Emails
Well its been a couple weeks, I figured I aught to update everyone on my life. I've mostly been doing school and spending time with close friends. Some things on note though, I did set up my own private email server hosted out of my apartment, unfortunately I can't use it though because Comcast blocks port 25 incoming and outgoing. They do it under the premise of minimizing spam and virus propagation. Unfortunately the only way I've found around this is to set up a relay server somewhere out on the internet, but that defeats the whole purpose if setting the thing up in the first place. I wanted to start moving my data within my own control. Renting a server from some service provider negates that control, because then they can potentially see all my emails too.
I know, I sound like a very paranoid person, but the truth is, I just want to keep my data, identity, and online identity as secure as possible, using google services just doesn't do it for me, I want to physically own what my data is on. I realized the irony of saying this on a blog hosted by a google service. But I don't want to keep jumping around on everyone, so I won't be moving my blog for a little while, even though I'm already setting up a privately hosted one (I'll give details in a few months.)
I also plan on setting up a private cloud, calendar services, email (eventually when I have a different ISP), resetting up my VPN, and a few other things that I haven't thought of yet. All of this should bu up and running before the end of the year. (with the exception of email).
Hackers
Another thing I learned this week was that I am indeed a hacker. Let me explain, I read this and I agree with it a lot. For those who don't wish to go read it, let me give a brief synopses. A hacker is part of a counter culture moment, someone who does not agree with large organizations or groups that hold major influence and power over society. Unlike an activist though, instead of organizing to fight these oppressive groups, which only leads to a form of pacification of the individuals, a hacker works as an individual agent and self advocate, they fight in a way that cannot be countered, using passive means to defeat an oppressor. A hacker has an unquenchable curiosity, not just about computers or information technology, but about everything. Hackers seek out knowledge everywhere, and are especially drawn to learn about things that society as a whole views as off limits. This includes such things as lock picking, people watching, tinkering with phone booths, and auditing their lives. A hacker is a free spirit who lives in a way that others don't understand.
Unfortunately that definition of a hacker has been slowly redefined into what large companies and the media want it to mean, they have taken it and cut off the edgy bits, turned it into just another career path within a company, so that instead of being a free spirit, a hacker has been redefined as ether a criminal with evil intent, or an IT professional who safeguards the very companies that a hacker would passively work to subvert. What they want people to think of when they hear the word hacker, is someone who is ether trying to read your emails, or trying to keep others from reading your emails. That's not what a read hacker would be doing. A real hacker might access peoples emails, but not to invade privacy, only to expose injustice, but they wouldn't do it to watch what you and our girlfriend are saying to each other. And again, I'm falling into the same false definition as the media wants people to perceive as a hacker.
Let me give you and example of why I am a hacker, from a non-computery technology cybery point of view. I was at Subway one day ordering a sandwich, I wanted the Italian herbs and cheese bread but they were out of it. A normal person would look at that and say, "well sometimes life just isn't fair" and you'll have to just choose a different bread and be happy with it. On the other hand a hacker (in this case me) looks at the situation, and thinks, "I will find a way around this problem" I asked if they had Italian herbs bread, they did. I then instructed the sandwich technician (that is what subway calls them I guess) to put shredded cheese on it and toast it. My girlfriend and the technician both looked at me like, "Who are you, and how did you just do that." Its not the first time I've "hacked" life, I've been a hacker since I was little, taking apart anything that my parents didn't want anymore, just because I wanted to see how it worked.
Ultimately the big difference between a Hacker, and an Engineer, is that the latter is structured around serving structure, while the former is focused on freedom and self empowerment. (In their hearts most good engineers are also hackers) A home owner that goes solar for electricity and grows a garden for the express purposes of being free from the companies that control those products, and depriving them of business by sharing excess power and food with the neighbors is a hacker. You don't have to even own a computer to be a hacker, you just have to have a free spirit and an inclination to, as Captain Reynolds from Firefly would say, "Aim to misbehave." (by the way Firefly fans, he is a perfect example of what a hacker is)