Steal This Computer Book 2: What They Won’t Tell You About the Internet by Wallace Wang, 1/5

This 2001 version is hopelessly outdated and consists mostly of very generic info and URLs.  The little of interest it has to offer is purely archival – references to and screenshots of old-school websites and software.  Wang seems to lack the qualifications necessary to write a truly informative book or to live up to his self-styling as a sort of tourist guide to the hacking subculture.  His muddled philosophising on politics/ethics does not camouflage what is a blatant attempt to capitalise on the pop-culture appeal of hacking.

My favourite quote from the book is this gem: “…assume that any strange music coming from your computer is from a virus” (227).

[Why I read it: the title caught my eye in the thrift store.]