Re: FBI\'s System to Covertly Search E-Mail

From ZoeScanner <zoescanner@yahoo.com>
Date Wed, 19 Jul 2000 22:26:15 -0700 (PDT)


[: hacktivism :]

Greetz!
         Extreme apologies if 'I' sounded too
harsh & offended ANyone's sensibilities.
 I did not intend too, so did not realize my
words would do so.
In truth, I thought it was funny, Not sarcastic
as I was not thinking in that way. I smiled &
laughed out loud all the way thru it. Blame my
sense of humor for failing to come out in my
words clearly..
& dont try to read between the lines, you will
miss the message. It is what it is, nothing more.

#1.What I DID intend though was to make some of
the less experienced users realize that they ARE
capable of learning this.

#2.It makes sense to me,that since we are going
to be talking to the public about it, we could do
it that much more successfully if we knew
something about it ourselves.
#3.This list IS open. What is said here is read
by anyone. Some think we should post in
encryption, things we do not want read by persons
intending harm or mischief. I agree with this,
yet, there are so many here that could not
participate as they still do not learn about it.

#4.The amount of mail I recieve asking for help
in this & other areas is sometimes overwhelming.
I still answer them all.(I apolgise to no one for
wanting to help anyone interested in actually
DOing something about their problems.)

#5. I did not put any links into this post
because I had just written a large post 2 days
ago, choc full of links , many with explicitly
detailed instructions. How To's. On ALL the
subjects I am asked about, & yes. I do see many
here on this list also, asking for help. I am
unable to make house calls..so..I post em. 

Sorry, but I do not recognise "Techno
elitism".Preening for
that classification (labels) is a waste of time
better spent on something useful.

#6.I am reminding those whom like to chat about
things they do not understand(I know they are
still intending to be helpful, I was guilty of
same once..) that it is easier and wiser to do
something useful if they learn about 'it' first.

 Does it not make sense to first know the subject
before one attempts to teach others about it? 
#7.I am also speaking about the public in this
particular post..piles of my mail come from
'repeat offenders'..they just will not even try
to learn how to use their computers. 

#8.I am sorry, but there is no magic program that
will read one's mind & run the box accordingly.
So..I liken it to driving a car.
My reasone for doing it this way? 
Most people are not afraid of their cars.
 They will do the homework to learn how to use it
properly. 
Few people will actually get behind the wheel
without at least reading the drivers manual they
get in school. 
That little book at least prepares one for the
experiences they will encounter & gives them a
working knowledge of what to do.
So..why not think of their PC in the same way?


--- Aimee <vanwagea@bc.edu> wrote:
> [: hacktivism :]
> 
> 
> Hey Zoe,
> 
> This is not meant to be too harsh (a bad way to
> start, but i 
> hope you can take my aggrevation in some sort
> of positive 
> way.)...you words re: encyption 
> put me off a bit.  I don't know exactly who
> your audience is.  I 
> think that you are actually replying to
> someone's question on this 
> list.

((Amie, I have been flamed much better than this,
believe me. I take no offence, you are entitled
to your opinions. we all are. That is why I
cannot flame you.))
> 
> > We have not been grumbeling about this for
> years
> > for no reasone....
> > Learning how to use Encryption is NOT really
> THAT
> > hard to do. 
> > Granted, it IS a little time consuming..BUT!
> It
> > works, so?
> > WHY NOT do it?
> 
> How about because a person such as moi would
> not know where to begin.

(( That is what the links were for...another
thing, I am not the only one whom has been
posting these information links for a long time.
What cannot be forgiven is the 'attitude' that
one can not be bothered to ever learn.With all
the information out there, at your(ANYbody)
fingertips, To remain ignorant?, there is no
excuse. Where to begin? If one does not want to
follow the links given here, a search engine will
give you the same links. the links will take you
to pages that have step by step instructions,
(NOT teckie talk, plain english, Basics, easy to
understand) spend some time reading about it,
practice it & you will learn it.
I believe in 'better safe than sorry..'
> 
> > 
> > Encryption.
> > Consider it...like driving a car? 
> > If you want to drive, you must learn how. 
> > There are no small amount of things one must
> > learn ABOUT the car also, to be a GOOD
> driver.
> 
> I suppose that means I'm a dolt for using
> email/internet all these 
> last 8 
> years of my life without encryption.  I'd be
> one of the bad 
> drivers that give you rabies (?).  
(( this was meant to be funny!. And to make a
point. an ovbious point. No name calling was even
thought of. I have 16 yrs exp. But did not use
crypto till last year. I still dont for most
mail.
That does not mean I didnt want to learn how.
You are not a dolt or you would not be here. You
ARE taking chances & I would still advise you to
at least read up on this before dismissing it.))
> 
> > 
> > (I know..it gives me rabies too.)
> > There ARE some really BAD drivers...just as
> there
> > are some whom do not know one end of a
> > motherboard from the other..AGH! 
> > This is because they 'get behind the
> controlls'
> > BEFORE they learn how to use them!
> >  Accidents looking for a place to happen.
> >  Often taking others with them.
> > 
> 
> being referred to as an accident waiting to
> happen isn't the 
> strongest motivation for me to take your
> advice.
((Guilty of 'Another failed attempt' at humor...
I guess I thought that writing about it in a
funny way might finally get it the attention it
deserves. I never dreamed anyone would take this
Info/drivel 'Personally'. 
Guaranteed, I would never have even written it.
It is a Kind of toungue in cheek humor, as there
are parallels here....a computer crashes too, if
not operated correctly.
All in all..it was meant to catch the eye, make
people smile & make them think.& that was all.))
> 
> 
> 
> > My advice?
> > DONT DO THAT.
> > 
> 
> Oh, thanks, that wasn't clear.
(( ouch!))
> 
> 
> 
> > DO
> > Read the manual/s. read the Faq's.ALL of em.
> >  Buy a book. Take a class (or2) if you have
> to.
> (note ~if you have to~.  presumably a
> self-reliant-worth-her-salt 
> hacker or even average jo(anne) could figure it
> out on her own 
> without a class, but take one or two ~if you
> have to~)
(Egad!...there are many classes...each for
different things...depending on what you
need..what you want to do. 
Yes! it might take 2..even 3 or more! to get them
all in...
I took 2 and am working on my third. #1. PC multi
med. Spec. #2. Graphic Arts, #3. MCSI. They still
do not cover everything I want so..I look it
up...& learn it on my own time.
Crikies,If I can do this, "Even an 'average Jo'
could"...(sigh)...got to stop trying to make
funny...), one 'could' figure things out
eventually without classes..SOMETIMES.Maybe. It
would take em twice as long though...Not
practical,
Not worth the risk, if you want to be good at
what you do. 
yes. I did learn how to use a computer on my own
as there were no classes available yet & the net
was not here either.(I was a kid at the candy
store in the dino dayz)..
Some can,,some cant.
I do not think it right to discriminate against
someone whom needs a little help. 
I am sure there are classes for the Absolute
beginners to teach how to do the basics.
 I KNOW there are online.
 Now.
It would save these people much frustration (& $$
for rippoffs..er..repairs) 
Pride commeth before the fall. 
Rubbish. 
> 
> > Download some pages off the Internet 
> > (How To's are everywhere) that will SAFELY
> guide
> > you through the process....Then..practice.
> > 
> > DON'T
> > Dont just'jump behind the wheel' & expect to
> get
> > somewhere. You might have an "accident".
> 
> well, i'd say that suggesting randomly taking
> how to guides off 
> the internet and trying them out might qualify
> as jumping behind 
> the wheel.  these ambigious suggestions aren't
> helpful. 
((Ack!... Only if you try them out before reading
them through.
Then, that done..one must begin somewhere.
Practice is essential. 
Sitting on your hands will not get one far.
Ambigious suggestions?
I post links to this info at regular
intervals...I guess you missed them.
I cannot make house calls, but I DO post the
information linkage...
I cannot post (all the)pages of directions on
this list. It would not be fair to those whom
already know the stuff...
for that, one must email me.))
> 
> i do aplogize for my tone.  i'm considering
> erasing this whole 
> message and not sending it because it is rude,
> but i'm not 
> going to in the hopes that 1) i'm saying
> something someone else 
> is thinking and 2)Zoe et. al. might find a
> little something useful 
> somewhere in my (admitted) rant;  i just think
> the list should keep 
> the techno-elitism in check or else "educating
> the masses" about 
> encryption and echelon and carnivore will go
> nowhere.  Educating 
> the masses is a mine field of a project in
> itself, rife with 
> possiblity for 
> alienating ones' audience by underestimating
> their intelligence 
> and overestimating the truth and universality
> of ones own claims.  We 
> should 
> learn something from failures (or moments
> passed) of marxism and 
> other modernist projects with their notions of 
> wiping out false consciousness (or
> techno-ignorance in this case) 

> with direction from an intellectual elite.
(( Never apologise for having your own mind.

 However, perhaps I could suggest, there is more
than one way to read & digest information. 
I still insist no sarcasim was intended.
Nor even thought of. 
OK...here it is..: I had a teacher in school that
made a lasting impresssion on a rather jaded
class..he used this approach ..& we all learned.
Willingly. It was even enjoyable. 
Yes. I learned something from my 'failure'. Some
people do not appreciate humor.

Another thing I will not apologise for is my
interest in Marxism, And freedom.
 My intense distaste for Capitolism.
I have never spoken of these here as I did not
think this the place to do so.
Since you brought it up,
While I have not yet found ANY political body I
can fully respect enought to follow, There is
something to be said for the Socialist party that
is found to be lacking in the Capitalist party.
Humanism. Humanity. 
The state of the world reflects this, does it
not?

 I said it before * I'll say it again.
 There is no excuse for "continued" ignorance
these days. Techno or otherwise.
It causes more harm than viruses.
I do not buy into the victim syndrome in a free
society
such as the internet.
And,BTW, that is why I fight to keep it free.
Call it my "failure" to continue to believe in
these  'unrealistic' things..but..
without hope, All is lost.))
> 
> aimee
> 
> (p.s. this is not a personal attack against
> Zoe.  I don't have any 
> particular beef with Zoe.  And I honestly
> wouldn't presume Zoe meant 
> this post in the way that I read it.  But
> nevertheless this is the 
> way I read it and I think Zoe and others might
> benefit from 
> hearing how one of the less technically skilled
> list subscribers 
> reads posts from one of the more, I presume,
> technically skilled 
> subscribers.)
PPS:
(( I do hope you meant that. :) 
& Yes. this is THE place for free speech...

Thank Heavens you acknowledge I may not have
intended to be mean.
Never crossed my mind. 

Infighting would defeat our purpose here.!!!

Perhaps if you Try to see the humor in such
things  you may relax enough to get the message.
Every day....
I see how people of varying degrees of experience
tend to get nervous and anxious(& yes..testy ;.)
beforehand, often resulting in confusion and
anger at not instantly "getting it" when they
attempt to learn difficult things they are not
familiar with. 

This post was meant to alleviate some of that
tension. 
Everybody begins somewhere. 
Of course,
we are not born with the programming already
installed.

I might also Suggest(&I am NOT TELLing you to.)
disposing of some of your preconceived notions of
us. 
Not everyone fits the old steriotype.
((& I meant that for your Benefit,believe me, as
some may take offence to this labeling. & rightly
so.
We got this far because we worked for it, not
because it was implanted in us.))

Summery:
All I am suggesting here is that for those whom
wish to help, it would be wise..
(but NOT intrinsic to the effort) to learn
something about the subject/s before you go out &
try to teach others about it/them. 
And..to those of us that already know how, a
reminder of what we will be up against in some
cases.
It was meant in good will.
Life is a learning process.
 I am still learning too.

Peace
ZoeScanner


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