Hi everyone, I wanted to let folks know about a few book events in the London/Dublin/NewYork/Washington DC area for Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous A number of them are listed here and the London/Dublin ones are around the corner http://www.versobooks.com/books/1749-hacker-hoaxer-whistleblower-spy Here is the NYC one: http://www.strandbooks.com/event/gabriella-coleman I will be doing an AMA on November 17 at AM EST And I will be doing an event on December 11 in Washington DC but details forthcoming. Thought some of you would want to know about them. Most of these will have post hanging out events as well. Hope to see you there, Biella
Congratulations Gabriella! I hope it sells tons, and then a movie comes out based on your book. EyeOnSci
Thanks! Just spread the word and tell me what you think. There is more to write More than email problems
Hi all, The Frontline Club event went well. There were some Anons in the audience too (and their mums) and they chimed in during the Q and A. Here is the video (low quality) and audio (high quality). http://www.frontlineclub.com/insight-with-gabriella-coleman-hacker-hoaxer-whistleblower-spy/
How Anonymous itself could be hacked Gabriella Coleman’s meticulously researched account of the hacker group that escapes definition By Martin Patriquin Anonymous is a faceless Borg-like monolith whose main goal is righting the wrongs of bullies — governmental and other. Or it’s a jellyfish adrift in the online sea, stinging whatever crosses it. It’s righteous and nihilist. It’s troll-led hate magnified, a terrorist in a Guy Fawkes mask. Many have tried and failed to shoehorn Anonymous into such descriptions. In this meticulously researched, eminently readable work documenting the online cabal/collective/gong show, Gabriella Coleman explains why: It’s all and none of the above — a cipher that’s so successful in confounding governments and spy agencies, precisely because it escapes definition. A cultural anthropologist and professor at McGill University, Coleman first hung around Anonymous chat forums, gaining their trust. She then spent years as a privileged lurker, interviewing several members in the flesh. She traces the group’s rise in the early 2000s, from the meme-generating cacophony known as 4Chan, indulging in “Lulz” (pranks) on unsuspecting victims. Pointed in the wrong direction, this instinct led to reprehensible online acts, including the leaking of personal information of people. Yet change the target — a phone company that shares its customer info with the U.S. government, say — and the story takes on a Robin Hood-like narrative. Anonymous’s first serious target, the Church of Scientology, reflects both the group’s self-righteousness and sense of humour. As a religion, it hardly has a monopoly on secrecy and abuse, yet the church provoked Anonymous’s ire by trying to block the publishing of an embarrassing video of its most famous member, Tom Cruise. The ensuing online attack was a PR nightmare for the church, from which, one could argue, it hasn’t yet woken. Continued here: http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/book-review-how-anonymous-itself-could-be-hacked/
Yes! At the end of Feb, you know, when it is VERY COLD in Montreal. I will post the details as soon as I have them firmed up.
Thank you for the update(s). Please let us know when Vancouver/Victoria, West Coast Canada has bookings. <3
Bump http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...onymous-gabriella-coleman-tech-weekly-podcast An Interesting discussion.
What Adrian Chen got wrong about Anonymous and Scientology | The Underground Bunker Former Gawker writer Adrian Chen has a long and contentious history with the hacktivist collective known as Anonymous. We’re not really very interested in that backstory (though a recent article shows that it’s pretty juicy). And we’re also not all that interested in the drubbing that Chen gave last week to McGill University professor Gabriella Coleman’s new book, Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous. We found Coleman’s book to be pretty useful and fascinating, but Chen accused her of being too embedded with Anonymous so that she tended to overlook some of its faults. For an interesting counterpoint to Chen’s piece in the Nation, we recommend David Auerbach’s response in Slate. Anyway, what did interest us, and what we feel qualified to comment on, was Chen’s contention that one of the things Coleman overstates is the effect Anonymous had on Scientology. In fact, Chen seems to think that “Project Chanology,” the specific effort by Anonymous to agitate against the church, had little to no effect at all. He makes his case with two pieces of evidence. First, he says that “Operation Slickpubes,” the 2009 New York City incident that featured a member of Anonymous running into the Scientology “org” on 46th street mostly naked and covered in vaseline and pubic hair, gave Scientology the ability to portray itself as a victim. And second, Chen says that Lawrence Wright barely mentions Anonymous in his “definitive history” of Scientology, Going Clear. Therefore, Anonymous must not have been a big deal at all. Continued here: http://tonyortega.org/2014/11/18/what-adrian-chen-got-wrong-about-anonymous-and-scientology/
Just so you know, discussion of that began here: https://whyweprotest.net/threads/ri...ter-police-shoot-michael-brown.119831/page-38
That coming from someone who's never written anything significant about Scientology, and nothing about them at all before 2008.
Anonymous is the Electric Klan according to Jeff Quiros: Scientology's Antagonists August 13, 2008, Lauren Smiley, SF Weekly
This is all because I don't know you and you don't know me. We should invent a way to tell each other stuff better.
Gabriella Coleman @BiellaColeman 48s 49 seconds ago Anonymous are back – this week the group hacked the Ku Klux Klan. http://www.theguardian.com/books/20...many-faces-anonymous-gabriella-coleman-review
Hi, Here is the Toronto information! http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT180830&R=EVT180830 And there are 2 other university events too at U of T and York in case you can't make it.
Ok so I am responding to Adrian Chen... eventually. I need to get back on track since I am so behind with life but here was my first attempt at a response (mind you on 4 hours of sleep) and I highlight the importance of Chanology as well http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/todays-american-outlaw-the-hacker-360974403969
I've added it to my calendar. XML https://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/d9h8huuqu202cuejos8479mjuo@group.calendar.google.com/public/basic iCal https://www.google.com/calendar/ical/d9h8huuqu202cuejos8479mjuo@group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics HTML https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=d9h8huuqu202cuejos8479mjuo@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Toronto
I know I was like OK I will keep the outlaw but should say activists and not all of them are outlaws but whatever....
Ah, it wasn't a dig at you. I thought it was very descriptive. When the law is an ass, then outlaws are the only ones keeping the faith.
Hi all Here is the Washington DC event. RSVP is required and please spread the word: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_t...ker_hoaxer_whistleblower_spy_at_a_future.html
The Strand, which is a wonderful book store in NYC, recorded the event with Molly Crabapple and Astra Taylor.
