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Hacker Spotting 101

For parents, there's no shortage of articles on how to tell if your child is sniffing glue, drinking booze or even addicted to the Internet. For those worried about computer mischief, there's also a guide by T. Reginald Gibbons called "Is Your Child a Computer Hacker?"

I have no clue whether this is real or a put-on (if you know, tell Redmond Report readers by writing me at [email protected]), but Reginald claims he's a model parent, scrutinizing every aspects of his kids' lives and even tagging along when they go to parties to make sure there are no shenanigans (I'm pretty sure this is an Irish beer).

Reginald was unprepared for all this computer stuff, and suspected that his previously perfect son was a hacker. You may be facing a similar crisis, so here's what he says to look for:

  • If your son asks you to change from AOL to a "hacker-friendly ISP," he might be a hacker.
  • If your son plays "Quake," he might be a hacker.
  • If your son becomes a Lunix (that's how Reggie spells it) geek, he might be a hacker.
  • And if your son becomes "argumentative and surly," he might be a hacker.

Based on the last one, all my kids are hackers!

Posted by Doug Barney on November 05, 2007


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