Just letting you know ahead of time. I found this on Livejournal My Friend Enderandrew posted it. I don't know it he was Joking or not but It was so Full of it I had to say some thing. Then talking to the Almighty Lynx She said I should pick my battles. But if you look here I do know a lot about his stuff even if I am not a HACKER.

So I am sharing this and my opinion. First for your enjoyment

As an enlightened, modern parent, I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company they keep and the books they read. You could say I'm a model parent. My children have never failed to make me proud, and I can say without the slightest embellishment that I have the finest family in the USA.

Two years ago, my wife Carol and I decided that our children's education would not be complete without some grounding in modern computers. To this end, we bought our children a brand new Compaq to learn with. The kids had a lot of fun using the handful of application programs we'd bought, such as Adobe's Photoshop and Microsoft's Word, and my wife and I were pleased that our gift was received so well. Our son Peter was most entranced by the device, and became quite a pro at surfing the net. When Peter began to spend whole days on the machine, I became concerned, but Carol advised me to calm down, and that it was only a passing phase. I was content to bow to her experience as a mother, until our youngest daughter, Cindy, charged into the living room one night to blurt out: "Peter is a computer hacker!"

As you can imagine, I was amazed. A computer hacker in my own house! I began to monitor my son's habits, to make certain that Cindy wasn't just telling stories, as she is prone to doing at times.

After a few days of investigation, and some research into computer hacking, I confronted Peter with the evidence. I'm afraid to say, this was the only time I have ever been truly disappointed in one of my children. We raised them to be honest and to have integrity, and Peter betrayed the principles we tried to encourage in him, when he refused point blank to admit to his activities. His denials continued for hours, and in the end, I was left with no choice but to ban him from using the computer until he is old enough to be responsible for his actions.

After going through this ordeal with my own family, I was left pondering how I could best help others in similar situations. I'd gained a lot of knowledge over those few days regarding hackers. It's only right that I provide that information to other parents, in the hope that they will be able to tell if their children are being drawn into the world of hacking. Perhaps other parents will be able to steer their sons back onto the straight and narrow before extreme measures need to be employed.

To this end, I have decided to publish the top ten signs that your son is a hacker. I advise any parents to read this list carefully and if their son matches the profile, they should take action. A smart parent will first try to reason with their son, before resorting to groundings, or even spanking. I pride myself that I have never had to spank a child, and I hope this guide will help other parents to put a halt to their son's misbehavior before a spanking becomes necessary.

1. Has your son asked you to change ISPs?

Most American families use trusted and responsible Internet Service Providers, such as AOL. These providers have a strict "No Hacking" policy, and take careful measures to ensure that your internet experience is enjoyable, educational and above all legal. If your child is becoming a hacker, one of his first steps will be to request a change to a more hacker friendly provider.

I would advise all parents to refuse this request. One of the reasons your son is interested in switching providers is to get away from AOL's child safety filter. This filter is vital to any parent who wants his son to enjoy the internet without the endangering him through exposure to "adult" content. It is best to stick with the protection AOL provides, rather than using a home-based solution. If your son is becoming a hacker, he will be able to circumvent any home-based measures with surprising ease, using information gleaned from various hacker sites.

2. Are you finding programs on your computer that you don't remember installing?

Your son will probably try to install some hacker software. He may attempt to conceal the presence of the software in some way, but you can usually find any new programs by reading through the programs listed under "Install/Remove Programs" in your control panel. Popular hacker software includes "Comet Cursor", "Bonzi Buddy" and "Flash".

The best option is to confront your son with the evidence, and force him to remove the offending programs. He will probably try to install the software again, but you will be able to tell that this is happening, if your machine offers to "download" one of the hacker applications. If this happens, it is time to give your son a stern talking to, and possibly consider punishing him with a grounding.

3. Has your child asked for new hardware?

Computer hackers are often limited by conventional computer hardware. They may request "faster" video cards, and larger hard drives, or even more memory. If your son starts requesting these devices, it is possible that he has a legitimate need. You can best ensure that you are buying legal, trustworthy hardware by only buying replacement parts from your computer's manufacturer.

If your son has requested a new "processor" from a company called "AMD", this is genuine cause for alarm. AMD is a third-world based company who make inferior, "knock-off" copies of American processor chips. They use child labor extensively in their third world sweatshops, and they deliberately disable the security features that American processor makers, such as Intel, use to prevent hacking. AMD chips are never sold in stores, and you will most likely be told that you have to order them from internet sites. Do not buy this chip! This is one request that you must refuse your son, if you are to have any hope of raising him well.

4. Does your child read hacking manuals?

If you pay close attention to your son's reading habits, as I do, you will be able to determine a great deal about his opinions and hobbies. Children are at their most impressionable in the teenage years. Any father who has had a seventeen year old daughter attempt to sneak out on a date wearing make up and perfume is well aware of the effect that improper influences can have on inexperienced minds.

There are, unfortunately, many hacking manuals available in bookshops today. A few titles to be on the lookout for are: "Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson; "Neuromancer" by William Gibson; "Programming with Perl" by Timothy O'Reilly; "Geeks" by Jon Katz; "The Hacker Crackdown" by Bruce Sterling; "Microserfs" by Douglas Coupland; "Hackers" by Steven Levy; and "The Cathedral and the Bazaar" by Eric S. Raymond.

If you find any of these hacking manuals in your child's possession, confiscate them immediately. You should also petition local booksellers to remove these titles from their shelves. You may meet with some resistance at first, but even booksellers have to bow to community pressure.

5. How much time does your child spend using the computer each day?

If your son spends more than thirty minutes each day on the computer, he may be using it to DOS other peoples sites. DOSing involves gaining access to the "command prompt" on other people's machines, and using it to tie up vital internet services. This can take up to eight hours. If your son is doing this, he is breaking the law, and you should stop him immediately. The safest policy is to limit your children's access to the computer to a maximum of forty-five minutes each day.

6. Does your son use Quake?

Quake is an online virtual reality used by hackers. It is a popular meeting place and training ground, where they discuss hacking and train in the use of various firearms. Many hackers develop anti-social tendencies due to the use of this virtual world, and it may cause erratic behavior at home and at school.

If your son is using Quake, you should make him understand that this is not acceptable to you. You should ensure all the firearms in your house are carefully locked away, and have trigger locks installed. You should also bring your concerns to the attention of his school.

7. Is your son becoming argumentative and surly in his social behavior?

As a child enters the electronic world of hacking, he may become disaffected with the real world. He may lose the ability to control his actions, or judge the rightness or wrongness of a course of behavior. This will manifest itself soonest in the way he treats others. Those whom he disagrees with will be met with scorn, bitterness, and even foul language. He may utter threats of violence of a real or electronic nature.

Even when confronted, your son will probably find it difficult to talk about this problem to you. He will probably claim that there is no problem, and that you are imagining things. He may tell you that it is you who has the problem, and you should "back off" and "stop smothering him." Do not allow yourself to be deceived. You are the only chance your son has, even if he doesn't understand the situation he is in. Keep trying to get through to him, no matter how much he retreats into himself.

8. Is your son obsessed with "Lunix"?

BSD, Lunix, Debian and Mandrake are all versions of an illegal hacker operation system, invented by a Soviet computer hacker named Linyos Torovoltos, before the Russians lost the Cold War. It is based on a program called "xenix", which was written by Microsoft for the US government. These programs are used by hackers to break into other people's computer systems to steal credit card numbers. They may also be used to break into people's stereos to steal their music, using the "mp3" program. Torovoltos is a notorious hacker, responsible for writing many hacker programs, such as "telnet", which is used by hackers to connect to machines on the internet without using a telephone.

Your son may try to install "lunix" on your hard drive. If he is careful, you may not notice its presence, however, lunix is a capricious beast, and if handled incorrectly, your son may damage your computer, and even break it completely by deleting Windows, at which point you will have to have your computer repaired by a professional.

If you see the word "LILO" during your windows startup (just after you turn the machine on), your son has installed lunix. In order to get rid of it, you will have to send your computer back to the manufacturer, and have them fit a new hard drive. Lunix is extremely dangerous software, and cannot be removed without destroying part of your hard disk surface.

9. Has your son radically changed his appearance?

If your son has undergone a sudden change in his style of dress, you may have a hacker on your hands. Hackers tend to dress in bright, day-glo colors. They may wear baggy pants, bright colored shirts and spiky hair dyed in bright colors to match their clothes. They may take to carrying "glow-sticks" and some wear pacifiers around their necks. (I have no idea why they do this) There are many such hackers in schools today, and your son may have started to associate with them. If you notice that your son's group of friends includes people dressed like this, it is time to think about a severe curfew, to protect him from dangerous influences.

10. Is your son struggling academically?

If your son is failing courses in school, or performing poorly on sports teams, he may be involved in a hacking group, such as the infamous "Otaku" hacker association. Excessive time spent on the computer, communicating with his fellow hackers may cause temporary damage to the eyes and brain, from the electromagnetic radiation. This will cause his marks to slip dramatically, particularly in difficult subjects such as Math, and Chemistry. In extreme cases, over-exposure to computer radiation can cause schizophrenia, meningitis and other psychological diseases. Also, the reduction in exercise may cause him to lose muscle mass, and even to start gaining weight. For the sake of your child's mental and physical health, you must put a stop to his hacking, and limit his computer time drastically.

I encourage all parents to read through this guide carefully. Your child's future may depend upon it. Hacking is an illegal and dangerous activity, that may land your child in prison, and tear your family apart. It cannot be taken too seriously.

End

Azar Says

Guess I will start with this is most likely really old hence the mention of phone lines. But I am going to Rant by number here.

1. Has your son asked you to change ISPs?

First I am upset Cause I know it was this guys son but well Girls can be hackers too. Other then that let us attack AOL as usual it is a Virus. Could it be that your Budding "hacker" Knows that AOL is a Vial evil thing and should be Destroyed...But we do have a thing with Beating AOL on this site. So if you feel like beating a Dead dog go ahead. But for now...I Digress.

2. Are you finding programs on your computer that you don't remember installing?

Popular hacker software includes "Comet Cursor", "Bonzi Buddy" and "Flash"...Can I laugh now these aren't hacker programs they are Junk. well Except for Flash. Flash is Awesome I mean it is a program to make things move I can deal with that. can you. But lately Macro's Flash is on my hit list with Photoshop. But how can you call Spyware hacker programs they are connected to almost every site. I mean it isn't like it isn't Something all of us currently fight. And if you aren't just send you computer to Azar...I will clean it and set if free on the range created for abused computers that need a new home. Spyware is like AOL CRAP, it does evil things to your computer. It also Tracks you. Blaming this on your kids is like Blaming your car blowing up on bad Drivers. It is Bad Care of your property. Morons I tell you.

3. Has your child asked for new hardware?

If your son has requested a new "processor" from a company called "AMD", this is genuine cause for alarm. AMD is a third-world based company who make inferior, "knock-off" copies of American processor chips...give us the Crack. It is ok you can live with out it. Last I heard AMD was a good Company. And Dear Idiot eventually you need new parts or something breaks on your computer...yet again it is like your Car. Or are you a bus rider for life?

This screams of a man with a windows 3.1 box doesn't it. I mean Upgrades everyone has to do them eventually. Unless you somehow got the prototype for the latest 2008 computer and still you will need to upgrade eventually...that and I want your time machine.

4. Does your child read hacking manuals?

"Snow Crash" and "Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson; Not Hacker guides
"Neuromancer" by William Gibson; Nope still not a hackers guide
"Programming with Perl" by Timothy O'Reilly; Ok there is one...hides copy Deap in her Harddrive.
"Geeks" by Jon Katz; lets see does it have a plot
"The Hacker Crackdown" by Bruce Sterling; I have read part of this it isn't a manual
"Microserfs" by Douglas Coupland;
"Hackers" by Steven Levy; History teaches us not to repeat the past. Knowing the history of hackers isn't learning to be one!
"The Cathedral and the Bazaar" by Eric S. Raymond. Honeslty haven't read it

OK A hacker guide would be something that taught you the in and outs of what you are trying to know the theory and workings of the computer you want to DEFEND or break into. Yeah I know the Theory...don't ask me to do it though.

5. How much time does your child spend using the computer each day?

There are 168 hrs in a week, 8 hours a day is sleep that is 56 hrs that leave 112 hrs -40 where I am on a computer at work...wait add that back in so I log the computer on when I get up to use as a radio or something so we take out the when I am Driving, shopping, visiting others, hanging out take in that I am hermiting right now...so I am on the computer an average of 100 hrs a week. but when I am not in hermit mode 45 hrs a week. and we call that work But for now.

Suddenly I need a life.

6. Does your son use Quake?

Um...it is a Video game. I don't remember every seeing a "hacker program" Called Quake. but I remember a game. so we are going to leave the moron to his Delusions.

7. Is your son becoming argumentative and surly in his social behavior?

By now you have accused a child of being a hacker and back all there Hormones into a corner...Have you not heard of fight or flight? Where did this guy buy his Clue? And can he get a refund? And on the Surly social behavior can I point out not all Teens are "social Butterflies" I wasn't look at me now.

8. Is your son obsessed with "Lunix"?

His Spelling alone makes it too easy. Linux it is an OS not a hacker. Past that I am going to keep Quiet or I will Rant longer. And we aren't going into the Technical stuff of it.

9. Has your son radically changed his appearance?

This Man Describes a Raver and calls them a hacker? Hand them my Glow sticks and leave them alone. Gee Anyone can be a hacker. I mean please. think about the insanity of that one. Computer people are everywhere we are in the computer age. They are part of everything. How can you tell me that a change in appearance suddenly makes someone a hacker. I know I am a pirate but I would never be considered a hacker. I have not the brain in my head to pull that one off. This shows me that his "research" for calling his son a hacker came from the movie "Hackers" Man get a life.

10. Is your son struggling academically?

So you are telling me that since they are failing school they must be a hacker, who can write codes to get into and conceal itself in your computer? This person using math and Coding which isn't simple, Can't pass Algebra. What Planet do you live on?Someone should tell this guy he just accused his kid of being a teenager? Hell and he had how many kids. I am so sorry for them. where do I send the sympathy card?

Azar

Kitty Says

********* Kitty Edit ***********
If this was ever meant to be a serious article, it failed miserably. If someone believes this I seriously wonder about their intelligence. Hacker my ass. I And here is my responses (I have not yet read Azars, so these may be very duplicate).

1. Changing ISP’s – Okay the most known does not mean the best. Your kid is probably smarter than you think and realizes that AOL is nothing but an overgrown virus that enjoys taking over your computer, and your child understands this. You should too. “kid” filters are there, and there are other ways to play with them and make them useful. They are also only useful IF and ONLY IF your kids don’t know how to get into them already. Don’t think your kids are dumb. Most kids really aren’t.
2. New programs being installed "Comet Cursor", "Bonzi Buddy" and "Flash – Oh PUH-LEEZ. Comet cursor is a popular spyware …errrr cursor program that allows your kids to have “spiffy” cursors. It has nothing to do with hacking. It is also generally accompanied by some annoying spyware, but your kid probably doesn’t know this. They just want the spiffy abilities. Bonzi Buddy is an annoying piece of spyware and adware ….. errr desktop pet that allows a purple ape to “chat” with you and help them find the products and services online that they want. He talks to them, answers questions (in a very rudimentary kind of way) and swings around the desktop. His real purpose is to display adds and collect trending information. Other than that he's completely harmless. Your kid only sees the cute purple ape that is somewhat interactive. They don’t have a clue that he’s really just trying to sell something like 99.9% of everything else on the web. Flash – you have GOT to be joking. Flash is a program that makes websites function if they are using the program. It generally displays various moving graphics, and other things that are commonplace on many interactive websites. This means your kid went to discoverykids.com and wanted to be able to actually view the dang page. It has nothing to do with hacking unless he has a website, can program in various programming languages and is working on creating and implementing his own spyware. At which point he wouldn’t have the aforementioned programs because he’d know exactly what they were and scoff at their existence. Or, at least most likely. For bloody Pete's sake. LOOK UP information before “alerting” other parents. This idiot has found NOTHING about hacking in the first two sections that is even remotely useful to tell if your kid is a computer hacker. *grumble*hmm
3. New hardware – ARRG this just gets worse and worse. Your kid is probably asking for better equipment because yours sucks. Your kid wants to be online, interactive, play games etc. The computer you bought in 1999 or even 2003 may not be up to snuff for what he’s doing that has absolutely 0 to do with hacking. Hard drive = space. If he’s playing computer games these programs could take up large amounts of space. Heck World of Warcraft takes up about 4 gig of space on my computer. That’s no small chunk. More memory. Once again. The computer age is run by memory and to be able to be competitive, play games, surf the net, or work on graphics.. especially with Photoshop and other graphic whoring programs (which I adore). Once again refer to the fact that this guy is probably just being a cheap ass and doesn’t want to upgrade his computer to meet current and standard gaming/surfing/computer use. AMD isn’t second rate either by the way. AMD is just another non Pentium type of processor. Do your research, don’t be a jackass.
4. Reading Material – I don't even consider them hacker manuals, but this post is already a novella, so I'll skip the explanation.  Lets just say they are all simply informational type books, and not going to help your little monster get into other people's computers. This doesn’t mean much other than your kid may be a geek. Learning programming earlier shouldn’t be considered something bad. For gods sake people know what your kids are learning and why. Learning PERL, ASP, PHP, etc are something that can seriously make their lives easier. Find out why they have these books and what they’re books if you’re worried. Chances are they’re just geeking out with their friends, not attempting a web based hostile takeover. It’s possible their hacker, but come on get the “REAL” facts. Most of these books IMO are more informational than telling someone how to get into other peoples computers. If they are hacking then find out the facts before you punish for something that may be completely harmless.
5. Lots of people spend more than 30 minutes on the computer pet day. It’s most likely spent chatting, playing video games, and doing other computer related things that have nothing to do with hacking. DOS is a command prompt. You can do things with this that are devious, but honestly most of the hackers I know aren’t doing it this way. Find out if your kid is even going anywhere near the command prompt screen. Chances are they aren’t. Don’t assume your child is a deviant. Does your kid spend 30 min watching TV per day? Yes, well you’d better watch out that may corrupt them into being an ax murder later in life. GIMME A BREAK! Use some judgment people.
6. Quake - Quake is a video game NOT A HACKING PROGRAM… idiots. I cannot say this more. LEARN Something about what you’re talking about before you’re an idiot enough to believe your child is being devious for playing a video game. Geez.. people irritate me.
7. Aggressive and Hormonal - WHAT!?! Now this idiot is blaming kids for being hormonal. WTF. I’m a self proclaimed computer addict (trust me I am)… and I guarantee that this has nothing to do with hacking. Some geeks lack social skills, some are extremely social. Don’t blame hormones on hacking. That’s a teenage thing, don’t confuse the two. They have NOTHING to do with each other for gods sake. Computing is a personal habit/love/addiction/entertainment source. It does not make you a social psychopath.
8. Hacking programs - OMG did this person truly do any research or did they just throw some crap up to scare poor parents into something that is completely idiotic. These are all Operating Systems, and they sure as hell aren’t illegal. They are Windows alternatives, and they’re bloody free. Mutter.. mutter.. scowl. Oh yes, and for those of you who are getting ready to send your computer back in a panic. Don't bother. They don't want to reload your operating system. Just do it yourself. Your manufacturer, honestly, probably won't even agree to that. You'd need a computer tech to do this, and that is money out of your own pocket.
   OOOH Yes and that evil Russian scientist that made Linux here's some info on him.
   This article can be found at: http://www.answers.com/topic/linus-torvalds
   Linus Torvalds, Computer Scientist
   Born: 28 December 1969
   Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland (?)
   Best Known As: The guy who wrote the kernel for the Linux Operating System In 1991 Linus Torvalds was a college student at the University of Helsinki. Based on a Unix system, he wrote the kernel -- original code -- for a new system for his x86 PC that was later dubbed Linux (pronounced linn-ucks). Torvalds revealed the original source code for free -- making him a folk hero among programmers -- and users around the world continue to tweak it. Linux is considered the leader in the practice of allowing users to re-program their own operating systems.
9. Appearance – umm huh. I think this person watched Hackers too many times. I happen to like that movie, but it doesn’t exactly paint a very good picture of most hackers I know. This isn’t a hacker, this is a Raver, a partier, or a freaker, not necessarily a hacker. Most people I know that are hackers are sitting around in a T-shirt and pants… very comfortable. Very conducive to parking it in front of a computer for long hours. Once again this rebellious dress is just a teenage thing, very little to do with hacking.. heck NOTHING to do with hacking.
10. Umm huh. Most computer hackers are brilliant. They generally do very well in school, and just because your kid doesn’t like sports doesn’t mean squat. Not EVERYONE is into sports. Sorry hon, but that’s just a fact of life, not hacking. By the way Math is HIGHLY involved in many hacking or computer programs. You don’t think so, look at all the complex formulas, and don’t give me this bull. Computer radiation?! What, HUH,,, errr… dumbass. I won’t even go there, but if you believe this crap I seriously have bridge I’d like to sell you somewhere in the South Pacific.

Kitty ~ Out

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