Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by bpoag 3995 days ago
Hi there.

I'm the guy who did the AMA.

I don't think the guy who interviewed me from Atlas Obscura disclosed that he was from Atlas Obscura.. I thought he was some kid doing a high school paper or something. :) Meh. Oh well.

Anyway, he didn't get some of his terminology correct. I've directed him to how he can clean it up, however.

..."Churnalism" is spot-on.

2 comments

So did you see J or M after the hack? Seems like the kind of thing people would bring up.
Not immediately afterwards, no.

In the months and years after the party in LaGrange, J and K, and I, only crossed paths maybe 2, possibly three times. THis would have been between 1987 and 1993. I didn't know them directly. I sat next to J once at a Denny's in either Aurora (Fox Valley Mall) or in Burr Ridge. The second or third time was at a place in Downers Grove called Omegas. All were late-night get togethers, impromptu, informal.

(Edit: added "in the months and years after the party in LaGrange" for clarity sake.)

I thought the whole story was predicated around a dinner you guys all had at Pizza Hut. Or something.
Clarified above. Hopefully. :)
Surely the statute of limitations on this has passed now and we can know who these legends really were? Perhaps encourage them to seek legal advice about revealing themselves.
Criminal charges don't encompass the entirety of the potential consequences for the "perpetrators" revealing their identities. Go through a long list of famous people or people you know and ask yourself "how would their lives be impacted if it turned out they did the Max Hedroom hack". For many it would probably be inconsequential or likely beneficial, for some it would be disastrous. Consider, for example, if someone was working a job with a high degree of responsibility, perhaps involving security clearances, would they want to risk disclosure?
I was going to reply indicating that criminal law has no Statute of Limitations but that seems to be a Canadian thing. In the US it has to be considered a "Heinous crime". I'm certain under modern light of what hacking has become they'd likely consider this relatively innocent event heinous by modern standards.