Roboto's Rant: The Neuromancer Rating

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Mr. Roboto
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Roboto's Rant: The Neuromancer Rating

Postby Mr. Roboto » Wed Jan 26, 2005 5:00 am

I just skimmed over ScareyedHawk's take on the "battle of the sexes." No, I don't intend to respond for the men, nor will I throw my own spin on it; it's all irrelevant to me anyway. I do want to do a brief rant about something about Uplink, the Neuromancer Rating system.

Icepick's Ultimate Uplink Guide described the rating best; Adversly affecting a company increases the rating, while adversly affecting an induvidual decreases it.

:idea: Think About This: :idea:
Who or what runs those companies? OK, in Uplink the software controls the companies, but do you think even in 2010 computers will replace all the humans? What about the people who run and maintain the systems? Do you think artificial intelligence will be advanced enough for a computer to be a CEO?
:?:
When you delete or seal a file from a system, do you not affect the people who worked on it, wheter it was a secretary who lost a boss's memo or a scientist who spent years on research?
:?:
When you destroy a database, how does that positively affect the people who worked to collect the data that was in there?
:?:
When you crash a system, how is that beneficial to the sysadmin who must work overtime to restore the system to a working condition? How is this good news for the workers who suddenly have no work to do? How does the system security people proffit from being fired for failling to keep hackers like us out?

:idea: Think About This: :idea:
No matter what we do, we adversly affect someone connected to the data and systems we break into. Data collectors have to start from scratch again, IT people have to loose free time to undo our damage, people loose work and loose their jobs. Someone else pays a price for our hacks, and by Icepick's description of the Neuromancer Rating, we should all be "Morally Bankrupt."

I do whatever work needs to be done, whether its a system crash or a removal job, and I know some people will be negatively affected. It's just the nature of the biz. Some of you may be disturbed by my revelation (no relation to the ARC virus). If I upset anyone's abillity to sleep comfortably at night, this may be the best answer I can give to your moral dilemma:

"It seems the only winning move is not to play."
(W.O.P.R from Wargames)
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Postby Stewsburntmonkey » Wed Jan 26, 2005 5:10 am

It's part of the Cyberpunk world to dislike the corperations. It is not that you are simply hurting computers, but are hurting corperations which is seen as a good thing in the cyberpunk world. :)
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Postby edd8990 » Wed Jan 26, 2005 9:03 am

Look at this, when you attack a person in Uplink, that generally means putting them in Jail, or even making them dead via social security. THAT is a bit worse than making them work a few hours of overtime to fix a network destroyed.
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Postby Mas Tnega » Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:35 pm

The individual you attack can often be assumed to be a hacker.
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Postby Adriac » Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:54 pm

Stews got it— in the "hacker" world, hurting individuals is bad, but hurting corporations is good.

You raise the excellent point that damage to corporations will inevitably trickle down to hurt a vast number of individuals; the answer is that "hackers" aren't that far-sighted :P
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Postby Stewsburntmonkey » Wed Jan 26, 2005 6:31 pm

Well in the Cyberpunk world anyone in a corperation is not worth worrying about. The idea is that they deserve whatever they get.

However in the game when you hurt individuals you are nearly always hurting other hackers, which in the cyberpunk world is seens as a bad thing. :)
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Postby Darkshine » Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:39 pm

To re-iterate, I assume Cyberpunk is simply an extension of punk ideals, which is based heavily in socialism. Topple the corporation, empower the individual.
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Re: Roboto's Rant: The Neuromancer Rating

Postby FrostShard » Wed Jan 26, 2005 11:48 pm

Mr. Roboto wrote:When you crash a system, how is that beneficial to the sysadmin who must work overtime to restore the system to a working condition?


Two words: Overtime Rates :P
Rkiver wrote:So as you see, the average person is a fucking idiot.
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Postby Mas Tnega » Thu Jan 27, 2005 1:05 am

Darkshine wrote:To re-iterate, I assume Cyberpunk is simply an extension of punk ideals, which is based heavily in socialism. Topple the corporation, empower the individual.
Damn right! Who needs to work to put food on the table when you can just smash open your local Tesco to get it?
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Postby Mr. Roboto » Thu Jan 27, 2005 4:04 am

OK, I get the point of hating the corporations, question authority and all that...
but is it realy the corporations we're at war with, or the corrupt induviduals running them?

Do we realy hate Microsoft or just Bill Gates? Are we just jealous of his success or is he realy that evil?

Would the world still hate America if Arnold Schartsaneger or Donald Trump was president instead of Bush and Dick?
(I'll pause here so you can make your own joke about Bush and Dick :wink: )

Sometimes, I feel we throw the baby out with the bathwater. We see one bad apple and the whole barrel is rotten. Cut out the cancer, then assault the body with toxins and radiation to keep it out.

If we just target the corrupt induviduals, it's possible their replacements may get the message and make improvements for the better.

After all, isn't change for the better what we all want?
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Postby Stewsburntmonkey » Thu Jan 27, 2005 6:06 am

Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating the Cyberpunk idealogy, just explaining it. :)
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Re: Roboto's Rant: The Neuromancer Rating

Postby Me300 » Thu Jan 27, 2005 7:27 am

Mr. Roboto wrote: How is this good news for the workers who suddenly have no work to do?

Hell, i know some people that work in offices and such that would kill for a day of doing nothing at work.
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Postby ARMYMAN CAN » Thu Jan 27, 2005 4:07 pm

Wow, they talk about this as if it mattered!
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Postby Darkshine » Thu Jan 27, 2005 4:10 pm

Mas Tnega wrote:
Darkshine wrote:To re-iterate, I assume Cyberpunk is simply an extension of punk ideals, which is based heavily in socialism. Topple the corporation, empower the individual.
Damn right! Who needs to work to put food on the table when you can just smash open your local Tesco to get it?


No dear, youre thinking of Anarchy. There is quite a sizable difference.
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Postby Mr. Roboto » Fri Jan 28, 2005 1:01 am

ARMYMAN CAN wrote:Wow, they talk about this as if it mattered!


For real hackers and cyberpunks and those who wish they were, it does matter. After all, it's not just a literary movement, lifestyle, or game anymore: it's for real... and for keeps!

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