-Caveat Lector- http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,44373,00.html This Swordfish Is Half-Baked By Declan McCullagh ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) 2:00 a.m. June 8, 2001 PDT WASHINGTON -- Operation: Swordfish could have been this summer's must-see geek thriller. The Warner Brothers film includes the right elements: clandestine federal agencies, an unbreakable government network, and the world's best hacker, on parole for breaking into and disabling the FBI's Carnivore spyware, who's recruited by a suave megalomaniac who just might be a terrorist as well. But Enemy of the State or Sneakers this isn't. Flawed though they were, at least those films made attempts to avoid the most glaring technical errors. Not so the forgettable performance by ostensible uber-hacker Stanley Jobson, played by Hugh Jackman, who looks far more comfortable loafing in an oil field shack in the film's first few minutes than in front of a keyboard. The script, written by Skip Woods, doesn't help. From Woods' offhand references -- Wired magazine is cited, one hacker is a Finn named Torvalds, Linux's KDE interface makes a cameo -- you can tell that he's passingly familiar with tech lore. But any geek worth his copy of The Elements of Programming Style will spend much of the movie fidgeting in his seat, wincing at the technical mistakes, and cursing Woods under his breath. Note to Hollywood: Code for worms is not typically created using AutoCAD, and even expert programmers cannot visualize 512-bit encryption keys and factor them just by thinking really, really hard. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
