[ba.general] really great NOVA show on computer hacker espionage

rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) (04/24/91)

I just saw the best thing I've ever seen on computers.
This week's NOVA tells the true story of how a little astronomer
at Berkeley stumbled upon an act of computer spying that involved
the military, the CIA and the FBI. The whole thing began with
what appeared to be a 75-cent computer accounting error.
The narrative is straightforward and whimsical, and totally gripping.
It gets extremely emotional at the end. I AM SPEECHLESS, YOU WILL
WATCH THIS. OH MY GOD, YOU THOUGHT NOVA WAS BORING?
IF you have any interesting notes about this story, please send.
Note: it was on San Fran's channel 9 tonight (Tue 4/23) and will be
on again Wed midnight, does anyone know when else here?
-- 
Robert Chao
Oakland, California

unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) (04/24/91)

In article <24404@well.sf.ca.us> rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) writes:
>I just saw the best thing I've ever seen on computers.
>This week's NOVA tells the true story of how a little astronomer
>at Berkeley stumbled upon an act of computer spying that involved
>the military, the CIA and the FBI. The whole thing began with
>what appeared to be a 75-cent computer accounting error.

        This is a repeat NOVA... I saw most of it the last time it
was on (originally).. 

        But read "The Cuckoo's Egg".. that's what the Nova episode is
a brief story about. The Cuckoo's Egg is a GREAT GREAT book
written by Clifford Stoll (the astronomer), and is just COOL as hell.

        Also read "Hackers" by Steven Levy for a great general book on
computing.. NOT breaking in places and stuff, that's  NOT what a hacker
is.
-- 
/unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu Apple IIGS Forever! WANT ULTIMA VI //e or GS?-mail me.\
\CHEAP CDs info-mail me. McIntosh Junior:  The Power to Crush the Other Kids. /

eugene@amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya) (04/24/91)

In article <24404@well.sf.ca.us> rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) writes:
>This week's NOVA tells the true story of how a little astronomer
>Robert Chao
>Oakland, California

Actually, Cliff is tall and thin.  I would not say little.
Follow ups directed out of ba.general.

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  Resident Cynic, Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers
  {uunet,mailrus,other gateways}!ames!eugene

rosen@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (steven.b.rosen) (04/25/91)

In article <24404@well.sf.ca.us>, rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) writes:
> 
> This week's NOVA tells the true story of how a little astronomer
> at Berkeley stumbled upon an act of computer spying that involved
> the military, the CIA and the FBI. The whole thing began with
> what appeared to be a 75-cent computer accounting error.
> -- 
> Robert Chao
> Oakland, California

Robert,

	The astronomer (Cliff Stoll - sp?) wrote a book about his experience,
	called the Cookoos Egg (sp?). If you like NOVA - GET THIS BOOK !

	...steve...

----------------------------------------
Steve Rosen               attmail!srosen
                      srosen@attmail.com
----------------------------------------

rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner) (04/25/91)

In article <24404@well.sf.ca.us> rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) writes:
>
>I just saw the best thing I've ever seen on computers.
>This week's NOVA tells the true story of how a little astronomer
>at Berkeley stumbled upon an act of computer spying that involved
>the military, the CIA and the FBI. 

If you want the real details, read the book Cliff Stoll wrote about this
"The Cuckoo's Egg". It's *much* better than the show was.
-- 
Ruth Milner
Systems Manager                     NRAO/VLA                    Socorro NM
Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu

ldstern@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Larry Stern) (04/25/91)

In article <24404@well.sf.ca.us> rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) writes:
>
>I just saw the best thing I've ever seen on computers.
>This week's NOVA tells the true story of how a little astronomer
>at Berkeley stumbled upon an act of computer spying that involved
>the military, the CIA and the FBI. The whole thing began with
>what appeared to be a 75-cent computer accounting error.
>The narrative is straightforward and whimsical, and totally gripping.
>It gets extremely emotional at the end. I AM SPEECHLESS, YOU WILL
>WATCH THIS. OH MY GOD, YOU THOUGHT NOVA WAS BORING?
>IF you have any interesting notes about this story, please send.
>Note: it was on San Fran's channel 9 tonight (Tue 4/23) and will be
>on again Wed midnight, does anyone know when else here?
>-- 
>Robert Chao
>Oakland, California

That episode of Nova was based on Cliff Stoll's book "The Cuckoo's Egg:
tracking a spy through the maze of computer espionage". It is available
in paperback from Pocket Books, ISBN 0-671-72688-9.


-- 

Larry Stern                                  LDSTERN@RODAN.ACS.SYR.EDU

billg@hitachi.uucp (Bill Gundry) (04/25/91)

From article <24404@well.sf.ca.us>, by rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao):
> 
> I just saw the best thing I've ever seen on computers.
> This week's NOVA tells the true story of how a little astronomer
> at Berkeley stumbled upon an act of computer spying that involved
> the military, the CIA and the FBI. The whole thing began with
> what appeared to be a 75-cent computer accounting error.
> The narrative is straightforward and whimsical, and totally gripping.
> It gets extremely emotional at the end. I AM SPEECHLESS, YOU WILL
> WATCH THIS. OH MY GOD, YOU THOUGHT NOVA WAS BORING?
> IF you have any interesting notes about this story, please send.
> Note: it was on San Fran's channel 9 tonight (Tue 4/23) and will be
> on again Wed midnight, does anyone know when else here?
> -- 

Well I would use the term "overacted", if that is a term. Watching
Stoller run from home to his printers get kinda boring. Read the
book, it gives more detail, and relates more to his "conversion"
from a feeling a little paranoid about government and its various
agencies to feeling that they are people too, with their jobs and
problems to cope with. I thought that was one of the more interesting
sidelights of the whole affair.

Bill Gundry
...uunet!hitachi!billg