COMING SOON: The VITB Show

Over the past few months I have been developing a new video podcast and will be launching the first episode soon. This new show will cover mostly technology and entertainment. The first episode features interviews with: New Orleans DJ/producer Quickie Mart, Robocoin Bitcoin ATM kiosk owner/operator Cary Peters, and infamous game developer Bob of "Bob's Game". 

Here's a clip from the first episode, an interview with Cary Peters of Coinage LLC. He owns and operates California's first Bitcoin ATM kiosk at Hacker Dojo in Mountain View....

In addition to launching this new video show, I plan to bring back my Blogtalkradio talk show "Disorderly Conduct." I'm currently in the process of lining up guests and hope to have the show back on BTR in the next few weeks. If you are interested in being a guest on the show or have a topic you'd like to have discussed, please contact me: vitb@riseup.net. 

MY CORRESPONDENCE WITH JEREMY HAMMOND

I wrote my first ever letter to a prison inmate last month. That prisoner is convicted Anonymous hacktivist Jeremy Hammond. Below is the text of my letter to Jeremy, followed by Jeremy's response which I received in the mail yesterday. If you support Jeremy, I urge you to write him or at least send something funny from the Internet. Visit http://freejeremy.net/ for details.

VITB LETTER TO JEREMY HAMMOND:

Dear Jeremy,

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. If you are not familiar with me, I was the gentleman who was the second "victim" to speak at your sentencing on November 15th.

I have been inspired by many of your friends and supporters over the past year and learned a lot about you from them and doing my own research. I've had Sue Crabtree on my podcast to talk about you and your case. I've seen youtube videos of you presenting at tech conferences and been turned on to Dirty Surgeon Insurgency (I even made a DSI playlist on youtube which I tweeted out the eve of your sentencing). You and your brother both seem like extremely talented and bright individuals. I also got to meet your parents and hang out with them before and after your sentencing. Your dad is super cool and your mom is hilarious.

Anyway, not sure if you've seen the transcript of my statement, but I've attached it for your perusal. You might get a kick out of the court recorder's typos and misspelling of certain things in my statement, like "docspin" for example. Lol. I hope you got what I was doing. I'm sure you did. Some of your friends didn't tho, but it's all good.

Moving forward, I'd love to correspond with you on a regular basis and keep you up to date on anything going on in the "outside world". I'm not sure what all your interests are, but obviously you love music. I love going to live shows. Ska shows are always fun and I'd love to see DSI play.

My day job is working as a freelance videographer and I have shot tons of concert videos for all kinds of bands. Some of the artists I've recorded include: Gogol Bordello, The Coup, Tom Morello, Manu Chao, Galactic, Mr. Lif, Dub Trio, Valient Thorr, Balkan Beat Box, Buckethead, Helmet, Bouncing Souls, Outernational, and many more.

I don't shoot many concerts anymore but still go to shows when I can. I'm a huge Primus/Les Claypool fan and am planning to go the New Year's Eve show which they are billing as an evening with "Primus and the Chocolate Factory", so it's going to be a Willy Wonka themed show. Pretty stoked on that.

I'm also a big movie buff. I went to film school and obviously work in production. I've worked on tons of films, episodics, reality shows, commercials and music videos. Some of my favorite filmmakers are: Jim Jarmusch, Francis Ford Coppola, David Lynch, Wim Wenders, Scorsese, Fellini, Antonioni, Sergio Leone, and Werner Herzog.

Oh, I'm also a victim of the CFAA. I plead guilty to "unauthorized access to a protected computer" in 2011. My name was even mentioned in an article with Lulz Security in it. I've attached that as well.

I think that's enough about me for now. I'd love to get to know you better. This is my first letter to an inmate, so I'm kinda at a loss for what to say and share. Perhaps you can guide me through it?

I wish you well and hope to hear back from you soon.

Sincerely,

Vince aka "Vince in the Bay"

JEREMY HAMMOND'S LETTER IN RESPONSE:

YO VINCE,

How you doing brother? Thanks for writing. Well I got to say that shit you pulled at court made it all worth it! I was breaking down in laughter at parts while lawyers urged me to keep a straight face. At first I thought maybe it was some deranged "victim" but the "SWAT" shirt was too crazy, it looked like them marshals were about to tackle you!

I can't believe the judge let you ramble on for so long. I have previously heard of you (VITB) so that was another twist. It really was a much needed disruption and appropriate disrespect to the court, I wanted to go off on some crazy shit too, but my role was to be balanced and understanding. I didn't want to undo all the work my lawyers and supporters put in to appeal for leniency, even though I knew she planned to give me the 10 joints regardless.

But I got to say my piece - laws are meant to be broken. I was happy to hack all them targets and the FBI are more guilty than any of the people they lock up. I thought the gov. did a bad job of arguing for the max, focusing on the language like "maximum mayhem" and "wreaking havoc" LOL. 

After she sentenced me, I wanted to get up and be like "OK fine it really was all about the mayhem!" Haha! Yo, so who was that girl though? How did Preska know her?

So yeah SKA! I'm super into The Coup, Manu Chao, and the others too. 

Hey so about PETA, as a radical environmentalist a lot of us don't like PETA either, or any of these phony "big green" reformists. I favor radical direct action. LOL so was PETA pissed? Did they assist/pressure the pigs into prosecuting you? 

Well what else is up? Yeah feel free to mail me random articles printouts off the net. Esp relating to Anon or general net drama or the latest memes. I guess I'll split 4 now. I'll be here in Brooklyn for 1-3 months till xferred to my destination prison in the Midwest.

Yours 4 the rev,

Jeremy

My Leniency Letter to Judge Preska

A copy of this letter was removed from pastebin after less than 100 views, so here it is again for anyone who missed it. This is my letter written on behalf of convicted hactivist Jeremy Hammond who is due for sentencing in November.

Dear Judge Preska:

I am a freelance videographer and moonlight as a podcaster covering cyber crime. My interest in cyber crime comes from the fact that I once plead guilty to a count of "unauthorized access to a protected computer" under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. I have since learned from my mistakes, paid my debt to society, and moved on with my life.

I'm not a hacker. Never was and never will be. However, after becoming a convicted "cyber criminal," I quickly became curious about the nature of these shadowy creatures I was being lumped in with. So over the past four years I have been following the different cases involving the CFAA which have made headlines. Jeremy Hammond's case is one that has stood out in particular.

Hammond's case initially caught my eye because of the media attention it received. I had never heard of Jeremy prior and mug shots of a kid in dreadlocks made him look like another "bad guy" who probably deserved what was coming to him. But after closer inspection, I discovered Jeremy is different. He isn't a black hat hacker. He's an ideologue. I watched old YouTube videos of Jeremy playing music and giving presentations at tech conferences. On those videos I saw a creative, talented, and idealistic young mind at work.

After talking with friends and supporters of Jeremy on my podcast over the past year, it has become obvious to me Jeremy is an activist who committed his crimes in the spirit of civil disobedience and not for any financial or personal gain. I believe this should be a major consideration in Jeremy's sentencing. Of course I don't believe Jeremy's motives should excuse his crimes. Facing the consequences comes with the territory when one indulges in civil disobedience.

After being in jail for almost a year and a half, some of which spent in solitary confinement, Jeremy is now looking at possibly a decade in prison. Even for someone with priors, ten years seems a little steep for a crime of this nature, especially considering Jeremy's co-conspirators overseas have received much lighter sentencing. I urge you to consider these factors when it comes time for Jeremy's sentencing. Jeremy did what he did because he wants to make a difference in the world.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Vince

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE BROADCAST

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

"Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.… where the State places those who are not with her, but against her,– the only house in a slave State in which a free man can abide with honor.… Cast your whole vote, not a strip of paper merely, but your whole influence. A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight. If the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the State will not hesitate which to choose. If a thousand men were not to pay their tax bills this year, that would not be a violent and bloody measure, as it would be to pay them, and enable the State to commit violence and shed innocent blood. This is, in fact, the definition of a peaceable revolution, if any such is possible." ~ Henry David Thoreau (1849)

Civil disobedience is commonly described as the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. 

Peter Ludlow recently wrote a NYT piece on civil disobedience in the digital age in which he touched on the cases of Aaron Swartz, Jeremy Hammond, Bradley/Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden. Agree with them or not, these individuals sacrificed their lives for what they deemed to be a greater common good.
 
However many supporters of these individuals seem to believe they deserve some sort of immunity from their crimes because they were either entrapped and/or exposing larger malfeasance by government and corporate institutions.
 
Should these whistle blowers be prosecuted to the full extent of the law? Should they be acquitted of their crimes because they help the greater good?

On Monday night I was blessed to be joined on my podcast by the lovely Plussone as we engaged in a stimulating discussion about "civil disobedience". We touched on Manning, Hammond and other cases where activists who have attempted to expose larger crimes than their own through non-violent illegal tactics.

We were also joined live on air by Technological Viking and Anticrisis73.

Catch the replay here or download mp3 of show directly here or subscribe to iTunes

TWO MINUTES: BANNED WORDS AND PHRASES

In the past few weeks I've had to recite my disclaimer during almost every live broadcast of my show. While I don't mind informing new listeners and reminding regulars, it still feels tedious at times to interrupt the flow of conversation to explain it when innocent folks violate the rules and get penalized on air.

For the uninitiated, here is a list of the top 4 terms which are major infractions on my show:

#1 -  the word "literally"

"literally" - I have been waging a holy jihad against the improper use of the word "literally" for years. I refuse to acknowledge any addendum to Webster's definition. Literally DOES NOT mean figuratively. Period. I also believe this word is over used in general, whether it is used properly or not. Just stop.

#2 - Shout Outs!

"Shout Outs!" - 89 year old women give shout outs. I don't. Neither should you. Until a better alternative arises, go with "BIg Ups!" or "Props!"

#3 - "in terms of"

"in terms of" (idiom): regarding something; concerning something. I don't know what to do in terms of John's problem. Now, in terms of your proposal, don't you think you're asking for too much? See also: BULL SHIT NONSENSE FILLER FOR TALKING HEADS TO USE TO PUNCTUATE THEIR EMPTY RHETORICAL SOUNDBITES ON CABLE NEWS

4 - "at the end of the day"

"at the end of the day" (informal idiom): something that you say before you say what you believe to be the most important fact of a situation. Sure we missed our best player but at the end of the day, John, we just didn't play well enough to win the game. At the end of the day, what matters is that you're safe.

See also: BURN HIPSTER SCUM THIS IS A TRITE CLICHE THAT MUST DIE A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH

This is a work in progress. More banned terms will be added and updated as necessary.....

L337 HAX0R AC1DS70RM 0N V17B

 

MEGASHOW - September 8th with guest "Acidstorm"

Sunday night Vince welcomed security professional and hacker "Acid" (aka "Acidstorm") to the show. 

We discussed many topics, including: ethics in hacking, online security, cyber warfare, hacktivism, Anonymous, Syrian Electronic Army, botnets, cyber crime, the GCSB passing in NZ, security of VPS providers, exploit brokerages, and more.

Callers include: @Ihazcandy @anticrisis73 @HammurabisCode @wvubetasoldier @_Zen0bia and KMS posing as Nacash (aka "Doxbin").

click here to stream episode from show page or direct download mp3 of show or subscribe on iTunes

CLASSIC QUOTES ABOUT VITB AND SHOW

Here are some classic quotes that I've collected over the past few years. Most are pulled from tweets, but some are from chats or verbal quotes from the show. Enjoy....

"Your show is a bigger freak show than Barrett Brown's topless tinychats. I'd rather watch The Gong Show dubbed in Spanish." - Ron Brynaert

"so its cool now to pose as my dead father to troll me? VInce in the Bay u r gainin the rep as a lamer of Emick proportions w/ Welnas dockside." - Bratty

"Dear Jesus, please give Vince testicular cancer. Amen." - The One Angry Jew

"So I was just on Vince in the Bay. That was an experience." - Gregg Housh

"most of vinces fan base are young and their tiny minds have the attention span of pidgeons" - Motormouth News

"the howard stern of the hackers/nerds" - Sabu

"I'm 12. What is this?" - Charrie Wongz

"My chocolate is dark." - CrappyAirBags

"PICK UP THE PHONE!!!!" - Shadow DXS

"RAAAAAARRRRAAAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAAAAAHHHH" - Shm00p

"Just tried to give Vine in the Bay another listen. Six people talking over each other & saying "Solidarity" every 3 mins.Holy shit that sucked" - Joe Prich

"Shut up faggot!" - Asshurtmacfags

"If you want to hear epic stupidity, tune into Vince in the Bay radio program. EPIC." - @Uppity1

"Yay!" - AnonyBear

"Sheeeeeeeeeit." - Ronald Lankford

"Mmmmmm… Yes! Fuck yes!!! Ooooohhhh!!!!" - Nikki Smokesalot in the green room
 
"‪Vince in the Bay‬'s radio show is hooked to my vibrator instead of an ipod. Vitb gets me off!" - AllVaginasBelongz2Me 

"I like to turn up my bass so Vince's voice can vibrate my balls" - TheFapper II

"Unmute me!" - Hammurabi's Code"très bon spectacle" - N1ckNAK

"This episode of ‪Vince in the Bay‬ is bad. I don't even know what's going on here." - @CassandraRules

"OMG your guests are full on retard" - @Vipsania

 "Moron! What a waste of bandwidth." - @NJND_OO

"I'm sorry. I don't speak retardese!" - Ron Brynaert
 
"‪Vince in the Bay‬ Has such a lovely voice. I'll be the creeper and say it, he should do "goodnight calls". Js." - @an0mie_