On Hacker Manifestos, Origin Stories, and Definitions

In my seemingly never-ending quest to discover just what makes a hacker, a hacker, I've explored tropes, stereotypes, various archetypes, and hacker history. But there exist people who are less patient than I and they want to know what a hacker is, right here and now. Those people are often referred to various hacker manifestos. And there are plenty to choose from. These manifestos are often as varied and eccentric as the authors who wrote them. But there are a few common threads that unite the manifestos. One thread is purpose. All hacker manifestos attempt to define the hacker, his motivations, goals, interests, and ideas. Naturally, a manifesto may say more about the hacker who wrote it than it does about other hackers. But hackers are more similar than they are different, so any single manifesto gets pretty damn close to the truth about hackers.

As a starting point, let's look at one of the most renowned hacker manifestos, The Hacker's Manifesto. This manifesto was written by Loyd Blankenship who went by the moniker The Mentor. It was written and published in the ezine Phrack in 1986. A good year for hackers. In my personal opinion, The Hacker's Manifesto perfectly captures all of the energy, creativity, intensity, and reckless foolishness of a young hacker. The hacker, a true digital native. And he proves it with every keystroke and mouse click.

But Loyd wrote The Hacker's Manifesto in 1986, which is a good twenty years from the origin of the word "hacker". It's unclear when the word "hacker" was first coined, but early usage can be found in MIT's student newspaper The Tech, printed in 1963. At that time, the word "hacker" was often used to indicate a person who had a high degree of technical knowledge about any subject, not necessarily computing. A few years later, it came to mean a person who was skilled with using and manipulating computers or a phone system (many of the original hackers were programmers). Indeed, the 1963 newspaper used the term "hacker" as a slur against the phone phreakers of the time. In the late 60's and early 70's, during the time when MIT rationed-out interface time with its mainframe computer, hackers would find exploits in the system in order to grant themselves additional interface time. This type of hacking is the most defining event and it greatly contributed to the continued shaping of the word "hacker". Suddenly, the word was gaining new meanings and new connotations. Hackers came to be associated with computer criminals who found exploits in systems and broke into them. This association was pounded into the common man's head during the early to late 1980's. Movies, television shows, and media of all kinds reinforced this new image of the hacker. And, thus, the word hacker has become inseparable from that of a computer criminal. Still, there is more to the story.

Before The Hacker's Manifesto came into existence, the loudly boasted goal of every hacker was the free transfer and distribution of information. These hackers scoffed at the idea of copyrights and patents. These hackers insisted that their curiosity was the primary motivating force behind their hacking. They wanted to learn, explore, dissect, analyze, and share information. Whether this was generally true or false is a hotly contested topic. Regardless, the desire to spread information does seem to be a running theme among hackers. Additionally, many hackers wish to reclaim the word. They want the word to return to its original meaning (Hacker: a person who uses a computer creatively or a programmer who writes code or both), even going so far as to draw distinction between computer criminals and hackers by calling the criminal element "crackers". Unfortunately, once Pandora's Box has been opened, it is impossible to close it. No matter how valiantly these hackers try, the word may forever be associated with criminal activity.

While the stigma may forever remain with the word "hacker", there is a significant cultural and technological shift happening right now that seeks to vindicate the hacker. Cyber-crime is more prevalent than ever before, which only entrenches the stigma associated with the word "hacker", but, due to this increasing cyber-crime, people have come to appreciate the abilities of friendly hackers. White-hat hackers, regardless of whether they are called hackers or not, are rising to the challenge and routinely combat cyber-criminals, wherever they strike. And other white-hat hackers endeavor to strengthen computing systems and infrastructure against future attacks.  

Still, while most people are more than happy to accept the aid of hackers, they still view hackers with suspicion at best and hatred at worst. Perhaps it is just the nature of the beast. Anyone who has the kind of "superpowers" hackers are said to possess will always be held in suspicion, no matter the side they're on. Looks like white-hat hackers will just have to live with it. At least they can seek comfort and confidence in their fellow hackers. The hacker community is strong. Each member knows the struggles experienced by another and can seek comfort in each other.

Today, as you probably know, the word "hacker" is thrown around with reckless abandon. Likely because of its descriptive, fear-inducing, and impactful nature. It's a heavy word and it commands attention. The media won't stop abusing it, politicians won't stop abusing it, the common man won't stop misusing it. It's here to stay. Looks like we just have to come to terms with it. But just what is a hacker?

You'll likely receive 100 different answers to such a deceivingly simple question. As you know, the word has many meanings and will mean one, or many things, from one person to the next. I've already listed a few definitions. A hacker is a programmer or a tinkerer or a mischief maker or a criminal. There is no longer just one definition for that word. In my post, The Hacker Mythos, I defined a hacker as a person who is "adept at technological manipulation". I believe this definition gets the closest to the essential character of the hacker. Everything else, the youthful recklessness, disrespect toward authority, the energy, the intensity, the creativity, etc. are just extraneous, yet fascinating, features.

The hacker will forever be an interesting character. His exploits, both real, exaggerated, or mythological, will continue to fascinate people and drive the culture. As for hacker manifestos, you can bet your ass there will be plenty more. The original hackers may be well into their 70s by now, but we've only caught a glimpse of the hacker's potential. I can't quite say what the future holds, but I'd bet every dollar in my bank account that the hackers of the future will be among the movers and shakers of the world.

The Future doesn't have Ads?

Ever since the web went commercial in the mid 90s, the Internet has become just another avenue for advertising companies to exploit without end. If you have even a cursory amount of experience on the web, then you know this to be true. There are ads everywhere on the web. They range from small banners to mid-video "shout-outs". The more annoying forms include popups that slow your web browser to a halt and make viewing content a complete chore. But why do advertisers and content-creators do this to us humble consumers? In the name of the almighty dollar, of course! (Surprise!) Yes, everyone today is looking to get paid, and many are completely willing to whore themselves out to get paid. Now, I'm not bad-mouthing money or the profit-motive. We need money to live or, at least, live comfortably. However, many people want to become millionaires off of advertising and this trend has really poisoned the net. There are better ways to make money on and off the Internet, and overzealous advertising is one of the most poisonous trends soaring across the net.

And Internet users have taken notice. Tech-savvy users have been using AdBlock (or similar software) for years and the not-so-tech-savvy users are quickly jumping onto the same bandwagon. This has hit most websites hard. Very hard. So hard, in fact, that some websites are forbidding users who use Adblock from viewing content. A very ballsy move. Honestly, whenever I get stopped by some webpage that demands I turn off Adblock before continuing to the main website, I just close-out the tab altogether. My way of saying "Fuck You" to the owners of the site. I didn't need to read the article that badly anyway. I think it's rather presumptuous that the website's owners would think their content is so good that I should turn off my Adblocker in order to view it.

Am I being harsh? I am. But I have good reason for being harsh, believe it or not. Please understand. I don't have anything personal against making money or even advertising on the web. But when website owners populate their site with an obscene amount of advertising - advertising that often contains malware, advertising that slows my web browser to a halt, advertising that wastes my time and tests my patience - I get a little angry. And there is even more to my anger.

Corporations, organizations, and just about anyone who has ever wanted to make money off of advertising has changed the very nature of the web. To understand this, let's take a look into the past. 

In the days of old, ads were once used as a means to get a little cash to support a website. Websites were often made by hobbyists who were passionate about their content. Supporting the website was the goal and ads were just means to that goal. The website's target audience understood this, so they didn't mind too much. On top of this, the ads were unobtrusive and benign. Typically, they were located on the top of the page, as a small banner, or on the very bottom of the page, as another small banner.

However, times have changed. People have realized that misleading content and click-bait titles are the best means to raking in the most amount of cash for the least amount of effort. The goals of content creation have changed. To reiterate, originally, the goal of a website was to produce solid content. Content was often produced by hobbyists who produced with a passion that isn't often seen these days. Advertising, back then, was more of a means of getting money to keep the website going and the content coming. Today, ads are used a bit differently. Ads are no longer used to support the content, rather, content is created to pull the most traffic in order to rake in the most money from ads. Ads don't support content, content supports ads. Advertisers have turned the purpose of the original websites on its head. Additionally, this is why every article posted on Facebook has a click-bait title. The authors want to pull as much traffic as possible so the ads they host on their websites can get the most exposure possible. More exposure means more money. Very simple, yet so diabolical and poisonous.

Today's website is no longer a labor of love created by passionate hobbyists. Today's website is a money-machine. The success of a website today is measured not in the content's ability to enrich both the author's and audience's lives, but in the number of ad-clicks the site generates. Just plain insidious. But, to play the devil's advocate, shouldn't people be paid for the content they produce? Living ain't free y'know? Now there's a touchy subject. I like the idea of people making money, but I don't like the idea of the web becoming one giant advertisement. I'm torn, really I am. I think whether people should earn money from advertisements is an issue that should remain between the content-creator and their audience. The content-creator may think he deserves the money, but if the audience disagrees, then the content-creator doesn't deserve to make money since the audience holds the purse. Sounds fair, right? Being a content-creator myself, I understand why some content-creators may be upset by my opinion on the subject. We would all like a little, or a lot, more money for the work we put in. But, in order to get that money, we must provide content that overrides the burden of actually viewing that content. Our audience holds the purse, so content-creators are beholden to their audience and the audience decides whether we deserve any kind of profit. 

Adblock is poised to rock the world of advertising. Adblock, and its bed-fellows, are about to set the Internet free. As mentioned above, some websites are creating barriers for folks who use Adblock. And many other websites that rely on advertising, supported by articles with click-bait titles, are starting to feel the squeeze. And many veteran web-surfers out there are more than happy to see them suffer. Suffer for what they have done to users and what they have done to the web. I can't say that I haven't experienced a bit of glee at the thought of the end of click-bait articles and misleading content.

Some websites however, instead of erecting AdBlocker blockers, have taken a more sensible route. They've made their advertisements less obnoxious and more appropriate per the website's theme and content. I think this is the best route for these websites to take, well, the best route outside of banning advertisement altogether, but that just isn't the world we live in. The use of ad blockers has, unfortunately, spurred an increase in guerrilla marketing. Guerrilla marketing is marketing that follows a different route from traditional advertisement. In guerrilla marketing, instead of using billboards, web-banners, and popups, advertising is carefully bundled within content. In some instances, it becomes impossible to separate the content from the advertising (which could be its own problem in the future). Many blame ad blockers for the advent of guerrilla marketing on the web, but ad blockers are not to blame since guerrilla marketing has existed long before the first ad blockers came onto the market. Still, as mentioned previously, ad blockers have increased the use of guerrilla marketing. Fortunately, guerrilla marketing isn't as obnoxious as the traditional web ads. Unfortunately, it's sneakier and threatens to eat up space that could have been used by genuine content. I get a feeling I'll talk more about guerrilla marketing in the future.

Have I experienced guerrilla marketing? You bet! Most people have even though they may not recognize it at first. I often a visit a website that has succumbed to both guerrilla marketing and traditional tactics. The site shall go unnamed. The website, these days, has more advertising than it does content. In fact, it actively, and unabashedly, substitutes advertising in the place of genuine content. Advertising has taken over coveted spots that were once held by only the best content. It has been a steady and slow transition, but it has occurred nevertheless. I've had the displeasure of watching it happen over the course of five years. That website, today, is really nothing more than one giant advertisement, with spats of content here and there. There are only a few sections of it that have escaped the menace of advertising, but even those are showing signs of falling into the marketing trap. All I can say is I hope the money was worth it. I know the owner. He's a good man. I can't say much else. It's a shame, really.

But what about Cybermantics? Will I ever succumb to the allure of online advertising? I may, one day, add advertisements to my blog. Should that day ever come, I'll keep the advertising tasteful, relevant, and unobtrusive, just like the good ol' days. Would allowing ads on this blog make me a hypocrite? For me, that would depend entirely on the ads purpose. Does the blog exist to support the ads or do the ads exist to support the blog? If the former, then I will admit to being a hypocrite. Does advertising have a place on the web? That can only be answered by the content-creators, web-designers, and their audiences. To each his own, as always.

So, does the future have ads? The future will have ads. Ad blockers send a powerful message, but advertisers are crafty. After all, their jobs depend upon selling a product or service and I'm sure there are content-creators out there who are more than willing to help them along by means of guerrilla marketing. Advertising on the web is a Pandora's Box that can never be closed, but, it can be curtailed by users who are just as crafty as the marketers they seek to evade. 

Please, if you enjoyed this article, I recommend reading this article by Jason Scott. He's a lot more eloquent than I am and, even though I don't completely agree with his position, he offers a little something more to chew on. 

Technology makes Scamming Easy

It's that time of the year again. Yep, you guessed it. That time when all of those Indian scammers start coming out of the woodwork to scam the elderly and ignorant out of their hard-earned money. Honestly, it seems to get worse every year. I've already had three scammers contact either me or my immediate family, attempting to get some kind of information or money from us. Most of these scammers brought some kind of veiled threat along with them i.e. Contact our toll-free support department in order to unlock your computer. These folks are relentless. They'll get your information or money in any way they can. Scamming is a big business. A big business made possible by all of this wonderful technology around us. We'll get to that in a bit. 

But first, let's talk about scamming. Scamming is something that has been around for as long as humans have walked upon this big ball of dirt. So long as there is something to gain from scamming, scamming will continue to exist. But just what is scamming? Scamming is the act of obtaining something of value through fraudulent or dishonest means. For example, if someone gives someone else a lot of money, in order to buy a boat, and the supposed owner skips town, that person has been scammed. Really, it's a simple concept. But it is often confused. What makes a scam a scam is dishonest intent. If a guy asks a bunch of people to invest in his startup-company, and those people invest but the company goes bankrupt in the end, they weren't scammed because the owner didn't intend for the company to go bankrupt. And he didn't intend to take the money and run. If the owner honesty communicated his intentions to his investors, then it isn't a scam. Onto technology. 

Technology is a great thing, no doubt about that, but it has brought baggage along with it. Today's technology, like yesterday's technology, has opened up an increasing number of scamming avenues. Perhaps the widest of these avenues was created by the telephone system. The telephone is perhaps the greatest tool any scammer has at their disposal. One of these reasons is that the victim of the scam can't reach through the phone and strangle the scammer. The second reason is that it is often hard to verify just who is on the other end of the line. Indeed, many scammers impersonate people of high reputation in order to gain the trust of their victims. And the victims usually can't tell the difference between the person of high-rep and the scammer. The art of the telephone-based scam relies on social engineering, charisma, and a bit of knowledge. Most people can pull it off. There's a very low barrier of entry using this method, which is another reason it is so common. Finally, it's just plain effective. Millions of people freely give away valuable information over the phone with only a little prompting. Think of the classic case of the elderly lady who gives away her social security number while ordering a pizza. Or, more subtly, the guy who accidentally gives away his name and address to a "census staffer". Collecting information over the phone is really just too easy. Is it any wonder why Indians, famous for being knowledgeable tech-support, use this avenue to conduct all kinds of tech-related scams? 

What about email? Ah, now this is also a juicy scamming avenue. SPAM is king among scammers looking for an easy buck. And SPAM is profitable, believe it or not. It's a million dollar industry, which is why you keep getting SPAM in your inbox. People do it because it works, simply put. But what makes SPAM so gosh-darn effective? Perhaps it's the ease with which scammers make the email look legitimate or it's the ease with which scammers can send millions of messages to millions of people. By casting a wide net, they are sure to nab at least a few suckers.  

Social media is yet another avenue scamsters just love to employ. Facebook is a breeding ground for scammers who spam content and fraudulent ads in order to make a quick buck off of unwitting victims. Just the other day, someone impersonated one of my family's Facebook friends. They stole pictures, posts, and information off of the real profile and made their own fake profile with that data. Quite clever, and very effective. Anyway, this person attempted to get us signed up for some worker's compensation scam using the fraudulent profile. Fortunately, my family isn't stupid so they saw right through it. Facebook was vigilant and shut down the profile, hopefully before anyone got scammed. 

Yes, 'tis the season for scamming. And technology makes scams all the more common and potent. Fortunately, technology is double-edged. It has given us safe-guards to protect against scammers. SPAM filters come quickly to mind. AdBlockers are another safe-guard. But we must remain vigilant. We live in interesting times. In the world of con men, technology can either be our friend or our enemy. Let's endeavor to make it a strong friend. 

Be safe and happy computing!

A Word to the Outcast on the Fringe

A word to the Outcast
The solitary figure on the fringe
Unadorned and forgotten
Spiteful of the masses, of the common man
They have something you don't or
Is it the other way around?

The masses laugh at you
They believe you are a creep, a loner, and a fool
They can't imagine being you,
Or calling you "friend"
Yet, they can't begin to imagine what you've seen,
What you know,
And what you are 

You live life on your own terms
You've disobeyed the mandated script
You've tasted a side of life most can't stomach
You drink deep at poisonous fountains,
only to discover the gold coins at the bottom
Your actions are intimate and sincere
You dance with the forbidden and the ugly
You've paid prices that would bankrupt most others
You create the waves others only ride

You know a freedom the common man thinks only exists in movies, books, and fantasy

Let them laugh, it's all they can do

Let them sneer, they waste their time

Let them become angry, it's how they cope with the fact that

You live a life they are afraid to live
You have tasted fruits they were taught were poisonous
You have looked upon forbidden things and appreciated
A life most don't know exist

And you are not alone in this world
While outcasts are on the fringe, the fringe grows daily
While before distance kept the outcasts apart
Networks bring them together, to be outcasts together
From one outcast to another, to call one another "family"
The outcasts face the world together
And within the outcast's group, the common man is the outsider

Everyone's becoming a Programmer?

Seriously, what's with this push for everyone to become programmers? Is this the next big job trend? A couple years ago it was nursing and before that it was accounting and before that it was business. But at least those trends kind of made sense. These days, colleges are pimping their programming classes like no other. I guess computing in general is the next big job trend, so people figure that "hey, programming is related to computing! I bet it will be a very lucrative field of study. If it wasn't lucrative, why would every college is a compsci professor be promoting it like it's going out of style?" Yeah, I guess. And, hell, don't get me started on all those "Learn Python in 7 days" courses that cost $7,000. They better be beaming that information into my head and have a job set up for me in Caribbean at that outrageous price.

But the push does make a little sense, even if it does seem to come out of no where. Computing is one of those fields of work that just seems to grow nonstop. Everything getting computerized, so we'll need technicians to maintain the infrastructure and designers to design the next big gadget and compsci professionals to figure out why gmail is running like crap. But that doesn't justify the size of this push. I haven't seen colleges push an education curriculum like programming in...ever. And if there's one thing I've learned from that economics class I took five years ago, all these future programmers are really going to lower the wages of your average programmer. Competition will be immense. As if the life of a code monkey weren't hard enough, now there's going to be a flood of them filling the market and competing for the low-rung programming jobs. 

I guess this is good news if you are an established, or startup, business owner who needs programmers. They can now justify paying their programmers dirt-cheap wages because there will always be another programmer to fill the role. If you want to get conspiratorial, I've heard claims that Silicon Valley is behind this push in order to drop programmer wages in the future. All speculation, but it does make you go "Hmm...". Barring conspiracy theories, this new influx of programmers will certainly make the field less lucrative. Whatever is a programmer to do? 

I'm no life coach and I'm certainly no career coach, so don't take what I say seriously. But, if you were to ask my opinion, I recommend that programmers back-up their programming degree with other computing-related degrees like networking, security, computer science, and database management. Gotta make yourself standout somehow. 

But what does this influx of programmers mean for our society? I think we're in for some exciting times. With all these new programmers on the market, who knows what we'll see in the next few years in terms of new technology. All it would take is one rather ingenious person to gather all of the excess programmers and do something great with them. Of course the programmers would go along with the deal, there isn't a whole lot of other work for them. I can see someone getting very rich off this entire trend, if only the colleges and independent courses cashing in on the trend. 

We may also be in for a shift in thinking. Remember that article I once wrote? Sure you do, you read it didn't you? Of course you did. Anyway, programmers think differently than most people. Programmers tend to frequently use logic and, therefore, have brains accustomed to using logic. Does the incoming flux of programmers mean a more logical population? Will the scales tip to favor the logical man over the emotional man? That has yet to be seen. But, as of right now, both men tend to be welcomed by different parts of our society and I figure it will be that way for a long, long time. However, it does seem the logical man is becoming more valued within our society. Given our ever advancing technology, it isn't hard to see why a premium is being put on logical people (of course this will all, eventually, balance out with all these damned new programmers entering the market). And what happens when a population becomes more logical? Do standards of living increase? Is society improved? I would like to think so, and it would seem so to a reasonable person, but that is yet to be seen. 

Whatever the future holds for us, one thing is certain. The markets are going to get hit with tons of programmers. What eventually comes of that is anyone's guess. The best we can do now is speculate. And speculation is good fun. 

It’s the Future and there are no Hover Boards: Where did it all go so Wrong?

There was once a running joke on Facebook that suggested we would have hover boards by the date October 21, 2015. That date wasn't arbitrary. Well, it wasn't completely arbitrary. In the movie, Back to the Future II, Marty McFly is taken to the future in order to right some future wrong. I won’t get into it here for fear of spoiling the movie for people who haven’t seen it yet. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should probably take some time out of your busy schedule to watch it. It’s a cult classic at this point. Anyway, at the movie’s date of October 21, 2015, there are hover boards. The Facebook joke suggested that we should have hover boards by Oct. 21, 2015. It’s one of those jokes that’s only funny when its tacked onto an image. I think the reason this joke is funny is that it pokes-fun at our expectations of the future. The movie was made back in 1989 and they had some pretty grand expectations of the future. Of course, grand expectations of the future are not new. Every age has some fantastic interpretations of the far-off future. Usually these interpretations are reflective of the age itself. In Back to the Future II, the presented future looked very...80s-like in its fashion and culture. It was basically the 80's with more advanced tech, and hover boards. Speaking of grand expectations, look at our favorite bit of retro-futurism: cyberpunk fiction. Most of the stuff in cyberpunk fiction never came to pass in the expected period. And we currently have some technology that far surpasses cyberpunk's predictions.  

But why didn't we get hover boards by October 21, 2015? It isn't like movies lie or anything. My parents once believed we would have flying cars by the year 2000, but that idea never really took off. The idea just isn't practical with our current technology. People like the believe future tech is closer than it actually is. Humanity misjudges humanity's technological progress (or rather the direction of that progress), and then everyone gets disappointed when the cool, new, envisioned tech never becomes a reality. 

But the future isn't all that technologically deficient. Today we have smartphones and tablets. My memory of Back to the Future II may be hazy, but I'm pretty sure they were still using Walkmans in the movie. Heh, using a Walkman while riding a hover board, how retro-futuristic can you get? That brings me to my next point.

While people's expectations of the future may be far-fetched, the future does bring some things that people don't expect. In the 1930s, people believed we would have flying cars by the year 1970. The flying cars never materialized, but what did materialize was something few people thought could exist: a network that would span the globe and allow people to trade information in the fraction of a second, the internet. The future brought something few people imagined could exist and it is still one of humanity's greatest achievement. What will the future blind side us with next? 

So we may not have hover boards, but we do have a bunch of other cool, useful stuff that the writers of Back to the Future didn't foresee. The future will continue to surprise us with plenty of cool and exciting things. And, perhaps, we shouldn't be the passive recipients of all that cool junk. Maybe we should go out there and make it happen. I think that is the cyberpunk way. Well, that and raiding mega corps, but let's just do one thing at a time.

FBI Refuses to Hire Pot-Smoking Hackers

In one of the funniest articles I've read in a while, FBI director James Comey laments the current hiring situation for the FBI. As most people know, the U.S. government isn't the friendliest when it comes to pot-smokers. Marijuana has been illegal in most states since the 1930's, and only a few states where it is completely legal to possess and ingest. While many states allow for consumption of marijuana for medicinal purposes, and other states on the verge of completely decriminalizing the drug, the U.S. government is still beholden to its old views on marijuana. Especially when it comes to hiring U.S. government agents. 

Therein lies Comey's trouble. The U.S. government has admitted that it isn't the best when it comes to computer security, therefore, the FBI is seeking to hire new blood in order to better combat cyber criminals. Here's the rub. Most of the young, talented hackers out there smoke pot, or they have smoked pot within the last three years. Which means they are barred from becoming the super-hacker crime fighters the FBI so desperately needs right now. 

So, what will Comey do? Will he relax the hiring standards for new recruits or will he stick to tradition and hope to fight off some of the smartest hackers on the planet with his current staff? Though Comey has stated that he is "dead-set against using marijuana", his personal feelings (if those really are his personal feelings) won't mean a damn thing if the U.S. government loses critical information to skilled cyber criminals. I believe the FBI has realized this as they are still considering this issue and they are encouraging stoners to still apply. Additionally, given that many states are considering decriminalizing the drug, it seems the entire country is headed toward the eventual legalization of marijuana. Considering this, the FBI would be especially foolish to refuse hiring skilled hackers in honor of traditional laws that are quickly going out the window. 

Looks like the pot-smoking hackers still have a chance at becoming feds. They need the money anyway to pay for their habit. Quality marijuana isn't cheap. If the feds do relax their hiring standards, it will be a win-win situation: the feds get their skilled hackers and the skilled hackers get lucrative jobs, which they can use to finance their drug habit. There is a right answer to this issue and I believe Comey will make the right choice. 

The Homeless Hacker and Portable Tech

No, this post isn't about the critically-acclaimed Adrian Lamo a.k.a. The Homeless Hacker. It's about a relatively new lifestyle that has been on the rise over the past few years. Lately, people don't seem to be content with settling down in one location and building a life from there. These people desire a more adventurous, uncertain, life. They desire to travel and travel frequently. Moving from city to city, town to town. This rogue-like lifestyle brings with it a sense of adventure and novelty, but there is one thing these rogues struggle with, money. Its tough to find a job that permits such frequent travel. Most jobs want their employees to stay in one city, the city where their employer is located. So these rogues must look for alternative means to make money while they travel. Hence, the rise of homeless hacking. 

Simply put, homeless hacking involves working online and writing script or code for anyone who would hire you. This definition is rather strict, and homeless hacking can also involve offering IT support and penetration testing services over an Internet connection. 

Given the prevalence of public WiFi hotspots and secure transfer protocols like secure shell, homeless hacking is a viable way to earn a bit of cash while traveling. Some people even make full-blown livings off of it, which I assume is their goal. These people are free to travel anywhere there is an internet connection, even if that means setting up one of their own by using their smartphones. And those people who can't quite make a living off homeless hacking will find that coding while traveling helps to cover at least some of their expenses, giving them more freedom from their stationary job.

Interest in homeless hacking has grown in recent years. People are no longer content to sit in a 5x5 cubicle day after day, listlessly tapping away at a keyboard while looking forward to a coming weekend or vacation (If they even get weekends off! Not everyone is so fortunate). More people now desire to take their lives into their own hands and take their work onto the road, and homeless hacking is how they intend to do it. So rather than listlessly tapping at a keyboard in a confined office-space, they'll adventurously type at a keyboard while traveling the country! Sounds like the better option of the two. 

Homeless hacking is more than just a new trend, it's also symbolic of the liberties that new technology has given us. Gone are the days when having a computer in the office meant that you couldn't stray ten feet away from it. Today, we can remotely plug into that computer and get the same amount of work done, without being chained to a cubicle. 

But there is even more to this! Electronic technology was once seen as something that sat in one place, made a bunch of beeps and boops, and did some calculations when prompted. Cell phones changed this. All of a sudden, people could take their technology out into the world and have it pull wonders for them. And next came laptops, which added functionality and power to portable tech. And soon thereafter came WiFi, which provided a freedom and utility like few gadgets before it. And the trend continues with Laptops getting smaller and more powerful, smartphones coming onto the scene, computers being remolded into tablets and iPads. Today's dominant electronic trend is portability, whereas in the past it was simply power and functionality. Put your tech in your back pocket and take it with you anywhere. Use it here, there, anywhere. 

To be clear, we still want powerful and functional computers. There's a huge market for those computers. But portable tech is a major player in today's world. We're taking our tech outside the house, these days. And its being used for just about anything. Photographs, recordings, flashlights, payment processing and transactions, internet browsing, fact-finding, video-viewing, basic calculations, daily planning, messaging, making phone calls, gaming, linking, wasting time, and a bunch of other stuff I don't have the patience to mention. 

Can this be related to cyberpunk fiction? You can bet your ass on that!

In cyberpunk fiction, technology is ubiquitous and ever present. So much so that it is one of the hallmarks of the genre. We are currently living in a world where technology is becoming ever present, spurred on by all of this portable tech. Think of technology as a tree. Well, the roots of that tree are growing and growing and growing. Spreading into cracks and crevices. Burrowing into infrastructure and concrete. Technology is reaching into places where few people thought it would. And it isn't showing any signs of slowing down. At this point, we've just got to accept it and live with it, and take the bad with the good. There's no escaping, even if you wanted to escape. 

I do love tangents, don't I? I've strayed quite far from the original topic, but that's half the fun of writing. Never know what's going to pop up. Anyway, I wish the homeless hacker all the luck in the world. Though, he doesn't need it. The homeless hacker is a master of this trade and has all the freedom in the world. With a life like that, who needs luck? 

Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie briefly explain UNIX at Bell Labs

A brief look at two men who were critical to the development of the modern computer. A shame more people don't immediately recognize their names while "Steve Jobs" is a household name. These two men have gravitas like few others in the world of computers. Their importance cannot be emphasized enough. Even though the media seemed to simply gloss over the death of Dennis Ritchie, let it be said here that both of their names are sacrosanct. 

In the video below, Thompson and Ritchie touch on how UNIX is used at Bell Labs, its design and makeup, and the purpose behind UNIX. You'll even catch a few hints of the UNIX philosophy in the presentation. Needless to say, the UNIX philosophy is the touchstone and guiding rod for UNIX development and improvement. The principles are timeless. 

The video is only a couple minutes long so it warrants a few viewings. 

The Beauty of the Text File

While working on another post, I decided that I could get more perspective on the subject by visiting one of my favorite websites: textfiles.com. For those of you who don't know, and shame on you for not knowing, textfiles.com is a website dedicated to archiving the many textfiles distributed in the 1980s. Even though the website now archives files before and after that time, its purpose has remained the same. It's purpose is to preserve the works, ideas, and culture of the early web-runners. The website continues to be both a useful resource and inspiration to me, and it does help me generate an idea or two from time to time.

While browsing through the old files, I made a rather novel observation. These files, while containing text and text alone, are fascinating to read. And I'm not necessarily referring to the topics or ideas contained in those files either. These files are a pleasure to read even though they don't contain any images, sounds, or animations. Hell, the text isn't even formatted in most of these files! Yet, they are still beautiful. 

But why are text files beautiful?

Needless to say, text files are all about the text. They don't have any images, animations, or sounds. Just text. So how does an author capture a reader's attention without resorting to stylized themes and color schemes? The answer is simple enough. To capture the reader's attention, the author must write well. A finely crafted text file is a wonder to behold. And is as yummy as an 8 oz. sirloin steak, cooked medium-rare. The authors weren't virgins at their craft either. They were veterans whose mettle had been routinely tested on the BBS battlefields. After all, they did receive feedback on their posts. And the feedback wasn't sugar-coated.

Additionally, text files, by their nature and aesthetic, seem very direct and honest. What you see is what you get with a text file. No clandestine tricks or hidden fees. No ads or bullshit. A text file is just the author's pure, undiluted opinion on a subject. Not to everyone's liking, but this frankness is very refreshing to me. Sincerity is hard to come by today.

In addition to the above, text files are an iconic part of computer and tech-culture. Kind of a stretch, but hear me out. Text files, perhaps more so than any other part of Internet culture, including BBSs, fully capture the spirit of the Internet and its users. And really, what would the Internet be like if its users didn't exist? Likely a very boring, sterile place. People create culture and, on the Internet, they create culture by creating content. Content packed neatly within a text file. Hence, text files not only perfectly capture the spirit of the Internet, they are the spirit. Beautiful.

And, finally, text files work as excellent preservers of the past. Since they are often written from a first-person perspective, they wonderfully capture the author's ideas, notions, and perspectives of the time at which the file is written. But text files also cover a large variety of subjects like hacking, anarchy, politics, sociology, human nature, economics, programming, and more. They can, and often do, reach outside the world of computers and the web. While these files are equally important in the preservation of the past, I still prefer the text files that deal solely with computing. Keep in mind the authors of these text files are de facto historians. They likely had no idea that their writings would, one day, be seen as windows into the past. Nevertheless, text files from decades past expertly chronicle the times in which they were written. And for that reason, if for no other, we should respect them.

Sadly, text files as a means of communication and expression have gone by the way side, but they aren't gone completely. Still, text files are on life support. You won't find many current ones. However, you can find files written within the past few years on textfiles.com and, unbelievably enough, they fully capture the spirit of the text files of old. Indeed, I can hardly tell the difference between a text file written in the 80's and a text file written in 2014. Of course the technology has changed, but that radical and rebellious spirit is still alive and well. So there's hope!

No matter how big the Internet gets and no matter how much animation, features, and Javascript flood it, text files will always have a place on the Internet. They are as inseparable from the Internet as wet is from water. I encourage anyone reading this to visit textfiles.com and even pen your own text files. Don't worry if you can't write worth a damn; most of the writers of the 80's couldn't either. Yet, they still wrote and textfiles.com has preserved their legacy. So take up the pen...er keyboard and add to this legacy. You've got nothing to lose but a few minutes of your time and you might just enrich this generation and the next with your works. 

Body Hacking: The risks, the rewards, and the pointless

Biological augmentation is one of the hallmarks of cyberpunk fiction, so I just couldn't let this topic go by untouched. In the United States, there is a small group of people who are interested in biological augmentation. Within this group, there is an even smaller group of people who actually perform such augmentation on themselves. These people are called "body hackers". Put simply, a body hacker is a person who modifies their body in some way, typically by means of surgery, in order to gain an ability they hadn't possessed before. For example, a common body hack involves inserting a magnet under ones skin, typically on a finger tip, in order to "feel" electromagnetic fields. Does that sound a bit "out there"? It is, but we should dismiss body hacking immediately without first considering a few things.

Human beings are unique animals. We are unique in that we go to extremes in improving ourselves and our environment. We're always looking for ways to better our lives and live to the fullest. Exercising our bodies and our minds is simply a manifestation of this desire to improve ourselves. And body hacking is just another manifestation of this desire. But why? Is body hacking really going to improve the human body or is it merely a novelty? And at what cost? 

Okay, what are the costs of body hacking? Pain. Yes, surprisingly enough, physically modifying your body can be very painful. Body hacktivists urge anyone who is going to hack their body first ingest a fair amount of alcohol. This doesn't really inspire confidence, however, it does speak volumes about the commitment these people have to their art. Another cost of body hacking is permanent damage to the body and, possibly even, death. This of course depends on how invasive the hack is and where on the body the hack targets. Additionally, body hacktivists risk serious infection by performing these hacks. 

But, what are the benefits of body hacking? Now, I know what you're thinking, "How could there possibly be any benefit to body hacking, especially given the costs and risks you so expertly listed above?" The risks and costs can be very high, depending on the hack. However, body hacking isn't without its silver lining. Body hacking, like most underground movements, pushes the envelope. Body hacktivists boldly trudge into uncharted lands, in pursuit of human growth and improvement. Body hacktivists are the likely forerunners of all kinds of future body hacking. It took Thomas Edison 1,000 attempts before he managed to invent a working light-bulb. I view body hacktivists much the same way. They are paving the ground for all kinds of useful body hacks and augmentation. Yes, there are licensed and skilled professionals with far more years under their belt who are doing much the same thing, but the more the merrier, as the expression goes. And the backroom body hackers have an advantage over the licensed professionals. The body hackers aren't restricted by standard and law. Which means more risk to the subject, but it also means more room for experimentation and innovation.

But what benefits do body hacks give to the body hacker? Well, I've yet to find a benefit that couldn't have been gotten by other, safer means. Body hacking is still a primitive art form, so there aren't really any hacks that will give any unique benefits. If you want to know about some of the more well-known body hacks, including the one in the image above, see this article by Oliver Wainwright.

Now, I'm all for pushing boundaries and taking risks, but there are right ways and wrong ways to push a boundary. And some of these risks seem completely unnecessary given the desired benefit the action is intended achieve. But its not my body on the line. And I can appreciate people who risk their own bodies and lives in the name of innovation.

If you are considering hacking your body, give yourself plenty of time to consider the costs and risks involved. Don't just jump into this kind of activity. Body hacking isn't like getting a tattoo on impulse. Even superficial body hacks carry significant risks and consequences. For that reason, I do not endorse body hacking. And just what kind of technological baggage does body hacking bring with it? It would depend largely on the hack, but every hack would carry some kind of baggage. Just another thing to consider before implanting that microphone into your forearm.  

With that being said, I would like to tip my hat to all of the body hackers out there. It's been said that Cyberpunks are superficial posers who don't have what it takes to commit to the tech-fueled lifestyle. May the body hackers prove the naysayers wrong. 

I want the Internet to be like Public-Access Television

There was once a time in the United States where people, or small organizations, could purchase time-slots on specialty cable-tv channels. In these time slots, people could, generally, produce any kind of content they wanted, provided the content wasn't of a pornographic or illegal nature. The content could be political -- featuring political discussion, debate, and analysis -- artistic -- featuring live artistic creation, design, and tutorials -- or entertainment -- featuring music, comedy, and low-budget action sequences. It could even be all three, if the producer was rather creative. It could be anything the producer wanted, so long as it wasn't pornographic or marginally indecent.

These channels lived so long as the producer could keep paying the rent, and the rent was cheap. This meant that the producers had far more creative freedom since they weren't entirely obligated to produce the most cash-grabbing, mainstream, content. If they could pay the rent, month by month, then they could produce whatever they wanted. Again, if it wasn't porn.

Eventually, public-access television went the way of the horse-drawn cart. Not because it wasn't popular, well that may have been partly the reason, but due to the legal challenges and competition it faced. Perhaps the primary legal challenge was that producers often aired copyrighted content. This didn't go over well with the copyright holders, who often sued the stations who hosted the content. This led stations to ban and discriminate against certain producers known for including copyrighted content into their own content.

Given that time is finite, and even more finite on the limited number of television channels and time slots, public-access television was occupying valuable real estate. In the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, cable TV operators and phone companies began to expand into the cable TV market. They saw public-access television as nothing more than a nuisance occupying valuable viewing times. Therefore, they began to lobby congress to pass laws that led to the closing of various stations that hosted this content. Essentially, they legislated the competition out of the market. And this looks like the end of public-access television on the...television. But what about the Internet? It isn't limited by time slots, viewing schedules, or channels, for that matter. Is the Internet the next public-access information distribution network? Yes, and no but in a good way.

Youtube was the closest we got to public-access television on the web. But that didn't last forever. There was once a time, say seven years ago, when Youtube didn't have any major stars. Sure, it had viral videos that were as random as a man punching a cow on a Monday morning while wearing an egg-salad sandwich as a hat. But there weren't any famous Youtubers, at least no Youtuber who had complete domination of their respective niche. Today, there are the A-list stars, who account for most of the views on the site and there are the B-list stars who aspire to be A-list stars. The rest of the content creators on Youtube kind of of just get pushed to the side, so whatever content they produce is only discovered by accident. The content still exists, but it isn't as searchable as the A-list content, so it mostly falls through the cracks.

As is the case with public-access television, the shows get buried beneath layer after layer of heavily-produced corporate product. However, those shows, while marginalized, still existed. If an analogy may be drawn between that fact and the Internet, the Internet should be the same way. Little islands of spontaneity and obscurity should exist along with the megaliths of the Internet like Youtube and Facebook. If you’ve got a signal, then it should be permitted to be broadcasted. People will either take part or move on to something more their fancy.

Youtube allows for little islands of spontaneity, however, as mentioned above, those islands kind of get pushed to the side in favor of the established Youtube personalities. But the content still exists. Same goes for the Internet in general. Huge sites overshadow the small sites, but those small sites still exist. In this respect, the Internet is like public-access television. However, the Internet is better! Those little obscure islands of creativity and content won't be legislated out of existence by companies hungry for the real-estate. There are far fewer physical restrictions in the realm of the Internet, which means a safe voyage for many websites. The Internet is even friendlier to pornographic content and controversy than public-access television ever was.

Companies still present a threat to many websites on the Internet by issuing copyright violation claims against certain websites. But that is more the fault of the website in violation than it is the copyright holders. Websites may even face threats from companies that desire a certain domain name, but I have never heard of a business attempting to steal a domain name out from under its owner. If it has happened, it is rare and, evidently, didn't make too many waves. And still, the Internet is far more resilient to these threats. Even SOPA, a huge bill that threatened both illegitimate and legitimate hosts of web content, was kicked to the side after massive public uproar. That is the power of the Internet. 

And so it is, I want the Internet to remain much the same as it is today: an enormous mixed-bag of anything and everything where anything and everything has a right to exist as it is. Like public-access television, only better!

Has Microsoft Gone Mad?

With all of the heated controversy around Microsoft right now, one would think the company would lay low for a while until things blew over. Evidently, laying-low isn't the Microsoft way. If you're out of the loop, Microsoft has been pulling the wool over its customer's eyes these past eight months. The biggest controversy has been over their telemetry and user diagnostic programs, and whether these programs are sending user data back to Microsoft's HQ. Well, these programs are sending user data and search patterns back to Microsoft! It's been confirmed. It was originally thought that these programs were confined solely to Windows 10, but people have since discovered that these programs were also delivered as updates to Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 many months back. 

You would think this would be enough for Microsoft, but you couldn't be more wrong. Most Windows users are now oh so familiar with that nagging update notification in the corner of their screen. You know, that notification window that lovingly prods you to install the Windows 10 update. Microsoft, however, is getting impatient with these polite nudges. They have recently announced that the Windows 10 update will now be included among the "recommended updates" in Windows Update. That means Windows 10 will be installed automatically if users have Windows Update set to install recommended updates automatically, which is the default setting. Of course, users will still have to hit the "upgrade" button on the window prompt when it pops-up, but that would be easy enough to do if it just pops-up out of the blue. I can see many careless or technologically-illiterate users accidentally agreeing to the installation. It seems Microsoft is completely willing to exploit a user's desire to keep his PC protected, in order to install an undesired operating system! Gee Microsoft, will you take up clubbing baby seals next? You've already disillusioned your user-base with your "diagnostic services" and unwanted monitoring. When will it be enough?

But, as always, there is more. Rumor has it that Microsoft will grow impatient with users and upgrade them automatically, with no prompt at all. To be honest, I wouldn't put this past Microsoft given recent events. But let's keep our heads about us and focus on the facts. 

Microsoft is now seriously urging users to install an operating system they may not want. Much like a pushy salesmen who just can't take "no" for an answer. I can't remember a time when a company has ever done this to its users. It sets a bad precedent that could get out of hand very quickly.

Microsoft has claimed that its recent actions are in the best interest of its user-base, but that sounds very disingenuous to me. However, if Microsoft does believe this, then I can't imagine them having much trouble forcing their user's hand and installing the update right under their user's noses. 

This is what happens when companies begin to believe they are too big to fall. They start to drink their own Kool-Aid and believe they are invincible. The free market has always found ways to undercut giants when they get too cocky. I believe the same will happen to Microsoft, soon enough. 

Digital Natives: Born into the Future

At this time, most modern cities could be considered Cyberpunk-lite. Those cities are technologically advanced, corporate, and have their fair share of outsiders living on the fringe of society. It’s only a matter of time before more and more cities begin to take the shape of Cyberpunk dystopias. What is to become of the people who knew of a time before Cyberpunkian cities? I don’t know. Adapt or die, as the expression goes. For this post, I’m more interested in the next generation. What does this new digital age mean for digital natives? But before we get into that, just what is a digital native?

Digital native is a relatively new term for a relatively new phenomenon. "Digital native" refers to children, or young adults, in our society who display a cunning and adeptness with technology that the adults in our society lack. In short, a digital native is the three-year-old brat who can navigate their iPad the same way a master pianist navigates his piano. Digital natives are the maestros of modern technology. They have been born into the future, the digital age, hence the name "digital natives". They don't know of a world that isn't the digital age. Thus, they are the natives of the digital age. I'm sure you've gotten the point. Let's move on.

Now, these digital natives are really the first of their kind. Sure, computers as a mainstream technology have existed since the late 70's and early 80's and there were kids who made computing their lives (keep in mind that these kids were the original hackers), but most had lives outside of computing as well. Those kids could easily separate themselves from their computers since you couldn't fit those bulky machines into your back pocket. However, the children of today, roughly children born after 1995 are surrounded by portable technology that they can't help but take with them everywhere they go. In the 70's/80's, kids could easily make the distinction between the "real world" and their computer world. Today, the lines are far more blurred and it's just about impossible for those kids to get away from technology, even if they wanted to get away, that is.

I would like to point out that digital natives aren't particularly smarter than their counterparts one-hundred years ago. Children being...well...children, are incredibly adaptive and absorbent. They learn things at lightning fast speeds, often to the dismay of their parents. Since digital natives were born in the digital age, they naturally adapted to the age and the age's technology. The first generation of digital natives will, one day, come to struggle with technology. Just as their parents did.

However, there is something very misleading about the phrase "digital native". Now, it is true that these children are more adept at technology than their parents and grandparents. However, that says more about their parent's lack of knowledge of technology than it does about any ability a digital native may have. If you were to put any one digital native in front of a command prompt, he would likely be as lost as his ninety year old grandfather. These children are more adept than their parents and grandparents, but they are adept only in the relative sense of the word. Smartphone navigation and application manipulation may be a breeze to these natives, but that is really the extent of their knowledge. Of course, there are natives with exceptional knowledge and ability with computers (future hackers, perhaps), but they are in the minority of natives. The majority are only slightly more adept than their parents.

But this brings me to another point. These natives are exposed to information like no other generation before them. Does this mean that there will be a greater number of geniuses among them? That's a fascinating question, but I'm afraid it is for another post.

The point of this post isn't to bash digital natives or tear them down from their pedestals. Rather, its purpose is to bring our views of digital natives back down to earth. And we should encourage digital natives to keep practicing and refining their skills so that our civilization may progress. One day, we may need these natives to help in the fight against oppressive corporate overlords. One day, perhaps. Decades ago, it was predicted that civilization would need the technologically adept kids of the 70's and 80's. It appears the prediction was correct. I've got a feeling the children of today will play an even bigger role in the future. So three cheers for the digital natives and the future they are sure to usher in their wake. 

Binaural Beats: Now in Stereo Format

In Cyberpunk Society and Our Society: Present and Future Drugs, I spoke about the drugs used both in our world and in cyberpunk fiction, and I gave explanations as to why certain drugs are favored over others in certain contexts. I even gave insight on a rather new, freely available and highly potent drug that has only begun to ravage the mind's of the citizenry. (go read the post if you want to discover just what that drug is; I won't spoil it here).

But there is another, more recent drug that has gained a substantial cult following. That drug is binaural beats. The concept of binaural beats is easy enough to understand: two different frequencies (usually operating below 1500 hz) with around 40 hz difference between them, when listened to, the two frequencies seem to produce a third tone i.e. the binaural beat. The third tone has the frequency of the difference of the two pure tones. For example, if the two pure tones are, respectively, 500 Hz and 460 Hz, then the third tone (the binaural beat) is perceived to be 40 Hz.

Hold on to your harddrives , this is going to get a bit heavy.

Though there hasn't been much research into the effects of binaural beats, the speculations of the effects of listening to binaural beats is based upon known facts. It is known that the brain consists of billions of neurons, the synchronized activity of bundles of neurons creates macroscopic oscillations, known commonly as brainwaves. These brainwaves, much like light waves and sound waves, have their own frequencies, amplitudes, and phases. The brainwaves and their frequencies are as follows:

• Gamma, 30 to 50 Hz
• Beta, 14 to 30 Hz
• Alpha, 8 to 14 Hz
• Theta, 4 to 8 Hz
• Delta, 0.1 to 4 Hz

Moreover, each of these brainwaves corresponds with a certain type of mental state. Gamma waves relate to expanded consciousness and spiritual awareness; Beta waves relate to normal brain function and focused thought; Alpha waves relate to mindfulness and a mixture of calmness and alertness; Theta waves relate to intuition, insight, and dream-like imagery; Delta waves are associated with deep, dreamless, sleep, healing, and regeneration. Now, it is known that brainwaves can be influenced by auditory and visual stimuli. So, the entire premise behind binaural beats as mind-altering substance is to produce a third tone that aligns with the frequency of a brainwave, in order to produce that brainwave in the user and allow the user to gain its respective benefits. Essentially, the user wants to get some kind of "high" by having binaural beats influence his brainwaves. It should be called audio doping™.

But is there any evidence that suggests binaural beats can trigger the desired high? Not really or, more accurately, no certain evidence uninfluenced by the placebo effect. But Among the scientific community, it is known that audio and visual stimuli influence brain activity and, therefore, brainwaves. Music has even been shown to boost the immune system, improve mood, facilitate relaxation, and aid in the alleviation of stress, especially music with percussive elements i.e. drums. Still, it's doubtful whether listening to binaural beats can actually synchronize brainwaves to the desired frequency. However, this hasn't stopped people from experimenting with this new-age drug. Some fans of audio doping have reported experiencing other, more interesting, effects as well.

Most users have reported experiencing increased concentration, enhanced creativity, and a complete awareness or mindfulness. All of these, however, may be attributed to the reduced stress produced by listening to binaural beats. Some users, however, have reported experiencing hallucinations, both visual and audible. While self-reporting has it's own demons, unreliability and inconsistency to name a couple, these reported effects are interesting and make binaural beats a "hot" commodity among people looking for a cheap and legal high.

Years ago, I was an avid user of binaural beats. And I do recall becoming more focused during a listening session. But that might just be my own biased reporting speaking. Unfortunately, I didn't experience any auditory or visual hallucinations. Perhaps I just didn't listen long enough. Whatever the case, I did reap some benefit from listening to binaural beats. I often listen to music while writing, however, I haven't habitually listened to binaural beats in a couple years. Why did I stop? I don't find listening to binaural beats to be particularly pleasant. The pure tones can be somewhat aggravating and grating if I listen to them for longer than five minutes. I need other tones thrown into the mix to take the edge off the pure tones. This, of course, muddies the reports about whether binaural beats are causing the benefits alone.

For the purposes of this post, I did revisit binaural beats. And, once again, I did experience the oft-reported benefits. Of course, these weren't pure tones alone, but a mixture of tones with the perceivable pure tones in the background, so the results are muddied. Was I responding to the binaural beat or to the other tones? Or maybe both? It's difficult to tell. But why question it? I could just sit back and enjoy the beat, and I think I will. But there is still more to be said.

Heh, I just realized this post is getting bogged down in the technical aspects of binaural beats, which won't do at all. Technical stuff isn't all that interesting, though a good writer can make it painless to read. Unfortunately, I ain't that great of a writer. So onward to the more interesting points.

What do binaural beats mean for the future of drug use? If nothing else, its just one more drug on the market, but this drug has a very futuristic spin on it. Its absolute dependency on technology makes it very endearing in the context of an increasingly cyberpunk world. And there's more.

I get the impression that binaural beats is really just a sign of things to come in drug culture. In a way, they are the perfect drug. They are easily transmittable, consumable, and, if the reports are to be believed, effective. Most are free to use -- provided you have an Internet connection -- and they are completely legal. I can't see them becoming illegal anytime soon, not when lawmakers are so focused on placing restrictions on e-cigarettes and knock-off marijuana. Binaural beats as mind-altering substance are flying completely under the political and media radar. Even in the limitless sea of the Internet, articles about them are a rarity. 

Will there be more drugs that abuse the human senses in order to render the desired high? Human nature says "Yes". Binaural beats have set an interesting and entirely necessary precedent. All that's left to be done is for people to discover the next big digital drug.  

Given that binaural beats is a "no-strings-attached" drug, it makes sense that it should become rather popular and gain a cult following. I suspect we'll hear more about this drug in the future. Hopefully we'll also see some new scientific studies about it too. I hope I'm not subjecting myself to more pseudoscience. It wouldn't be the first time, though. You can never have too much pseudoscience in your life. 

*http://www.electric-design.co.uk/music-to-our-ears-sound-wave-jewellery/sound-wave/

Crytpocurrency: An Alternative Future Currency

I’m late to the party on this one, but I still wanted to say a few words about it just because I am oh so fond of anything and everything challenging, novel, and, best of all, subversive. Cryptocurrency, for those folks who are also late to the party, is a form of digital currency that is created by maintaining a block-chain. This currency, like all currency, is valuable insofar as it is given value by its users. If all the users were to, one day, give up on Bitcoin, its value would plummet and what little Bitcoin remained would collect cyber-dust.

Now all of that may have sounded like gibberish, but it's true, even if you don't understand it. Bitcoin is one of the most famous peer-to-peer, decentralized cryptocurrencies on the market. Notice how I didn't say electronic currency. The difference between a cryptocurrency and an electronic currency is how they are generated. Cryptocurrency is created by maintaining what is known as a block-chain, which is a publicly distributed ledger mapping all Bitcoin transactions. Generally, there are two ways to get Bitcoins. The first way is likely the most popular which is to mine Bitcoins. Mining Bitcoins involves the user offering some of their computing power to help maintain the public ledger, called mining the block-chain. For offering their computing power, the user is rewarded with Bitcoin transaction fees and newly minted Bitcoins. The second way to obtain Bitcoins is to trade for them. Today, you can trade services, products, and even money for Bitcoins and, then, use those Bitcoins to trade for other goods or services. Bitcoin has picked up quite a bit of steam over the years. It was first introduced in 2009 and its price, per Bitcoin, has fluctuated anywhere from a few cents per BTC (Bitcoin) to around $1000 per coin.

But why is BTC so popular? Well, it's a fascinating concept made into a viable, alternative currency. Think about it. All a person would need to do to make money is to mine BTC, which requires no extra effort on the part of the individual. It's a completely autopilot way to make money. A dream come true for most people.* Additionally, many people treat BTC as a stock or commodity that may be sold once its price reaches a certain level. It seems the chance for profit is BTC's most alluring feature. But there is more to it. BTC is also hard to track and trace, which makes it an ideal currency to use in purchasing of illegal goods and services. I imagine it has its uses in money-laundering as well. And, additionally still, BTC has become known as "the people's currency" given its decentralized nature. No single entity or institution can directly manipulate its price or distribution. Which can mean increased stability and chances of success. BTC just seems fair by nature.

And let us not forget that BTC is an alternative currency. There's something about the word alternative that is just so damn irresistible. Alternative says one thing, and one thing alone: choice. People can choose it over any other form of currency, if they so desire. Choices are something people just love. Which is just another reason to love Bitcoin.

Now, mining the block-chain and speculating in BTC is all well and good, but I suspect cryptocurrency's biggest impact will be in the anonymity it offers its users. Few things can be said to be anonymous, today, especially something as useful as a currency. In a world filled with an increasing number of peeping eyes and lurking spooks, a currency that offers some form of anonymity seems like a God-send. Well, Bitcoin is just that, a God-send. Granted, it doesn't offer perfect anonymity, nothing does, but it's still far more anonymous and private than most other currencies.

If you live in the United States, then you know that a great deal of peeping goes on, and that there is a great number of banned products. I don't expect the U.S. to become any freer any time soon, so it seems BTC has quite an important role to play, today and tomorrow.

My only regret about Bitcoin is that I didn't buy any when it was selling at a few pennies per coin. If I had, I wouldn't have to ask for donations. *hint hint*

And in addition to all of the aforementioned points (just because I enjoy piling things upon things), electronic currency is one of the hallmarks of cyberpunk fiction. The fact that BTC is not an electronic currency but a currency generated by means of a cryptographic algorithm is one of the most cyberpunk things I could imagine. The advent of crytpocurrency is one huge step into the future.

*This is once again only a dream. BTC mining is still possible, but the profitability is next to null. Unless, of course, you have access to thousands of servers. Even then, the cost of maintaining and powering those servers would render any and all profit non-existent. 

Are you a neophile? If yes, the future belongs to you

Neophile (noun) : a person who has a strong affinity for novelty and new experiences

And what could be newer than the future? The future even has that new car smell. You know the smell. Who rules the new? Well the neophiles of course! Neophiles, by the nature of their sickness, demonstrate a remarkable adaptability that is unrivaled by other, more serious, afflictions. And since the future is jam-packed with new and interesting things, not to mention things which constantly change, the neophile will find the future to be a very stimulating and comfortable place. So rejoice neophiles, even if things aren't quite looking your way right now, just wait it out. The future is your home and it's getting closer every day.