There's contemporaneous reporting. It's in Katie Hafner and John Markoff's book! A friend of Morris', named Paul, has a role in the aftermath of the worm.

I'm not dunking on Paul Graham here. If you know anything about me, if anything, this is a point in his favor. :)

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mindcrime 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

It's in Katie Hafner and John Markoff's book!

Not sure if that was supposed to be sarcasm[1] or was intended seriously, but for what it's worth Hafner & Markoff have frequently received a lot of criticism for playing fast and loose with the truth in that book. Now most of that is specifically in regards to their treatment of Mitnick, and I'm not making any particular accusation here. Just sharing a thought that "it's in Katie Hafner and John Markoff's book" might not be terribly strong evidence of $WHATEVER.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law

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jazzdev a day ago | parent | next [-]

I think Poe's Law applies to Shakespeare too. I recently saw Taming of the Shrew and people are still arguing about whether Shakespeare was endorsing Petruchio's starvation of Katherine to make her obey him. Or was that sarcasm, actually condemning that behavior? If only Will had used a smiley face!

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tptacek 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I mean, sure, it's not my favorite book either, but what's your theory here, that they just made up a Paul?

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mindcrime 2 days ago | parent [-]

Nope, no theory at all. Just providing some context for people who might not be as familiar with that book and the authors, and some of the questions that have been raised about it.

	▲	tptacek 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		I know that the book makes a much bigger deal out of Mitnick than is reasonable (Mitnick was basically the consummate script kid). But I also know that scenesters of the time hated Markoff and thought he was, like, an enemy of the scene.

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neom 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Def know lots about you and def didn't think you were dunking on Paul, hence my curiosity, because it was specifically you Mr. Ptacek. :)

Thanks for the answer, I'll check out the book.

	▲	mindcrime 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Thanks for the answer, I'll check out the book. It's a great read, but to echo what I said above: there have been a lot of questions over the years about the veracity of some of the details of their book. Take that for what it's worth. I enjoyed it enough that I've read it 3 or 4 times, but I do also suggest consulting other books on the same stories - particularly the stuff around K. Mitnick.