What fascinates me to no end is that the people here still believe what they're told by media and politics. People actually do believe them.

Maybe because we don't have any "West-TV" that could tell us that our emperors have no clothes.

Since the average dufus out there won't be able to tell the "fine" difference, I doubt they'd have a problem with this either.

I'm more partial to a polar justice system. It gives you a perfectly clear direction and says exactly just how far you may go. But don't you think that kinda goes off on a tangent now?

The only thing you really need to know is - do you think they actually make them in mixed colors? Nah... they make a batch of a gazillion red beads, then blue beads, then green beads, then yellow beads... the tub is just their mix to maximize sales, they know that you'll end up with leftovers and will buy more expensive pure color packs to round it out. It's like how there's a silent conspiracy between hot dog sausages and hot dog bun makers, they avoid matching numbers so you'll always go out shopping more to make use of the leftovers. It's not exactly a coincidence when you end up with a tub full of colors you don't want.

It might be news to you, but capitalism - at least in the Russian variety and I wouldn't hold my breath on the US variety as of late - means a lot of the wealth has been accumulated on a few hands. I'm not sure that people are worse off on an absolute scale, but there's actually quite many feeling that they're worse off compared to everybody else. In Greece for example SYRIZA - the "Coalition of the Radical Left" - has been up to 27% in the polls lately. That's the birthplace of democracy, not some shithole that's never known anything different. Which I suppose is nicer than the way Germans reacted in the 1930s to the economic buttfucking of the Allies, I guess. In a dysfunctional economy most everything will seem like it's worth trying and they can be very productive in unconventional ways. Like the German war machine that nearly broke Europe's back in WWII was build by a country allegedely on the brink of bankruptcy. But money is money and guns in guns and what the lacked in the former they got plenty in the latter. Don't underestimate Russia and China just because they're not western.

And why would it have been any problem to get a warrant against these businesses? You know, that old fashioned "due process" kind of way?

If your answer is corruption, be prepared to be laughed at and asked why the heck this elimination of privacy would make corruption harder instead of easier. It's one less branch of the system you need to bribe.

Trading freedom for safety does not work. For a proof, just look at the ultimate exchange of freedom for security: A jail. Now, do you want to tell me that inmates are SAFE in there?

Allegedly Erich Mielke (former head of the East German Stasi) said concerning the various forms of surveillance we're getting used against us "If we had these things, we'd still have communism today!"

Well, since we have them, we still have capitalism...

Well since you are clearly a network security expert, please tell us how to secure a network against being taken out be a DDoS attack. Then post your IP, we'll see how you fair. Remember, you are the asshole and deserve Legal Penalties with Scary Caps if you can't stop it.

Here's a hint: There is no security against a DDoS attack. That's why assholes like Lizard Squad use them.

If the idea is to import the best of the best, well then the pay needs to be for that. You can't say you are after the best anything and then offer even average wages. The best can command high pay.

Now if that's not the idea, that's fair too, but stop trying to bullshit us about it. None of this "We only want the best but we want to bay substandard wages!" crap.

Are you implying that this was a publicity stunt planned by Sony?

False dichotomy.

The hack was obviously not a publicity stunt.

Turning the hack into a promotion for a shitty movie that wants to be Inglourius Basterds but can't pull it off? Well, when life gives you lemons...

You can tell that story along with the one of the internet where you were allowed to just connect anything you want and not need a federal license (which surprisingly every insecure fucking toaster can get but it takes a written test and handing over any and all information about you if you want to use anything that allows some kind of interaction).

In the way that it will make the content secure by nobody even WANTING to touch, let alone copy, it?

Open APIs? What's next, interoperability? Compatibility?

We're talking about Sony here. The company that brought you not only their own memory cards (memory sticks) for their appliances which are incompatible with anything but even their own audio codec in ATRAC, again for their own appliances, incompatible with anything else in the world.

What are you dreaming of at night?

And that's the reason I don't engage in such activities. It usually backfires. People's reaction is not to blame the companies for shot security, they start crying for stricter laws (as if that accomplished dick). People are stupid, and I will not fix that. I had to accept that a long time ago.

Plus, companies being insecure is good for my business, so I really have no reason at all anymore to get worked up over it.

Let's give them the benefit of doubt and say they chose networks that are of no strategic significance. What do you think would have gone down if they targeted, say, VISA or MC during the holidays?

At least that's what I'd do. I sure as hell don't want every three letter agency on my ass just for proving a point. And it's doubtful that they will send the marines after you for kicking off some gaming platforms. Might be different if you shut down a key payment system during the most busy time of the year.