Algorithm: the Hacker Movie
By Jonathan Schiefer (2014)
Film Review
From the title, I mistakenly assumed this film was a documentary. It’s actually an extremely well made thriller about a group of hackers who are kidnapped and tortured by Homeland Security.
The film noir style is vaguely reminiscent of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Algorithm is the better film in my view.
Besides making an important existential statement about the brutal thuggishness of the US security state, it’s also a good introduction for novice hackers to TOR (a protocol developed by Naval Intelligence that prevents the hack from being traced), the “can of worm” (the hardware patch used to break into a computer network), “port knocking” and “black rooms” (where you cover the walls with tinfoil to exclude wi-fi signals).
The easiest way to break into a computer network is to cut the power and install the hack while the system reboots. This is because the firewall always loads last.
I also learned some interesting new torture techniques.
The Most Revolutionary Act 
Reblogged this on Nevada State Personnel Watch.
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“I also learned some interesting new torture techniques.”
Great, you just never know when they might be handy. Interesting times. – Linda
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I included that specially for you, Linda.
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If the film is anything like Dragon Tattoo, count us in. As for torture, we survived Abbott for sixteen months but we can’t and won’t hold out much longer.
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At our Green Party meeting the other night, we were hoping Abbott would get rolled following the fiasco in Queensland. You may not be aware of this, but many of our food and supplement safety laws are determined by a trans-Tasman commission on which New Zealand only has one vote. Thus the government in Australia makes a big difference in what happens here.
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Reblogged this on Spartan of Truth.
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Excellent review. Thanks for posting.
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Thanks, Sheri. It really bothered me that the film got such terrible commercial reviews – because I thought it was quite well done. It’s almost like some government insider planted the reviews to discourage Americans from watching it.
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It wouldn’t surprise me.
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