Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Phucked Phreak Production Vol 05
PPP
Proudly Present
Another
Phucked Phreak Production
*************************************************************************
*708/808-7629** **Saturday-February 16, 1991** **Vol #5*
* 10:18:27 AM *
** **
* Computing Society And The Rest Of The World Pt. 1 *
** **
* Written By: The Wizard *
** **
* CopyMUCH 1991 (M) Phucked Phreak Productions *
*************************************************************************
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibitting the free excercise thereof; or abbridging the freedom of
speech or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Goverment for a redress of grievances"
Under the above Law set forth in the First Amendment To The Constution
Of The United States Of America, The Author releases this work into the
pubic domain for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
Pre-Introduction
----------------
What follows is an introduction to a series of files I intend to write,
called Computing Society. I don't know if I'll ever finish, and I really
don't know if I'll write a second file. ((Granted, it would be a fairly
short series if I only did just this one.))
Basically, I'm writing about anything that comes to mind about how the
computer illiterate world has been brainwashed into thinking that
there's a big underground network of little unscrupulous people who want
to steal your credit card and crash national defense systems using their
Apple Computer. ((Apple computer will get it's own section later on,
and believe me, it won't be pretty.))
Without further crap from me, I give you, the introduction to, Computing
Society.
Introduction
------------
There's a whole society out there right now. If you've never heard of any
of the terms or stories following this, then there will be a companion file
available shortly which lists any terms that aren't common knowledge to
any user with a brain cell.
The objective is this:I want to introduce the alleged "computer underground"
to the rest of the computer users in America, (and anywhere else that there
are misconceptions.) I want to show you that we're not scheming lunatics
who have set out to take over America using our Apple IIe's and a modem.
I want to show that people who insist on using handles on a system
aren't deranged paranoid lunatics who are bent on the destruction of the
world, we're simply people who have name recognition using a handle, (in
the 708 area code, I'm known enough to get access to systems that
someone with a name like Joe Blow couldn't get access to. Now that I've
finished kissing my own butt, I'll continue.))
I have a question for you. I'll answer it to, because this is supposed to
be interesting light reading, not a research 101 course via netmail.
How many people in America are computer literate? Probably a great
number of the ones under 21 can at least use computer without being
totally scared. How many of these people know how to do more than run a
word processor and how to select files? Probably not many. I'd be
willing to bet that the people who can't do much more than select files
have been brainwashed into thinking that there is a "computer
underground", where dangerous information is traded freely, money is
stolen in great amounts, and things are just generally fucked with by
people who are really familiar with their computers. Maybe they've seen
Wargames a few too many times, who knows where they get this stuff. I
know that in my 8th grade computers class a few years back, our teacher
passed out a note for our parents to read w hich basically said that
some students were playing games at school, and they shouldn't. He then
expounded on the sources of these games as being "Software Pirates". He
then devoted five pages to his moral opinion of "these ruthless
criminals who are a danger to society" and "Why they break the law."
Besides the fact that he's making it appear to be a capital offense to
understand how to back-up a game you just paid fifty bucks for, he also
has basically added to the big brainwash that software pirat es are
"ruthless criminals" and "dangers to society."
Obviously, this is a big pile of shit, but never the less, people believe
it.
For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I was in our writing lab at school,
(a bunch of Mac Pluses networked to an SE/30) and I was just screwing
around waiting for the bell to ring. I was reading the information file
for the Mac Finder, when this really whiney fat bitch said "Hey, what
are you doing TO the finder? Trying to crash the network, eh? Well,
you just close that right up, you're banned from the room!"
So, because I knew how to use a computer, I was told that I couldn't
return to our wonderful writing lab, (there's more to this story.)
Luckily enough, I talked to the person who was in charge, (she actually
knows what's going on) and she explained to the other person, (the fat
whiney bitch) that I wasn't hurting anything by reading an information
file. (I did, however, come back a little later and sent a nice little
piece of hate email to the person who made problems for me. God I love
LANs.... ;) ) Just an example of the persecution of a person who knew
how to use a computer.
Then there's the SS action against Dr. Ripco, and his legendary board,
Ripco International.
The system was confiscated in conjunction with the other Operation Sun
Devil "busts", (I use the term confiscation with Dr. Ripco because no
charges have been filed at this writing, nine months later.) Nobody
seems to be able to explain the system's confiscation. The sysop, (who
has more credib ility than I do) says there was nothing illegal going on
on the board, except for a small transfer section, (which didn't have
any software from any companies that were still in business) and that
was so tiny that to for the time and effort wasted, it would've been
easier to simply issue a "cease and desist" order. SS sources say that
the system was "A major component in the computer underground network in
America."
But, I have to ask one quick question.
What the fuck is a "computer underground network"? I've been around the
"pirate" modem community for close to six years now, using various
handles, and I've been on almost every system in my area code at least
once. I haven't even heard ANYTHING about an organized "Underground
Network."
Yes, there were, (probably still are too) systems where credit card
information gets passed from person to person, but not once in my six
years of experience, have I once seen or even heard remotely of a
concentrated "network" of CC Pirates.
Regardless, the system was taken without any explanation. The statute
of limitations on computer related offenses is ten years. The Secret
Service took at least $15,000 in computer equiptment from the Doc's
store, (most of it wasn't even connected to Ripco in anyway.
((According to Dr. Ripco, two of his personal Macintosh computers were
taken along with the computer that the BBS ran on, because, quote "the
cords and cables were all tangled together, and the SS people thought
that the computers were somehow networked, even though I didn't have
ANY networking equiptment around."))) In all likelyhood, he won't see
his computer equiptment for another nine years, if ever, or until his
attorney retains an order that forces the SS to give it all back,
(snowball's chance in hell.)
There may have beeb people passing info, but it was in email. ((Email,
when using the bbs program that Ripco ran under, is unreadable by the
sysop unless he logs on as the user whose mail he wants to read, reads
it, then logs off.))
Many people are probably saying that "the sysyop should've deleted users
posting illegal information." The thing is, I'm sure the sysop didn't
know that anyone was doing this. He did have a big rules section saying
"Don't Do This Or You're Leaving For Good." If he had known, he
probably would've done something about it.
Just like the post office does. Everybody knows that there are things
available by mail that are not totally on the up and up. (I.e. Music
clubs, "start your own business" flyers, etc.) The postmaster general
investigates and then files charges against wrongdoers.
What was done at Ripco was like this. The government saw a system that
represented "dangerous" ((to their free ride jobs)) thoughts and ideas,
so they closed it down. To cover this up, they went after other systems
in America that actually WERE doing something illegal.
This is equivalent to encountering someone pulling a mail-order fraud
scam, and shutting down the U.S. Postal system. Is our government
supposed to work like this?
No. They're supposed to find out who is breaking the law, gather
information, and punish them, not every user of our great (ha!) postal
system. By taking Ripco apart, the Secret Service has decided to
enforce justice "a la Reagan Drug Policy style." They've decided to
punish the five hundred plus regular users by taking away their massive
information source, and taking away the oldest system around, without a
trial, and without filing any charges.
Somebody in a position of power should be saying "HEY! You guys are
violating his rights!" I guess that's what I'm doing. The problem is,
that I'm just some stupid high school student whose opinion doesn't
REALLY count because "You're not of voting age, and you're therefore not
a voter, so I should just sit down and kindly shut the fuck up."
Frankly, this type of attitude is what is pushing America towards it's
eventual downfall as a Democracy into a socialistic police state.
I know this sounds kind of alarmist, but look at the enforcement of the
so called "Rico" laws. They were designed during Prohibition to punish
alcohol trafficers quickly. The work something like this. A person who
was arrested could have his or her possesions confiscated without any
charges being filed, and without being found guilty. This sounds a lot
like what made our forefathers leave their respective nations and move
here.
"The land of the free and the home of the brave." There are still brave
people around, but free is a dwindling thing. Nowadays, it's illegal,
(at least it is in some suburbs of Chicago) to park your pickup truck
in your driveway. Pardon my saying so, but that sounds like
discrimination against people who own pickup trucks.
(Excuse me, someone has just corrected me that it is in fact illegal to
park any type of truck in your driveway. My mistake.)
Conclusion (Sort Of)
--------------------
This is nowhere near the end of this file. Simply the introduction.
I guess I'll stop writing when I'm done.
Though I'll be damned if I know when that is.
Disclaimer:I hereby want to say that if you don't like my anti-government
bias, then fuck off and die. Someone has to be biased in favor of
computer users somewhere along the line. Any information that is
incorrect will be corrected in future files, (I of course reserve the rightto tell you to go to hell over little stupid things like
using //'s to represent roman numerals instead of the correct II.)
Spelling errors won't be fixed, because there are tons of them, and
I don't have a spell checker.
You can leave comments to me at any of the systems below. Or, if you're reading this and you're faraway, send me some netmail. My addresses are
below also.
System Name Usr. Number Phone Number
---------------------------------------------------
The Cage 8 708/945-3665
Jackass BBS 156 708/808-7629
Silver Tongue 65 708/759-1916
Ripco International THE WIZARD 312/528-5020
ProLine: wizz.trm@pro-harvest
Internet: wizz.trm@pro-harvest.cts.com
UUCP: crash!pro-harvest!wizz.trm
ARPA:crash!pro-harvest!wizz.trm@nosc.mil
If you are intrested in joining our writing staff, please contact the
SysOp at the BBS below.
Phucked Phreak Productions
JAckass BBS
708-808-7629
Courier HST 14.4k/85 MEGS
24 Hours/7 Days
End of file.
X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)
& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845
Rat Head Ratsnatcher 510-524-3649
Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766
realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 415-567-7043
Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102
Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives,
arcane knowledge, political extremism, diversive sexuality,
insane speculation, and wild rumours. ALL-TEXT BBS SYSTEMS.
Full access for first-time callers. We don't want to know who you are,
where you live, or what your phone number is. We are not Big Brother.
"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
