be right of us to simply attend a conference and leave it at that…no no, you know us better. On top of attending the conference, Hackermind Productions will be assembling a mini-documentary to chronicle its events. Most people bring back pictures, we’ll bring back video. What’s that? You want to be a part of the video? Why of course that’s possible. If you haven’t spotted us the first day of the conference, simply get on the ConLine (305-503-6666 ext 947) at midnight and we’ll announce where we’re located in the network room. Feel free to drop by and say hi. Speaking of videos, we’ll be a creating a second mini-documentary that deals with the creation of HAN II: The Second Hackermind All Nighter, which is scheduled to air July 10th at 11pm eastern. There’s been some confusion as to what the video will actually contain, so allow us to clarify. “Beyond HAN II” will feature the best moments from HAN II, as well as behind the scenes footage of just what goes into making an All Nighter. Is picking up Dash at the airport really relevant to the All Nighter? No…but neither is the drinking competition we’ll have on there. If you want to order either video, please email me at screamer@hackermind.net and leave your name and mailing address. There’s no need to send money yet of course, but people who write in will be guaranteed to receive it first. In other news, more hackers have been creating a new type of “gray hat” image lately. I’ve expressed my personal beliefs about hackers that do nothing but help corporations, it’s good to help people, but we must be wary of how we let ourselves be perceived. A hacker such as Adrian Lamo, who seems to do nothing but help big business with network security, may still do more harm than good to the average hacker who does no damage, but does not help the business they hack. These people are doing exactly what Mr. Lamo does, only they choose not to save themselves by explaining what they did, and yet they’re still seen as evil for doing so. For that reason alone, Mr. Lamo’s image may be a damaging one. Instead of people liking hackers for being curious and going against the mold to learn the truth, they will now ONLY like them if they help those that they hack. Regardless of how you feel on the matter, I think many of us can agree that hackers should be seen as a good thing (or at least not an evil thing) without having to fit a certain mold, whatever that may be. I should clarify that this is nothing personal against Mr. Lamo, I’m certain he’s an extremely talented individual. In fact, I almost feel sorry that his image has been so blown out of proportion, because that is what’s hurting hackers the world over. His actions are of his own choice, but the media, by explaining why he’s a “good hacker,” are merely making the rest of us criminals. Then again, some things never change. Have you ever found yourself confronted by someone who knows a lot about computers, and who explains to you how several hackers got credit card numbers from online businesses? It’s a tough situation to be in, especially when you want to defend the hacker name. What do you say? Do you tell them that it could have been pissed off employees? No, that won’t work…because they’ll still see those pissed off employees as “hackers.” Do you explain that there’s a difference between having credit card numbers and actually using them? No, they won’t know the difference between possessing information and using information. So what can you do? I’ve found that there are many who will never be convinced that hackers are anything but a menace, but that there are also others out there who will gladly listen. By explaining that someone should merely choose their words more carefully, because the majority of hackers out there are simply in it for the fun of it, maybe we can help some people realize why they’re not so bad. Of course, there will always be those that are convinced that if one hacker breaks the law, they all break the law. Odd…few people feel that ALL doctors molest their patients, and yet some do…. And finally, some bad news. CARP lives, and it would appear that internet radio is on it’s way down the drain. Apparently, non commercial broadcasters will now have to pay a retroactive fee of .02 cents per song/per listener for everything they’ve ever played since 1998. Originally this introduction spoke about how it had been rejected, well it turns out it was only rejected so that prices could be lowered. But anyone who runs a non commercial station will agree, any price for a per listener/per song basis is too high. We’re talking nearly 3000 dollars a year for a station that makes no money whatsoever! The reason behind this? Internet radio allows the people to decide what they like, as opposed to all the commercial stations on the radio waves today that tell people what to enjoy. Do you honestly believe Pink or N’Sync would be as popular as they are without corporate backing? Do you really think everyone and their mother would be buying “The Eminem Show” if it wasn’t being played all over the radio, day in and day out? The simple answer is no. You buy what you hear on the radio, it’s as easy as that. And when no one but the corporate world can decide what you listen to, you buy exactly what they want you to buy. Online radio threatened that monopoly, allowing people all over the globe to share music of all sorts, and finally take some of the power out of the RIAA’s hands. Now, thanks to the wealthy folks that ordered CARP to be passed, internet radio is slowly dying. What does this mean for Hackermind? Nothing as of this writing, considering our servers broadcast from Canada in the form of Rant Radio. However, with Tariff 22 about to be passed up there, it’ll only be a matter of time before Rant can no longer afford to stay on the air. With that, Hackermind will be forced to either broadcast from it’s own personal server, or merely archive recorded shows. I think we can all agree having a live show is a lot more entertaining, but that’s the power the corporate world has. Many sites have shutdown because they cannot afford the cost of broadcasting, but we at Hackermind will never pay these outrageous fees. Like 2600, we may be signaling our own demise, but it’s better to go down fighting than give in and let them walk all over us. Even if Hackermind does get shutdown by the greed of the world, it would go down in a blaze of glory that would send a message to everyone who broadcasts: Fight back. People have changed ludicrous laws before, and we can change them again. And with that, I welcome you to Freq22. -screamer ========================================================================= 2. *** Don’t Support This Site *** By: Leland D. Peng It’s sickening. Everywhere you turn it’s banner ads, pop ups, and other sleazy (more obtrusive) tactics used to stuff a product in your face. We’ve all had it happen, you’re checking out your favorite site when suddenly you realize there are about 17 pop under’s on your desktop. Next, the inevitable happens, your computer freezes for a few moments, and if you’re one of those unlucky Win98 users you probably have to restart. But this article is not about the low tactics some will take to put their product under your nose, it’s about the sites that host them. It’s almost commonplace to go to a media owned site such as eonline.com and see an ad stick itself to the screen, blocking whatever it was you were reading. In fact, it’s become so commonplace that we actually find ourselves anticipating it. I know when I go to a site, I almost never start reading the text right away. There’s bound to be some sort of advertisement that has to interrupt, and annoy, me first. Then again, if this is so commonplace why write an article about it? Perhaps the best reason is to prevent you, the reader and site viewer, from falling into a trap and buying the lies so many sites dish out. But also, at a lower level, this article is meant to discourage more free and open minded sites from going down this same path. I’ve seen it a thousand times. “This site relies on banner ads and pop ups to stay alive. People don’t understand how expensive it is to maintain this site. Please donate money to keep us alive.” Blah, blah, blah…. Amazing, isn’t it? Some sites, such as hackermind.net for the sake of argument, manage to stay free of both cost and banner ads, while others insist it’s costing them an arm and a leg. I don’t mean to sound like Hackermind is the only site out there like this of course, I’m merely using them as an example since it seems to be appropriate considering this is their ezine. As a technical assistant on the site, we’re constantly finding ways of doing things for free, or at least cheaper than usual. There was a time when even the name “hackermind.net” was registered for free! This soon changed, but now it only costs about 20 dollars a year. Broadcasting? Done through free services, and with help from the kind people at rantradio.com. Bandwidth? Storage? Not that much, maybe another 20 to pay a site on the net to store the files. These sites do exist, so ignore anyone that tells you it costs 400 dollars a year to store files, there’s no reason to pay so much. And there you have it, about 40 dollars a year. Time is a different issue of course, but as far as money there’s not a lot spent. Why then, do so many sites insist they need money to survive? Are they being honest and just not creative enough to find a free way? Or, god forbid, are they trying to make a quick buck off of their visitors? Oh, I hear it now… “Sorry Peng, I run my site on my own machines…do you know how much it costs to maintain those servers?” Yes, yes I do…you set up a machine using Linux and protect it the best you can with free, open source software. Bandwidth? Well if you can’t deal with it, put your files on a different part of the net and keep the ones on your main machine as backups. Cheap, cheap, cheap…where’s the big costs you’re referring to? Does it really cost something to post a news item, or upload a file, or keep an eye on log files? The answer is, no. The bottom line is that sites only ask for money because they either have no creativity, or wish to scam their visitors. I’ve seen it on so many sites it’s not even funny, but let’s not jump to any hasty conclusions. I’m not condemning the content of the sites, some of them are very good. I am, however, condemning those in charge. There’s no NEED for pop ups. There’s no NEED for banner ads. There are better ways of doing things, and these ways can be secure. All you need is a little imagination. In fact, the next time you see a site that claims to rely on banner ads, or asks for donations, or whatever…do this: Download their entire site, every single file they have, and find out how much space it takes up. Now you’ll know how much space they really need. Then find out if there are any cheaper ways of storing that data, such as through online webspace providers (as opposed to buying 80 gig hard drives every week). And finally, ask the webmaster to list all of his or her expenses for the site, and how much everything will cost. You, as a person being forced to view these annoying ads or pay donations, have a right to know where your money is going. Does the webmaster ignore you? Does he or she get very upset when you ask? If so, maybe it’s because they can’t justify where that money goes…or don’t want to admit it goes straight into their pocket while the site stays up costing them next to nothing. Or does the webmaster go through with this, and list each and everything they need money for? If this is the case, look through the list. See if the banners justify the cost, and if the equipment justifies the site. Some insist they need to pay for T3 lines, I say only cnn.com needs bandwidth that big. Your site might not be the absolute most reliable in the world, but it’ll be up far more times than it’s down. But again, the decision of whether the cost is justified or not is up to you. Before I close, I would like to say I invite any and all criticisms. I know many of you will want to vent about how expensive security is, or how much you pay each year, but before you write please make sure you understood what my article was saying. There are better, and cheaper, ways to do things. Hackermind, and other free sites, rely on free, open source software to get their point across. The only banner you will ever see may come along with a free webboard or service, but Hackermind never makes a dime from them. Again, hackermind.net is not the end all, be all of free sites. 2600.com is another example, although it’s easy to argue they have a magazine and make a ton of money. However you feel, I hope this article has given you something to think about. And maybe the next time you see that famous line “This site relies on banner ads to stay alive,” or some administrator claims to be using the money “for the site” you’ll remember what I said and shove that bullshit right back in their face. WAA! =========================================================================== 3. *** The Rights of the People *** By: Evo Tech I have a question for you. Are you a good citizen? All right, all right, enough with the laughter. I'm being serious. Are you a good citizen? Yes or no? No? Well, at least you can admit it. Read on to see just how bad of a citizen you may be. Yes? Let's test that theory. Read on. I'm writing this under the assumption that those of you, who are eligible, are registered voters. Because that one vote, is our one right. Our one way to change the future. For better or for worse. But is that all we have? Is that our only option, our only course of actions to affect the minds and votes of our leaders? Let's hope not. Because if voting is our only recourse, it's not enough. Now, to the beginning. I play paintball. Some of you have no doubt heard of this. Some of you have probably even shot road signs with a "paintball gun" (we, in the sport, call them "markers") you bought from Wal*Mart. But either way, this isn't the point. Much like the hacker and the phreaker, the paintball player faces many political and media hurdles which he or she, to further his or her own interests (be it hacking, phreaking or paintballing), must overcome. I was faced with a dilemma I felt I could help. There was soon to be a vote in my state on a law, which would affect paintball. I thought, hey, if I can sway some representatives, maybe this could have a favorable outcome. But then I realized something. I had NO IDEA how to do this. So I set out on my quest for knowledge. As our kind do. I'll probably repeat this a million times, but this information was not hard to come by. It's ALL out there. You just have to look. But then I realized something. I'm not stupid, I had no problems passing any of my courses through out my education. I quickly realized however, that I was never taught any of this. Which means that if I wasn't taught how to grab the attention of those in charge, chances are that not many other people have been taught these things either. Hmmmm.. Okay, here's the point. About time, eh? We, the people, the voting public, and the youths soon to be voting, are not taught our rights. Yes, you get to know the Bill of Rights and the Constitution quite well in Civics classes, but that's not what I mean. What I mean is, we are not taught how to affect our ALREADY ELECTED officials. When an important vote is called for, that I feel strongly in one way or another, how do I, as an individual, affect said officials? I don't do I. I don't like that. And that's the point. I don't like the fact that myself, and the generations after me are not being taught and are not going to be taught how to sway the minds of elected officials. This includes town or city mayors, town or city officials, county officials, representatives, state representatives, congressmen and women, Supreme Court judges, and even the president. Maybe that's a stretch. But a law doesn't come before old G.W. unless Congress and The House approve it. That's why we have that "Checks and Balances" thing. If I can affect things on that level, I might be happy. But here's the thing. We CAN affect those officials. We can change things. Most of us just don't know how. Not because we're stupid. But because no one ever taught us how to. And we all rely heavily on what we are taught. Like it or not, it's all we have. But why aren't we taught how to use this power? Yes, there's another good point Evo. Why thank you. Why aren't we taught to use these rights? I don't know. Maybe the government never thought about it. Maybe the government wants us all to be a little more like cattle. Maybe they fear the individual having power. Who knows? Not I. I do know that certain disagreeable government officials would not be as happy as they are now if more individuals knew how and where to e-mail their complaints to. Or even had his or her office's phone number. We can never forget that these people work for US. The public. We need to make them listen to us again. When was the last time you heard of a new government mandate or law and thought "You know, that is a really good idea"?? Been awhile? Look, this information is NOT hard to come by. It's not like these people are hiding their office phone numbers or e-mail addresses. A simple Google search will get you half way there. But the availability of the information isn't my complaint. All the information in the world is out there somewhere. You just have to find it. My complaint is that this information, which I feel is vital to this nation, is not being put directly in the faces of the general public, and the younger soon to be voters. But let us look into the future of this issue. What if these issues were actually addressed by the proper officials, and they decided, hey let's do something about this? What could they do? I have some thoughts on that too. But you knew that, didn't you? My suggestion is this, and this is most definitely not the best: I say this should be a required course in High School education. Granted, most High School students aren't going to care or even pay any attention, but there may be a few. Even if those few are all that do get reached, that's enough for me. Why? Bear with me here. If we can educate only a chosen few, then I will be happy. All of the voting populous needs to be educated in their personal political muscle, but as it stands now, anything would be an improvement. I go to work everyday, and it is confirmed to me that almost all my fellow Americans, save for a select few, are IDIOTS. I'd feel much better about the future of our nation if I didn't hear the voting populous spouting sayings like: "We should just kill all those damn towel headed camel lovers!" or the constant moaning and complaining about the state of our nation, but no motivation to do anything about it. If there were more people out there with simple intelligence, I'd be happier. Do I mean more people like me? Nope. I'm probably one of the worst examples of a citizen there is. But I'm willing to change. The idiocy that surrounds me on a daily basis is down right stifling. I've always believed that the individual is responsible for his or her every action. Everything you do is your responsibility. No one else should be taking the blame for you. But even I have to admit; these people are simply products of their environments. Closed-minded, un-educated environments, but all the same nonetheless. But if a course like this would give some kid, ANY kid, the realization that they do have power, and that they have the possibility to change things, then all for the better. If in my days journeys I am blessed enough to speak with one intelligent person, it has been a good day. Would a High School course such as this make intelligent children? No. But it may motivate a special few to conduct a similar quest to mine. A lot of you will say that as individuals we have no real power; that our only power is in large numbers. True. To an extent. But I'm not happy with that. If I feel strongly about something, I should have the right to affect my elected officials on my own. And I do have that right. I'm just not very sure of how to use it. But let us not kid ourselves here. Our greatest strength will always be in our numbers. No doubt you all have friends and contacts who feel similar about most issues as you do. Say you get them all together and rally them up to defend their position, and make other believe as they do. They are all armed with knowledge of your subject or cause. Now, to which direction do you point them. Where do you tell them to go. To whom do you tell them to speak? Don't know? Whish you were a little more educated in how to do these things? I know I wish you were. I wish I were too. Again, there is our point. I don't know how to use my political weapons. Many of you probably don't either. Maybe there's something we can do about it. This is it for now. I think I'm done. Maybe this was stupid, maybe it made an impression. I hope it did. And I hope you all decide to learn how to use your powers, and use them well. With the powers at our disposal, we may just be able to make a future for this country yet. Now, you'll notice I didn't tell you how to affect these things. That is a journey you will benefit from on your own. After all, you shouldn't simply adopt my prattling about truths or knowledge as your own. And you shouldn't adopt anyone else's either. Find your own truths. Find your own knowledge. Evo out. ============================================================================ Page 2 -->4. *** Firestorm: The Essence of the Flame *** By: JayX My reasons for writing this are twofold: first, I want to explain the difference between flaming and discussing, and second, I will attempt to explain why people flame. What I do not propose to do is find a solution for this problem, as I really don’t believe one exists. First off, what is a flame? Simply put, a flame is a (for the most part) needless post that does little more than express hostile feelings toward another person, usually by way of message board. We’ve all seen the posts, they look a little something like this: “J00 A N00B! GET YOUR PANSY ASS OUTTA HERE NOW FUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” However, this is not the only type of flame. While perhaps the most easily recognizable, it should be noted there are many other forms of flaming. Some of these flames are cleverly disguised as serious comments, but serve no purpose other than insulting someone else. Commonly people will pretend to be acting seriously, usually going so far as to wish everyone a nice day at the end or something to that effect, when in reality the post they just created was anything but friendly. One such post may look like this: “I thank you for your meaningless comments. Your childish behavior and otherwise petty skills have shown me you know absolutely nothing about what you’re talking about, and therefore I bid you a good day sir.” Here’s where we get into the difference between flaming, and discussion. The person that wrote the calmer flame above may seem to be merely expressing themselves, but in reality they’re only adding fuel to an already raging fire. They show no facts behind their statements, and never once explain their position. The same could probably be said for whatever they were replying to, and in the end, we wind up with a long post that has no substance other than the newest flame. If that is the case, then what exactly would make the statement above a discussion? Most notably, the inclusion of some relevant facts or references. Facts, references, and other forms of hard evidence will provide your post with a more mature feel as well as give it merit. After all, when you read a post like the one above the only feeling you experience is one of anger. You’re most likely furious by the authors tone and probably want to sit down and right back a nice flame yourself, and so on and so on. An example of a discussion follows: “I understand what you’re saying. However, if you look at the site I linked to above you will notice some very significant facts. The reason I said what I did is to bring this to everyone’s attention, not to create feelings of hostility. I’m sorry for upsetting you so greatly, but I do hope you understand what I’m saying. Perhaps you don’t agree, but then again, that’s the beauty of free speech.” This statement clearly conveys a statement, and the statement is a simple one. “I’m not trying to do anything but this and that…” etc. To this, the other half of the flame war would have almost nothing to flame about, as the author has clearly explained their position without using any further negative comments. That, after all, is truly the essence of the flame…negative comments. When you talk like an ass, people will treat you like one. Instead, calmly explain yourself and let facts be your guide…you’ll find yourself on top of almost every conversation. Of course, this will not get rid of flaming. With that in mind, what causes it in the first place? We’ve all felt it, that pain of anger in the pit of your stomach after reading something someone said. They’re dead wrong, and worse yet, the probably think the coolest person on the planet! Thoughts like this, along with others, typically lead people to jot down their expressions of anger, often without thinking. I’m sure you’ve done it too; wrote out a long reply that clearly stated why you were so upset at the other person. Later, you may have looked back and regretted it, or perhaps you calmed down before reaching the end and never hit the post button. Whatever the case, the desire to flame spawns from anger. And of course, that anger is brought about by negative comments in someone else’s post. These comments may not have even been directly aimed at you, perhaps they were simply foolish statements that upset you. Regardless, people flame because it’s a great relief. And people flame because it’s a lot easier than proving their point through calm, well thought out conversation. “He flamed me, I have to flame him!” is a common feeling among people. There’s always that one person who won’t listen to reason, or won’t even bother to understand. Those are the people that keep the flame wars going, along with the attitudes and egos of everyone that posts on message boards. I could not begin to suggest a way of stopping this, it deals with human nature, which is extremely difficult to alter. What I can do though, is show you the best way to win a flame war. The best way, as I said before, is by explaining yourself calmly. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I destroy my enemy by making him my friend.” Truer words were never spoken. ============================================================================ 5. *** Altering Login Screen Text *** By: Opti-Con After reading JayX's article 'Storing Files without a Trace' in Issue 21, I was thinking of ways to change the login screen as he talked about in the article. The best way to do this that I came up with to still maintain the visually exact same login screen is to insert a space right after the closing parentheses surrounding the word blueboy. For example: Note: Double back-slashes inserted for visual understanding. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Regular Login: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beginning of Login Screen Text ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BlueCap Linux 2.4.15 ( blueboy )// login: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ End of Login Screen Text $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ The double back-slashes show that a space is not present after the ending parenthesy surrounding the word blueboy. Altered Login: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beginning of Login Screen Text ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BlueCap Linux 2.4.15 ( blueboy ) // login: ################## End of Login Screen Text ######################## The double back-slashes show that a space is present after the ending parentheses surrounding the word blueboy. -------------------------------------------------------------------- With this altered login, the only way to detect that the screen text has changed is to compare the original file size (being the size of the file before the alteration ) with the new file size ( being the size of the file after the alteration ). The comparison would have to be made in bits to see a difference and the difference would be only one bit since one space is worth only one bit. Now, how many administrators out there actually keep track of all their sizes of their files to the bit? ============================================================================= 6. *** Tragedy, Media and Marketing *** By: JonKatz (as originally posted on slashdot.org) If only H.L. Mencken or A.J. Liebling were still around to weigh in on the kidnapping stories suffusing our media lately. Alas, they're not. They wouldn't even be able to find work these days. And too bad. If healthy media criticism still existed, someone might have pointed out the insane hype that shrouded tragedies like the death of Princess Di and TWA Flight 800. Pandering media hype isn't new to people who've been on the Net or the Web. Just consider the hacking and porno scares and insane coverage of offspring companies like Microsoft and Amazon. Why does a case like the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart get so much attention when others just as horrific get none at all? The answer is as obvious as it is depressing. Magazine and newspaper critics -- like Liebling, Mencken and I.F. Stone -- once wrote bitingly and insightfully about the greed, hypocrisy and warped values of the people who ran conventional news organizations, and about how those traits affected media coverage. This criticism gave us some context with which to grasp and comprehend what we were reading and seeing. But as media became increasingly corporatized in the 80s and 90s, such critics vanished. Media criticism turned into celebrity journalism, with a growing focus on media moguls and TV superstars. Even greedy capitalists like Bill Gates were fawned over by the toughest reporters and critics, when they should have been paying more attention to his business practices. Every now and then, however, an old and new media issue pops up. It's disingenuous for media gasbags to wonder why the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart from Salt Lake City gets tides of media hype while the kidnapping of 7-year-old Alexis Patterson from Milwaukee gets so little. We know why. The answer has been the same for years now, and only gets more clear with each corporate acquisition of a media property: modern media is about making money, and that depends entirely on selecting stories that entertain, titillate, blow up or confront. Last week, CNN devoted a whole program to the mysterious process by which some tragedies -- the Death of Di to name one -- get staggering amounts of media coverage, while others -- like Mother Teresa's death the same week -- merit relatively little. CNN's high-minded panelists debated whether racism was the issue: Smart is a rich white kid, Alexis Patterson is poor and black. Is there a double standard? Others suggested Smart's parents were understandably working to promote media coverage, to involve more people in searching for their daughter. But this dichotomous coverage is familiar to Net veterans. Kevin Mitnick got as much media coverage in our time as Al Capone, even though he never killed anybody. Hacking gets vastly more media attention than assault or robbery, cyber-porn more than the newsstand kind. Media are always selective about what makes them hysterical. It was striking to realize that none of CNN's panelists came close to the simple truth: media are market-driven, not idea-substance-or-content driven. Even the once-staid weekly newsmagazines are as likely as not to have movie stars on their covers, despite the number of important stories worthy of coverage. Cable channels, newspapers and newsmagazines cater to wealthy people -- no matter what color -- because those are the consumers advertisers want to reach. To some degree, this has always been true. But as more media have been taken over by massive corporations like AOL Time-Warner, Disney and General Electric, the process has vastly accelerated. News gets marketed just like cereal. Numbers rule. Ratings shape not only news coverage, but our very perceptions of the news. Such companies don't decide not to cover Alexis Patterson because she's poor and black. Profoundly pragmatic and opportunistic, they'd be happy to exploit blacks as well as whites, if the demographics worked. They don't cover Alexis Patterson's abduction because poor viewers in Milwaukee or elsewhere have nothing to do with ratings, ad revenue or profit margins. Blonde kids from wealthy families in Salt Lake City do. Even so-called serious media like the New York Times and Washington Post are market-driven, focused increasingly on high-end consumer products spawned by digital technology, and on entertainment and controversy. The Times runs several weekly sections brazenly aimed at affluent second home buyers, wine connoisseurs and other high-end consumers. Stories about redecorating million-dollar cottages don't appear because they're newsworthy, but because they draw readers with money, thus advertisers with revenue. The Elizabeth Smarts of the world will always trump the Alexis Pattersons. Modern media online or off, aren't steered by editors and producers making moral and creative judgments, but by business conglomerates, lawyers, analysts and market researchers. Their sole imperative: generate controversy (a la Monica Lewinsky), select stories that draw the most desirable readers and generate the greatest profits. This principle is evident in media coverage of computing and software as well, and has been for years. Stories about the Net invariably center on marketing -- what will make the most money, or what might be of interest to frightened and confused parents, rather than what is significant. Look how much coverage child pornography online gets, and how little coverage there is of truly revolutionary techno-stories, from gene mapping to AI. And most Americans have never even heard of open source, let alone had the chance to consider it's many implications. Intellectual property and copyright laws have been re-written, thanks to digital technology, yet these stories get sporadic and incomplete coverage. Media debates about story judgment and ethics are often this hypocritical and disingenuous, mostly because critics and panelists aren't really free to speak the truth -- moral media died decades ago. From Princess Di to terrorism to kidnapping, stories grow in a hyper-information environment, one which promotes argument and hysteria and, increasingly, filters out the lives of poor, ordinary, or non-marketable people. Modern media takes stories and filters them through an increasingly sophisticated marketing machine.Online, blogs and small sites are freer than conventional journalists to set a broader agenda, but their audiences remain small and fragmented. Thus, there's no mystery about why Elizabeth Smart's kidnapping gets so much more attention than that of other kids. The only mystery is how long it will take the media -- and more importantly, the public -- to understand and acknowledge the reality of their own new, intensely corporate, value system. =========================================================================== 7. *** The MPAA Speaks For Itself *** June 4, 2002 BROADCAST FLAG STATEMENT BY JACK VALENTI MPAA is very pleased that a broad, multi-industry consensus has been reached on the fundamental aspects of a technology, called the "broadcast flag." This broad consensus between the consumer electronics, information technology and content communities is a sizable accomplishment. It confirms that it is possible for a disparate group of people to come together in a good faith discussion. Implementation of this broadcast flag will permit digital TV stations to obtain high value content and assure consumers a continued source of attractive, free, off-air programming. Although the BPDG (Broadcast Protection Working Group) Report is a major step in achieving multi-industry consensus, there are still areas of disagreement, not on the broadcast flag technology itself, but on the details of how it should be implemented in digital devices and how it should be protected against circumvention. We must continue to work on resolving differences in these areas. Ultimately some of these issues may have to be decided by the Congress or the Federal Communications Commission May 22, 2002 MPA URGES RUSSIA WTO ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS TO ADDRESS MARKET ACCESS AND PIRACY PROBLEMS Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 22, 2002…As President Bush heads to Moscow for important meetings with Russian President Putin, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) today urged both governments to use this occasion to move forward Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) by ensuring that improved market access and intellectual property enforcement are part of Russia’s WTO accession package. "Russia’s entry to the WTO will be an important step for the US and Russia trade relationship, but key issues must be resolved now to ensure we have a healthy future trade partnership," said Jack Valenti, Chairman and CEO of the MPA. "Russia must recognize that a liberalized Russian market where a tolerable level of piracy exists not only helps free trade but also protects Russia’s audiovisual industry. We call on President Bush and President Putin to instruct their trade negotiators to ensure that these concerns are addressed in the accession negotiations." Russia can open up her market by allowing market access for all products and services including film production, distribution, exhibition, TV productions, and home video distribution. "Russia has a long and proud history of film production. Russian films continue to win prizes at international film festivals, but these films have not been given worldwide exposure. Russia has strong export potential with these films and can show her leadership by making comprehensive trade commitments in filmed entertainment services," said Valenti. Russia continues to have one of the worst piracy problems in the world. Optical disc piracy, namely DVDs, CDs and CDROMs, has exploded in recent years. Police raids on manufacturing plants and seizures of pirated products have consistently pointed to sophisticated organized criminal groups controlling the duplication and distribution process. "Russian efforts to address piracy have been wholly inadequate given the magnitude of the problem. Russia needs to adopt an optical disc law. Russia has an opportunity to rescue her creative industry and ours from the stranglehold of organized crime, which has threatened not only Russia’s domestic market, but could soon have an effect over the rest of Europe," said Valenti. April 23, 2002 VALENTI TESTIFIES TO STUDIOS’ DESIRE TO DISTRIBUTE MOVIES ONLINE TO CONSUMERS CALLS ON CONGRESS TO SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT OF THEFT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AS PIRACY HAS POTENTIAL TO CRIPPLE A GREAT AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSET Ashburn, Virginia…April 23, 2002…At a field hearing today before the House Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, Jack Valenti, President and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) testified that that the theft of American copyright is the "potential undoing of America’s greatest export trade prize." Valenti reported that the MPAA and the member companies are enthusiastic about providing legitimate alternatives to digital thievery. Valenti said, "Movie producers and distributors are filled with optimism over the prospect of the Internet as another new delivery system to dispatch their movies to consumers, at a fair and reasonable price." Consumers ultimately benefit from these endeavors because "they will enjoy more choices for accessing the movies they want in high-quality digital format." Valenti reported that "in 2001, the total cost to the major studios of making and marketing their films was, on the average, some $79 million per film. Only two in ten movies ever retrieve its total investment from domestic U.S. theatrical exhibition. In order to break even or make a profit, films must journey through various market place sequences – airlines, home video, satellite delivery, premium and basic cable, over-the-air TV stations and internationally." Valenti reported that the MPAA member companies are forging ahead with online video-on-demand in the absence of a proven market and low levels of broadband penetration for two reasons: (1) The studios are "hopeful that these ventures will be met with the same excitement and consumer embrace that we have seen with the DVD, which has quickly become the fastest growing consumer electronics platform in history." (2) "because as I have said before (and I pray we are right) that 99% of the American public are not hackers. Given the choice between a legal alternative for watching movies and stealing, I believe the vast majority will choose the legitimate alternative, but only if we do not allow lawlessness to become ‘mainstream.’" Valenti pointed out that the copyright industries, including movies, TV programs, home videos, books, music, video games and computer software, contribute some five percent of the nation’s GDP and generated more international revenues than automobiles and auto parts, aircraft, or agriculture. The copyright industries are also responsible for creating new jobs at three times the rate of the rest of the country. "The movie industry alone has a surplus balance of trade with every single country in the world. No other American enterprise can make that statement. And all this at a time when the U.S. is bleeding from some $400 billion in deficit balance of trade," said Valenti. During testimony, Valenti commended the Appropriations Committee for examining "the impact of any erosion of the worth of the copyright industries on the economy of this country." Valenti urged Congress to "send a clear message of deterrence that theft is theft, whether conducted online or off." He suggested that the biggest impact the Appropriations Committee can make on intellectual property and cybercrime enforcement "is to ensure that adequate resources are available to federal enforcement agencies to prosecute cases, as well as to the on-the-ground enforcement agencies to investigate and bring cases to the U.S. Attorneys’ offices." However, Valenti noted that a most conservative estimate that "the U.S. movie industry suffers revenue losses of more than $3 billion annually through analog theft." Valenti pointed out that digital thievery is a far greater threat that analog because digital can "disfigure and shred the future of American films" because of the quality of the format and the ease for which it can be copied and transported on the Internet. He stated that Viant, a Boston-based consulting firm, estimates that more than "350,000 movies are being downloaded from the Internet every day - all of them illegal." Valenti testified that the lack of broadband access has slowed a wide-spreading assault of digital piracy of movies. At the moment, with a normal 56K computer modem, he said, "it could take between 12 to 24 hours to bring down a two-hour movie. With broadband access, however, a two-hour movie can be taken down, depending on the speed of the DSL line or cable modem, in 20 to 40 minutes. But the next generation Internet will be able to download a two-hour movie in some 45 seconds!" Currently, less ten million American computer homes have high-speed connections to the Internet. But as the broadband grows, both in its speed and in penetration to households, Valenti said: "Once that happens all barriers to high-speed takedowns of movies will collapse. The avalanche will have begun. It is the certainty of that scenario which concerns every movie maker and distributor in the land." Valenti said another threat is optical disc piracy. He said although this thievery design first reared its fraudulent head in China, the problem has spread elsewhere in Asia when the Chinese Government "in response to our entreaties, cracked down on pirates, forcing them off-shore." But, despite China’s crackdown on illegal distributors, Valenti reported that the biggest problem in China is the "street vendor malady." Valenti reported that in 2001, local enforcement officers in Asia along with "the MPA’s Anti-Piracy forces conducted 74 raids against facilities in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. [The pirates are] happily engaged in manufacturing illegal copies of both VCD and DVD…In some cases arrests were made and in some cases equipment confiscated. But not in all, because of porous attention by authorities in some countries to really crack down hard on these pirates. It is an ongoing problem for us." Valenti also noted that recently a factory was raided in New Jersey which was illegally reproducing DVDs. "This was the first time we have located a U.S. site dealing in illegitimate DVDs. But it won’t be the last," said Valenti. Valenti laid out the MPA’s defense strategy against Internet piracy. "We have taken on the task of protecting copyright laws in the courts. We have to insist that copyright laws cannot be casually regarded, for if those laws are shrunk or loosened, the entire fabric of costly creative works is in deep trouble…Put simply, whenever a new site appears whose prime allurement is the illicit availability of movies, illegitimately file-shared or readied for download, it is our intention to move with celerity to bring them to the courtroom," said Valenti Valenti catalogued a list of efforts and successes through the courts: "The MPAA brought one of the first cases under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to stop the distribution of DVD hacking software on the Web. iCrave was promptly shut down by the courts. Scour and Record TV are no longer functioning." The MPAA and its member companies are now in a new round of litigation with the likes of Morpheus, KaZaA and Grockster, all commonly described as next-generation Napster services. The use of technology is another front deployed by the movie industry. "To use technology to apply the protective garments of content encryption, watermarking and other necessities for guarding the life of movies as they make their way through the digital distribution chain, and to ensure that piracy remains out of the mainstream and on the fringes," said Valenti. Valenti outlined three specific goals relative to the development and adoption of technology standards by the Information Technology (IT), consumer electronics (CE) and copyright communities. They include: (1) "the adoption of a "broadcast flag," to prevent unencrypted over-the-air digital television broadcasts from being redistributed on the Internet; (2) the plugging of the "analog hole, whereby protected content is stripped of its protection through the digital to analog, or analog to digital, conversion process;" (3) "the adoption and implementation of technology to limit the rising tide of unauthorized peer-to-peer file distribution of copyrighted works," said Valenti. "The attainment of these goals is the key to the viability of a legitimate marketplace for the online digital distribution of motion pictures, and we look forward to continuing to work with the IT and CE industries, as well as your colleagues on the Judiciary and Commerce Committees, to achieve a successful outcome on this front," said Valenti. Valenti said the MPAA has also enlisted the aid of Ranger Online, a sophisticated search engine, to track down movies illegitimately on the Web. "Once Ranger sniffs out an illegal site, we send ‘cease and desist’ letters to the Internet Service Provider or the site itself. In 2001, we dispatched 54,000 such letters to 1,680 ISPs around the world," said Valenti. Valenti lamented that keeping track of illegal downloads online has been difficult, particularly given the ascending growth of on-campus Internet piracy. He recalled that recently a prestigious university relieved the burden of heavy persistent student use of its computer system by setting up a special server for Gnutella, a well known mightily used site for file-sharing as Valenti said "a discreet description of taking films which don’t belong to you." The University promptly cancelled the server after its president received a letter from Valenti "chiding him for ‘a disreputable plausibility,’ which collided with the moral compact that informs a stable, free, democratic society. However, since that particular incident, Valenti noted that "similar systems are reportedly springing up on the university networks at public institutions around the country." Films that have been detected on these servers include the most recent releases including: Ice Age, The Rookie, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Beautiful Mind, Panic Room, Monsters, Inc., We Were Soldiers, Snow Dogs. Valenti testified that this Subcommittee can protect America’s greatest trade export and encourage the development of a legitimate marketplace for online digital entertainment by enforcing copyright law. Valenti said that the biggest threat to viable alternatives to piracy is the unchecked and rampant piracy itself. "No legitimate business can succeed in an environment of unbridled lawlessness. Just as Gresham’s Law teaches that cheap money drives out good money, pirated content drives out legitimate content, particularly where digital technology renders the two substantial equivalents," said Valenti. Valenti pointed out that the industry has worked closely with the Congress to ensure that copyright laws empower Federal law enforcement to protect copyright online. By working closely with law enforcement in the process, Valenti noted that the industry has been "receiving first class" assistance from the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Customs Services as well as local U.S. Attorneys’ offices. Valenti commended the Justice Department for establishing ten specialized Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIPS) units within U.S. Attorneys’ offices to focus on cybercrime prosecutions, including copyright and trademark violations. He also praised the recent efforts of the Justice Department and Customs Service for carrying out "Operation Buccaneer," a massive sting operation against the prominent "Drink-or-Die" hacker group. The crackdown spanned 6 countries and resulted in the execution of more than 70 search warrants. Over 100 computers with voluminous data were seized. "One system seized had more than 5,000 movies on it," said Valenti. He noted that at least four people have been charged with Internet piracy. "In fact, I understand a single defendant who pleaded guilty in February admitted to charges that involved uploading more than 15,000 movies, software, video games and music titles, causing damages conservatively estimated at more than $2.5 million dollars," Valenti reported. Valenti urged the Congress to continue to promote copyright enforcement with funding. "Last year Congress approved a specific earmark of funds for cybercrime and intellectual property enforcement," Valenti said. "We would like to work with you again this year to provide a continuing earmark of funds for cybercrime enforcement, and to encourage full funding of existing CHIPs units and possible expansion to additional U.S. Attorneys offices." In addition to fighting piracy domestically, Valenti said that the MPAA also relies on U.S. Federal agencies to help combat piracy outside the United States. "The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, the State Department, the U.S. Copyright Office, the Commerce Department, the Patent and Trademark Office, Customs, Justice, the FBI - - all play critical roles. In helping to engage the cooperation of foreign governments, these agencies utilize all the skills and tools at their disposal – from enforcing trade agreements, to diplomatic advocacy, to training and direct cooperation with foreign enforcement officials, these agencies are all that stand between us and anarchy in the international marketplace." Valenti stated that the "work of the USTR, the State Department, and others in securing adequate minimum protections for copyright across the globe is critical." He cited the example of Movies88.com, a website in Taiwan that was offering on-demand streaming video of brand new movies without permission of their owners, for a mere $1 per movie. He noted that with the aid of the Taiwanese Government, the site was shut down. "But this case underscores the difficulty in enforcing copyright on global networks, like the Internet. The process is aptly compared to the game "Whack-a-Mole" – a site like Movies88.com will come down in one place, only to pop up somewhere else. Who is to say when a site like this reappears, it won’t reappear in a country whose laws do not, in fact, protect copyright." "Ensuring these agencies have the resources to continue to dedicate to the fight against intellectual property theft outside of the United States is also a high priority," said Valenti. Valenti concluded that a singular truth exists in the movie industry: "If you can’t protect what you own, you don’t own anything." ====================================================================================================== 8. *** Random Stuff From the Net *** [riaa.org] Registrant: Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA2-DOM) 1330 Connecticut Ave., NW #300 Washington, DC 20036 US Domain Name: RIAA.ORG Administrative Contact: McCaffrey, Howard (HM66) hmccaffrey@RIAA.COM Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. 1330 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 202-857-9618 (FAX) 202-775-7253 Technical Contact: Global Network Management Center (GNMC) rm-hostmaster@EMS.ATT.COM AT&T DNS Service 3324 Hollenberg Bridgeton, MO 63044 USA 314-264-9672 Fax- 314-264-9647 Record expires on 09-Jan-2003. Record created on 08-Jan-1997. Database last updated on 3-Jul-2002 20:00:12 EDT. Domain servers in listed order: DBRU.BR.NS.ELS-GMS.ATT.NET 199.191.128.106 DMTU.MT.NS.ELS-GMS.ATT.NET 12.127.16.70 rcode = 0 (Success), ancount=2 Found 1 addresses for dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net by extra query Found 1 addresses for dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net Trying 199.191.128.106 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster .ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) riaa.org 86400 IN NS dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN NS dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN MX 50 mail3.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 list.sparklist.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 mail.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 25 mail2.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 localhost.riaa.org 86400 IN A 127.0.0.1 lists.riaa.org 86400 IN A 204.71.171.60 www.riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster .ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) [screamer@localhost screamer]$ host -l -v -t any riaa.org rcode = 0 (Success), ancount=2 Found 1 addresses for dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net Found 1 addresses for dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net Trying 199.191.128.106 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster .ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) riaa.org 86400 IN NS dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN NS dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN MX 50 mail3.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 list.sparklist.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 mail.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 25 mail2.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 localhost.riaa.org 86400 IN A 127.0.0.1 lists.riaa.org 86400 IN A 204.71.171.60 www.riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster .ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) [screamer@localhost screamer]$ host -l -v -t any riaa.org > riaa [screamer@localhost screamer]$ less riaa rcode = 0 (Success), ancount=2 Found 1 addresses for dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net Found 1 addresses for dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net Trying 199.191.128.106 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster.ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) riaa.org 86400 IN NS dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN NS dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN MX 50 mail3.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 list.sparklist.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 mail.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 25 mail2.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 localhost.riaa.org 86400 IN A 127.0.0.1 lists.riaa.org 86400 IN A 204.71.171.60 www.riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster.ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) ...skipping... rcode = 0 (Success), ancount=2 Found 1 addresses for dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net Found 1 addresses for dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net Trying 199.191.128.106 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster.ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) riaa.org 86400 IN NS dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN NS dmtu.mt.ns.els-gms.att.net riaa.org 86400 IN MX 50 mail3.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 list.sparklist.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 10 mail.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN MX 25 mail2.riaa.com riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 localhost.riaa.org 86400 IN A 127.0.0.1 lists.riaa.org 86400 IN A 204.71.171.60 www.riaa.org 86400 IN A 208.225.90.120 riaa.org 86400 IN SOA dbru.br.ns.els-gms.att.net rm-hostmaster.ems.att.com( 1 ;serial (version) 86400 ;refresh period 10000 ;retry refresh this often 604800 ;expiration period 86400 ;minimum TTL ) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [well.sf.ca.us] Login Name TTY Idle Login Time Where arturner Alan Turner pts/20 Jul 3 16:53 dialpool1302-pri.dia ausman Jim Ausman pts/43 5 Jul 3 16:45 dsl-65-188-214-229.t bernie Bernard Walp *pts/72 18 Jul 3 16:13 draco.berkeley.edu chuck Chuck Charlton pts/25 6 Jul 3 16:26 user-vcaurk2.dsl.min cynsa Cynsa Bonorris pts/77 1 Jul 3 16:50 h204-247-59-139.ncal davidz David Zalatimo *pts/23 1:00 Jul 3 11:30 sustran-u60.cisco.co dbob Daniel Fine pts/71 21 Jul 3 15:44 adsl-63-206-117-53.d dkli David K. Li *pts/67 Jul 3 14:44 ACC2BBD4.ipt.aol.com dmasson Doug Masson pts/41 3 Jul 3 16:49 user176.net196.oh.sp doctorow Cory Doctorow pts/98 17 Jul 3 16:40 204.253.162.55 flanagan D.Flanagan pts/35 2 Jul 3 16:43 adsl-64-165-199-117. ghede Aaron Thieme *pts/46 2 Jul 3 12:48 user-112vqo7.biz.min jacob Jacob Davies pts/36 7 Jul 3 16:41 adsl-209-204-139-43. jax Jack J. Woehr pts/85 6 Jul 3 16:51 slip-12-65-132-31.mi jerod23 Jerod Pore pts/32 Jul 3 10:34 da003d0525.sjc-ca.os jillmaxi Jill Maxi Schreibman pts/48 Jul 3 15:41 ACAB4320.ipt.aol.com jlinam Jeffrey Linam pts/64 1 Jul 3 10:22 163.176.53.33 joeyx Joseph Hobaica pts/83 Jul 3 16:50 annex9-23.dynamic.ac joshb Joshua Berezin *pts/6 16 Jul 3 10:01 12-224-158-76.client judge Judge Muscat pts/18 1 Jul 3 16:36 63.67.135.173 justpat Patrick Di Justo pts/57 29 Jul 3 13:39 209-122-240-23.s658. lafsmwb Leslie Forrester *pts/75 Jul 3 16:51 bay-29-c-114.sfo.dsl matisse J Matisse Enzer pts/103 4 Jul 3 16:53 knowledge.hamparts.c mcb Michael C. Berch pts/47 36 Jul 3 16:05 heathrow.postmodern. mike Mike Perez *pts/69 33 Jun 30 17:54 12-236-92-56.client. nanlev Nancy Levidow pts/113 10 Jul 3 13:47 dialup-64.156.227.61 nharkins Neil Harkins *pts/94 2 Jun 19 09:47 dsl092-002-119:S.0 peachst L. Vaughn *pts/2 Jul 3 15:20 mcc-55-5.Lib.Berkele peterbf Peter Fox pts/54 Jul 3 16:46 adsl-209-204-178-179 plettner Marvin Plettner pts/37 26 Jul 3 14:07 159.153.4.50 rafeco Rafe Colburn pts/15 Jul 3 16:44 rdu26-246-196.nc.rr. siino Anthony J. Siino III pts/116 17 Jul 3 15:15 fw-ext.ascend.com techgirl Kate Schram pts/22 13 Jul 3 00:36 66-75-128-98.san.rr. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [mpaa.org] Registrant: THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATIONOF AMERICA, INC. (MPAA-DOM) 15503 Ventura Boulevard Encino, CA 91436 US Domain Name: MPAA.ORG Administrative Contact, Technical Contact: Egge, Paul (PE420) pegge@MPAA.ORG MPAA 15503 Ventura Boulevard Encino, CA 91436 818-995-6600 (FAX) 818-382-1795 Record expires on 23-Aug-2010. Record created on 22-Aug-1995. Database last updated on 3-Jul-2002 19:59:38 EDT. Domain servers in listed order: NS1.WARE.NET 205.159.1.1 NS2.WARE.NET 205.143.193.100 ============================================================================ 9. *** Crosstalk *** >Frequency, As a long time reader I wanted to commend you on your publication. It’s nice to see someone actually saying the things that need to be said, especially when so many people are being silenced. However, I do question one newer aspect of your ezine. The section is titled “Random Stuff From the Net.” In it, as you undoubtedly know, are different sections of information or other interesting things you find online. I have no problem with most of it, but what can be gained by posting a user list to a particular machine? I doubt your intentions are destructive in anyway, but you’re almost encouraging people to do illicit things. Just wanted to get that off my chest. [Auto] REPLY> “Random Stuff From the Net” was created to bring some fun to the ezine. Surrounded by serious articles tackling equally serious subjects, it stands out as a way of reminding people that computers can be fun, and that there’s tons of stuff out there just waiting to be seen. You’ll be happy to know that all information is obtained legally, and can be viewed by anyone with a connection to the internet. We post things that seem interesting, and let our readers decide what to make of it. If you look above, you’ll notice the output of a “finger” command run on well.sf.ca.us. We’ve posted this and similar things before, for honestly no other reason than to show what we found. It could be argued that by doing so we give people the means to try and brute force their way in, but let’s face it, that’s probably a futile task. Besides, you could also say we posted it to show how a company such as the Well is still as popular as ever. And above all else, the information is meant to be seen. If the Well didn’t want people knowing who was using their system, they wouldn’t provide the information. Whether people get the list through this publication, or by simply running a perfectly legal “finger @well.sf.ca.us” doesn’t really matter. >Frequency, You say you want articles and yet you reject every article I send in, what the hells up with that man? [Anonymous] REPLY> We hate to sound too rough, but as we’ve mentioned before, people who read this ezine demand quality. When we first started publishing we printed just about everything we received. Unfortunately, many people wrote in and commented on how horrible it all looked. For whatever reason, no one seems to have the time to run their articles through a simple spell checker before sending them in. Because of that, many articles would need to be so severely edited that it’s far too time consuming, and more importantly, could hurt the author’s original message. Your articles were not rejected because of what you said, but because of their poor quality. We don’t expect people to be perfect of course, which is why we do a lot of editing these days to correct spelling mistakes. We never change sentences around though, as that may affect what someone is trying to say. Remember, the only thing worse than not getting your article published is getting it published and having it say something you don’t agree with. If you want your article in the zine, make sure you put in enough information to make it worthwhile. Two paragraphs of why you hate the government really isn’t anything readers want to see, and it is they who decide how this ezine is published. Again, you don’t have to be perfect. Just write the best you can and use a spell check, 99% of the time that will solve the problem. >Frequency, You guys have such hot voices! Can I be on the show? Can I come on live? Can I give you oral sex during the show?? [Linda Lee] REPLY> Sure. Sure. No, but afterwards is fine. >Frequency, So Scream how much did you lose when you went gambling last week? [Anonymous—but don’t think I don’t know who it is] REPLY> I came home with my shirt on, and that’s all that matters. Send your questions, comments, flames, virus filled messages, or anything else to screamer@hackermind.net ============================================================================== 10. *** Closing Arguments *** Tune into HAN II. I rest my case. –screamer =============================================================================== 11. *** Crew *** Editor in Chief – Screamer Chaotix Webmaster – Dash Interrupt Network Administration – Leland D. Peng NT Specialist – Unreal Writers - Leland D. Peng, Evo Tech, JayX, Opti-Con, JonKatz Shout Outs – 2600 (congrats in your victory against Ford), Doug Thomas, SMG, Case, Turner, Dara (for being a great actress), Matt (for stealing from the tip cup), The Drews (www.thedrewswebsite.com) HACKERMIND – Thursdays, 10PM ET. www.hackermind.net SEND ARTICLES AND LETTERS TO – screamer@hackermind.net W W W . H A C K E R M I N D . N E T eof