Paragrapher (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} paragrapher) wrote,@ 2008-07-08 18:00:00 |
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Error Message
You owe it to yourselves to visit craphound.com, Cory Doctorow's site, and read his new novel Little Brother, about a 17-year-old hacker to dares to take on the Department of Homeland Security. The book's on a Creative Commons license - we have the same arrangement for the Paragrapher/Daily Scares content, based entirely off Cory's logic that obscurity is a bigger threat than piracy - so you can download it and read it for free. Or you can buy the old-fashioned paper version, and keep Cory pumping out books worth reading.
Error Message
Jacob the IT guy plopped down at Teddy’s computer, which has frozen in the middle of a scan. This was the first time Teddy had used his scanner’s software to convert his handwritten notes into words. The program was requiring an admin login, which was odd, but Jacob typed his in. A familiar gray error message appeared in the middle of the screen, but with unfamiliar text. “ERROR. This terminal has been intentionally frozen by the Department of Homeland Security. Its user has scanned handwriting whose graphology makes them a person of interest to the DHS. This message has been designed to resemble a standard error popup message; please react as if it is such. DHS authorities have been electronically called, and will be visiting your building in a brief period of time. Under the Patriot Act, you are now temporarily deputized to detain the user in the building until authorities arrive. Failure to detain the user may result in a fine of $50,000 and/or imprisonment of up to two years. Click OK to acknowledge your deputization and initiate a rebooting sequence that will continue until a DHS official enters a cancel code.” There was no second option to click, just the OK. Jacob clicked it, and status bars took over the monitor. Teddy, paying no attention to Jacob or his computer, opened the scanner and removed his erratic, uneven handwriting. Jacob said to sit tight, your computer will be back to normal in a few minutes.
You owe it to yourselves to visit craphound.com, Cory Doctorow's site, and read his new novel Little Brother, about a 17-year-old hacker to dares to take on the Department of Homeland Security. The book's on a Creative Commons license - we have the same arrangement for the Paragrapher/Daily Scares content, based entirely off Cory's logic that obscurity is a bigger threat than piracy - so you can download it and read it for free. Or you can buy the old-fashioned paper version, and keep Cory pumping out books worth reading.
Error Message
Jacob the IT guy plopped down at Teddy’s computer, which has frozen in the middle of a scan. This was the first time Teddy had used his scanner’s software to convert his handwritten notes into words. The program was requiring an admin login, which was odd, but Jacob typed his in. A familiar gray error message appeared in the middle of the screen, but with unfamiliar text. “ERROR. This terminal has been intentionally frozen by the Department of Homeland Security. Its user has scanned handwriting whose graphology makes them a person of interest to the DHS. This message has been designed to resemble a standard error popup message; please react as if it is such. DHS authorities have been electronically called, and will be visiting your building in a brief period of time. Under the Patriot Act, you are now temporarily deputized to detain the user in the building until authorities arrive. Failure to detain the user may result in a fine of $50,000 and/or imprisonment of up to two years. Click OK to acknowledge your deputization and initiate a rebooting sequence that will continue until a DHS official enters a cancel code.” There was no second option to click, just the OK. Jacob clicked it, and status bars took over the monitor. Teddy, paying no attention to Jacob or his computer, opened the scanner and removed his erratic, uneven handwriting. Jacob said to sit tight, your computer will be back to normal in a few minutes.
