Breaking and Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called "Alien"

Medium: Book - Audiobook & Kindle Editions (Jeremy N. Smith)

Rating: 4.5/5 Wicked-good

Reviewer: martums

Reference(s): Goodreads || Amazon || Google Books

In 2019, I joined the chorus gushing about this book on social media (spoiler alert: it is a literary masterpiece on par with The Odyssey or Paradise Lost. What, me? Exaggerate?). There is a fantastic journey here to absorb, from M.I.T. student, to security apprentice, to Jedi Master. Disclaimer: I am in awe of Sheri Davidoff. (Have mercy, M.I.T.--ask me about the time I fled the country after one semester of C.S. studies). Alien seems to effortlessly epitomize overcoming obstacles and growing in the face of adversity. Also, Davidoff embodies near-mythical aspects of hackerdom that Hollywood has tried for decades to ascribe to largely fictional characters, such as balancing exploring with risk-taking, how to boomerang after setbacks, or just being a decent & fair human being. Alien makes the difficult parts seem easy. Do we really need a one-sentence, Lifetime-Movie-of-the-Week-ish summary to entice you? Why are you still here? GO ENJOY THE BOOK


The Final Girls (2015)

Medium: Movie (Multiple)

Rating: 4.5/5 You just fucked with the wrong virgin

Reviewer: Odd

Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Amazon

Think of your favorite slasher movie. Now imagine you and your friends have been somehow sucked into it and can't escape. The characters are oblivious to the danger they're in, but not even your in depth knowledge of everything that's going to happen can save you and your friends from a bloody end.

Oh, and one of the characters just happens to have been played by your late mother before you were born, so that's another thing you have to deal with.

The Final Girls is the movie Scream wishes it could have been. It takes the meta farther, uses it better, and the stakes feel a lot higher. It's not just good meta, either. It's a damn fine slasher movie in its own right, with plenty of scares and tension sure to keep you engaged until the credits roll. You'll never hear the song "Bette Davis Eyes" the same way again.


Seungriho / Space Sweepers (2021)

Medium: Movie (Netflix)

Rating: 4.5/5 Modern space cyberpunk

Reviewer: jericho

Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Netflix

Set in 2092, with Earth on its last legs, we start out following a rag-tag crew of a ship that tries to collect space debris, which they can sell for cash. Barely scraping by, each living the life for their own reason and varied past, the money to get them out of poverty is always out of reach. When they find a surprise in junk they collect, it starts a crazy adventure that promises money they could only dream of. This South Korean movie has excellent production value, good acting, an aggressive plot, and brings the feel of a future that is part dystopia, part cyberpunk. The only challenge was keeping up with the subtitles during the fast-pace scenes. This is a fun ride with a good dose of the feels.


Silk Road (2021)

Medium: Movie (Apple)

Rating: 2/5 Long and meandering like its namesake

Reviewer: jericho

Reference(s): IMDB Listing || Apple TV

This is the 2021 movie, not the 2017 movie, about the Silk Road marketplace and the person behind it. The actual story is fascinating and full of suspense and drama. The impact the Silk Road marketplace had on part of the world for a while was incredible. This movie adaptation was probably fairly accurate, but also fairly dull for anyone already familiar with the subject matter. If you don't know about the marketplace and saga around it, you will probably enjoy this movie a bit more.


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