Unofficial What are you Reading Thread?

[Pæs]

Ghost in the Wires --  My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick

It's fun--it's kinda of a How-to-Social-Engineer-the-phone-company-in-autobiography form...but it's fun.

I made the mistake of following Mitnick on Twitter, reading GitW, The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion all around the same time, the effect of which was that every time I read his words it sounded like "*nudge nudge* hey, remember how I was awesome haxor? Do you remember the whistling down phone lines things? Remember that?".

The moral of the story is not to follow Mitnick on Twitter, or in fact use Twitter at all.

[Rococo Modem Basilisk]

Ghost in the Wires --  My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick

It's fun--it's kinda of a How-to-Social-Engineer-the-phone-company-in-autobiography form...but it's fun.

I made the mistake of following Mitnick on Twitter, reading GitW, The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion all around the same time, the effect of which was that every time I read his words it sounded like "*nudge nudge* hey, remember how I was awesome haxor? Do you remember the whistling down phone lines things? Remember that?".

The moral of the story is not to follow Mitnick on Twitter, or in fact use Twitter at all.

Mitnick has, like, five stories that he tells over and over again. And, when he's not telling them, Emmanuel Goldstein is telling them for him (every wednesday since 1988).

They're entertaining stories, but no story is that entertaining.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Ghost in the Wires --  My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick

It's fun--it's kinda of a How-to-Social-Engineer-the-phone-company-in-autobiography form...but it's fun.

I made the mistake of following Mitnick on Twitter, reading GitW, The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion all around the same time, the effect of which was that every time I read his words it sounded like "*nudge nudge* hey, remember how I was awesome haxor? Do you remember the whistling down phone lines things? Remember that?".

The moral of the story is not to follow Mitnick on Twitter, or in fact use Twitter at all.

Mitnick has, like, five stories that he tells over and over again. And, when he's not telling them, Emmanuel Goldstein is telling them for him (every wednesday since 1988).

They're entertaining stories, but no story is that entertaining.

True story.

[Cain]

Well that's my reading list topped up for the forseeable. Regarding the bold, those two caught my eye. Promising titles, is the content up to scratch? Comparisons between Serbia and Israel sounds interesting, quite a few parallels now I come to think of it. "State violence" is pretty broad and there's certainly enough done by both to see what conclusions get drawn.

The book focuses more on why violence was so severe outside Serbia while remaining controlled within Serbia and the similar parallels with the West Bank and Gaza versus Lebanon for Israel.  The core thesis is that both states divide the world into "ghetto" territories, where violence takes the form of brutal police action but goes no further, and "frontiers", where mass slaughter is considered to be fine because it's outside of a core territory in which they exercise full control.

Stampnitzsky's book is OK, but a little dry.  It essentially involves her showing how a bunch of academics changed the definition of terrorism in the 1970s, shown by exceedingly boring means of conferences, academic networks and so on.

I'd recommend Michael Mann's book, after Ron's.  Mann's approach is one I like, generally speaking, and he's an engaging writer with a broad, but focused historical view.

[Junkenstein]

Duly noted, thanks.

[Salty]

Stardust, which I have owned for a year or two but never read. It is amazingly perfect.

Finished this last night, amazing. So damned perfect. That's all I can really say.

[Bu🤠ns]

Stardust, which I have owned for a year or two but never read. It is amazingly perfect.

Finished this last night, amazing. So damned perfect. That's all I can really say.

Now I"m going to have to do this.  Dammit you guys...plz don't jump off a bridge anytime soonm, mkay?

Ghost in the Wires --  My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick

It's fun--it's kinda of a How-to-Social-Engineer-the-phone-company-in-autobiography form...but it's fun.

I made the mistake of following Mitnick on Twitter, reading GitW, The Art of Deception and The Art of Intrusion all around the same time, the effect of which was that every time I read his words it sounded like "*nudge nudge* hey, remember how I was awesome haxor? Do you remember the whistling down phone lines things? Remember that?".

The moral of the story is not to follow Mitnick on Twitter, or in fact use Twitter at all.

I dig.  I REALLY enjoyed these stories but once was totally enough.

[Salty]

Bear Attacks - Their Cause and Avoidance by Stephen Herrero

He's a Biology PhD who researched the hows and whys of brown and black bear attacks. Apparently there were few to none recorded until the 60s, and they increased a great deal in since then. The direction he's heading in is that the prevalence of bear attacks corresponds with the amount of garbage and food left behind by humans.

He also details the attacks heavily. Just horrifying. Apparently, playing dead does have significant advantages, but is also pretty difficult when a bear has sunk its teeth into your shoulder blade, cracking it open like an eggshell.

[Salty]

All right, I am not saying that when you return to your moose carcass WITHOUT YOUR GUN a day after leaving in bear country that you deserve the horrific mauling that follows, I am just saying.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

All right, I am not saying that when you return to your moose carcass WITHOUT YOUR GUN a day after leaving in bear country that you deserve the horrific mauling that follows, I am just saying.

Well, not "deserve", but you sorta handed shit to Darwin on a plate.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

All right, I am not saying that when you return to your moose carcass WITHOUT YOUR GUN a day after leaving in bear country that you deserve the horrific mauling that follows, I am just saying.

Who leaves a carcass unattended for a day???

[Salty]

All right, I am not saying that when you return to your moose carcass WITHOUT YOUR GUN a day after leaving in bear country that you deserve the horrific mauling that follows, I am just saying.

Who leaves a carcass unattended for a day???

Ah, I should said, it was only the guts amd skin, he went back for the skin.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

All right, I am not saying that when you return to your moose carcass WITHOUT YOUR GUN a day after leaving in bear country that you deserve the horrific mauling that follows, I am just saying.

Who leaves a carcass unattended for a day???

Ah, I should said, it was only the guts amd skin, he went back for the skin.

Oh, that makes sense.

Dumb to not bring a gun. And be covered in bells. And put the skin in two layers of Hefty bags and cache it properly some distance away from the guts. All of these things are basic.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Or "don't live in a place which has both moose and bears."

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Or "don't live in a place which has both moose and bears."

No such place!

At least, not that's inhabitable.