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0 pointsjsnell3y ago0 comments

Nothing says "challenging the status quo" like a multi-millionaire messing with normal people who are just trying to do their job...

I'm sure I when I first read this story, I thought it was hilarious. But since then, I've gained at least little bit of empathy. Think of this story from the perspective of the other people. Woz is being a total piece of shit, wasting their time being intentionally as suspicious as possible, just to waste their time and then pull off a "a-ha, this is actually some really obscure legal tender that I as a rich guy can afford to spend to have a cool story to tell about showing up a casino security guy".

0 comments

17 comments · 4 top-level

nouveaux3y ago· 5 in thread

The reason why it used to be celebrated on HN, and why GP laments the change is that Woz hacked security. This is a great example of social engineering and it's in the vein of the old 80's hacker mentality. Besides for the fun story, it is a security breach that all these security personnel failed to pick up on.

I agree with the GP that this kind of thing should be celebrated on HN and we should encourage the next generation to continue hacking.

rhaway847733y ago

It’s still celebrated. One of the articles with the most staying power on the HN front page I’ve seen in a while was the “owning an airline” one.

While people did debate the ethics of it, the hacking was admired because it was someone not in a position of power hacking an entity that was. It also illuminated a massive security risk which could now be fixed.

hyperhopper3y ago

And also it uncovered a bit of hidden authoritarian secret anti-citizen secret bits.

Something that drastically limits and can be used to oppress people like a nation-wide travel restriction should be public and require due cause. Not a mystical list where one day you realize "wow guess my life is fucked"

jsnellOP3y ago

I don't think any security breach was demonstrated here.

Now, Woz was obviously an amazing hacker back in the day and has a reputation of being a good person. So one would imagine there are stories that show him being really clever that are, you know, actually clever rather than just showing off an information asymmetry about trivia (re: these sheets of $2 bills). Where the punchline is something wholesome, rather than him humiliating strangers who have done literally nothing wrong.

enedil3y ago

I don't get how you inferred anybody was humiliated there.

1 more reply

posterboy3y ago

> him humiliating strangers who have done literally nothing wrong.

Seems to be an opportunity if good faith predicts that they won't do him any serious wrong.

joshmanders3y ago· 5 in thread

> Woz is being a total piece of shit, wasting their time being intentionally as suspicious as possible, just to waste their time and then pull off a "a-ha

You know who's really wasting peoples time? Secret Service and a casino security guard because he tipped with legal tender that they haven't seen before, so they think he's some counterfeiter or something.

I'd fuck with authority who was too stupid to realize that $2 bills are very much legal tender.

thatguy09003y ago

I mean, it's not just a 2,its a 2 you see him rip out of a book in front of you. If I had taken that at any of my retail jobs my boss would be on my ass, even if I knew it was legit. You think the casino owner really wants security making judgment calls about whether a dudes custom made book of perforated money is legal tender or not?

boomboomsubban3y ago

If you worked someplace handling money and saw a bill with perforated edges, you'd definitely consider it suspicious. That doesn't require someone to be stupid.

voxic113y ago

If my entire job was enforcing currency counterfeiting laws then I would probably have to be pretty stupid to think that perforated edges is a strong indicator of counterfeiting.

1 more reply

RogerL3y ago

Not only that, but why does having lower cognitive ability suddenly mean that others have free rein to mock you, make your workplace unpleasant, and so on? People are just trying to do their job and aren't necessarily educated on the intricacies of federal law on currency.

tsol3y ago

Is it really that stupid, in retrospect, that they investigated the guy that makes and uses a fake ID when flying? It shows he has a propensity to break the rules, and it may not always be in a strictly fun way

JasonFruit3y ago· 3 in thread

> normal people who are just trying to do their job…

When it's the Secret Service, that's not "normal people", and their job is to figuratively or literally stomp anyone who doesn't sufficiently respect the immensely powerful people they insulate. Portraying them as regular Joe victim here is nonsense.

3pac3y ago

Counterpoint: Their job is to protect with the highest professionalism, indeed with their life, a democratically-elected person whose opinions and actions they may personally disagree with or even resent. It is a very honorable position if you ask me.

mardifoufs3y ago

This just sounds like "thin blue line" rhetoric to me. They are still in a position of power, even over a millionaire.

JasonFruit3y ago

I don't agree with that framing, but we can agree that they are acting as a projection of the power and privilege of the person they are protecting, and that in acting on that person's behalf, they remove perceived but unlikely potential threats that the average citizen would have to simply tolerate. Even if they're just plain folks in private life, their profession is an expression of power and privilege.

0x4454423y ago

This was Woz being Woz. Striking it rich didn’t change him. This very behavior is the reason Apple exists. Respectfully, lighten up.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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17 comments · 4 top-level

nouveaux3y ago· 5 in thread

I agree with the GP that this kind of thing should be celebrated on HN and we should encourage the next generation to continue hacking.

rhaway847733y ago

It’s still celebrated. One of the articles with the most staying power on the HN front page I’ve seen in a while was the “owning an airline” one.

hyperhopper3y ago

And also it uncovered a bit of hidden authoritarian secret anti-citizen secret bits.

jsnellOP3y ago

I don't think any security breach was demonstrated here.

enedil3y ago

I don't get how you inferred anybody was humiliated there.

1 more reply

posterboy3y ago

> him humiliating strangers who have done literally nothing wrong.

Seems to be an opportunity if good faith predicts that they won't do him any serious wrong.

joshmanders3y ago· 5 in thread

> Woz is being a total piece of shit, wasting their time being intentionally as suspicious as possible, just to waste their time and then pull off a "a-ha

I'd fuck with authority who was too stupid to realize that $2 bills are very much legal tender.

thatguy09003y ago

boomboomsubban3y ago

If you worked someplace handling money and saw a bill with perforated edges, you'd definitely consider it suspicious. That doesn't require someone to be stupid.

voxic113y ago

If my entire job was enforcing currency counterfeiting laws then I would probably have to be pretty stupid to think that perforated edges is a strong indicator of counterfeiting.

1 more reply

RogerL3y ago

tsol3y ago

JasonFruit3y ago· 3 in thread

> normal people who are just trying to do their job…

3pac3y ago

mardifoufs3y ago

This just sounds like "thin blue line" rhetoric to me. They are still in a position of power, even over a millionaire.

JasonFruit3y ago

0x4454423y ago

This was Woz being Woz. Striking it rich didn’t change him. This very behavior is the reason Apple exists. Respectfully, lighten up.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse