As a business strategy, computer-security vendors also make and spread viruses and worms and such other nasty bits. Possible?
Possible yes, but improbable. The biggest sources of hacking are the script kiddies out there – the young generation of users who had been exposed to computers since infancy and have such fluency with computer language and hardware configurations. Hacking is not necessarily used for malice, but for the thrill-seeking part of it (Hey! I was able to look at Bill Clinton’s emails to Monica!). Or do some identity theft (let me see – how many gazillions should I transfer from Bill Gates’ bank account to mine?). And lets’s see if we can do a DOS (Denial of Service) on Dubya’s computer!

I’m blown. Did he enjoy it? (I mean, doing the platonic, uh, job of exchanging emails)
Probably – but he definitely did not enjoy the wrecking of his election. That reminds me – the only US President I’ve met (so far) is Bill Clinton. He came over to Monterey one time and since I lived about a mile away from the airport I paid a quick visit. He was supposed to make a quick exit upon arrival, but detoured towards the crowd where I was standing. I was so stymied and could only mutter “Hello Mr. President” while shaking his hand. Anyway that was exactly the week when he was messing around!

Do you think computers can be programmed to write haiku?
Sure – if you can quantify emotions, artistic insights and rhyme into digital bits. But short of calling them hackers, I’d call them hai-kers. Hai! Those haikus in the Varrons forum? Considering the deluge of haiku posted recently I bet you those guys just programmed their computers to randomly sort out dictionary words every 5 minutes (OK – nobody out there better believe this!)

Wrong. That’s kinda slow. It’s actually 5 seconds. And Quentin Tarantino said you can’t write poetry in a computer.
I knew that, but I wanted to give those haiku writers the benefit of the doubt that they are not churning them out that fast. And who is this Tarantino guy? He’s one of those Hollywood types glorifying gore and violence in movies. I seriously doubt his literary credits.

Will computers eventually rule the world? I mean, in the sense that urban societies will now ground to a halt without computers, in that sense they kind of “rule” us already.
Are you kidding? We already rule the world! Who do you think is writing these responses? I am not at a liberty to disclose who programmed me. (Hint: I am not human). And would the Varrons be able to re-connect virtually without us computers? Morever can you imagine a bunch of Varrons without computers and email? They’d be nervously pacing up and down the hallways and having withdrawal symptoms in 5 minutes or less. It’s job security for network engineers till the 22nd century (OK – I intend to be around a while). Silicon chips rock and rule!

Do you think that explains why every time the traffic light turns green, it automatically turns on the horn of the car behind you?
Or for us humans to find it irresistible to open mails regarding our inheritance of millions from some relatives in Nigeria. Computers are smarter than us in that sense, and would just delete those mails. Knee-jerk reaction to changing lights is so human.

Which computer movie do you like most?
I like those newer James Bond movies that use computers to program cloning humans, control self-sustaining communities in outer space, stop nuclear proliferation and explosion, reverse polar ice melts, destroy all the evil forces in the world, map human genes, do plastic surgery and cure cancer all in one trip to the clinic. Completely devoid or no pretense of any intelligence at all. Totally incredulous and incredibly hilarious for me! You gotta keep your sense of humor in this world. A weekly dose of movie humor is good for you.

What about “Hackers”? It starred a teenage Angelina Jolie with a bob-cut hair so even for that it makes it worth watching again and again.
Never seen it, and never was a fan of Jolie. She’s way too skinny for me, and is such a media manipulator, typical of Hollywood megalomania junk. I’d much rather look at French and Spanish actresses (Emmanuelle Béart, Audrey Tautou, Juliette Binoche, Penelope Cruz, Salma Hayek, and company) – beautiful women who can actually talk the talk and walk the walk. You can watch them over and over (not that I did!).

What about The Net, with Sandra Bullock? I hope you have nothing against Sandra Bullock. And don’t forget Irene Jacob in your list of Frenchies.
Saw clips from that Bullock movie from one of our classes in network security, but like everything else in Hollywood it’s only a movie with very little credence to it (like those James Bond movies). Irene Jacob? Ooh la la! But she doesn’t have a lot of movies (I only have one, as contrasted with the others). And I don’t think she’s French – possibly Swiss.

Last Updated on April 11, 2021 by Tudla_Admin