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First, I think that it is a very slippery slope for the author to be talking about the fact that a computer can pass the Turing test. Although the author goes to great lengths to explain the fact that the program can learn and grow and has much of the same "thinking" mechanisms as people, I do not buy it. I do not buy it because at the bottom of it all, a person is not just a series of yes and no commands. I say this because in a human, or any other creature, there is so much chemical activity that we know so little about that it is impossible for a computer to replicate a humans harebrained thoughts. Humans do not always give a reasonable or thoughtful response. For people, there are times when things are not clear cut. Because of this people sometimes "go with their gut" which basically means make whatever choice feels right for whatever reason. For a computer, this can never be the case because when it comes down to 1 or 0 there is always an answer. Everything is black and white for a computer so I believe that it is impossible to duplicate a human until we know far more about the chemical reactions that take place to make us feel EMOTION.
Secondly, I think it was very interesting that throughout the story, the Fed's (and even the hackers themselves) referred to the Warlocks or hackers as VANDALS. This interested me because it is clear that these "vandals" are much the same as modern day hackers. They differ in that there are lots of little financial vandalism that occurs due to these hackers however they are never really counted on or appreciated until nearly the end of the story (and then only by one person, Virginia). Even when Ery and Mr. Slippery give up their power, it still took a speech by Pollack to convince Virginia that he really was a good guy, he had given up unstoppable power. Authority in this story, shown through Virginia, exemplifies the authority that hackers have feared and known.
The authority figures in the story are very predictable in that they have a terribly closed mind. Only very few people, the "radical" defense designers in the military, are open to finding out what works in this pseudo-Second Life and trying to incorporate that into their own creations. For the most part, the authority figures feel that they are unstoppable because they do not believe in anything more powerful than themselves. This is much the same way that hackers think of authority. Also, there is an inherent fear in authority as is proved by the name that the vandals call them, "the Great Enemy." Again, those in charge do not have the same kind of power of those they are monitoring so they must try to limit those who are more powerful than themselves rather than try to learn. Virginia does hang around with Mr. Slippery a little bit and shows some signs of interest into becoming more powerful and learning from the Warlocks although mostly the authority figures are just annoying as they try to harness power that is far out of their range.
As a side note, I find striking resemblances between Kevin Mitnick and Roger Pollack because in both cases not only are both caught and forced to work for the government, there is a certain fear every time either one of those people gets onto a computer. Their skill is not to be trifled with and the government fears them as much as anything.
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/surfer_
Scratch is useful to make very simple programs and games. I am very curious however, as to how to make some of the finer details. For example, I played one game where your character could jump. I tried to recreate this however it became very difficult for my sprite to always fall back down on the same curve, I kept having to use the glide option and this always had my sprite going back to the same spot rather than always falling on a gentle curve. I want to learn how to do that.
One other thing I really want to do is to perhaps create a background. In most of the scratch projects there is a background which does not ever come up in layers. The broadcast and response to the broadcast also puzzles me a little bit but I am interested in trying to learn more about that particular feature and to use it in whatever game or puzzle or project that I am attempting to make.
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/DougWii
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/Macca/5
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/Macca/5
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/Macca/5
http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/i_am_lo
I believe PMOG could use more tools that do more things. In essence, create a wider variety of thing that a player can do. There is very little that you can really DO in PMOG in the sense that you can only either plant a mine or give people data points. Ping does not really have any effect on the game either. Also, for people like me who care greatly about rankings, there are no real benefits for ranking up highly after you can use all the tools. So, while PMOG is nice to always have in the background for academic or personal uses, as a game it fails.
Although PMOG as a game fails, it is still very useful. Whenever you travel to a site, there is a good chance that there will be a mission or a portal there to take you to a very similar site. Although this is more a credit to the players of PMOG, still the capabilities to perform this lies in the hands of the makers. The amazing thing about PMOG is the simplicity of it. There is so much that you could add to little notes like pictures, music, videos, etc. however in PMOG it simply takes you to another website to prove your point. PMOG exploits the enormity of the web, no one can really surf the web faster than having PMOG which gives the user similar sites to the one they are interested in.
First Year Seminar 1300 – 11
Professor Delwiche
March 6, 2009
The Voyager
This paper contains information on how to hack the Verizon Wireless *Voyager.* Some of these hacks are legal and I suggest that those be looked into by the readers. Some of these hacks are illegal as they violate the Terms of Service. I do not advocate these hacks I am merely duplicating other peoples finds in the hope that the spread of information is more important than anything else. I have not done any of these illegal hacks and I do not plan on doing them. Perform them at your own risk as I do not know what the consequences may be.
Hacking technology is often looked at as illegal and harmful to others. Or, in some cases, it is looked at as getting an unfair advantage or getting a free service from a supplier. However, there are certain “hacks” and other technological advancements that one can achieve by simply spending a little time to look into such things. In fact, one might even find that there really are many legal and useful things one can do to their technology. The most prominent of today’s technology is cell phones. This will teach you how to hack your Verizon Wireless *Voyager* to improve performance as well as to get cool features.
The first “hack” that one can achieve is as follows:
“Disable EVDO (This can help with battery life if your phone constantly switches between 1x and EVDO because you are on the "edge of coverage" BUT you can't use vCast, and your Get-it-Now, MMS Messaging, WAP, and other data services will be slower)
Open the phone open. Using the QWERTY keypad, dial ##PROGRAM10000 and then press Send. Then enter 000000.
NOTE: use SYM before hitting #... so... Sym 3 Sym 3 p r o g r a m 1 0 0 0 0 send
Access the service menu, then go Network Select -> Mode Preference -> 1X Only. (Default is Digital Only Hybrid)”
(2008).
I have done this with my *Voyager* and it has had an improved battery life and slightly faster performance especially in text messages. However, improved battery life is the simplest and perhaps least glamorous hack that one can achieve with their Voyager. However, it is a useful starting hack because it presents the “special service” menu that allows for many things to be changed. This menu is perfectly legal to go to and is also quite easy once it becomes apparent how to do it. There is much more that one can accomplish with the Voyager.
This next hack violates the user agreement and is illegal. I have not done this nor will I. I suggest that no one else does this either. However, for the sake of information, this is how to get free browsing and internet on your Voyager. Usually, this costs $1.99 for each MB:
Free Wireless Browsing
First off, go to the service menu described above. Then, go Data -> MIP Setting - > NAI Setting -> MIP DUN NAI -> and change it to phonenumber@vzw3g.com (just get rid of the ‘dun.’)
(2008).
This will give free web browsing as it tethers your phone to a modem, hence foregoing the wireless fees. The ‘dun’ connects the phone to Verizon’s personal web browser and thus Verizon is able to charge you. With the ‘dun’ gone, Verizon is tricked into thinking that one is browsing from their computer which is of course unable to be billed.
Now, there are lots of hacks with the Voyager that require “bitpim” a program that allows for a lot of fooling around in the Voyager code. I have not included and will not include any of these hacks because I am more interested in the simple hacks that can be completed without any additional tools other than knowledge and a willingness to learn. On another note, there are several “hacks” to receive free ringtones to your phone, however a far easier way to do this is to go to www.phonezoo.com and follow the instructions. This site sends ringtones to the Voyager and they work perfectly, and it’s free also.
Continuing on the music note, there is an easy way to get music onto your Voyager. If you have a removable card for your phone this becomes quite simple. Even still, it is easy to do regardless.
iTunes Music on Voyager
First, plug in the Voyager to the computer. Second, simply drag the music you want into the Voyager music screen and into the folder labeled “My Library.” Finally, safely remove your phone and all the music will download and be ready for action in a matter of minutes (2008).
Note: This may take a very long time with lots of music, do not attempt to transfer your entire library all at once.
Not only does this memory card for the Voyager enable music to be added to the phone, it also allows for much more. With this card, the user can put on videos in this fashion:
Videos and Movies
First, download a software converter so that all movies can be changed into a .3gp format. Choose the video you want to convert from your computer’s library and feed it into the converter program. Once it is converted, hold and drag the video into your card’s ‘My Video’ folder. On your phone, go to Settings and Tools Tools USB Mass Storage OK (2008).
This will connect the phone to the computer and then it is a simple task of dragging the converted video from your computer into the disk’s folder. Now movies can be played on the Voyager, again, for free.
Using the card and this video converter, YouTube videos can be uploaded to the Voyager as well.
YouTube videos
Go to the website www.anyvideoconverter.com/products/for_v
The last hack that can be done to the Voyager at relatively low knowledge and time required is how to add ‘flash games’ to the Voyager. ‘Flash games’ is a generic word for any online game that requires ‘Flash’ to operate (this includes almost every game). With flash games on the Voyager, one can play games easily and free. Here is how it is accomplished.
Note: This hack requires ‘bitpim,’ however it requires only a cursory knowledge of the program and thus falls under the category of easy to use. To download ‘bitpim’ a simple Google search should suffice.
Flash Games
First, go to a site containing a link to flash games. Once at this site, do not left click on the flash game as that will simply open the game in the browser. Instead, right click and then select the command “Save Link As.” Save it to your desktop for simplicity. Start up ‘bitpim’ and scan for the phone. Below is the tool bar in ‘bitpim’ and the arrow shows where to click to scan.
You should get a message and click OK. Go to ‘Change Settings.’ Since the Voyager is rather new, ‘bitpim’ will not have a setting specifically designed for it. Instead, select the option for ‘LG VX 8700.’ Go to ‘File System’ and click on the file that shows up. This will take a while, not too long, but be patient. After it retrieves the files, go to ‘Flash’ and select it. The only folder in ‘Flash’ is ‘UI’ so select this. There are then 5 files. Click on ‘tools.’ Get rid of ‘Easy Tip’ and ‘World Clock’ to open up room. Making backups of these applications would be a good idea. Delete them after you have made backups. Rename your flash game as ‘Easy Tip.’ Make sure they are identical so you can fool the phone into thinking the game is ‘Easy Tip’ or ‘World Clock.’ Then, drag the file into the window where ‘Easy Tip’ was. It will say access denied. Try it again and it will work. NOTE: The name must be identical to the ‘Easy Tip’ that was in the phone before it was deleted.
Now you will need to drag over ‘Easy Tip sub’ to make the Flash Game work. After this has been completed, simply unplug your phone and go Settings and Tools Tools EZ Tip Calc. Instead of a boring application, your flash game is right there! Enjoy
(2007).
This wraps up the information about the Voyager and the cool things you can do to it. Again, do any of these hacks with the thought in mind that it could end up very badly! Apart from the first hack, there are lots of ways you can mess up your phone so be careful.
References
(2008, January 31). Verizon Voyager Forum --> Hacks. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from Verizon
Voyager unofficial Fan Page Web site:
http://www.verizonvoyager.org/forum/sho
(2008, September 4). How to get iTunes Music onto a LG Voyager. Retrieved March 5, 2009,
from YouTube Web site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JobeA7f1
(2009, February). Fun things to do with Verizon Voyager. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from
Subjuiced.com Web site: http://www.subjuiced.com/?m=200901
(2008, July 14). How to Get Videos/Movies on your Voyager. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from
YouTube Web site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r64CSHpm
(2008, August 4). Putting YouTube videos onto an LG Voyager. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from
YouTube Web site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwswxqmg
(2007, September 10). Putting flash games on the LG Voyager. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from
YouTube Web site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMS0rXDR
The first of the two uses of PMOG is that of gaming. Yes, the G stands for game. Some of the rather playful tools are the bombs, st. nicks, armor, dodging, leaving crates and dp cards, and portals as well can be made for jokes or playful things. The bombs are a nice way to show your public disapproval of a site or just try to hit your friends and make them feel your virtual wrath. Of course these destructive PMOGers need to watch out for St. Nicks which are basically just used to stop people from planting bombs. Also, Watchdogs keep away PMOGers who are trying to plant bombs. Armor can help you defend from bombs and dodging is an inherited skill. Most of these playful things allow you to level up which is really their main purpose.
The much larger and more important part of PMOG is the ability to share information and show people helpful sites through both portals and missions. Both portals and missions transport you to different sites. Portals are a good single shot transportation to a relevant site or a better one. For example, on CircuitCity.com there could be a portal to a cheaper computer store where there are better deals left by another passionate PMOGer. Missions on the other hand are much different. Instead of a one type relevant portal, missions allow users to go through a series of web pages that can all contain good information. Also, in some of these pages there may be other missions, and, using all of these missions, PMOGers can surf the internet for relative data at a much faster smarter pace.
Ryan Beall
GNED 1300-16
Dr. Delwiche
Benjamin Franklin
A hacker is one who promotes freedom of information, searches for independence, opposes authority, and generally messes around with technology, or a system, to improve upon it. These ideals are central to Steven Levy’s “Hacker Ethic” and can be seen in many hackers, famous or not. Beyond these ideals, however, there is a certain physical side of a hacker that runs true for many, although not all, hackers. Many hackers grow up in isolation, they have been outcast from their family or community in some way. This isolation, in conjunction with a fierce passion for knowledge, fuels hackers to research and learn on their own; effectively teaching themselves and learning by trial and error. One man in Colonial America created the first public lending library, helped free America from under the thumb of Britain, scorned political and religious authority, and created dozens of gadgets. This man also was the fifteenth son of a man who did not have the money to put him through school; he taught himself educationally as well as creatively whilst living in relative isolation from his family in his early years. This man is Benjamin Franklin.
Benjamin Franklin’s contribution to the first public lending library epitomizes his hacker spirit. Hackers believe in freedom of information because they believe that a society can function best when as many people know as much as possible in every field (or in their particular field). A public lending library accomplishes the goal of offering people a resource that helps the spread of knowledge. Franklin however, is a different breed of hacker because he used his power and influence to get things done. Franklin shows a hacker spirit in the fact that he opened up a lending library with the sole intention of helping out the general public educationally. He did not open a book store or attempt to make money off of the libraries in any way. Franklin’s selflessness is similar to the way that hackers now have found ways to spread music, movies, videos, books and so on to the public for free.
Whereas computer hackers of the 20th century (and now into the 21st) are busy hacking into computer software, Franklin had a much tougher task of hacking into society. Many of his creations, including the first public lending library, were revolutionary in the fact that nothing like them had ever been done before. This is comparable to writing programs that have never been designed, only on a far grander scale. With computer programs, one needs to take into account the context of the computer. However, with Franklin’s library “program” he needed to think in terms of everything from the jobs it would create, to the cost of its production, to its effects. Franklin proves that he is a hacker because he will go to great lengths to create this system that promotes free information. Much like the makers of Limewire, Bittorrent, and Napster (before it turned bad) Franklin gained nothing from his “program” except the peace of mind that he had fought for what he believed in. An important aspect of Franklin’s character is that he has a very similar set of moral beliefs hackers have.
Among these moral beliefs is the belief in independence and individuality. For the hackers, this manifested itself in the fact that they generally wanted to be left alone. For this reason, “independence” is tied into a general distaste and distrust for authority because it is generally authority who was meddling with hackers’ privacy. Hackers feel that they are doing a good (albeit illegal) deed by making information free and finding and exploiting bugs in systems. They feel that a government breathing down their necks and forcing them to stop their work is a terrible thing. Franklin, too, felt an intense need for independence as well as a mistrust of authority. Franklin was instrumental in freeing America from under the oppressive thumb of Britain. He literally helped to draft the “Declaration of Independence.” Franklin defined independence in America. Although he sat on the board of many political committees and held positions of political power, Franklin never truly felt at ease with authority, and constantly tried to assert himself in the absence of power.
Because of Franklin’s preached individuality and self sufficient teaching and learning, he was able to further technological research and became one of the very first “scientists.” Among his other achievements, a very interesting project that Franklin worked on was creating a phonetic alphabet of English. This is incredibly similar to many modern hackers’ ideals. Many hackers see a system and try to improve on it. In fact, that is how almost all technology is created; it is an improvement on a previously designed program. Franklin’s new alphabet replaced six letters (c, j, q, w, x, and y) with letters that represented sounds that he felt English did not have letters for. Franklin’s ability to change a system shows his hacker spirit. Likewise, in true hacker form, Franklin refused to patent any of his inventions and claimed, “as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously.” Franklin lived unwaveringly on the belief that information should be free and accessible; living by the code that all knowledge should be free and shared. Also, despite his distaste of authority, especially of the British, Franklin helped out British ships by showing them an easier, quicker way of getting to the states. This was, of course, before the revolution and the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin’s beliefs and morals were based upon his upbringing and early life. Not necessarily because of what he had been taught but more by what he had taught himself.
Ben Franklin was born the fifteenth child and tenth son of Josiah Franklin. Because of this, Josiah did not have the money to send Ben through all of school. Ben became an apprentice to his older brother, but when he started dabbling in inventions his family ostracized him. After he stopped his apprenticeship with his brother, Ben started teaching himself everything that he could, attempting to learn what he would have learned in college and beyond. Hackers are people who have been isolated by society and because of this are driven to discover as much as they can about the world, or their personal world, through computers. Also, this hacker spirit is such that these isolated people are capable of creating incredible work and bringing about completely new concepts. Franklin was in this category because not only did he teach himself, but because of this was able to create inventions such as the lighting rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, an odometer, and a glass ‘armonica.’ Franklin would not have been able to do any of this had he not been exiled by his family and forced to live in comparative isolation. This isolation allowed him to have the time and peace of mind to create new inventions. Franklin’s very background shows his hacker spirit. He epitomizes the morally upright yet socially outcast hacker by his actions and his lifestyle.
Because Franklin was a hacker, he was able to accomplish far more than other prominent figures of his day. Franklin hacked into the culture of American society and was able to implant his creations into everyday life. His creativeness and intellect drove him to invent useful gadgets, forge an alliance with France, and kick Britain out of an upstart, revolutionary America. The hacker qualities that Franklin exhibited showed exactly how important it is to look at society through a distorted different view, and thus understand how best to change things. Franklin’s inventive ideas allowed for an incredible shift in power in America as well as encouraging the spread of information and the furthering of science and technology.
References
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).
Benjamin Franklin and Lightning Rods.
Benjamin Franklin's Phonetic Alphabet
One major issue that the government exercised complete control over technologically was the Vietnam War. Most people did not really know what was going on in Vietnam because the government was the only entity that had the technology to figure out what was happening and relay it to the people. Although other people could have, the government controlled the flow of information so that they would only tell people what they felt they needed to. The government also took away peoples rights by having a draft. This was a form of technocracy because they claimed to know what was best for the country and decided that they should act on it without having to release their information and ideas. Although there is a certain limit where one needs to trust their government to make decisions, Vietnam proved that the spread of information to everyone is often the best thing.
People were up in arms about the Vietnam War because many young people were drafted into the war and shipped away when they were too young to even vote. Protests concerning this eventually led to the voting age being dropped to 18 instead of 21. The rise of technology scared people because in conjunction with the Vietnam War, many young people thought that they would be looked at simply as numbers on a computer rather than rational thinking people. The youth wanted to be independent and have each person have their own identity, to be free, whereas they felt that government would view the youth as a whole being, one that could be shipped to Vietnam to fight their wars. Since freedom was an important concept to the youth, the idea of computers and technology (machine intelligence) taking over was scary indeed.
Technocracy existed on a different level than strictly limited to technology. Although it is true that the government had access to better technology and tended to prefer that it remain secret, the major issue at hand was that the government was inhibiting freedom in the youth by forcing them to fight in a war that was brought upon by the government alone. The youth wanted to be free and individual, however the government decided that everyone should be grouped together in such a way that the mistakes of those in power fell on the backs of the young and innocent. The youth movement was fueled by the governments inability to see that the only thing the youth truly wanted was the freedom to be free and find out for themselves how the world works and the best answers as to how to fix it.
David Lightman, protagonist of "War Games," exemplifies some of the hacker ethic, as described by Stephen Levy, while ignoring other components. The first rule is that "Access to computers... should be unlimited and total." Levy could get into a little trouble here because Lightman gains access to school computers, which in Levy's eyes is apparently ok, and changes his grade to reflect what he wished he had been able to accomplish. This follows with the Hacker Ethic although I believe that it was not carried out in exactly the same way that Levy meant. The next point, "All information should be free" is similar to the first. In the movie, Lightman does not do much to further the progress of free information; rather he uses his hacking skills to enhance his own life. Nothing that Lightman does, except arguably changing his girl-friends grade, helps people other than himself. I say "arguably" because he was mostly changing her grade so that she will like him more.
"Mistrust Authority--Promote Decentralization" is next on the list and this is an idea that Lightman has taken to heart. Lightman hacks into government "property" more for curiosity than anything else. He does not attempt to make "Joshua" available for all people; rather he is exploring the world as a hacker should. This gets him into some trouble; however it is not because he is attempting to promote decentralization. That concept is beyond what Lightman is trying to accomplish. Although he certainly mistrusts authority, mainly because he realizes that they do not have a clue what they are talking about, he does not have any grand scheme for changing the social balance of the society.
Levy's next point is absolutely spot on with one of "War Games" central messages. "Hackers should be judged by their hacking, not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position." Lightman is just a kid but he is the most knowledgeable of "Joshua." Lightman's status as a kid means absolutely nothing when you are talking through (or to) a computer. Ability trumps age. In this respect, Lightman exactly exemplifies Levy's 4th point.
"You can create art and beauty on a computer" can be taken a couple different ways in the movie. Lightman's changing of the grades early in the movie can be viewed as beautiful from the sense that his report card looks much better. Also, the explosions and visualizations that "Joshua" produces certainly can be viewed as beautiful. Perhaps not in context, but in reality the "mind" of "Joshua" is a very beautiful thing indeed. In addition to all of this, Lightman's use of the game Tic-Tac-Toe can be viewed as beautiful because of the beauty of his idea.
Levy's last point, "Computers can change your life for the better" is a point that "War Games" addresses indefinitely. "War Games" argues that giving computers too much power can change your life for the WORSE, not the better. Levy wrote this with the idea that if you can understand computers you can manipulate them to help your life. "War Games" agrees with this to a point (Lightman changes his grades to better his life), however warns that if you take this too far (relying on computers) you may find that machines are not infallible.
Now, I bring this up because of a particular point. My cousin was a tech support person for 2 years before her current job at Google. She is bright and good with computers. While she was working as a tech support person, lots of people had the same frustration as our student. However, there were people who, even though they complained bitterly about going through the initial steps, found that their problem WAS a simple one that they had just not tried or tried correctly. Tech supprt people are often looked at as technocrats because they follow a checklist and are not able to adapt. This makes them seem more mechanical than human. However, they do this because it is their job and it is certainly worth it to at least attempt to make their job easier. On the phone, a tech support person has absolutely no idea who you are or what is wrong with your computer. They need to ask the questions that will allow them to help you. So, I merely ask that tech support people are not labeled as technocrats.
I believe the biggest offenders of technocracy is the younger generation. My generation. Almost everyone in my generation is familiar enough with a computer that they can check email, upload pictures to a website, surf the web with ease, along with being able to deal with shortcut icons, folder options, and burn cds. The younger generation has grown up with technology so, like a language, it has been inherently learned. Our parents however, did not have this kind of technology ingrained in them when they grew up. Things that are ordinary to us are beyond the wildest dreams of some of our parents and their friends. Because of this disparity of knowledge, technology is the one thing that children know better than their parents.
Those in our generation however, have very little patience with their slow learning elders. More often than not, we are content to answer our parents questions by doing it for them, rather than teaching them how. In this I do not mean showing them how to do it and teaching them once. Noone will remember something that is taught to them only once. I mean to say that those in our generation are not willing to continually teach a concept that seems simple repeatedly to a questioning adult. This technocractic view in our generation is the biggest detriment to society because many older people have given up on trying to understand technology. There will not be a technologically savvy generation until ours comes of age. Until then, technology will completely baffle some of the people who have some control over our lives. This technocracy by our younger generation can stop. If it does, we will have a much more intelligent and efficent society.
