loydb

12 ms·

61.
by loydb 10y ago
Once a year or so, I pick up DF and play for a few weeks just to see what has changed. Coincidentally, I just finished my 2016 playfest last month. I am sold on the ASCII graphics, especially once you drop in a decent replacement set. Gener
62.
by loydb 11y ago
They had guns when they came in the door, but Goggans had said something to the effect of 'you'll never take me alive' on a BBS post, so they were a little more proactive in his case... :)
63.
by loydb 11y ago
Like I said, it doesn't surprise me that I said that, I just didn't remember it. But a random Usenet post from someone who undoubtedly wasn't there isn't a source, it is hearsay.... And how hard would it have been to loo
64.
by loydb 11y ago
We thought three copies in two separate locations was backup enough. All three of the computers (my home system, my work system, and the Illuminati BBS) were seized.
65.
by loydb 11y ago
LOD is even thanked in the book credits.
66.
by loydb 11y ago
As the guy they're talking about, I did keep an offsite backup. The GURPS Cyberpunk manuscript existed in three places -- my computer at home, my computer at work, and the Illuminati BBS. They took all three. They also got my wife&#x
67.
by loydb 12y ago
It's not just the game industry -- it's high-tech in general. As a 50-year-old programmer with zero desire to manage people, I am in the same boat.
68.
by loydb 12y ago
In 1990, the US Secret Service seized a book I was writing called GURPS Cyberpunk. One of the agents repeatedly insisted to my publisher that "THIS STUFF IS REAL!" to which we always replied "Well, yes, but step one is to plu
69.
by loydb 13y ago
Then perhaps I'll "explore the possibility" of buying it. But probably not, they have left a nasty aftertaste with their shenanigans.
70.
by loydb 13y ago
Spending a gaming week or two deep diving into this is a worthwhile pursuit (I agree about the O'Reilly book as well). In the end, I came to the conclusion that the ASCII graphics were, in fact, incredibly good and info-dense, but the
71.
by loydb 14y ago
No, you're right. I just don't want to see it painted in a fairy dust of nostalgia. There were some real criminals involved, and I'm sure there were many who nobody ever knew played both sides. There were plenty of guys that were good enoug
72.
by loydb 14y ago
^this++ One of the arguments I make against black hat hacking when I answer emails to (mostly) kids is that there is soooo much available you can do to fulfill your wildest geeky dreams. I'm around 90% sure that, were I growing up now,
73.
by loydb 14y ago
Well, it was written at a point that I was feeling pretty damn bitter and resentful... :)
74.
by loydb 14y ago
My attitude (and that of most of my contemporaries) was that hacking government computers (in our own country at least) was a Damn Stupid idea. A corporation will make an ROI decision about pursuing someone. Is it worth their time and money
75.
by loydb 14y ago
Well, that's not strictly true. I know at least a couple of folks from that era who would pilfer a bank account in a heartbeat, given the opportunity (they tended to be active 'carders'). They were, however, treated with disdain by 99% of
76.
by loydb 14y ago
I like the phrase 'catch and release.' We always worked from the philosophy of 'do no harm.' I can certainly see the top poster's side of things -- there are a lot of issues that I feel much differently about as a near-50-year-old than I di
77.
by loydb 14y ago
Also, remember that back then it was way harder to get caught. We did stuff like wardial entire area codes with impunity. The general lack of awareness/focus on computer security combined with non-digital phone switches (oh crossbar, how
78.
by loydb 14y ago
As the author, I've been amazed over the years at how well this resonates with people 25+ years after the fact. I continue to get 2-3 emails a week from people about how it affected them (unfortunately, about half of the emails also ask me