Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

recode.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 179 posts

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#101

Post by mindslight »

Demoneeri wrote: post #44

I've watched S01 but I'm not sure I'll watch S02. The cliché about dysfunctional people in IT is too much for me. I'm a normal person and I don't have difficulties in dealing with other human beings. Also the part about vilifying companies and loving big government is not my cup of tea. At least in Person of Interest both were bad. Last part, vilifying money as a medium of exchange is just absurd. Are they expecting…

As someone who believes in free markets and voluntary exchange, the ethos of Mr Robot resonates with me. I also haven't seen any love of big government (but I've only seen S01).

When government is continually debasing money through forced inflation, it's not surprising that people develop a distaste for money itself. Rather than functioning as a virtuous representation of value creation, inflating money just represents political connection to the central bank. Rather than being able to build up savings to gain security and negotiating power, the common person's primary interaction with money is having to service the debt driving their wage-slavery.

If you believe in free markets, you should want to make money sound again. Writing off people's rational distaste for the role money is presently playing just allows the fundamental problem to continue growing.

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#102

Post by cypher543 »

gonehome wrote: post #99
Osiris wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I watched the first few episodes and really didn't like it. I wasn't aware that the plot of the show moved past the episodic crap of the first season. Maybe I should pick it up at season 2?

I've been confused by the positive comments it has gotten from people in tech - I found it unwatchably bad and that it actually got worse (not better) as time went on. Everything from the 'machine' itself, to the cringe acting and writing, dumb tech concepts (woman who 'speaks' for the machine) and all their vigilante killings that only happen in New York. I couldn't take it. Watch Halt and Catch Fire - it's a thousa…

Yeah, I found POI very cringey for the most part. Although I thought the character speaking for the machine was a fun development. They just took the concept too far by introducing the child later on.

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#103

Post by scrollaway »

gonehome wrote: post #99
Osiris wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I watched the first few episodes and really didn't like it. I wasn't aware that the plot of the show moved past the episodic crap of the first season. Maybe I should pick it up at season 2?

I've been confused by the positive comments it has gotten from people in tech - I found it unwatchably bad and that it actually got worse (not better) as time went on. Everything from the 'machine' itself, to the cringe acting and writing, dumb tech concepts (woman who 'speaks' for the machine) and all their vigilante killings that only happen in New York. I couldn't take it. Watch Halt and Catch Fire - it's a thousa…

Well, de gustibus non est disputandum right? :)

I watch a ton of TV and I honestly think Person of Interest is the best show I've ever watched.

It may not have the production value of Game of Thrones, the suspense of Breaking Bad or the comedy of .. um.. Seinfeld? but [rest of this comment rot13'd for spoilers]

vg vf gur bayl fubj V'ir rire jngpurq gung chyyf bss fhpu n fzbbgu "traer fjvgpu" sebz cebprqheny gb fpvrapr svpgvba, gb rira penmvre fpvrapr svpgvba.

Vg vf nyfb gur bayl fpvrapr svpgvba fubj V'ir rire jngpurq juvpu vf cynhfvoyr. Gurl gnxr yvoregvrf bs pbhefr: Gur gebcr bs gur "travhf cebtenzzre" gung "qvq rirelguvat ol uvzfrys" vf gverq, ohg jung ur cebqhprq vf fgvyy cynhfvoyr. Vg'q gnxr qrpnqrf, uhaqerqf bs lrnef znlor, ohg gung'f jul vg'f fpv-sv naq abg n qbphzragnel.

Gur punenpgre qrirybczrag bs gur NV vf snfpvangvat naq vg tbg zr gb pner nobhg ure n ybg. Fnznevgna jnf nyfb na rkgerzryl vagrerfgvat punenpgre.

The POI team produced the most unique experience in TV I've ever watched. I won't pretend everybody will like it, but it is the show I recommend to people the most.

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#104

Post by cypher543 »

the_watcher wrote: post #90
TurboHaskal wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a few problems with this show: - The actors are often out of character (or their development isn't clear) and mumble unintelligible sentences targeted at milennials with existential crisis (there are a few rants from the main character that would make 14-year-old-me cringe). - The plot reads a bit like Fight Club fan fiction with some American Psycho and geopolitics bits thrown in. - The pacing could be improv…

I'm not qualified enough to speak on this conclusively, but I believe the Ruby coding he did was using an actual social engineering tool. Also, he uses Kali Linux.

I'm pretty sure that part was sarcasm.

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#105

Post by agentgt »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #98
rantanplan wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything you said is just spot on. Every single word is like exactly how I feel about the show. I have no clue why you're getting downvoted.

I suspect that at a certain age shows like Fight Club or Mr Robot are deep and edgy, but when you've been around the block a bit the world is less black and white and a lot more grey. I hate to play the ageist card here, I really do, but teen or 20 something me would be over the moon for Mr Robot. Modern me, not so much. The whole "we must crush The Man(TM) and only then will we have utopia" is just too much to swall…

I somewhat agree but Season 2 certainly introduces more "grey".

I keep seeing comments that the show is not accessible (e.g. previous poster " I just wish it was a better and more accessible show.") but then comments that it is pandering to the audience by being unoriginal with tropes.

I would argue in large part to be "accessible" aka relevant to many is to be contextual of the current times and slightly unoriginal.

China right now is hacking the US. This is widely known. What other entity should be picked? You could go ultra scifi and go with aliens but I would imagine that would make the show fairly targeted to inaccessible (scifi has historical had a tough time in prime time).

I admit the whole evil company / sticking to the man motive is overdone but that is sort of inline with the hacking we have seen (which is what the article sort of delves into).

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#106

Post by awqrre »

scrollaway wrote: post #48

If you like Mr. Robot, you should watch Person of Interest. POI is a pre-snowden series about a world "in which the NSA has a system which spies on every american citizen in order to fight terrorism" (sounds familiar?). The show begins with the weak premise of "help us fight crimes we predict will happen", but don't be fooled by its appearance of a run-of-the-mill CBS show. Without spoiling it too much, I do want to…

I liked season one of Person of Interest but for me it started to get old after that so I stopped watching somewhere in season two (but that didn't yet happen with Mr. Robot).

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#107

Post by rantanplan »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #98
rantanplan wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everything you said is just spot on. Every single word is like exactly how I feel about the show. I have no clue why you're getting downvoted.

I suspect that at a certain age shows like Fight Club or Mr Robot are deep and edgy, but when you've been around the block a bit the world is less black and white and a lot more grey. I hate to play the ageist card here, I really do, but teen or 20 something me would be over the moon for Mr Robot. Modern me, not so much. The whole "we must crush The Man(TM) and only then will we have utopia" is just too much to swall…

Nah I think the age aspect is correct.

Sometimes I keep forgetting that I'm well over my thirties.

But in any case, the show did make an awesome debut, but all the cliches and weird pacing(especially in 2nd season) ruined it for me.

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#108

Post by initram »

Demoneeri wrote: post #44

I've watched S01 but I'm not sure I'll watch S02. The cliché about dysfunctional people in IT is too much for me. I'm a normal person and I don't have difficulties in dealing with other human beings. Also the part about vilifying companies and loving big government is not my cup of tea. At least in Person of Interest both were bad. Last part, vilifying money as a medium of exchange is just absurd. Are they expecting…

Can you explain what you mean by "loving big government?" I watched both season 1 and season 2 and never got anything like that impression. They spend quite a bit of time avoiding the government and using it as an unwitting tool against the corporation and later itself. I'm curious what you saw, because I honestly have no idea what you're referring to.

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#109

Post by initram »

binarymax wrote: post #72
cmdrfred wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sacrilege, nothing comes close to Sneakers for me. It also is still relevant today given what Snowden has told us.

Maybe it's just because I haven't seen it in several years. I'll watch it again this weekend :)

I watched it again a few years ago. It doesn't hold up great, but it's still fun.

Re: 'Mr. Robot' may be fiction, but its hacking plots are all too real

#110

Post by dikaiosune »

Unklejoe wrote: post #80
jonknee wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The cliché about dysfunctional people in IT is too much for me. I'm a normal person and I don't have difficulties in dealing with other human beings. TV shows centered around normal people are really boring.

Except Seinfeld, of course.

Are normal people actually that mean and uncaring? It's not been my personal experience.
Post reply on HN