New Life Goal: I Want to Be a Seventeen-Year-Old Hacker
It’s been some time since I read anything that I have found as viscerally terrifying, and yet also verisimilar, as Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother. This is the story of Marcus, AKA w1n5ton, a cocky seventeen-year-old student cum hacker whose life changes forever when terrorists blow up the Bay Bridge—and he and his friends are arrested by the Department of Homeland Security as terror suspects. Doctorow does a good job of making the reader feel humiliated, powerless and angry as Marcus begins to fight back, first in small ways and then in large, while always keeping within the bounds of a possible scenario. And that’s what’s terrifying: the kind of picture Doctorow paints is stomach-turning, and yet it seems utterly plausible, given what we know our government has already done and continues to do.
Another frightening book in a similiar but more scholarly vein is Bob Altemeyer’s The Authoritarians, an online, six-chapter introduction to the Right-Wing Authoritarian personality and its current influence on American politics that explains a lot about why the idiots running this country were elected, why the religious right has managed to steal so much power and what can—nay, must!—be done about it before Cory Doctorow’s fantasy comes to life right here on American soil. [Thanks to Dave Barber of The Great Whatsit for posting about Altemeyer and his book.]
I’m also reading Ian McEwan’s Atonement, which is turning out to be at least as good (or even better—is this possible?) than the movie, and earlier I was listening to the movie soundtrack, which is stunning, gorgeous, unbelievable, sheer genius. Especially the incorporation of typewriter sounds into the music. [TRUST ME.]
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June 12th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I always wanted to be a child prodigy. Just now realizing that is not possible as you approach 30. So sad.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:04 am
“As you approach 30″ has such an unforgiving sound, doesn’t it? I just realized—right now as I was typing this—that I might not be done with school before I’m thirty. Heavens preserve me from any more such realizations.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Yeah 30 is at the moment freaking me out. As for Atonement, thank god you are finally reading it, I can finally talk to you about it. Isn’t it amazing?
Also your post reminds me of the film Hackers, a quilty pleasure from the 90s that stars Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie. Have you seen it? If not I recommend it.
June 12th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I’m not quite done with the first part yet, but yes, Atonment is amazing thus far. Maybe this means I am now an Ian McEwan fan?
Yes, Hackers! I remember that. Back when I didn’t know who Angelina Jolie was. And now I’ve realized where I recognized Jesse Bradford from when I saw him in Bring It On.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
You do realize that I have a movie poster to Hackers hanging on my wall. Flanking said movie poster is Keanu Reeves in a dapper looking ‘futuristic’ material looking suit standing behind the text “Meet The Ultimate Harddrive.” I know what it is referencing, but I always chuckle when I read it. Keanu likes to play rough, eh? Ahhh Hackers.
I was a seventeen year-old hacker once. In fact I was in quiet the cat and mouse game with Sony America over my PSX pirating ring. Sony tried all sorts of methods to slip me up. Too bad they were dealing with someone taught in the ways of racketeering. Sadly not by my blood-line, but group of hackers that adopted me when I was just a young suckling hacker.
God, that was years ago. To be young again. I would have tried alot harder to get into the young-woman’s pants that taught me how to BSOD (nuke) an unprotected winsock32 (Windows 95) machine. Too bad my hacking skills on the computer developed far more rapid than my hacking skills with panties. I could have been a legend, I could have been a contender, baby.
When is poker? When is hanging out? When do I move the fuck out of Provo?
P.S. The name text field has a character limit. I know I spell poorly, but I know how to write/type Potentate.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
IN ADDENDUM:
Atonement is really a stunning read. You should try Amsterdam after that by him.
Right now Glenn Duncan and I are having a love affair of huge ass words and the afterlife. Then on to American Psycho, to start the summer off with a yuppie bang.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Atonement was the best book I’ve read in a LONG time. Then a friend heard me raving about it and said the ending (which you already know if you’ve watched the movie – although it’s done better in the book) stunk and it was an example of “shoddy writing.” I somehow don’t think a plot device is shoddy writing but what do I know. I loved it!
June 13th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Amsterdam, eh? I’ll put it next on my reading list. Thanks, Illustrious Potentate! I feel no sympathy for Sony, btw—they’ve employed enough underhanded, nefarious anti-pirating measures that they almost deserve to be screwed over. As does the entire RIAA. Ohhh, they make me livid.
Miss L., I usually use “plot device” pejoratively. When I’m done with the book I’ll let you know whether I consider McEwan a plot-device-employing hack or the author of an astounding tour-de-force. I’m leaning towards the latter at the moment, but you never know. I MIGHT CHANGE MY MIND.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
I’ve finally finished Atonement. The ending might have absolutely devastated me if I hadn’t already been devastated by the movie. But I think it is a brilliant, brilliant novel, and incredibly bittersweet.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:09 am
##ATONEMENT SPOILER for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie or read the book##
I hope the book’s good, because the movie (let me clarify: the ending) left me disappointed. Just as I was left at the end of The English Patient saying, “sorry traitor boy, NOT a good enough reason,” this one had me scowling at the screen thinking, “it is so completely lame and cowardly of you to wait until you’re dying to finally be honest that I’m not sure I care that this was the only way you could find to ‘atone’.” I had a lot of sympathy for the character up until then.
Also, OH MY GOSH!! I so did not realise that the guy in Bring It On (love that movie!) was Joey from Hackers!! Wow. The first time I watched Hackers my friend and I got to the end, sat stunned for a minute, and then rewound it and immediately watched it again. I think of it every time I hear Voodoo People (Prodigy). I watched it a month or so ago on TV and it was rampant with stuff that was cool in the 90s and really not so cool now. I don’t care. I still love that movie.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Well, all I can say re: Atonement is that I felt the ending was handled better in the book than in the movie. There was at least a small explanation as to why she waited that long, although how satisfying a reason that will be for you I don’t know. In any case, I loved the film, so you should regard my reaction to the book as suspect.
Ah, Bring It On. I need to watch that again. Maybe I should rewatch Hackers as well, since I remember hardly anything about it.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
My boyfriend claims he’ll never watch Atonement. I, however, just know he’ll thank me for making him watch it with me. Mostly because halfway through it I always want to do something naughty to him.
I think it’s a fair trade.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Tash, welcome! I can’t believe your boyfriend hasn’t taken you up on such a wonderful chance to get naughty! You should speak to him about that.
June 26th, 2008 at 4:07 am
I’m going to have to get him to watch it without letting him know of my plans. Just to leave it as a lovely surprise.
Or we could just have sex. Either way is fine by me.
And than you for the welcome!