Virtualizing the Globe
Thu, Feb 01
In this session we will develop the concept of the Information Network, from mass communications theory to the practice of exploration through hacking techniques. In the mid-twentieth century, engineering had reached an inflection point with respect to the variety and velocity of information that could be moved via electronic mediums. This paved the way for new thinking about how people could form bonds with others who were present in a virtual sense. We have three learning goals for today. By the end of our lecture class, you will:
- Become familiar with highly influential mass communications theories that would form the basis of the modern Internet.
- Understand how information networks gradually virtualized many aspects of contemporary life.
- Connect the corporate and government effort to build information networks with a parallel effort by underground hackers to explore them.
The digital artifact for today is the War Dialer.
The slides for today's lecture are available here.
Read This:
Today's readings are drawn from the early era of underground computer hacking, and describe some of the techniques that were used to explore emerging information networks.
First is the user manual for the well known war dialer ToneLoc authored by the hackers Minor Threat & Mucho Maas. War dialers were pieces of software that repeatedly dialed different phone numbers in an attempt to locate computers and other devices connected to the telephone network. It is a representative example of early hacker writing, blending both useful technical information with a great deal of hacker lore. The authors also have a healthy sense of humor, with lines like "...thanks Alexander Bell for inventing the telephone. I know he had us in mind."
Second is Clifford Stole's famous account of a hacker who penetrated Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the 1980s.
Optional reading:
Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore penned the bombastic media manifesto The Medium is the Massage to alert the 60s counterculture to the coming information network revolution.
Do This:
Writing Reflection 01
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This writing reflection is due on 2/6 at 5pm.
Movie Viewing
Watch the classic 1983 film hacker film WarGames. You can access the film through the Swank platform provided by the Hesburgh Libraries. If you are logged into your Notre Dame account through your browser, click here to watch the film. A future writing reflection may prompt you to think about this film in a creative way.