H@CK TH3 W@RDR0B3!
December 19, 2011 2:22 PM Subscribe
Also Hackers is, of course, the best movie of all time*. That goes without saying, right?
* At this moment. Sometimes it's Kelly's Heroes. Sometimes it's Repo Man.
posted by Artw at 2:31 PM on December 19, 2011 [12 favorites]
* At this moment. Sometimes it's Kelly's Heroes. Sometimes it's Repo Man.
posted by Artw at 2:31 PM on December 19, 2011 [12 favorites]
artw you have the Right taste in movies
cept lisbeth salander is totally poochy you are thinking about uhh that chik from Pattern Recognition
posted by beefetish at 2:35 PM on December 19, 2011
cept lisbeth salander is totally poochy you are thinking about uhh that chik from Pattern Recognition
posted by beefetish at 2:35 PM on December 19, 2011
Wire rip or not, "Connection" is still so much fun. It was pretty much the perfect choice for this.
posted by mintcake! at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by mintcake! at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Today, the stereotypical image of a person who works with computers is more likely to be a young female blogger or a clean shaven man in his mid-30s.
Erm, maybe in mainstream society. But when I think about the stereotypical hacker, I think of a man in his mid 30's with a scraggly beard, wearing a pony tail, fedora and duster. It's almost a cliche.
Of course they all looked amazing.
Ohhh, you're talking about attractive people who are hackers.
posted by zabuni at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
Erm, maybe in mainstream society. But when I think about the stereotypical hacker, I think of a man in his mid 30's with a scraggly beard, wearing a pony tail, fedora and duster. It's almost a cliche.
Of course they all looked amazing.
Ohhh, you're talking about attractive people who are hackers.
posted by zabuni at 2:36 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
I also think it helps in that in the film-o-land everyone uses a Mac, so that clanger isn't so obvious as in novel of Dragon Tattoo.
Also Hackers is, of course, the best movie of all time
Well it's certainly the standout from the Sublime Trinity of Hacker Movies (the other being of course, War Games and Sneakers)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:37 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
Also Hackers is, of course, the best movie of all time
Well it's certainly the standout from the Sublime Trinity of Hacker Movies (the other being of course, War Games and Sneakers)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:37 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
sweatpants give you +1 to linux
posted by beefetish at 2:37 PM on December 19, 2011 [7 favorites]
posted by beefetish at 2:37 PM on December 19, 2011 [7 favorites]
Well it's certainly the standout from the Sublime Trinity of Hacker Movies (the other being of course, War Games and Sneakers)
I have love in my heart for Tron 2.0, which just sort of barely counts, purely on the basis of visual design and soundtrack. Pity about the, um, everything else.
posted by Artw at 2:39 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
I have love in my heart for Tron 2.0, which just sort of barely counts, purely on the basis of visual design and soundtrack. Pity about the, um, everything else.
posted by Artw at 2:39 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
Jim and Malvin are totally what I imagine real hackers are like, but with even less social skills (if any real hackers read this... hey gays, just kidding right... right... can I have my credit card back?)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:43 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:43 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
Cool post. I have no problem with cyberpunk culture being the next big fad on the ouroboros of infinitely recycled culture that we currently seem to be straddling. Also, I want Crash Override's jacket from Hackers.
This one.
posted by codacorolla at 2:45 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
This one.
posted by codacorolla at 2:45 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
I have love in my heart for Tron 2.0,
What, are you like The Plague or something! Your hack-fu is weak... I've not even seen TRON 2.0!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:46 PM on December 19, 2011
What, are you like The Plague or something! Your hack-fu is weak... I've not even seen TRON 2.0!
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:46 PM on December 19, 2011
Hackers taught me that being really good with computers and being able to skateboard are completely synonymous and that is why I majored in Computer Science.
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:46 PM on December 19, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Tomorrowful at 2:46 PM on December 19, 2011 [4 favorites]
I have a jacket nearly identical to mr. override's, but rarely wear it out because I no longer have a motorcycle and feel like a poseur. Perhaps it's time to get over that / buy some rollerblades?
posted by thedaniel at 2:47 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by thedaniel at 2:47 PM on December 19, 2011
What, are you like The Plague or something!
As someone who primarily work for bastions of corporate evil he is my rolemodel.
posted by Artw at 2:48 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
As someone who primarily work for bastions of corporate evil he is my rolemodel.
posted by Artw at 2:48 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Jim and Malvin are totally what I imagine real hackers are like,
There needs to be a FPP on Eddie Deezen, the greatest nerd character actor of the 20th century.
posted by cazoo at 2:56 PM on December 19, 2011
There needs to be a FPP on Eddie Deezen, the greatest nerd character actor of the 20th century.
posted by cazoo at 2:56 PM on December 19, 2011
The Hacker Crackdown - Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier
posted by Artw at 3:00 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 3:00 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
I love it.
Hackers was loosely based well known NYC hackers of the era. Of course a few liberties were taken, such as adding women and any sort of fashion sense.
I am totally convinced that William Gibson must have channeled the platonic realm of nerd ideals when he created Molly in neuromancer. I still don't know where the duster and anachronistic hat trope for male hackers came from.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:01 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Hackers was loosely based well known NYC hackers of the era. Of course a few liberties were taken, such as adding women and any sort of fashion sense.
I am totally convinced that William Gibson must have channeled the platonic realm of nerd ideals when he created Molly in neuromancer. I still don't know where the duster and anachronistic hat trope for male hackers came from.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:01 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
I still don't know where the duster and anachronistic hat trope for male hackers came from.
The Debonair Sysadmin? Dan Rather cold sports this piece on a chilly day!
posted by dubold at 3:06 PM on December 19, 2011 [5 favorites]
The Debonair Sysadmin? Dan Rather cold sports this piece on a chilly day!
posted by dubold at 3:06 PM on December 19, 2011 [5 favorites]
I'm not mentioned by name in The Hacker Crackdown but my Amiga is discussed in it. Pretty krad my computer is famous.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:08 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 3:08 PM on December 19, 2011
(if any real hackers read this... hey gays, just kidding right... right... can I have my credit card back?)
Ah, yes, the infamous gay hacker mafia.
posted by asnider at 3:09 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Ah, yes, the infamous gay hacker mafia.
posted by asnider at 3:09 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
I think of a man in his mid 30's with a scraggly beard, wearing a pony tail, fedora and duster. It's almost a cliche.
On behalf of overweight, balding, reasonably attired guys who can actually Do Stuff everywhere, I would like to note that this image of a hacker is Bullshit.
posted by Dr Dracator at 3:09 PM on December 19, 2011
On behalf of overweight, balding, reasonably attired guys who can actually Do Stuff everywhere, I would like to note that this image of a hacker is Bullshit.
posted by Dr Dracator at 3:09 PM on December 19, 2011
Heh. "The most common hacker machines are Amigas and Commodores."
We ruled the world in those days, motherfuckers!
posted by Artw at 3:10 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
We ruled the world in those days, motherfuckers!
posted by Artw at 3:10 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Gay hacker fashion mafia?
I'll ask Nemo what he's doing this week and get back to you.
posted by The Whelk at 3:11 PM on December 19, 2011
I'll ask Nemo what he's doing this week and get back to you.
posted by The Whelk at 3:11 PM on December 19, 2011
+++ sends a 1000 pizzas to asnider's house +++
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:12 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:12 PM on December 19, 2011
I first read it as "Hockers", as in "Hock a loogie". Imagine my relief.
posted by tommasz at 3:21 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by tommasz at 3:21 PM on December 19, 2011
I always know where my copy of Hackers is. It's in that place where I put that thing that time.
posted by Twang at 3:24 PM on December 19, 2011 [8 favorites]
posted by Twang at 3:24 PM on December 19, 2011 [8 favorites]
I have a jacket nearly identical to mr. override's, but rarely wear it out because I no longer have a motorcycle and feel like a poseur. Perhaps it's time to get over that / buy some rollerblades?
Wear it! Why not? The only reason I would think other motorcyclists would think you're a poseur is if the jacket cost you $2000, had 'DUCATI' emblazoned on the back in bright red and came with matching leather pants that said 'DUCATI' down the thigh and then you got into a four-door sedan or something - that would be pretty weird. BUT WHO KNOWS maybe you're heading for your Ducati at the track? and this line of thought stops here.
I am totally convinced that William Gibson must have channeled the platonic realm of nerd ideals when he created Molly in neuromancer
Won't lie - one year I really, really wanted to dress up as Molly for Halloween, but then realised I was nowhere near badass enough to pull it off. ONE DAY.
posted by zennish at 3:26 PM on December 19, 2011
Wear it! Why not? The only reason I would think other motorcyclists would think you're a poseur is if the jacket cost you $2000, had 'DUCATI' emblazoned on the back in bright red and came with matching leather pants that said 'DUCATI' down the thigh and then you got into a four-door sedan or something - that would be pretty weird. BUT WHO KNOWS maybe you're heading for your Ducati at the track? and this line of thought stops here.
I am totally convinced that William Gibson must have channeled the platonic realm of nerd ideals when he created Molly in neuromancer
Won't lie - one year I really, really wanted to dress up as Molly for Halloween, but then realised I was nowhere near badass enough to pull it off. ONE DAY.
posted by zennish at 3:26 PM on December 19, 2011
The eye thing sounds cool but any depiction of it I've seen comes off kind of goofy.
posted by Artw at 3:45 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Artw at 3:45 PM on December 19, 2011
Yeah - too much effort. Also, couldn't figure out how to do the razorblades and not open a vein in the process.
posted by zennish at 3:47 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by zennish at 3:47 PM on December 19, 2011
Ah, but for a Neuromancer movie that self consciously emulates the 199X hacker aesthetic...
posted by codacorolla at 3:48 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by codacorolla at 3:48 PM on December 19, 2011 [3 favorites]
We had that, it was called The Matrix.
posted by The Whelk at 3:49 PM on December 19, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 3:49 PM on December 19, 2011 [5 favorites]
Yeah it doesn't seem like something that could really be done and not look like insect eyes or goggles.
A long time ago I heard Microsoft lured Michael Abrash back with the promise he could make a new Neuromancer video game, I am still waiting for that.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:51 PM on December 19, 2011
A long time ago I heard Microsoft lured Michael Abrash back with the promise he could make a new Neuromancer video game, I am still waiting for that.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:51 PM on December 19, 2011
Hackers was loosely based well known NYC hackers of the era. Of course a few liberties were taken, such as adding women and any sort of fashion sense.
Untrue on both counts. Wing was always a bit of a clothes horse; Corrupt & Phiber at least both had a sense of style. As for women, there was Wing's (& several other hackers') girlfriend the infamous Noelle, who turned out to be working for Air Force Intelligence. But that's a story for another day.
posted by scalefree at 3:54 PM on December 19, 2011
Untrue on both counts. Wing was always a bit of a clothes horse; Corrupt & Phiber at least both had a sense of style. As for women, there was Wing's (& several other hackers') girlfriend the infamous Noelle, who turned out to be working for Air Force Intelligence. But that's a story for another day.
posted by scalefree at 3:54 PM on December 19, 2011
Haha maybe Corrupt.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:56 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 3:56 PM on December 19, 2011
The recent Deus Ex game had a protagonist with mirrorshades
a humorous take on the subject
posted by thedaniel at 4:08 PM on December 19, 2011
a humorous take on the subject
posted by thedaniel at 4:08 PM on December 19, 2011
All I have to add to this discussion is that Angelina Jolie in Hackers is the hottest hot person ever. As if she were a professional hot person.
posted by cmoj at 4:09 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by cmoj at 4:09 PM on December 19, 2011
Which I guess she is.
posted by cmoj at 4:10 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by cmoj at 4:10 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Cypher punk coming back into fashion would be werid cause there was only like an eight year period when it was fantastical fiction and not like, on the news and happening at you.
posted by The Whelk at 4:11 PM on December 19, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 4:11 PM on December 19, 2011 [4 favorites]
That Julia Stiles clip deserves its own post.
posted by villanelles at dawn at 4:15 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by villanelles at dawn at 4:15 PM on December 19, 2011
indeed it does.
It's a world where you're judged by what you say and think, not by what you look like. A world where curiosity and imagination equals power.
here is the best version of the julia stiles ghostwriter clip I could find on youtube
here is an xkcd about it
posted by finite at 4:23 PM on December 19, 2011
It's a world where you're judged by what you say and think, not by what you look like. A world where curiosity and imagination equals power.
here is the best version of the julia stiles ghostwriter clip I could find on youtube
here is an xkcd about it
posted by finite at 4:23 PM on December 19, 2011
computer people are ugly and unfashionable because something something adfds i put the joke on the other side of this post, turn it over to read it
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 4:27 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 4:27 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
I guess John Connor couldn't wear leather when hacking ATMs because then he'd be badass himself and wouldn't need a leatherclad badass robot to save his butt.
posted by aubilenon at 4:32 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by aubilenon at 4:32 PM on December 19, 2011
That Julia Stiles clip deserves its own post.
It was featured in this post about Ghostwriter.
posted by jedicus at 4:43 PM on December 19, 2011
It was featured in this post about Ghostwriter.
posted by jedicus at 4:43 PM on December 19, 2011
computer people are ugly and unfashionable because something something
I kid because I love.
posted by Ad hominem at 4:48 PM on December 19, 2011
I kid because I love.
posted by Ad hominem at 4:48 PM on December 19, 2011
Want to see something totally mind-blowing?
Great Computer caper part 1. Episode of Silver Spoons in which Ricky and Arnold from diff'rent strokes in a guest appearance hack into a military computer and go on the run from the FBI.
posted by Ad hominem at 4:56 PM on December 19, 2011
Great Computer caper part 1. Episode of Silver Spoons in which Ricky and Arnold from diff'rent strokes in a guest appearance hack into a military computer and go on the run from the FBI.
posted by Ad hominem at 4:56 PM on December 19, 2011
All I have to add to this discussion is that Angelina Jolie in Hackers is the hottest hot person ever.
Pardon me while I ruin your life as mine was ruined when I realized that she looks an awful lot like Justin Bieber in that movie.
posted by elizardbits at 4:56 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Pardon me while I ruin your life as mine was ruined when I realized that she looks an awful lot like Justin Bieber in that movie.
posted by elizardbits at 4:56 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Not as weird as imagining a time in which she was dating Jonny Lee Miller...
posted by Artw at 4:58 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Artw at 4:58 PM on December 19, 2011
I think of a man in his mid 30's with a scraggly beard, wearing a pony tail, fedora and duster.
I read that and thought of this dude (1:17 in) minus the beard.
posted by the sobsister at 5:00 PM on December 19, 2011
I read that and thought of this dude (1:17 in) minus the beard.
posted by the sobsister at 5:00 PM on December 19, 2011
Not as weird as imagining a time in which she was married to Jonny Lee Miller...
posted by mephron at 5:00 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mephron at 5:00 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
0:22 is enemy of the state I think. Seth Green and Jack Black are uncredited in that
posted by Ad hominem at 5:05 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 5:05 PM on December 19, 2011
Weird that in the video describing the new clothing collection based on the US dragon tat movie, they're making a big deal about how it's for girly girls and not tomboys or goths or anything.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:08 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:08 PM on December 19, 2011
@ad hominem
i kid because of job-related class anxiety and ez laffs
good for you though
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 5:11 PM on December 19, 2011
i kid because of job-related class anxiety and ez laffs
good for you though
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 5:11 PM on December 19, 2011
God, I'd blocked the full extent of that weirdness out of my mind.
posted by Artw at 5:15 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Artw at 5:15 PM on December 19, 2011
The only female l33t hacker I know is a transwoman. For whatever that's worth.
She's pretty damn l33t though. Jets off to hacker cons across the world to present papers on stuff like how she reversed a botnet and took over its command structure to take it down.
posted by egypturnash at 5:18 PM on December 19, 2011
She's pretty damn l33t though. Jets off to hacker cons across the world to present papers on stuff like how she reversed a botnet and took over its command structure to take it down.
posted by egypturnash at 5:18 PM on December 19, 2011
All I have to add to this discussion is that Angelina Jolie in Hackers is the hottest hot person ever.
I am not particularly fond of recent, skinnier Angelina, but she was super hot in Hackers. See also: Pushing Tin.
posted by asnider at 5:24 PM on December 19, 2011
I am not particularly fond of recent, skinnier Angelina, but she was super hot in Hackers. See also: Pushing Tin.
posted by asnider at 5:24 PM on December 19, 2011
Also, on the subject oh the post at hand... honestly, leather isn't so much a cinematic "hacker" look IMHO as latex is. And heavy rubber. And spikes.
Cyberpunk is a shiny black jacket made of indeterminate material. Probably artificial. Because who wants to wrap themselves in meat? You're on the net almost 24-7, leaving the meat behind. Why do you wanna wrap yourself in more meat during the few hours when you take the 'trodes off and crawl out of your monitor-strewn lair, pasty-faced and myopic, looking for the nearest 7-11 so you can make the meat stop bitching about wanting to be refueled?
Heavy latex. It's a hell of a lot l33ter than leather.
posted by egypturnash at 5:27 PM on December 19, 2011 [7 favorites]
Cyberpunk is a shiny black jacket made of indeterminate material. Probably artificial. Because who wants to wrap themselves in meat? You're on the net almost 24-7, leaving the meat behind. Why do you wanna wrap yourself in more meat during the few hours when you take the 'trodes off and crawl out of your monitor-strewn lair, pasty-faced and myopic, looking for the nearest 7-11 so you can make the meat stop bitching about wanting to be refueled?
Heavy latex. It's a hell of a lot l33ter than leather.
posted by egypturnash at 5:27 PM on December 19, 2011 [7 favorites]
Pardon me while I ruin your life as mine was ruined when I realized that she looks an awful lot like Justin Bieber in that movie.
Nice try, but I can think of two reasons she didn't look much like Justin Bieber in that movie.
posted by Crabby Appleton at 5:36 PM on December 19, 2011
Nice try, but I can think of two reasons she didn't look much like Justin Bieber in that movie.
posted by Crabby Appleton at 5:36 PM on December 19, 2011
The recent Deus Ex game had a protagonist with mirrorshades
noooo is that what everyone else was thinking when they were thinking "mirrorshades?"
He looks like a douche canoe.
I think you can buy something that looks like that at the truck stop in Black River Falls. COME ON FUTURE LOOK COOLER
posted by louche mustachio at 5:44 PM on December 19, 2011
noooo is that what everyone else was thinking when they were thinking "mirrorshades?"
He looks like a douche canoe.
I think you can buy something that looks like that at the truck stop in Black River Falls. COME ON FUTURE LOOK COOLER
posted by louche mustachio at 5:44 PM on December 19, 2011
I think you can buy something that looks like that at the truck stop in Black River Falls
They probably don't retract into your head, though.
posted by wildcrdj at 5:50 PM on December 19, 2011
They probably don't retract into your head, though.
posted by wildcrdj at 5:50 PM on December 19, 2011
The George Michael look is 80s retro. That's what the kids are into these days.
(and he's a Solo, not a Netrunner, come on)
posted by Artw at 5:52 PM on December 19, 2011
(and he's a Solo, not a Netrunner, come on)
posted by Artw at 5:52 PM on December 19, 2011
Pardon me while I ruin your life as mine was ruined when I realized that she looks an awful lot like Justin Bieber in that movie.
No. First, Justin Bieber's wetware does not match his hardware. Second, no.
posted by cmoj at 5:58 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
No. First, Justin Bieber's wetware does not match his hardware. Second, no.
posted by cmoj at 5:58 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Hackers era Angelina? You guys never see Foxfire?
posted by Ad hominem at 6:07 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 6:07 PM on December 19, 2011
Hackers era Angelina? You guys never see Foxfire?
Hackers came out in 1995. Foxfire came out in 1996. It's the same era. Foxfire has more nudity, but Hackers is more relevant to this thread.
Also: no, I haven't. *single tear followed by a trip to the pirate bay*
posted by asnider at 6:17 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hackers came out in 1995. Foxfire came out in 1996. It's the same era. Foxfire has more nudity, but Hackers is more relevant to this thread.
Also: no, I haven't. *single tear followed by a trip to the pirate bay*
posted by asnider at 6:17 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
Ok ok , you got me. They seem like 10 years apart in my memory. Next thing you will tell me Gia came out in 1997.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:19 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 6:19 PM on December 19, 2011
Fuck 1998.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:20 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by Ad hominem at 6:20 PM on December 19, 2011
Yeah, Hackers was the late '80s NYC BBS scene as interpreted by attractive people and also Matthew Lillard. Those in and around the scene at the time recognized the character archetypes being portrayed, and were somewhat entertained that the "lamer" hacker was using a IIGS, and amazed that hacking was depicted as hours and hours of poring over stolen printouts and shoulder surfing during a social engineering hack... because it was. The complete inability of the directors to get anything right on the technical side was more amusing than infuriating, and hey, it looked cool.
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:31 PM on December 19, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:31 PM on December 19, 2011 [5 favorites]
All I have to add to this discussion is that Angelina Jolie in Hackers is the hottest hot person ever.
She didn't always look so hot.
posted by scalefree at 6:38 PM on December 19, 2011
She didn't always look so hot.
posted by scalefree at 6:38 PM on December 19, 2011
Oh snap is that a twenty eight point eight Kay bee pee ess modem?
On the other hand, Wargames got one little detail so spectacularly right that I will always love it. It actually was possible to make free phone calls from payphones by grounding the red wire going to the handset. On older pay phones you could ground it using an unbent paper clip stuck into the center hole on the microphone part of the handset. The phone company got wise and added a plastic shield. Anyone wanting to use that trick had to cut the steel jacket covering the wires to the headset and stick a pin through the red wire.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:41 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
On the other hand, Wargames got one little detail so spectacularly right that I will always love it. It actually was possible to make free phone calls from payphones by grounding the red wire going to the handset. On older pay phones you could ground it using an unbent paper clip stuck into the center hole on the microphone part of the handset. The phone company got wise and added a plastic shield. Anyone wanting to use that trick had to cut the steel jacket covering the wires to the headset and stick a pin through the red wire.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:41 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
seriously though i have gotten a little fatigued with easy tired lol computerdorksfashion jokes and i think there are some unstated things in the mix that are a little rotten
grumble hiss gripe
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 7:04 PM on December 19, 2011
grumble hiss gripe
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 7:04 PM on December 19, 2011
Like you've ever hacked a Gibson.
posted by Artw at 7:10 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 7:10 PM on December 19, 2011 [1 favorite]
noooo is that what everyone else was thinking when they were thinking "mirrorshades?"
Not me, but Gibson's surgical shades clearly aren't dead.
He looks like a douche canoe.
In that pic, yeah. But in the game and cutscenes, it often worked surprisingly well.
Part of why is that the character can be played as a decent guy, staying calm and defusing tense situations in productive ways, instead of the usual guns-blazing macho meathead cliche (although you can play that way too - as you can see from this trailer:
It shows some of one of the best cyberpunk productions I've seen in a very long time - though this trailer unfortunately focuses on explosions and fighting.
And just to bring things full circle and back on topic, one of the characters nods to the style of Angelina Jolie fom Hackers.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:17 PM on December 19, 2011
Not me, but Gibson's surgical shades clearly aren't dead.
He looks like a douche canoe.
In that pic, yeah. But in the game and cutscenes, it often worked surprisingly well.
Part of why is that the character can be played as a decent guy, staying calm and defusing tense situations in productive ways, instead of the usual guns-blazing macho meathead cliche (although you can play that way too - as you can see from this trailer:
It shows some of one of the best cyberpunk productions I've seen in a very long time - though this trailer unfortunately focuses on explosions and fighting.
And just to bring things full circle and back on topic, one of the characters nods to the style of Angelina Jolie fom Hackers.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:17 PM on December 19, 2011
Oh, and Yelena has a touch of Lisbeth Salander :)
posted by -harlequin- at 8:50 PM on December 19, 2011
posted by -harlequin- at 8:50 PM on December 19, 2011
I'm suddenly really nostalgic for an old Shadowrun character I had... an untalented spoiled rich kid who bought himself fancy robot-arms and implanted shades and katanas and augmented reflexes and all the other stuff a real badass needs, paid info brokers to spread the rumor he was an escaped corporate superweapon, then hired hit men to chase himself down at random intervals to make the story believable.
I wish at the time I'd had access to the phrase "douche canoe" to describe him.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:57 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
I wish at the time I'd had access to the phrase "douche canoe" to describe him.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:57 PM on December 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
On the other hand, Wargames got one little detail so spectacularly right that I will always love it. It actually was possible to make free phone calls from payphones by grounding the red wire going to the handset. On older pay phones you could ground it using an unbent paper clip stuck into the center hole on the microphone part of the handset. The phone company got wise and added a plastic shield. Anyone wanting to use that trick had to cut the steel jacket covering the wires to the headset and stick a pin through the red wire.
Holy crap. In the very early 90s I made a free phone call to my then boyfriend in Iowa from a payphone in STL by sticking a paper chip into the handset. I can't believe I forgot that I did that.
posted by blessedlyndie at 2:28 AM on December 20, 2011
Holy crap. In the very early 90s I made a free phone call to my then boyfriend in Iowa from a payphone in STL by sticking a paper chip into the handset. I can't believe I forgot that I did that.
posted by blessedlyndie at 2:28 AM on December 20, 2011
20 minutes into the future...
You rang?
posted by Edison Carter at 7:06 AM on December 20, 2011 [2 favorites]
You rang?
posted by Edison Carter at 7:06 AM on December 20, 2011 [2 favorites]
I have a jacket nearly identical to mr. override's, but rarely wear it out because I no longer have a motorcycle and feel like a poseur.
Yeah, I have that jacket, but no longer wear it for the same reason.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 7:42 AM on December 20, 2011
Yeah, I have that jacket, but no longer wear it for the same reason.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 7:42 AM on December 20, 2011
I have love in my heart for Tron 2.0, which just sort of barely counts, purely on the basis of visual design and soundtrack. Pity about the, um, everything else.
At least they got the hacking scene right.
posted by ShutterBun at 10:23 AM on December 20, 2011
At least they got the hacking scene right.
posted by ShutterBun at 10:23 AM on December 20, 2011
Metafilter: on the net almost 24-7, leaving the meat behind
posted by CynicalKnight at 12:28 PM on December 20, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by CynicalKnight at 12:28 PM on December 20, 2011 [2 favorites]
I know this, it's UNIX!
I saw this in a theater with a bunch of local BBS people. Most of us screamed in horror at this line, and one person* shouted, "Oh, no! They're all going to die!"
After the movie, I was encouraged to take up a pro-wrestling heel persona based on Nedry.
(*OK, it was me.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 1:03 PM on December 20, 2011
I saw this in a theater with a bunch of local BBS people. Most of us screamed in horror at this line, and one person* shouted, "Oh, no! They're all going to die!"
After the movie, I was encouraged to take up a pro-wrestling heel persona based on Nedry.
(*OK, it was me.)
posted by Slap*Happy at 1:03 PM on December 20, 2011
On older pay phones you could ground it using an unbent paper clip stuck into the center hole on the microphone part of the handset. The phone company got wise and added a plastic shield. Anyone wanting to use that trick had to cut the steel jacket covering the wires to the headset and stick a pin through the red wire.
This was possible because payphones were typically Coin First Ground Start devices that actually seized the trunk by passing the current that completes the circuit to the Central Office (CO) through the coin you dropped in the slot. It was an anti-fraud technique to ensure you were dropping a real coin in & not just a slug made of a cheap, non-conductive metal. If you short that circuit with a paper clip, pin or other conductive metal object, you seize the trunk, get a dialtone & initiate the call.
So you'll know you probably have a Ground Start loop if the phone doesn't give you a dialtone on taking it off-hook. It's just about extinct now in the US; even RBOC ("Baby Bell" companies) payphones are mostly actually COCOTs that don't use the CO-managed ACTS billing system (which had its own vulnerability exploited by the infamous Red Box technique) but calculate the charges internally. As a result they'll never expose you to the real dialtone from the CO but generate a fake dialtone of their own for you to hear because that's what we expect to hear when we pick up a phone that tells us it's working. It's done for security purposes, to protect the line from abuse by people who know how to do things with it. That's the theory anyway. For every defense there's an attack to circumvent it.
posted by scalefree at 9:48 PM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
This was possible because payphones were typically Coin First Ground Start devices that actually seized the trunk by passing the current that completes the circuit to the Central Office (CO) through the coin you dropped in the slot. It was an anti-fraud technique to ensure you were dropping a real coin in & not just a slug made of a cheap, non-conductive metal. If you short that circuit with a paper clip, pin or other conductive metal object, you seize the trunk, get a dialtone & initiate the call.
So you'll know you probably have a Ground Start loop if the phone doesn't give you a dialtone on taking it off-hook. It's just about extinct now in the US; even RBOC ("Baby Bell" companies) payphones are mostly actually COCOTs that don't use the CO-managed ACTS billing system (which had its own vulnerability exploited by the infamous Red Box technique) but calculate the charges internally. As a result they'll never expose you to the real dialtone from the CO but generate a fake dialtone of their own for you to hear because that's what we expect to hear when we pick up a phone that tells us it's working. It's done for security purposes, to protect the line from abuse by people who know how to do things with it. That's the theory anyway. For every defense there's an attack to circumvent it.
posted by scalefree at 9:48 PM on December 20, 2011 [1 favorite]
Possibly the job Noomi Rapace did with her is a big part of this.
Possibly, hell. Her Lisbeth Salander is the next best thing to early-80s Joan Jett traveling forward in time just to sit in my lap while I play Mass Effect (FemShep, of course).
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:51 PM on December 28, 2011
Possibly, hell. Her Lisbeth Salander is the next best thing to early-80s Joan Jett traveling forward in time just to sit in my lap while I play Mass Effect (FemShep, of course).
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:51 PM on December 28, 2011
So... Yank version of Dragon Tatoo... It's pretty good, but doesn't really manage to be any better, so I still don't really see the point of it. Trent gets to do his soundtrack thing again, people who don't like to read subtitles get to watch it, Fincher gets a sack of money, but it's still basically an cover version that wasn't needed and a weird thing for him to have been spending his time on.
posted by Artw at 11:03 PM on December 28, 2011
posted by Artw at 11:03 PM on December 28, 2011
So... Yank version of Dragon Tatoo... It's pretty good, but doesn't really manage to be any better, so I still don't really see the point of it. Trent gets to do his soundtrack thing again, people who don't like to read subtitles get to watch it, Fincher gets a sack of money, but it's still basically an cover version that wasn't needed and a weird thing for him to have been spending his time on.
I think that I mostly agree. It seemed really by-the-numbers, although there were a few things I really liked that I can't go in to too much detail about without spoiling the plot. Noomi was absolutely amazing as Lisbeth, so that's something.
Also, we can thank the film for what must be a very large amount of awkward moments afterwards when people go in to the film unawares with their families, as happened to the one sitting next to me in my showing.
posted by codacorolla at 7:26 AM on December 29, 2011
I think that I mostly agree. It seemed really by-the-numbers, although there were a few things I really liked that I can't go in to too much detail about without spoiling the plot. Noomi was absolutely amazing as Lisbeth, so that's something.
Also, we can thank the film for what must be a very large amount of awkward moments afterwards when people go in to the film unawares with their families, as happened to the one sitting next to me in my showing.
posted by codacorolla at 7:26 AM on December 29, 2011
There was a HS couple sitting in front of us clearly there for a date. Awwwkward.
I liked the casting much better in the original, but the romantic arc of the English version, particularly the ending, made much more sense.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:41 AM on December 29, 2011
I liked the casting much better in the original, but the romantic arc of the English version, particularly the ending, made much more sense.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 7:41 AM on December 29, 2011
One scene got applause from the audience, which was some fun interaction. SPOILERS: It involved a tasering.
posted by Artw at 8:22 AM on December 29, 2011
posted by Artw at 8:22 AM on December 29, 2011
I actually think Young Adult might be a far worse date movie.
posted by Artw at 8:23 AM on December 29, 2011
posted by Artw at 8:23 AM on December 29, 2011
Fincher Explains Reasons Why He Made Each of His Films
posted by Artw at 8:50 PM on January 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 8:50 PM on January 1, 2012 [1 favorite]
Fincher Explains Reasons Why He Made Each of His Films
The longer interview that's linked in that article is really interesting.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:58 PM on January 2, 2012
The longer interview that's linked in that article is really interesting.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:58 PM on January 2, 2012
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posted by Artw at 2:30 PM on December 19, 2011