Hackers, dear hackers,
I’m thrilled to have you here with us again. We’re going to be quiet as a mouse, while we evade the advertising trackers and contemplate sneaky forms of sabotage. We’ll even look at the number Pi’s out-of-control digit count, internet filtering by the oh-not-so-polite Canadians, before contracting vertigo from an ‘absurdly fast’ algorithm.
This is a sneaky, enthralling, and nerve-wracking issue – don’t miss the action.
Sincerely,
Dan ‘the Man’ Kowalski
Editor-in-Chief, The Hacker’s Tribute
Relish your inner saboteur
Yes, you too can slash productivity, cause inconveniences, and become a drain on your organisation. It’s all thanks to this US military-commissioned Simple Sabotage Field Manual. Think of it as a guidebook for high-level pranks and acts of intentional nuisance. See it for advice on disabling office equipment, neutralising vehicles, or ways to reduce productivity in a factory without raising even so much as an eyebrow. We don’t condone bad behaviour, so only use this tool for good.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/26184/26184-h/26184-h.htm
100 trillion and counting
Pi is making headlines again. We’re of course wondering why. But it seems each time we achieve another milestone with this monstrously irrational number, it’s only the beginning. Most of us will know its simplified value ‘3.14’. Well, now we’re faced with 99,999,999,999,997 more digits to calculate. Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to do it – Google has apparently done the job for us. We assume it’ll handle it from here.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/09/google_100_trillion_digits_of_pi/
Filtering the internet
Canada. When we think of fresh air, sprawling woodlands, and crystal-clear water, there’s no better example than the great land that is Canada. Sounds like true freedom, does it not? Not if you’re streaming the nation’s favourite pastime illegally. In what is unprecedented, the internet is actively blocking non-sanctioned hockey broadcasters in a way one would be forgiven for calling ‘Orwellian.’ Check out the post, and tremble under the authoritarian - albeit gentle - force that is Canada.
https://typefully.com/kaplanmyrth/internet-filtering-in-canada-rogers-nhl-TPEqjeU
Absurdly fast algorithm
Oh, it’s fast. In fact, it caught the developers by complete surprise. Network flow now enjoys an almost comically-rapid algorithm that offers maximum flow. This milestone is anything but insignificant, as the concept has existed since the 1950s, older than computer science itself. Logistics and delivery companies will rejoice, as well the rest of the world – at some stage, when it knows what to do with this information. It is good news though, no killer androids here.
Badgering on!
You like privacy? Come on, who doesn’t! Then this browser extension might just be for you. Automatically and systematically ‘badger off’ any invisible trackers, meaning advertisers will, quite simply, need to scurry away from your internet habits and interests. They’re so true to their word that they even incentivise advertisers to respect your privacy too! Finally, a piece of technology with a good cause…
