Re: Sony

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Wired reckons it is extremely unlikely to have been the North Koreans...http://www.wired.com/2014/12/evidence-of-north-korea-hack-is-thin/


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 3:48 PM
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If you can't trust unnamed US officials who who won't reveal evidence, who can you trust?


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 3:54 PM
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The thing that gets me about this whole thing, people in the US are paying attention because PRK propaganda is self-refuting, bad in a way that's funny for viewers here. In other words, this is entertainment first.

The reality of a hellscape where the state chooses your spouse, your residence, your livelihood on the basis of a bureaucratized and heritable loyalty score coupled with a network of greedy snitches everywhere, no need to think about that. Look at this funny poster. Their shitty missile blew up hah.

Seoul is within artillery range of the border. I liked Barbara Demick's boook of interviews with PRK refugees a lot.

Also, not clear that the hack is actually connected to PRK.
The reports yesterday were pretty vague:


While intelligence officials have concluded that the cyberattack was both state-sponsored and far more destructive than any seen before on American soil, there are still differences of opinion over whether North Korea was aided by Sony insiders with knowledge of the company's computer systems, senior administration officials said.

Sony apparently had three technical staff (and five managers) for security. Two of Rushdie's translators were killed, I think there were two or three bookstores burned (nighttime arson).


Posted by: lw | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 4:04 PM
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2 Give it time, they just have to find the right people to torture.


Posted by: Barry Freed | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 4:10 PM
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Don't make me watch a James Franco movie for freedom.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 4:15 PM
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Fuck the movie, the bigger deal coming out of the Sony hack are the facts that a) women are getting massively screwed pay-wise and b) the MPAA is trying to break the Internet for real.


Posted by: Josh | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 4:28 PM
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The "North Korean" threats to blow up movie theaters are a smokescreen.

All of the email sent or received by Sony Pictures' General Counsel in the last N years is floating around on BitTorrent. They are well and truly fucked in a way that's actually sort of comical.

This is what movie theater companies don't want to happen to them, and why the theaters pulled the movie. Can't say I entirely blame them.


Posted by: Jake | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 4:34 PM
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I know breaking DNS sounds like "breaking the internet", but I remember my late-1990s college network, where the DNS servers died on a regular basis, and everything was fine because I remembered the numerical IP address of the main email/login server. How long would it take Pi/rate/bay to rebrand itself as 75.6.6.6, or whatever, and skip over DNS entirely?


Posted by: Scomber mix | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 5:16 PM
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I'm pretty sure that kicking Pirate Bay off DNS would only ensure the rise of alternate DNS systems, which may actually be a good thing.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 5:29 PM
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For example, the bitcoin people seem to have an alternative that would be pretty difficult for MPAA laywers to take down. Although using it does come at the expense of encouraging the bitcoin people.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 5:43 PM
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I was pretty shocked when I heard of the movie's premise, I have to admit. Your premise is "Everyone agrees that this currently living actual person should be murdered, right? LOL"

Even if that is true, it hasn't really been done before by one of the world's biggest mainstream entertainment companies. Or not since... Hitler? Saddam Hussein? Ayatollah Khomeini? Maybe.

Anyway, you have to expect that the targeted person is going to do what he can to fight back.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 6:47 PM
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From the link in the OP:

But this shouldn't have been allowed to happen.

I can't really make out what shouldn't have been allowed to happen: the hack? The pulling of the movie? The terroristic nature of the hack?

I can't help but think that releasing a movie that jokes about assassinating the living head of another nation isn't really a great idea in the first place. That doesn't mean that hacking into the film company's email is the optimal solution, but the US doesn't have diplomatic relations with North Korea, so it's difficult to see what options are available. It looks to me like Sony (and the US in general) received a slap upside the head.


Posted by: parsimon | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 6:54 PM
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They should have called it "The Day of the Jackass".


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 6:57 PM
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When John Anyung goes up against John Zaibatsu, everybody wins.


Posted by: Todd | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 7:12 PM
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Maybe not totally OT because media?

Mallory Ortberg in the New Yorker, "Ayn Rand Reviews Children's Movies"

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
An excellent movie. The obviously unfit individuals are winnowed out through a series of entrepreneurial tests and, in the end, an enterprising young boy receives a factory. I believe more movies should be made about enterprising young boys who are given factories. --Three and a half stars. (Half a star off for the grandparents, who are sponging off the labor of Charlie and his mother. If Grandpa Joe can dance, Grandpa Joe can work.)

Posted by: ydnew | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 7:34 PM
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I'm not all that surprised that North Korea appears to have declared cyber-war on Hollywood, but I am surprised that they appear to have won.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 7:38 PM
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Hopefully they don't get the idea they can have the same sort of success with their nukes.


Posted by: Spike | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 7:43 PM
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|| http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/bin-laden-expert-accused-shaping-cia-deception-torture-program-n269551 |>


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 8:17 PM
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|| Here's a cheerier piece: http://helenair.com/news/local/article_2341ba8f-9d54-50ad-8193-6d1b20e88ba2.html |>


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 8:38 PM
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||

Not sure if it counts as cheery or depressing, but in case anyone was wondering what the "Fuck it, I quit" woman is up to these days, here you go.

|>


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 8:43 PM
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I was pretty shocked when I heard of the movie's premise, I have to admit. Your premise is "Everyone agrees that this currently living actual person should be murdered, right? LOL"

And Sony was encouraged to run with this premise by the State Department, who thought it would give the right people the right ideas.


Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 9:39 PM
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Your premise is "Everyone agrees that this currently living actual person should be murdered, right? LOL"

Don't act like you wouldn't have laughed if that person was Cheney.


Posted by: gswift | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 9:43 PM
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Just got back from the movie Homesman. Quite a talent, that Mr. Jones.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 12-18-14 11:48 PM
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FWIW a couple of my Korean friends were not thrilled about the premise of this movie ("haha North Korea").


Posted by: torque | Link to this comment | 12-19-14 8:27 AM
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Huh, the FBI seems pretty sure the DPRK is behind it.


Posted by: ajay | Link to this comment | 12-19-14 3:24 PM
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25: I still don't buy it.


Posted by: Jake | Link to this comment | 12-19-14 7:13 PM
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I think it was
russia ;) Not north korea. Seriously who knows, but i do think it sets a bad precedent for people who release movies. I bet the film will do really well if they relase it because of al the press. It'll probably be huge world-wide now.


Posted by: marry 65 | Link to this comment | 12-20-14 5:00 PM
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You know who Chuck Todd has on MTP to discuss this? John Nolte of Breitbart News...

(He wasn't being particularly objectionable in this instance, but holy heck.)


Posted by: JP Stormcrow | Link to this comment | 12-21-14 6:44 PM
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