Waterboarding: Waterboarding is a form of toture consisting of strapping the victim with his or her head inclining downwards onto a board. Water is then poured down his or her nose, flooding the nasal cavities and being aspirated into the victim's lungs with every cough. It is a horrible but effective torture method, as it stimulates execution.
Use: Waterboarding is a horrible torture method, called a stimulated execution.
Cryptography: The art of writing or breaking codes.
Use: Jenny is really good at cryptography. She has written and cracked many codes this year.
Heinous: Something extremely odious (very, very unpleasant or repulsive) or wicked.
Use: The bombing of the Bay Bridge was a heinous act of terrorism.
Ubiquitous: The ability to be everywhere at the same time.
Use: That woman is ubiquitous! She's everywhere at the same time!
Interrogate: To ask questions of someone, aggressively or formally.
Use: They interrogated Marcus in prison.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
4 Pictures
HOODED PRISONERS: This is how Marcus and his friends were treated in prison. They had black hoods placed over their heads and had plastic cuffs binding their hands behind their backs. This photo is significant because it shows what this treatment could've possibly looked like.
I also chose this because the prison stay changed their lives forever. This photo gives off an aura of "prison, prison, prison..." That's probably because they're all wearing the standard orange jumpsuit, and their hands are cuffed. This is one place most people would not want to be.
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DHS LOGO: This is the DHS logo. In the book, this symbol supposedly makes many citizens of America feel safe and comfortable. However, for Marcus, it couldn't be more of the opposite. When Marcus sees this symbol, all he feels is pain, loathing and anger. He sees carelessness, not safety. "Security" means the opposite when he sees this.
This logo and the people behind it changed Marcus's life forever. That doesn't necessarily mean in a good way. No, they changed his life to one of fear and anger. Nothing was right after they took over the city. Some thing had to be done, and Marcus was the one to do it.
EXPLODING BRIDGE: This is the event that truly changed Marcus's life forever. The DHS wouldn't have interfered much with his personal life if the terrorists had blown up the bridge in the first place. Being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time was what really happened. And that only happened because of the bridge.
I chose this particular picture because it clearly shows explosions on a bridge. Nothing too complex, and not too realistic. A reader can understand this perfectly well without a detailed explanation.
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WATERBOARDING: This is a picture that I created. It is Marcus being waterboarded, tortured. He cannot keep himself from thinking that he's going to die, so it is a very effective torture method. I chose it, though, because the waterboarding incident made Marcus realise that the DHS has total control over if he died or not. The waterboarding process could kill him if they weren't careful. Heck, if they wanted to kill him, they could drown him and say it was an accident. Marcus was completely at their mercy.
What would've happened to him if left in their hands, no one knows. However, Marcus was saved, so there was a good ending at least.
**All of these photos of pictures were very significant to the story**
Quote #4
"In every fiber of my being, I knew I was going to die."
-Marcus
This is the last quote I chose.
It was where Marcus was being physically tortured and blackmailed for his information, even though he was innocent. He was being waterboarded, where they essentially stimulate your execution, even though they wouldn't actually kill you.
Marcus was saved as he was being tortured. His hard work really did pay off. The prison was liberated and Carrie Johnstone was arrested. Marcus's torture was caught on video.
This quote is important because Marcus was truly struggling at this point. This was where he needed the rescue. Luckily, it came. Otherwise, Marcus could've been seriously hurt, physically or otherwise. This quote signifies that these people were actually in control of Marcus's life. They could easily give him a painful death, but rather choose to give him a painful life. Make the suffering last. This is a crazy power imbalance. It should not be this way--torturing innocents for non-existent information. Or, torturing people for telling the truth to the world. It shouldn't exist in today's society. It just doesn't belong.
-Marcus
This is the last quote I chose.
It was where Marcus was being physically tortured and blackmailed for his information, even though he was innocent. He was being waterboarded, where they essentially stimulate your execution, even though they wouldn't actually kill you.
Marcus was saved as he was being tortured. His hard work really did pay off. The prison was liberated and Carrie Johnstone was arrested. Marcus's torture was caught on video.
This quote is important because Marcus was truly struggling at this point. This was where he needed the rescue. Luckily, it came. Otherwise, Marcus could've been seriously hurt, physically or otherwise. This quote signifies that these people were actually in control of Marcus's life. They could easily give him a painful death, but rather choose to give him a painful life. Make the suffering last. This is a crazy power imbalance. It should not be this way--torturing innocents for non-existent information. Or, torturing people for telling the truth to the world. It shouldn't exist in today's society. It just doesn't belong.
Quote #3
"I'm going to get them."
-Marcus
This quote comes from a section that comes directly after the one in blog post "Quote #2." It is directly after Marcus and his friends are released. He and his friends had just cried their eyes out when they realised that Darryl wasn't released along with them. They had just bought sodas and were discussing what they might be doing to them. Marcus then swore that he was "going to get them." Jolu told him that he couldn't, but Marcus wouldn't listen. He was going to try anyways.
It marked a turning point at the way Marcus faced these people. Before, he was terrified. Now that he'd been released, he seemed to have found his spine, and now he was promising that he would get these all-powerful people.
This is one of the most significant quotes in the book, because he did end up going after the DHS, fighting back with everything he had. It was what the book was about. One might even say that this is where the book truly starts.
-Marcus
This quote comes from a section that comes directly after the one in blog post "Quote #2." It is directly after Marcus and his friends are released. He and his friends had just cried their eyes out when they realised that Darryl wasn't released along with them. They had just bought sodas and were discussing what they might be doing to them. Marcus then swore that he was "going to get them." Jolu told him that he couldn't, but Marcus wouldn't listen. He was going to try anyways.
It marked a turning point at the way Marcus faced these people. Before, he was terrified. Now that he'd been released, he seemed to have found his spine, and now he was promising that he would get these all-powerful people.
This is one of the most significant quotes in the book, because he did end up going after the DHS, fighting back with everything he had. It was what the book was about. One might even say that this is where the book truly starts.
Quote #2
"I would've rather died than go back to my cell."
-Marcus
This is where they almost released Marcus. The papers were all spread out on Carrie Johnstone's desk. The pen was in Marcus's hand. But, instead of signing all of the papers, Marcus flipped through them and asked, "What happens if I don't sign this?"
He instantly got his answer. Carrie Johnstone instantly turned angry and snatched the papers away from him. She pointed at the guards, and they picked him up and dragged him away. Marcus broke into tears, begging and beggin to be let back it, begging to be able to sign the papers. He got so upset because he'd been so close to freedom...only to have it snatched away with the flick of a wrist.
He would've rather died than to be taken back to that cell.
This marked a change in attitude towards the DHS people. This quote came from the very beginning of the book, so at first he was a rebel, avoiding all types of security. But now, Carrie Johnstone scared him into a horrible submission. She let him know how precious his freedom really was, and how quickly she could snatch it away. How much power she had over him. This truly terrified Marcus to the point where he'd sign anything to get out of there. In fact, another quote said, "I would've signed a confession that said I'd assassinated Abraham Lincoln." This shows the true extent of his fear.
**Note: Marcus was let back in to sign the papers, and was released shortly afterwards.**
-Marcus
This is where they almost released Marcus. The papers were all spread out on Carrie Johnstone's desk. The pen was in Marcus's hand. But, instead of signing all of the papers, Marcus flipped through them and asked, "What happens if I don't sign this?"
He instantly got his answer. Carrie Johnstone instantly turned angry and snatched the papers away from him. She pointed at the guards, and they picked him up and dragged him away. Marcus broke into tears, begging and beggin to be let back it, begging to be able to sign the papers. He got so upset because he'd been so close to freedom...only to have it snatched away with the flick of a wrist.
He would've rather died than to be taken back to that cell.
This marked a change in attitude towards the DHS people. This quote came from the very beginning of the book, so at first he was a rebel, avoiding all types of security. But now, Carrie Johnstone scared him into a horrible submission. She let him know how precious his freedom really was, and how quickly she could snatch it away. How much power she had over him. This truly terrified Marcus to the point where he'd sign anything to get out of there. In fact, another quote said, "I would've signed a confession that said I'd assassinated Abraham Lincoln." This shows the true extent of his fear.
**Note: Marcus was let back in to sign the papers, and was released shortly afterwards.**
Quote #1
"I wasn't going to run, though. I knew I couldn't outrun fate."
-Marcus
This quote comes from when Marcus is pretty deep into the Xnet. He is famous as M1k3y, but not very well known as Marcus Yallow. In this quote, Marcus discovers two policemen following him. He at first panics, but then he thinks it over and calms down. He drops into the nearest burrito shop and orders a huge meal--a shredded pork burrito with extra salsa, horchata (a rice drink), and churro (deep fried dough with cinnamon). He thought that the cops had figured out who he was, and he wanted to at least "go down with a full stomach," as he hadn't been fed much in prison.
He saw the police flash their insignias, but he had already made peace with the fact that he was going to prison again. This is where the quote popped up. He had already made peace with his fate. He wasn't going to run, though. He knew he couldn't outrun fate.
This is the section of the book where Marcus learns to accept that the DHS is searching tirelessly for him, and would figure out who he was sooner or later. This is where Marcus really changed in personality: first, he was a rebellious teenager, fighting everything, but now he is an accepting adult, knowing his fate and embracing it instead of trying to outrun it.
**Note: Marcus didn't end up going to jail. He got taken off of the street because he had irregular traffic patterns. The two policemen (nicknamed Booger and Zit) took him home instead.**
-Marcus
This quote comes from when Marcus is pretty deep into the Xnet. He is famous as M1k3y, but not very well known as Marcus Yallow. In this quote, Marcus discovers two policemen following him. He at first panics, but then he thinks it over and calms down. He drops into the nearest burrito shop and orders a huge meal--a shredded pork burrito with extra salsa, horchata (a rice drink), and churro (deep fried dough with cinnamon). He thought that the cops had figured out who he was, and he wanted to at least "go down with a full stomach," as he hadn't been fed much in prison.
He saw the police flash their insignias, but he had already made peace with the fact that he was going to prison again. This is where the quote popped up. He had already made peace with his fate. He wasn't going to run, though. He knew he couldn't outrun fate.
This is the section of the book where Marcus learns to accept that the DHS is searching tirelessly for him, and would figure out who he was sooner or later. This is where Marcus really changed in personality: first, he was a rebellious teenager, fighting everything, but now he is an accepting adult, knowing his fate and embracing it instead of trying to outrun it.
**Note: Marcus didn't end up going to jail. He got taken off of the street because he had irregular traffic patterns. The two policemen (nicknamed Booger and Zit) took him home instead.**
Map #2
I made this map to help the reader truly understand how close Marcus and his friends were to their homes.
Yellow area: Marcus's home area
Orange area: Prison island (AKA Treasure Island or Gitmo-by-the-Bay)
Gray area: Blown up section of the bridge
When Marcus was put on the boat, he almost had a heart attack. He was so scared, he thought he might pee his pants. He thought that they might be taking him to some crazy prison overseas. Minutes turned into hours, and he truly thought that he would never see his family again.
When he finally discovered where he had been all this time, he felt angry. He had gone through all of that fear for nothing!
Also, I created this map to show what happened where, and what was what. Marcus lives in the yellow area. The prison is in the orange area. The bridge got blown up where it is grayed out. I thought that this map might help people understand the proportions of the area this took place in.
ARTICLE TWO
POLICE GOING WILD
TOTAL GRIDLOCK
BY: Emma Reporter (Me!)
The streets are crazy! Traffic is completely insane, as it has been in the past few days. However, unlike anything we've ever seen before, this jam is only getting worse and worse! It's a total gridlock out on the streets, and it isn't the cause of some measly accident. No, this is far worse--it's the police!
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently hired 75% more cops, and right now, they're all out on the streets! Anyone who has a funky travel history recently is being pulled over and questioned.
Officials believe that this has something to do with the notorious Xnet and its leader, M1k3y. They call it "jamming," and it's an effective way of scrambling the records of random people. It makes everyone look abnormal!
We are asking ourselves why these ignorant little brats would do such a thing to our system. What have they got against simple questions? It could catch the terrorists responsible for the bombing of the Bay Bridge. Why not let the police be, and let them ask their questions?
So far, we haven't come up with any suitable answers to this puzzling problem. The DHS has made it clear that they won't let up the searches and questioning. They are the type of people who will throw their resources at a problem until it goes away. It may be wasteful right now, but in the long run, we'll all be glad that it was done!
Here are some pictures of this gridlock:
Gridlock! What a mess!
I made this article because it directly related to what Cory Doctorow was describing in the novel. Marcus started jamming up people's tracked cards to make everyone look abnormal.
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/governor-cuomo-declares-transportation-emergency-042334618.html
This is where I got inspiration for the idea, but I modified it to completely match the gridlock in the book. It's important because it's one of the main ways Marcus fought the DHS, which is what the book is all about.
TOTAL GRIDLOCK
BY: Emma Reporter (Me!)
The streets are crazy! Traffic is completely insane, as it has been in the past few days. However, unlike anything we've ever seen before, this jam is only getting worse and worse! It's a total gridlock out on the streets, and it isn't the cause of some measly accident. No, this is far worse--it's the police!
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently hired 75% more cops, and right now, they're all out on the streets! Anyone who has a funky travel history recently is being pulled over and questioned.
Officials believe that this has something to do with the notorious Xnet and its leader, M1k3y. They call it "jamming," and it's an effective way of scrambling the records of random people. It makes everyone look abnormal!
We are asking ourselves why these ignorant little brats would do such a thing to our system. What have they got against simple questions? It could catch the terrorists responsible for the bombing of the Bay Bridge. Why not let the police be, and let them ask their questions?
So far, we haven't come up with any suitable answers to this puzzling problem. The DHS has made it clear that they won't let up the searches and questioning. They are the type of people who will throw their resources at a problem until it goes away. It may be wasteful right now, but in the long run, we'll all be glad that it was done!
Here are some pictures of this gridlock:
Gridlock! What a mess!I made this article because it directly related to what Cory Doctorow was describing in the novel. Marcus started jamming up people's tracked cards to make everyone look abnormal.
http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/governor-cuomo-declares-transportation-emergency-042334618.html
This is where I got inspiration for the idea, but I modified it to completely match the gridlock in the book. It's important because it's one of the main ways Marcus fought the DHS, which is what the book is all about.
ARTICLE ONE
New privacy fears as police could track your GPS without a warrant
By Associated PressThe U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether police use of GPS devices to track criminal suspects requires a judge's advance approval.
The case being argued Tuesday could have implications for other high-tech surveillance techniques in the digital age.
The Obama administration is appealing a ruling that threw out the drug conspiracy conviction of Antoine Jones of Washington because FBI agents and local police installed a GPS device on Jones' car and collected travel information without a search warrant.
Tracking: The case will determine whether or not it is fair and legal for police officers to use a suspect's GPS device without issuing a warrant
The GPS device helped authorities link Jones to a suburban house used to stash money and drugs. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison before the federal appeals court in Washington overturned the conviction.
The appellate judges said the authorities should have had a warrant and pointed to the length of the surveillance -- a month -- as a factor in their decision.
The groups say GPS technology is much more powerful than the beeper technology police once employed in surveillance.
A representative from the ACLU pushed the point that this case is not solely about Jones but about the future decisions of the Supreme Court, saying that soon the issue of GPS on a car will be irrelevant as authorities move to simply track out cell phones without warrants since all cell devices have GPS capabilities already installed.
Highest level: The Supreme Court will hear the case starting Tuesday and it is likely to have major repercussions in the police and investigation fields
The Justice Department said GPS devices are especially useful in early stages of an investigation, when they can eliminate the use of time-consuming stakeouts as officers seek to gather evidence.
Other appeals courts have ruled that search warrants aren't necessary for GPS tracking.
The justices will be considering two related issues, whether a warrant is needed before installing
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2059001/GPS-Privacy-Issues-Fears-police-track-GPS-warrant.html#ixzz2PXTFdU2c
I chose this article because it related to the book very closely. In the book, the DHS illegally track people using their BART passes, toll passes, credit cards, etc. People got pulled over and arrested for having "irregular traffic patterns." You ride the BART at two in the morning and you can get pulled over. You use your credit card in two very different place, you can get pulled over. If you have enough irregularity in your lifestyle, you can get arrested.
This is a less extreme example, but it is much more real. Police shouldn't be tracking your GPS without a warrant. It should at least be authorized. This reflects the dystopian nature of the novel because, in the novel, everyone's privacy is stripped away, and the police are doing weird, unauthorized things.
Carrie Johnstone--Journal Entry
Dear Journal,
For a week now, I've been detaining a handful of terrorism suspects at Gitmo-by-the-Bay, off the coast of San Francisco. They have a clear leader, one uncooperative, obviously aggressive child. There are four of them, including the leader. Their names and descriptions are listed:
Marcus Yallow.........The clear leader of the suspected terrorist organization. Says to be 17 years old; the ideal age for young terrorists--they can just say that they are teenagers and that they are harmless. This is obvious rubbish. Yallow is an uncooperative young delinquent, refusing to unlock his phone, email and USB sticks for us, even though we clearly told him, several times, that we were with the Department of Homeland Security. He didn't stop demanding for a lawyer and almost wouldn't sign documents that would ensure his freedom (with catches, of course. We had already planted a bug in his laptop). An obviously troubled child.
Vanessa Pak..............Called "Van" by the other suspects in this group. She is cooperative, for the most part, but is not admitting anything to us...yet. She is also evidently protecting her leader. She speaks good words of him, though I know none of it is true. Unlocked everything, but is still a good cause for suspicion. Pak does not seem as bad as the leader. We will certainly get more information out of her in the future.
Darryl Glover............In hospital, being treated for a stab wound. Claims he was stabbed in the BART crowd, just as the other suspects claim. Couldn't get much out of an injured person. However, we can see that this group was trained for situations like these ones. They have conjured a perfect story, though I am not falling for anything they say. We will further detain Glover, even if we release the others. We could get valuable information from him. We suspect his gang turned upon him and Yallow stabbed him. We'll get the information, one way or another.
Jose Luis Torrez.........Called "Jolu" by the other suspects in this group. He seems to have a "free spirit," like his leader, Yallow. However, he keeps in line. He must be used to obeying orders. He is protecting the leader, like Pak is, and isn't revealing anything useful towards catching terrorists like themselves. Other than that, he is entirely cooperative, and may be released soon.
Hopefully, these delinquents will turn themselves in soon. They must have some sort of conscience. Who would've thought our society would stoop to this level? 17 year old children committing horrible crimes and trying to get away with it!
Good thing that the DHS is behind the backs of Americans, ready to protect them from menaces like these.
For the good of America,
Carrie Johnstone
Carrie Johnstone is known to Marcus Yallow as "Severe Haircut Woman." She was horrible to Marcus especially, for two very bad reasons.
1. He said that he was the team leader of the Harajuku Fun Madness game (I mean, come on, lady! It's a game!)
2. He didn't want to give them his phone password (well, would anyone want to?).
She was the one Marcus always hated and was afraid of. She took him in as a prisoner and tortured him. First, it was blackmail, then mental torture and scarring, and then, at a horrifying climax, waterboarding--physical torture. He was strapped to a plank, with his feet tipping up a bit. Then, water was trickled into his nostrils. If he inhaled, he would bring water into his lungs, but his tipped up feet wouldn't allow this to happen naturally. Eventually, he would have to aspirate water into his lungs, causing a very bad coughing fit. However, this would only cause the inhalation of more water. Essentially, waterboarding is a stimulation of your own execution.
For a week now, I've been detaining a handful of terrorism suspects at Gitmo-by-the-Bay, off the coast of San Francisco. They have a clear leader, one uncooperative, obviously aggressive child. There are four of them, including the leader. Their names and descriptions are listed:
Marcus Yallow.........The clear leader of the suspected terrorist organization. Says to be 17 years old; the ideal age for young terrorists--they can just say that they are teenagers and that they are harmless. This is obvious rubbish. Yallow is an uncooperative young delinquent, refusing to unlock his phone, email and USB sticks for us, even though we clearly told him, several times, that we were with the Department of Homeland Security. He didn't stop demanding for a lawyer and almost wouldn't sign documents that would ensure his freedom (with catches, of course. We had already planted a bug in his laptop). An obviously troubled child.
Vanessa Pak..............Called "Van" by the other suspects in this group. She is cooperative, for the most part, but is not admitting anything to us...yet. She is also evidently protecting her leader. She speaks good words of him, though I know none of it is true. Unlocked everything, but is still a good cause for suspicion. Pak does not seem as bad as the leader. We will certainly get more information out of her in the future.
Darryl Glover............In hospital, being treated for a stab wound. Claims he was stabbed in the BART crowd, just as the other suspects claim. Couldn't get much out of an injured person. However, we can see that this group was trained for situations like these ones. They have conjured a perfect story, though I am not falling for anything they say. We will further detain Glover, even if we release the others. We could get valuable information from him. We suspect his gang turned upon him and Yallow stabbed him. We'll get the information, one way or another.
Jose Luis Torrez.........Called "Jolu" by the other suspects in this group. He seems to have a "free spirit," like his leader, Yallow. However, he keeps in line. He must be used to obeying orders. He is protecting the leader, like Pak is, and isn't revealing anything useful towards catching terrorists like themselves. Other than that, he is entirely cooperative, and may be released soon.
Hopefully, these delinquents will turn themselves in soon. They must have some sort of conscience. Who would've thought our society would stoop to this level? 17 year old children committing horrible crimes and trying to get away with it!
Good thing that the DHS is behind the backs of Americans, ready to protect them from menaces like these.
For the good of America,
Carrie Johnstone
Carrie Johnstone is known to Marcus Yallow as "Severe Haircut Woman." She was horrible to Marcus especially, for two very bad reasons.
1. He said that he was the team leader of the Harajuku Fun Madness game (I mean, come on, lady! It's a game!)
2. He didn't want to give them his phone password (well, would anyone want to?).
She was the one Marcus always hated and was afraid of. She took him in as a prisoner and tortured him. First, it was blackmail, then mental torture and scarring, and then, at a horrifying climax, waterboarding--physical torture. He was strapped to a plank, with his feet tipping up a bit. Then, water was trickled into his nostrils. If he inhaled, he would bring water into his lungs, but his tipped up feet wouldn't allow this to happen naturally. Eventually, he would have to aspirate water into his lungs, causing a very bad coughing fit. However, this would only cause the inhalation of more water. Essentially, waterboarding is a stimulation of your own execution.
Ange--Journal Entry
Dear Journal,
Last night, I went to Jolu's so-called party. It was actually something called a web of trust key exchange. It's where we use encrypted messages to talk to each other, but need a cipher to decrypt the messages. The ciphers are called keys, and we each take people we trust and create keys, then exchange them. It's a lot of fun, actually! It being a party was actually just a cover-up story, in case the cops found us. They would just assume that it was a drunken beach party (complete with real alcohol!).
One guy stood out. He and Jolu (whom I have known since kindergarten) were the ones behind this secret key exchanging party. The guy's name was Marcus. He really seemed to know his stuff. At first, I didn't understand this web of trust thing, but he explained it like it was a breeze, and he didn't make me look (or feel) stupid. He seemed very nice.
They took out a laptop that they had built in one night (wow! In one night!!!), and opened it up to show us a key generating program. We just hit a few random keys, and the machine did the rest. All we had to do was take a picture, then walk around to let the other people take pictures. He made it seem all super serious by saying, "Oh, guys! You have to delete the photos once you type them into your computer!" It seemed like we were now part of a super awesome secret society!
When everyone was done (a considerable amount of time later), he stood up on a rock. He said, "What if you can't trust me? What if you can't trust this computer? What if I saved all of this stuff on it? Well, I'll tell you what. If I had done that, then I could turn you all in to the DHS! You'd be done." Woah. Not anticipated. What if he really was lying about all of this trust stuff? Maybe I had done the wrong thing!
"But I'm not lying!"
How can you prove it, mister? I didn't ask, because I knew the answer was coming.
"And that's why I'm gonna prove it!"
Then he did something I did not see coming. Marcus hopped off of the rock, and slammed the computer down onto it. He grinned and pulled a hammer out of his belt. He started smashing the computer to pieces! The crowd cheered and cheered and cheered. I cheered my throat raw without even realising it. I now knew that I could trust some people. It was a great feeling.
After he had smashed the poor computer to smithereens, he shook out a big garbage bag with miniature holes poked into in. He dumped whatever he could pick up into it, though the smaller bits of computer were harder to grab, so he just left them. "Now!" Marcus announced, "I will go down and soak the computer in salt water for 10 minutes!" I laughed and went with him. We were alone, and it was a beautiful view. I think it was...a spiritual moment. Nothing happened between us, but in spirit, we exchanged something. I don't know. But, I do know that it was a beautiful moment.
Off to bed, now!
Sincerely,
Ange ;)
Ange was Marcus's girlfriend in the book. They met on that day, which was important because if it didn't occur, Marcus wouldn't have met a significant character in the book.
Ange helped maintain M1k3y's blog and email, acting as him a lot of the time. She also affected Marcus's life a lot (she really helped him out with a lot of the decisions he made). She also affected his life: he wanted to stay with her instead of starting a safe life underground, with Zeb. Eventually, she decided to go with him, and they pulled a stunt to get the DHS's attention away from them, so they could escape. Marcus escaped, but Ange wasn't so lucky. If it weren't for Zeb, Marcus would've gone back to Ange and would've gotten caught as well.
Last night, I went to Jolu's so-called party. It was actually something called a web of trust key exchange. It's where we use encrypted messages to talk to each other, but need a cipher to decrypt the messages. The ciphers are called keys, and we each take people we trust and create keys, then exchange them. It's a lot of fun, actually! It being a party was actually just a cover-up story, in case the cops found us. They would just assume that it was a drunken beach party (complete with real alcohol!).
One guy stood out. He and Jolu (whom I have known since kindergarten) were the ones behind this secret key exchanging party. The guy's name was Marcus. He really seemed to know his stuff. At first, I didn't understand this web of trust thing, but he explained it like it was a breeze, and he didn't make me look (or feel) stupid. He seemed very nice.
They took out a laptop that they had built in one night (wow! In one night!!!), and opened it up to show us a key generating program. We just hit a few random keys, and the machine did the rest. All we had to do was take a picture, then walk around to let the other people take pictures. He made it seem all super serious by saying, "Oh, guys! You have to delete the photos once you type them into your computer!" It seemed like we were now part of a super awesome secret society!
When everyone was done (a considerable amount of time later), he stood up on a rock. He said, "What if you can't trust me? What if you can't trust this computer? What if I saved all of this stuff on it? Well, I'll tell you what. If I had done that, then I could turn you all in to the DHS! You'd be done." Woah. Not anticipated. What if he really was lying about all of this trust stuff? Maybe I had done the wrong thing!
"But I'm not lying!"
How can you prove it, mister? I didn't ask, because I knew the answer was coming.
"And that's why I'm gonna prove it!"
Then he did something I did not see coming. Marcus hopped off of the rock, and slammed the computer down onto it. He grinned and pulled a hammer out of his belt. He started smashing the computer to pieces! The crowd cheered and cheered and cheered. I cheered my throat raw without even realising it. I now knew that I could trust some people. It was a great feeling.
After he had smashed the poor computer to smithereens, he shook out a big garbage bag with miniature holes poked into in. He dumped whatever he could pick up into it, though the smaller bits of computer were harder to grab, so he just left them. "Now!" Marcus announced, "I will go down and soak the computer in salt water for 10 minutes!" I laughed and went with him. We were alone, and it was a beautiful view. I think it was...a spiritual moment. Nothing happened between us, but in spirit, we exchanged something. I don't know. But, I do know that it was a beautiful moment.
Off to bed, now!
Sincerely,
Ange ;)
Ange was Marcus's girlfriend in the book. They met on that day, which was important because if it didn't occur, Marcus wouldn't have met a significant character in the book.
Ange helped maintain M1k3y's blog and email, acting as him a lot of the time. She also affected Marcus's life a lot (she really helped him out with a lot of the decisions he made). She also affected his life: he wanted to stay with her instead of starting a safe life underground, with Zeb. Eventually, she decided to go with him, and they pulled a stunt to get the DHS's attention away from them, so they could escape. Marcus escaped, but Ange wasn't so lucky. If it weren't for Zeb, Marcus would've gone back to Ange and would've gotten caught as well.
Darryl--Journal Entry
Dear Journal,
I'm writing from my hospital bed. It's sort of lumpy, and it's very uncomfortable. I don't like it, but the nurses are nice enough, and the guy who was in the next bed, Zeb, was awesome. He was funny and talks to me a lot. He helped me get through my injury. I know it sounds silly and all, but he gave me the mental strength the carry on.
See, how it happened went like this. We were in class. My best friend, Marcus, was chatting with me online. He told me about a new clue going up with our favourite ARG (Alternate Reality Game), Harajuku Fun Madness. I didn't want to skip school, but I knew my team was counting on me to get them a head start. So, I agreed, and we went along with it.
We almost found the clue, but then another team came up, and threatened to turn us in if we didn't give it to them. They probably would've...if the earth hadn't started rocking with explosions. The PA system went wild, and the air raid sirens blasted us with a wooooo sound. It was pretty terrifying, but we made our way to a BART station.
There were so many people, pressing from all sides. I saw Marcus trying to help a lady who fell, but he almost fell with her, so he ended up stepping on her. It made me feel sick. No one was helping anyone else. Marcus and Jolu wanted to get back up to the surface. I agreed, and so did Van. We struggled back up, and, all of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I didn't know what it was. I sharply turned, only to see an angry guy with a smug look on his face pulling his knife out of my side. My world spun. I only barely made it out.
I almost blacked out, and I fell on my face. My blood was pouring out, and it didn't fell pleasant. Van tried to do first aid on me, but it wasn't helping enough to save me. I don't remember much after that. I only saw the Jeep stopping, saw the armed men coming out, saw the hoods coming down over our heads. All of this was fuzzy in my head. And before they could even cuff me, I was out cold.
I woke up in a truck, my vision blurry. I felt very light-headed and dizzy. A man was tending to my injuries. I looked up and saw blood being fed into me using an IV tube. The man was preparing a needle...He looked at me with sympathy, then jabbed the needle into my wound. Gentle as it was, my mind howled in pain, and I blacked out again.
I woke up here, in the hospital. At first, there was no one around me. I was alone with my blood sack. I still felt light-headed and dizzy, but I felt a bit better now. My wound was still throbbing from the shot. I remember sleeping a lot that day. I couldn't process anything else.
The next day, I realised that someone had been put in the bed next to me. I was excited after spending so much time alone.
We talked, and I discovered that his name was Zeb. He was a really nice guy. He had a burst appendix, so he had to come here. I explained to him what happened to me, and he nodded along, occasionally wincing.
Turns out, he also knew Morse Code. When we weren't supposed to talk, we tapped out messages to each other on the wall. He didn't say much about his past life, but he told me that he was always on the run. He said that he was homeless and camped out wherever he could. Apparently, the DHS didn't like this prospect and took him in as a terrorist. He also called himself a freegan. I didn't know what this was, so he explained. I found this fairly disgusting. It supposedly means that he eats out of the "free food store." The free food store is more commonly known as a Dumpster. Yuck!
They're going to release Zeb back into his cell soon, but I know that he's still worried for me. I told him not to worry, that I was healing very quickly, but he wouldn't have it. So we just talked some more, and I...I told him about my friends. I didn't realise how much pain I'd been hiding until know, when I shed it all in a rain of tears. I couldn't stop sobbing as I told him about Marcus, Van and Jolu. I had always seen grim determination in his steely eyes, but now it strengthened.
He soon told me, in Morse Code (so that doctors wouldn't understand), about his escape plan. I begged him to take a note to Marcus. However, he insisted on writing it himself. I wasn't sure why it meant so much to him, but I let him.
Zeb was put back in his cell last week. He escaped (successfully? I don't know) yesterday. I'm not sure if they even realised yet, since there are just so many people around here. They eventually will, I know, and I hope Zeb can escape their watchful eye.
More importantly, I hope Zeb can give the note to Marcus.
Truly worried,
Darryl
Darryl is a very important character in the story, though he is a secondary character. His disappearance after the injury made Marcus swear revenge against them. If Darryl hadn't been kept in the prison, Marcus would be keeping his head down. With Darryl gone, though, Marcus had to fight the DHS to liberate Darryl and thousands of other innocent people.
This journal is written about Darryl's stay at the prison's infirmary. I knew he met Zeb from Zeb's actual note, and that they actually communicated using Morse Code, but everything else about the hospital stay is made up (also, Zeb really did eat from the free food store! He shared some Dumpster pizza with Marcus when they were on the run together). In an interesting way, Darryl is crucial to the way the story plays out.
I'm writing from my hospital bed. It's sort of lumpy, and it's very uncomfortable. I don't like it, but the nurses are nice enough, and the guy who was in the next bed, Zeb, was awesome. He was funny and talks to me a lot. He helped me get through my injury. I know it sounds silly and all, but he gave me the mental strength the carry on.
See, how it happened went like this. We were in class. My best friend, Marcus, was chatting with me online. He told me about a new clue going up with our favourite ARG (Alternate Reality Game), Harajuku Fun Madness. I didn't want to skip school, but I knew my team was counting on me to get them a head start. So, I agreed, and we went along with it.
We almost found the clue, but then another team came up, and threatened to turn us in if we didn't give it to them. They probably would've...if the earth hadn't started rocking with explosions. The PA system went wild, and the air raid sirens blasted us with a wooooo sound. It was pretty terrifying, but we made our way to a BART station.
There were so many people, pressing from all sides. I saw Marcus trying to help a lady who fell, but he almost fell with her, so he ended up stepping on her. It made me feel sick. No one was helping anyone else. Marcus and Jolu wanted to get back up to the surface. I agreed, and so did Van. We struggled back up, and, all of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I didn't know what it was. I sharply turned, only to see an angry guy with a smug look on his face pulling his knife out of my side. My world spun. I only barely made it out.
I almost blacked out, and I fell on my face. My blood was pouring out, and it didn't fell pleasant. Van tried to do first aid on me, but it wasn't helping enough to save me. I don't remember much after that. I only saw the Jeep stopping, saw the armed men coming out, saw the hoods coming down over our heads. All of this was fuzzy in my head. And before they could even cuff me, I was out cold.
I woke up in a truck, my vision blurry. I felt very light-headed and dizzy. A man was tending to my injuries. I looked up and saw blood being fed into me using an IV tube. The man was preparing a needle...He looked at me with sympathy, then jabbed the needle into my wound. Gentle as it was, my mind howled in pain, and I blacked out again.
I woke up here, in the hospital. At first, there was no one around me. I was alone with my blood sack. I still felt light-headed and dizzy, but I felt a bit better now. My wound was still throbbing from the shot. I remember sleeping a lot that day. I couldn't process anything else.
The next day, I realised that someone had been put in the bed next to me. I was excited after spending so much time alone.
We talked, and I discovered that his name was Zeb. He was a really nice guy. He had a burst appendix, so he had to come here. I explained to him what happened to me, and he nodded along, occasionally wincing.
Turns out, he also knew Morse Code. When we weren't supposed to talk, we tapped out messages to each other on the wall. He didn't say much about his past life, but he told me that he was always on the run. He said that he was homeless and camped out wherever he could. Apparently, the DHS didn't like this prospect and took him in as a terrorist. He also called himself a freegan. I didn't know what this was, so he explained. I found this fairly disgusting. It supposedly means that he eats out of the "free food store." The free food store is more commonly known as a Dumpster. Yuck!
They're going to release Zeb back into his cell soon, but I know that he's still worried for me. I told him not to worry, that I was healing very quickly, but he wouldn't have it. So we just talked some more, and I...I told him about my friends. I didn't realise how much pain I'd been hiding until know, when I shed it all in a rain of tears. I couldn't stop sobbing as I told him about Marcus, Van and Jolu. I had always seen grim determination in his steely eyes, but now it strengthened.
He soon told me, in Morse Code (so that doctors wouldn't understand), about his escape plan. I begged him to take a note to Marcus. However, he insisted on writing it himself. I wasn't sure why it meant so much to him, but I let him.
Zeb was put back in his cell last week. He escaped (successfully? I don't know) yesterday. I'm not sure if they even realised yet, since there are just so many people around here. They eventually will, I know, and I hope Zeb can escape their watchful eye.
More importantly, I hope Zeb can give the note to Marcus.
Truly worried,
Darryl
Darryl is a very important character in the story, though he is a secondary character. His disappearance after the injury made Marcus swear revenge against them. If Darryl hadn't been kept in the prison, Marcus would be keeping his head down. With Darryl gone, though, Marcus had to fight the DHS to liberate Darryl and thousands of other innocent people.
This journal is written about Darryl's stay at the prison's infirmary. I knew he met Zeb from Zeb's actual note, and that they actually communicated using Morse Code, but everything else about the hospital stay is made up (also, Zeb really did eat from the free food store! He shared some Dumpster pizza with Marcus when they were on the run together). In an interesting way, Darryl is crucial to the way the story plays out.
Marcus--Journal Entry
Dear Journal,
I am writing from a prison. I do not know where I am. I do not know where my friends are, though I do know they were taken with me. They could be in the next cell, but my concrete walls prevent me from seeing much around me.
There is a small window high up on the wall, but there is no way I could reach it. Even if I did, I would never be able to cut through the thick steel bars guarding the open gap. However, through that open gap, I smelled seawater and heard waves sloshing around. I was definitely on an island, though not an inviting one.
I don't belong here. I didn't do anything wrong, and neither did my friends. Nothing near anything prison-worthy, unless skipping school one time, just this one time, is prison-worthy.
My friends, Darryl, Van, Jolu and I, snuck off from school to play our favourite ARG (Alternate Reality Game), Harajuku Fun Madness. It was innocent, really--looking for clues in real life and online. However, every team who plays competes very fiercely to win the first prize: a ten day trip to Japan. We really wanted to get a head start, so all we did was sneak off one period before lunch. No harm done, really.
We searched around until we thought we had found it, but then, out of nowhere, another team sprung up! They had been following us and wanted to take the clue that we found! We got really angry, but they had a picture of us and could turn us in--to our schools. We'd be in big trouble.
Suddenly, the tables turned, in a sick, twisted, horrible way. Explosions rocked the earth. Air raid sirens went off. "REPORT TO SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY," screamed the PA system. The opposing team was the least of our problems now. We all bolted to the nearest BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station. It was the only form of shelter around.
Others realised that this was a safe place. Suddenly, everyone who was nearby was pouring into the BART station. There was shoving, punching, and brutal trampling. My team and I decided that we'd better get back up to the surface. We were certain that whatever was up there was better than staying down here.
It should've been a good idea. It was much better up there. Except for the fact that someone had stabbed my best friend, Darryl, in the crowd. He collapsed in a heap on the sidewalk, blood everywhere. We waved our arms at the ambulances speeding by to aid in the disaster that took place (at the time, I had only just realised that it was a terrorist bombing), but none of them would even slow down. I got angry and just jumped onto the road, yelling, "STOP!" Well, it worked, but we got the wrong people. They aimed their shotguns and rifles at us, then hooded us and loaded us onto the Jeep I had so unfortunately stopped.
They transferred us to a big truck, and then finally a boat. We arrived at our final destination: this prison.
They claim they are the DHS, the Department of Homeland Security. I was shocked. I didn't think my own country's people would treat their citizens like this!
They yelled at me, mentally tortured me, and blackmailed me, to get me to unlock my phone for them. Next is my email and USB sticks.
I don't know what's going to happen to me, but I am terrified of it.
Yours truly,
Marcus Yallow
Marcus Yallow is the main protagonist in the story "Little Brother." The story is entirely told from his point of view. The story is written in first person, and Marcus Yallow is writing it.
Everything told in the story affects Marcus's life. Nothing that doesn't affect him is written down. So, in a way, the story completely revolves around him. Without Marcus, there would be no story.
In this journal, Marcus talks about where he is and how he got there. He was absolutely terrified at the time, and had very little fight in him (he only starts rebelling when he is released). All he could do to fight was pretend to be brave and not give them his passwords. The DHS got into all of his stuff, anyways. They threatened him and mentally scarred him, leaving him unable to sleep at night. He was haunted by their cruel words.
This is where Marcus actually decides to fight back, although it starts as an impossible hope. He didn't even realise it, but Marcus, as terrified as he was, wanted to fight back. His friend Darryl was hurt and they wouldn't even talk to him about it. Why not go full out against them and try to save other innocent people from the same fate?
Marcus Yallow is the main protagonist in the story "Little Brother." The story is entirely told from his point of view. The story is written in first person, and Marcus Yallow is writing it.
Everything told in the story affects Marcus's life. Nothing that doesn't affect him is written down. So, in a way, the story completely revolves around him. Without Marcus, there would be no story.
In this journal, Marcus talks about where he is and how he got there. He was absolutely terrified at the time, and had very little fight in him (he only starts rebelling when he is released). All he could do to fight was pretend to be brave and not give them his passwords. The DHS got into all of his stuff, anyways. They threatened him and mentally scarred him, leaving him unable to sleep at night. He was haunted by their cruel words.
This is where Marcus actually decides to fight back, although it starts as an impossible hope. He didn't even realise it, but Marcus, as terrified as he was, wanted to fight back. His friend Darryl was hurt and they wouldn't even talk to him about it. Why not go full out against them and try to save other innocent people from the same fate?
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Map #1
This map was not created by me. It was found on the internet, but I chose to post it because it connects to the text very well.
It shows how many states in the USA where political spying was found. It is interesting data, because, although the text is fiction, the privacy issues it poses turn out to be quite real in society. This is an American map, and the reason I put this up instead of a Canadian map was because the book takes place in America. California, more specifically. Now, if you look at it, you'll see that California has recorded instances of political spying. Doctorow (the author), was writing from a believable point of view to begin with. Now that I see this map, it is even more believable, since I now know that this stuff is actually happening, even where the story takes place.
When you look at the map closely, you can see that only about 20 state don't have recorded instances of political spying, though many of those are suspected. Do the math, and you can see that 60% of the states have recorded instances of political spying. Wow. And, not to mention the fact that this is considered illegal spying, though can be performed by the FBI (there are several recorded instances of this happening--the FBI illegally spying on political groups). Hopefully this will stop. Hopefully legal political tracking will take the place of this spying.
More maps to come...
It shows how many states in the USA where political spying was found. It is interesting data, because, although the text is fiction, the privacy issues it poses turn out to be quite real in society. This is an American map, and the reason I put this up instead of a Canadian map was because the book takes place in America. California, more specifically. Now, if you look at it, you'll see that California has recorded instances of political spying. Doctorow (the author), was writing from a believable point of view to begin with. Now that I see this map, it is even more believable, since I now know that this stuff is actually happening, even where the story takes place.
When you look at the map closely, you can see that only about 20 state don't have recorded instances of political spying, though many of those are suspected. Do the math, and you can see that 60% of the states have recorded instances of political spying. Wow. And, not to mention the fact that this is considered illegal spying, though can be performed by the FBI (there are several recorded instances of this happening--the FBI illegally spying on political groups). Hopefully this will stop. Hopefully legal political tracking will take the place of this spying.
More maps to come...
Answers to a few questions...
When I posted my blog "Wait...How is Little Brother Dystopian?" I got a few questions. This blog post is written to answer these excellent questions, all three of which were posed by Mrs. Barnes.
Are there any more injustices in this society?
Absolutely, though I chose to write about the privacy issues because it was the biggest issue of all, the one that the book itself was based upon and written to combat.
Besides the numerous obvious privacy issues, there is another issue standing out: terrorism.
Terrorists were the people who caused the mess in the book. It was them who wanted to cause confusion, anger and, ultimately, terror. In many ways, terrorists and terrorism can, and have, created dystopian scenes. Terrorists, sometimes only one person, can cause an extreme, and unnecessary loss of life.
What are the injustices in our society that this novel relates to?
Here is an example to help outline the injustice caused by terrorists.
One extreme (not to mention very real) example is the terrorist attacks on 9/11. 4 orchestrated attacks upon everyday America. Confusion all along the streets. Debris everywhere. Explosions. Nearly 3000 people dead. More than 6000 people injured. At the moment, there was no better description of a real-life dystopia. Only 19 people (horrible people) took the lives of almost 3000 innocent people and the injury of almost 6000 more. Now, if that isn't an issue, I don't know what is.
In fact, this disaster leaves its mark, even today. Airport security has transformed into a business taken far, far more seriously. Air flight patterns are tracked more carefully. There are identification checks, security screening, and aircraft security, all of which have been greatly improved.
So yes, there is another injustice, to everyone, animal or person. And it is a very, very real issue.
What is the author's message/warning?
The author, Cory Doctorow, stated a clear message, though I may have truncated it. I said "Everyone has a right to privacy!" Now, I will elaborate on it.
Doctorow's character, Marcus, clearly stated that he wanted privacy, that everyone had a right to privacy. This is true, but only to the point where it can actually prove useful to you and those around you.
If the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) hadn't been taking away the privacy of innocents for no good reason, then Marcus would've willingly given up at least a part of his privacy in order to catch terrorists. However, the DHS was only capturing innocent people and torturing them, including himself. That's why Marcus used technology to combat the harmfully intrusive DHS.
The message in the story is that everyone, young or old, rich or poor, has a right to privacy, but only to the point where it can protect someone from actual harm. You must also respect authority, but if they start taking you away to prison, torturing you, and physically and mentally harming and scarring you, then you should probably take action to protect your privacy, because this is the kind of situation where it can save you.
Are there any more injustices in this society?
Absolutely, though I chose to write about the privacy issues because it was the biggest issue of all, the one that the book itself was based upon and written to combat.
Besides the numerous obvious privacy issues, there is another issue standing out: terrorism.
Terrorists were the people who caused the mess in the book. It was them who wanted to cause confusion, anger and, ultimately, terror. In many ways, terrorists and terrorism can, and have, created dystopian scenes. Terrorists, sometimes only one person, can cause an extreme, and unnecessary loss of life.
What are the injustices in our society that this novel relates to?
Here is an example to help outline the injustice caused by terrorists.
One extreme (not to mention very real) example is the terrorist attacks on 9/11. 4 orchestrated attacks upon everyday America. Confusion all along the streets. Debris everywhere. Explosions. Nearly 3000 people dead. More than 6000 people injured. At the moment, there was no better description of a real-life dystopia. Only 19 people (horrible people) took the lives of almost 3000 innocent people and the injury of almost 6000 more. Now, if that isn't an issue, I don't know what is.
In fact, this disaster leaves its mark, even today. Airport security has transformed into a business taken far, far more seriously. Air flight patterns are tracked more carefully. There are identification checks, security screening, and aircraft security, all of which have been greatly improved.
So yes, there is another injustice, to everyone, animal or person. And it is a very, very real issue.
What is the author's message/warning?
The author, Cory Doctorow, stated a clear message, though I may have truncated it. I said "Everyone has a right to privacy!" Now, I will elaborate on it.
Doctorow's character, Marcus, clearly stated that he wanted privacy, that everyone had a right to privacy. This is true, but only to the point where it can actually prove useful to you and those around you.
If the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) hadn't been taking away the privacy of innocents for no good reason, then Marcus would've willingly given up at least a part of his privacy in order to catch terrorists. However, the DHS was only capturing innocent people and torturing them, including himself. That's why Marcus used technology to combat the harmfully intrusive DHS.
The message in the story is that everyone, young or old, rich or poor, has a right to privacy, but only to the point where it can protect someone from actual harm. You must also respect authority, but if they start taking you away to prison, torturing you, and physically and mentally harming and scarring you, then you should probably take action to protect your privacy, because this is the kind of situation where it can save you.
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Alternate Cover
This is the cover I would create if I was asked to create an alternate cover for "Little Brother."
It depicts Marcus, hooded and kneeling. It is him as a prisoner...and being a prisoner changed his life forever.
It depicts Marcus, hooded and kneeling. It is him as a prisoner...and being a prisoner changed his life forever.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Wait...How is Little Brother Dystopian?
Little Brother is a very current novel. Some people say that it is "set 5 minutes into the future," which means that any of the events in the novel are very real and could happen in today's world. It's actually somewhat scarily close to reality; some students in the States are forced to carry tracker cards in school. In some schools with this policy, a student can be expelled if he or she refuses to carry the tracker card.
Cory Doctorow set the novel this way so he can make a lovely blend of up-to-date hacker technologies and a great dystopian society. It also features plenty of action and suspense. Also, because it is a young adult novel, Doctorow also creates a romantic element to make the adult issues seem less urgent.
Dystopian novels are always written to prove a point and/or to acknowledge and try to solve a problem. Doctorow's novel has been written to illustrate many problems in society and to help people acknowledge them. It also proves several points.
The main issues in this novel is Security vs. Privacy. Marcus and his friends are followed practically everywhere in this novel, even before the Bay Bridge blew up and he got imprisoned. He knew he had nothing to hide, yet still had everything to hide. He was innocent, but he still had private things on his phone and email, just like any other teenage hacker, or any teenager for that matter. There are just some things in our lives that we don't want to make public.
In the book, everyone's privacy is stripped away.
They get tracked from their cards, including their credit cards, FasTrak (toll passes), etc. People get pulled over for having irregular travel routes. I think this part is particularly lame, because a lot of people would have to take an irregular route to work, since the Bay Bridge blew up, and so did a BART tunnel.
Doctorow makes an excellent point in this novel--everyone should have some privacy in their life, especially if they are innocent, everyday people. Taking that away from people would make them feel way too exposed. It might make you feel guilty.
Everyone has a right to privacy!
Cory Doctorow set the novel this way so he can make a lovely blend of up-to-date hacker technologies and a great dystopian society. It also features plenty of action and suspense. Also, because it is a young adult novel, Doctorow also creates a romantic element to make the adult issues seem less urgent.
Dystopian novels are always written to prove a point and/or to acknowledge and try to solve a problem. Doctorow's novel has been written to illustrate many problems in society and to help people acknowledge them. It also proves several points.
The main issues in this novel is Security vs. Privacy. Marcus and his friends are followed practically everywhere in this novel, even before the Bay Bridge blew up and he got imprisoned. He knew he had nothing to hide, yet still had everything to hide. He was innocent, but he still had private things on his phone and email, just like any other teenage hacker, or any teenager for that matter. There are just some things in our lives that we don't want to make public.
In the book, everyone's privacy is stripped away.
They get tracked from their cards, including their credit cards, FasTrak (toll passes), etc. People get pulled over for having irregular travel routes. I think this part is particularly lame, because a lot of people would have to take an irregular route to work, since the Bay Bridge blew up, and so did a BART tunnel.
Doctorow makes an excellent point in this novel--everyone should have some privacy in their life, especially if they are innocent, everyday people. Taking that away from people would make them feel way too exposed. It might make you feel guilty.
Everyone has a right to privacy!
Little Brother (Part 1)
Little Brother is a young adult novel written by Cory Doctorow. His other novels include:
-For the Win
- Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
-Eastern Standard Tribe
-Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town
and
-Makers
If I were a reporter for a newspaper, I would review it like this:
"Little Brother is a lovely, fast-paced novel. It will hook and engage readers instantly...you won't be able to put this book down. It is a must-read for young adults."
--The Newspaper
-For the Win
- Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
-Eastern Standard Tribe
-Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town
and
-Makers
If I were a reporter for a newspaper, I would review it like this:
"Little Brother is a lovely, fast-paced novel. It will hook and engage readers instantly...you won't be able to put this book down. It is a must-read for young adults."
--The Newspaper
Little Brother---Summary Part 3
Marcus got home, and his parents were extremely relieved and happy that he was back. They all cried together. Marcus was happy to be home, but he wasn't anxious to tell his parents anything. It turns out that the Bay Bridge, as well as a BART tunnel had been blown up in the attack. So, he didn't. He had also made Jolu and Van promise they wouldn't tell their parents either.
He went upstairs to his bedroom, and sat down with his laptop in his lap, wanting to check the internet. He had built this laptop himself and called it "Salmagundi." He took it apart when he saw something wrong with it and realised it had a bug in it. Someone from the DHS had obviously broken into his house to plant the bug, to track what he was doing.
So, he left his laptop and dug up his Xbox Universal. He had an ParanoidLinux DVD that he had burned, and used it to escape the watchful eyes of the government by having his software be paranoid for him.
He burned many more copies and handed them out to people at school, who promised him that they would burn more copies to give to their friends. Soon, this organisation now know as the "Xnet" became huge. It spread like wildfire, and almost everyone Marcus knew was posting blogs and videos about how the DHS was doing a bad job of keeping the city safe.
Marcus made a handle; on the Xnet, he called himself "M1k3y." He knew that the DHS was looking for him.
Marcus met a girl named Ange, or Angela, and they became partners on the Xnet. They were also best friends, and also a bit more than just friends. She helped control M1k3y and post blogs and videos to benefit the Xnet.
One day, on the way home from school, Marcus bumped into a man named Zeb. Turns out, Zeb had slipped a note into Marcus's pocket. He had known Darryl! This really set Marcus off.
He cried his eyes out and told his parents everything. His parents were angry at the government, and took Marcus to Darryl's father to tell him the story. They then all went to a reporter named Barbara Stratford. Marcus again told the story. Barbara was going to get it published, so that the whole world could see what the government was doing to innocent people.
Now Marcus knew he was going to be caught by the DHS, and he learnt to accept that. After all, he might end up helping the other thousands of people in prison.
Eventually, the DHS took Marcus in again, and started physically torturing him. They stimulated his execution by pouring water all over his face so he couldn't breathe. But before Marcus gave them any more personal information, men and women in body armour stormed in and arrested the Severe Haircut Woman, whose real name was Carrie Johnstone. They were the CHP: California Highway Patrol. Marcus was saved!
Thanks for reading the detailed summaries, but they don't tell everything that's in the book!
Yes, I recommend the book--go to a library and check it out! It's really good.
He went upstairs to his bedroom, and sat down with his laptop in his lap, wanting to check the internet. He had built this laptop himself and called it "Salmagundi." He took it apart when he saw something wrong with it and realised it had a bug in it. Someone from the DHS had obviously broken into his house to plant the bug, to track what he was doing.
So, he left his laptop and dug up his Xbox Universal. He had an ParanoidLinux DVD that he had burned, and used it to escape the watchful eyes of the government by having his software be paranoid for him.
He burned many more copies and handed them out to people at school, who promised him that they would burn more copies to give to their friends. Soon, this organisation now know as the "Xnet" became huge. It spread like wildfire, and almost everyone Marcus knew was posting blogs and videos about how the DHS was doing a bad job of keeping the city safe.
Marcus made a handle; on the Xnet, he called himself "M1k3y." He knew that the DHS was looking for him.
Marcus met a girl named Ange, or Angela, and they became partners on the Xnet. They were also best friends, and also a bit more than just friends. She helped control M1k3y and post blogs and videos to benefit the Xnet.
One day, on the way home from school, Marcus bumped into a man named Zeb. Turns out, Zeb had slipped a note into Marcus's pocket. He had known Darryl! This really set Marcus off.
He cried his eyes out and told his parents everything. His parents were angry at the government, and took Marcus to Darryl's father to tell him the story. They then all went to a reporter named Barbara Stratford. Marcus again told the story. Barbara was going to get it published, so that the whole world could see what the government was doing to innocent people.
Now Marcus knew he was going to be caught by the DHS, and he learnt to accept that. After all, he might end up helping the other thousands of people in prison.
Eventually, the DHS took Marcus in again, and started physically torturing him. They stimulated his execution by pouring water all over his face so he couldn't breathe. But before Marcus gave them any more personal information, men and women in body armour stormed in and arrested the Severe Haircut Woman, whose real name was Carrie Johnstone. They were the CHP: California Highway Patrol. Marcus was saved!
Thanks for reading the detailed summaries, but they don't tell everything that's in the book!
Yes, I recommend the book--go to a library and check it out! It's really good.
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Little Brother---Summary Part 2
Darryl, Marcus's best friend, had just been stabbed in the crowd at the BART. Van was trying to stop the bleeding, but her efforts weren't successfully stopping the river of red pouring from Darryl's side. Soon, however, Marcus realized that there were ambulances and police cars speeding by every few seconds. They waved their arms to stop one of them, but to no avail.
Marcus got very frustrated, and he jumped right in front of a car, thinking it was an ambulance. It stopped, but it wasn't an ambulance. It was an armoured Jeep, unmarked. People in body armour came out of it, and pointed shotguns at the friends. They weren't police...what if they were terrorists?
They hooded everyone and cuffed their hands and feet together. They were thrown into the Jeep and shackled to bars on the sides. They were soon taken out and thrown into a huge eighteen wheeler truck. Marcus protested loudly, but his hooded head was hit with something hard and heavy. He stopped talking.
There were more people on the truck, and they stayed on the truck for a while until they were transferred onto a boat. The boat ride was very short, and soon they were all in a prison.
They didn't know where they were, so they couldn't escape. They were mercilessly interrogated for days and days and days. They couldn't see each other, and they were forced to unlock their emails, phones, etc, for their captors. It turned out that they were the DHS...the Department of Homeland Security. They weren't the police! Marcus and his friends were being detained by the out-of-control US government!
Finally, Marcus and his friends were released, although one of the people who interrogated him (who he had come to know as "Severe Haircut Lady") gave him a final warning, "You are a marked man now."
They were hooded again, taken on the boat and the truck, all the way back to where they had started. Only when they were unhooded and set free did Marcus, Jolu, and Van realize that Darryl was missing. He must've been left at the prison!
They chased after the truck, but it didn't stop. All three of them were left to sob, by themselves, on the hard pavement. Marcus's sadness was soon replaced by anger. He was going to get Darryl back, even if that meant taking down the DHS by himself!
Next part: Little Brother---Summary Part 3
Marcus got very frustrated, and he jumped right in front of a car, thinking it was an ambulance. It stopped, but it wasn't an ambulance. It was an armoured Jeep, unmarked. People in body armour came out of it, and pointed shotguns at the friends. They weren't police...what if they were terrorists?
They hooded everyone and cuffed their hands and feet together. They were thrown into the Jeep and shackled to bars on the sides. They were soon taken out and thrown into a huge eighteen wheeler truck. Marcus protested loudly, but his hooded head was hit with something hard and heavy. He stopped talking.
There were more people on the truck, and they stayed on the truck for a while until they were transferred onto a boat. The boat ride was very short, and soon they were all in a prison.
They didn't know where they were, so they couldn't escape. They were mercilessly interrogated for days and days and days. They couldn't see each other, and they were forced to unlock their emails, phones, etc, for their captors. It turned out that they were the DHS...the Department of Homeland Security. They weren't the police! Marcus and his friends were being detained by the out-of-control US government!
Finally, Marcus and his friends were released, although one of the people who interrogated him (who he had come to know as "Severe Haircut Lady") gave him a final warning, "You are a marked man now."
They were hooded again, taken on the boat and the truck, all the way back to where they had started. Only when they were unhooded and set free did Marcus, Jolu, and Van realize that Darryl was missing. He must've been left at the prison!
They chased after the truck, but it didn't stop. All three of them were left to sob, by themselves, on the hard pavement. Marcus's sadness was soon replaced by anger. He was going to get Darryl back, even if that meant taking down the DHS by himself!
Next part: Little Brother---Summary Part 3
Monday, 18 March 2013
Little Brother---Summary Part 1
Little Brother is a very rousing, well paced book. It is well written and keeps a reader engaged. It has thought put into it, and I would easily recommend it to a friend. In fact, if I worked at a bookstore or a library, I would recommend this book to strangers!
Little Brother looks through the eyes of teenagers, who, to adults, are like larva simply trying to make it out of a disgusting stage of life. No one really listens to teenagers. Adults believe that they can snoop on teenagers just because they might do drugs, alcohol, or basically anything against their own safety.
Marcus, the main protagonist in Little Brother, doesn't believe that adults can do this to them simply because they can. He is a teenage hacker who goes to a school that is heavy with surveillance systems. The classrooms have cameras, there are gait recognition machines in the hallways, and their "free" laptops, so called "SchoolBooks," run spy ware on them.
Marcus and his friend Darryl blow through all these devices. They put gravel in their shoes to bypass the gait machines without any recognition, and they hacked through the spy ware on their computers.
Marcus, Darryl, and their friends from different school, Jolu and Vanessa (nicknamed "Van"), like to play an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) named "Harajuku Fun Madness." It sends its players on a wild chase for clues, competing against other teams. It is a fierce competition, since the grand prize for the people who find all the clues first is a ten day trip to Japan.
Marcus and his friends decided to skip school to find the most recent clue before anyone else did. They met up by a bus stop, and planned things out before setting off on their quest for the clue. However, just as they were about to find it, another team ambushed them, taking their picture and threatening to send it to their schools...unless they backed away from the clue.
Marcus and his team didn't want to get into trouble, but before they could back away, a loud explosion rocked the earth. Air raid sirens went off...the ones which never went off unscheduled! San Francisco was under attack! Loudspeakers went off everywhere, "REPORT TO SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY."
Instantly, Marcus and his team ran towards the nearest BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Station...but there were so many people! Everyone, rich and poor, old and young, tourist or local was trying to cram themselves into this BART Station! People were getting trampled, and people were fighting, thrashing around. Marcus and his friends would never make it down.
Darryl yelled to all the team members, and they all turned back, desperately trying to fight their way back to the surface. They eventually made it, but as they stood there, panting, Darryl suddenly fell forward with a groan.
Darryl had been stabbed in the crowd! He was bleeding all over the sidewalk. What were they supposed to do?
Find the rest of the summary in "Little Brother---Summary Part 2"!
Little Brother looks through the eyes of teenagers, who, to adults, are like larva simply trying to make it out of a disgusting stage of life. No one really listens to teenagers. Adults believe that they can snoop on teenagers just because they might do drugs, alcohol, or basically anything against their own safety.
Marcus, the main protagonist in Little Brother, doesn't believe that adults can do this to them simply because they can. He is a teenage hacker who goes to a school that is heavy with surveillance systems. The classrooms have cameras, there are gait recognition machines in the hallways, and their "free" laptops, so called "SchoolBooks," run spy ware on them.
Marcus and his friend Darryl blow through all these devices. They put gravel in their shoes to bypass the gait machines without any recognition, and they hacked through the spy ware on their computers.
Marcus, Darryl, and their friends from different school, Jolu and Vanessa (nicknamed "Van"), like to play an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) named "Harajuku Fun Madness." It sends its players on a wild chase for clues, competing against other teams. It is a fierce competition, since the grand prize for the people who find all the clues first is a ten day trip to Japan.
Marcus and his friends decided to skip school to find the most recent clue before anyone else did. They met up by a bus stop, and planned things out before setting off on their quest for the clue. However, just as they were about to find it, another team ambushed them, taking their picture and threatening to send it to their schools...unless they backed away from the clue.
Marcus and his team didn't want to get into trouble, but before they could back away, a loud explosion rocked the earth. Air raid sirens went off...the ones which never went off unscheduled! San Francisco was under attack! Loudspeakers went off everywhere, "REPORT TO SHELTERS IMMEDIATELY."
Instantly, Marcus and his team ran towards the nearest BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Station...but there were so many people! Everyone, rich and poor, old and young, tourist or local was trying to cram themselves into this BART Station! People were getting trampled, and people were fighting, thrashing around. Marcus and his friends would never make it down.
Darryl yelled to all the team members, and they all turned back, desperately trying to fight their way back to the surface. They eventually made it, but as they stood there, panting, Darryl suddenly fell forward with a groan.
Darryl had been stabbed in the crowd! He was bleeding all over the sidewalk. What were they supposed to do?
Find the rest of the summary in "Little Brother---Summary Part 2"!
Little Brother--Synopsis
LITTLE BROTHER
Marcus, aka "w1n5t0n," is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works--and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school's intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
His whole world changes when, having skipped school, he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they are mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated as a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.
Can one teenage hacker fight back against a government out of control? Maybe, but only if he's really careful. . .and very, very smart.
Marcus, aka "w1n5t0n," is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works--and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school's intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
His whole world changes when, having skipped school, he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they are mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated as a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.
Can one teenage hacker fight back against a government out of control? Maybe, but only if he's really careful. . .and very, very smart.
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