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Related blog post from awhile back: http://freedom-or-safety.com/blog/when-will-the-first-hacker-be-killed/ http://freedom-or-safety.com/blog/when-will-the-firs
by DanielBMarkham 13y ago
Related blog post from awhile back: http://freedom-or-safety.com/blog/when-will-the-first-hacker-be-killed/ http://freedom-or-safety.com/blog/when-will-the-first-hacker...
This is tricky business. It is not so clear where the boundaries are.
Sidebar: anybody who writes a lot will understand the feeling you get when, after writing an article, you suddenly understand a topic in a way that you did not before putting your thoughts together. One of the things I got from my article that I didn't expect was that, whatever else they are, computers are weapons.
Weird concept.
- anigbrowl 13y agoYou know the earliest digital computers were developed for the purpose of doing ballistics calculations during WW2, right? Of course, that doesn't make them weapons, any more than math is a weapon or maps are a weapon, despite their long utility in military contexts.
- DanielBMarkham 13y agoI think you're generalizing a bit much. Yes, computers were originally used for ballistic calculations, code-breaking, even. What's different now is that virtually every computer is connected to a world-wide network which is connected to physical things. That means you're no longer having a special-purpose computer assisting a specialized weapon. Instead you've opened up all sorts of mayhem and damage to anybody with a smartphone. An axe is also a weapon, but it's also the best thing we have to cut wood. Computers are moving into a similar role: things that have practical value which can also be very deadly. And any computer, with the right program/operator can inflict far more damage than an axe.
- Vivtek 13y agoDude, everything is a weapon. Your brain is a weapon. Water is a weapon. Weaponness is not in the thing; it's in the intent of the wielder.