comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

Matrix overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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who fit your own personally tailored specs. Interested in a certain
cause? Fanatic about an AR game? Just want to pick up cute
chicks? Or perhaps you’re interested in the latest celebrity gossip
or political muckraking? Social networks bring people together
from all around the globe—and beyond, these days—to support
a common cause. From terrorists to VR gamers, social gossipers to
consumer rights advocates, everyone uses these networks to gather
and disseminate information. While many are harmless blog-fests,
others attempt to change society through public awareness. A few
have become real thorns in corporate and government sides, but
their widespread appeal, large memberships, and decentralized
networks make them almost impossible to shut down. Members
can upload video footage and files, post blogs, and meet up in virtual
chatrooms to discuss
issues. Some are private, but
many are open to anyone.
Especially popular
right now are the geosocial
networks, also called
Mobile Social Software
or MoSoSos, which can
provide up-to-the-minute
tracking of others in your
network, or simply notify
you when someone from
your network is nearby.
For groups that allow
users to post schedules,
MoSoSos can even provide
projected times when
a member may be within
range of your protected
area, so members can meet
up. Want to know what
clubs other members of
your MoSoSo are going
to be hitting tonight?
Perhaps you’re at the mall
and see that someone else
from your Rocky Mountain
Avatar game is nearby, and
want to challenge him to
an AR duel? Creepy for
a MeSSage froM faStJack.
read it. or eLSe.
> A quick reminder for everyone on my rules for JackPoint. I
created this system to help disseminate knowledge through
the runner community. Everyone here was invited because
they have something valuable to share. Lurking is allowed
but your rep will benefit more if you share.
I’ve only got a few rules. Break ‘em and you’re off the system.
1. Don’t hack JackPoint.
2. Don’t try to trace anyone from JackPoint.
3. Anyone loading malware onto JackPoint—intentionally or
otherwise—will be tracked down and beaten.
If you’ve got a problem with someone, use the rep system.
Don’t complain to me unless they’ve broken one of the above
rules. I didn’t create this network to become a father to fiftyeight
whining toddlers, so if you want to squabble, keep it
off here. Ditto if you and someone hit it off ... but send an
occasional recording for a lonely old man. ;)
> FastJack
> Jack, you are such a letch.
> Kat o’ Nine Tales
those of us in the shadows, but hugely popular with busy wageslaves
wanting to cram as much socializing as possible into
their precious non-working hours.
Matrix gangS and triBeS
Matrix gangs, unlike their physical world counterparts, can
be based anywhere in the world with members in different cities
or even continents. Since the gear and warez cost nuyen, a lot of
Matrix gangs are made up of affluent, rebellious kids trying to
piss off mommy & daddy rather than trying survive the streets.
Gangs focus on matrix crimes, ranging from AR vandalism to
software piracy and smuggling. Recent trids out of LA have
glamorized gangs online and off, so new wannabes have sprung
up everywhere.
> Annoying little buggers. They can be a real problem for most users,
but if you’ve got a decent attack prog and some skill, you can whip
their obnoxious asses back to their cushy basements.
> Slamm-0!
> Some are more than just annoying. The Electric Knights made
headlines last month when they managed to hack the grid-link system
in Seattle and caused some massive pileups on I-5. Three dead
and a few dozen hospitalized.
> FastJack
Most Matrix gangs rely on numbers and brute strength, not talent,
but that’s enough to harass and exploit small time mom-and-pop
virtual storefronts and be a nuisance
to normal Matrix users. A popular
gang trick is a take on the old protection
racket, where the gang offers
“protection” to a business—often
from a homemade virus—and then
unleashes the virus if the business
refuses to pay. These gangs trade on
their victims’ lack of Matrix knowledge
to keep them cowed. Organized
crime gets into the picture, too—several
Seoulpa rings are entirely virtual
or focused on virtual crimes, like the
Choson Ring in Seattle.
Matrix tribes are on the other
end of the spectrum, formed by
people—hackers, technos, and
wannabes—looking for protection,
friendship, and a sense of connection
and belonging. Tribes can be simple,
based on religion, ethnicity, or race.
They might even by based on common
interests like the Family Play
Tribe based in Seattle, whose members
join to arrange virtual playdates
for their kids, or on exceptional abilities
like the Ravens, a technomancer
tribe based out of the PCC grid.
In just a few years, sometimes only
months, the tribes develop their own
customs, iconography, and even languages. Most sponsor at least one
dedicated node with members-only access. The Ravens, for example,
have a private Kiva accessible through the PCC’s public KivaNet.
> The Ravens had their node established long before the PCC created
KivaNet. I’ve heard it is actually a Resonance well, attuned to
their tribe.
> Netcat
rep SYSteMS
We’ve all heard of Horizon’s P2.0, their highly marketed
reputation “system of the stars.” But Horizon didn’t invent the
idea—although they certainly seem to have made the most money
off of it. Back when online social networks were just beginning,
Unwired
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9