last updated: 08 July 2008
Hiya. Welcome to my simple lil' page. Here you'll find a few textfiles and the like that I've written on the subjects of scams and cons, security and privacy, and other random garble and extraneous excreta. If you want, you can download the whole site in a handy RAR archive here (mirror) (this'll save you the trouble of hammering the site with your poorly configured site leecher script).
On Distribution: Plagiarize, rewrite, cut and paste, have sexual intercourse with them without permission, and otherwise modify and distribute all textfiles found here. Make mirrors of them on your sites, print out copies and slip them into mailboxes, newspapers, libraries, and bookstores. Remember that copyright is just a symptom of capitalist psychosis. And most importantly, discuss and build upon the ideas contained herein with one another. As Free once said, "it's absolutely free because it's yours. Think about it."
Disclaimer: Some of the material on this site may deal with activities and devices which could be in violation of various Federal, State, and/or various local laws if actually carried out or constructed. I, DIzzIE, do not advocate the breaking of any law(s) :-). All files on this site are presented strictly for informational, educational, theoretical, and entertainment purposes only. I do not guarantee that any of the information contained in this file is correct, workable, or factual. I am not responsible for, nor do I assume any liability for (neither does my host, nor anyone except you), any damages resulting from the (mis)use of any information in this file. There may also be adult content on this site which requires that you meet the age requirements in your particular jurisdiction (for instance 18 years). Please sign here __________________ stating that you understand and agree to adhere to the terms presented in said Disclaimer before proceeding any further. You may not read the rest of this website if you do not provide a signature written in the freshest yak blood. Continual perusal of the site constitutes your agreement to abide by these terms. Amen.
The textfiles will usually be in plain text format (ergo, textfiles) using either US-ASCII or UTF-8 character encoding, except for the ones which have a few accompanying illustrations, which will then be in HTML format, and except for the ones that will either have a lot of visuals or special formatting, which will then be PDF files (not to be confused with pedophiles). The little (f) link after the textfile link itself will be a link to the textfile's entry on the Rorta forums (if there is one), where you can go to make a comment, ask a question, or see what others have opined about the text. Let me know if you stumble onto any broken links.
~Mutatis Mutandis: Things to Consider (f) - Read this text first. It will save you a lot of trouble of making an ass of yourself when you start crying that 'it doesn't work exactly how the textfile said it would :`-(.
~Stop Paying for Shit! - The College Edition: A Mini-Manual of Scams, Cons, and Grifts to Exploit Higher Education. (Sexy PDF for viewing online (mirror) (f) - and for printing out and distributing (mirror)) - First of all, it should be noted that the techniques expounded upon herein by no means require you to be a college student; rather, the only thing that you need to successfully carry out the cons and tips described here is to have a college or university campus somewhere in your vicinity. Topics covered include how to get free... food, schwag, furniture and hardware, printing, photocopies, office supplies, graphing calculators, internet access, software, money, clothing, ebooks, journals, textbooks, healthcare, and of course, money.
~Free PO Boxes (f) - A free worldwide alternative to PO Boxes.~Gaining Free Admittance to Theme Parks - One method of social engineering your way into nearly any event or festival, using the example of amusement parks just for kicks.
~How to Get Free (unlimited) Bookstore Credit in 4-8 Weeks (f) - For those who don't want to just pick up a book off the shelf, take it to the cashier, and say you're returning it and get store credit, here's a more elaborate way to achieve the same result.
~Complaint Letter Scam - Get free cash, coupons, and products by bitching to companies.
~Advanced Dumpster Diving Techniques (f) - Just a few tips on diving that I haven't seen mentioned in the existent literature on dumpstering.
~Orderly Dumpster Diving: An Excursion in Wetware Manipulation (f) - Another example of social engineering to get neater dumpsters to dive into.
~The Tourist Bag - Scam dumbfuck tourists and make $1200 every three days, all while fighting the neocolonialism that is tourism. Fuck yeah. Oh, and incidentally, an episode of The Real Hustle featured a segment (that aired four years after the textfile) that demonstrates this scam almost word for word, not that I'm implying anything...
~Couponing (v2) (v1) - Tips and tricks on making and using coupons. Just for fun, here's one result of couponing, and here's another :P~~.
~Coin Harvesting (f) - Short list of random public locales where you can chance upon some loose change.
~The Wonderful World of Hotels - Hotel-related scams and opportunities for thievery.
~Breaking into Hotel Safes - Math is fun!
~How to Scam Scanners, Printers, and other Hardware - Yet another foray into social engineering, this time by posing as a repairperson. The same technique is of course applicable in numerous situations, but the example used here is that of a Kodak employee going into department stores.
~Getting Free Magazines (Revised) - Various tips for getting your hands on free periodicals.
~Rogue Recycling - A few ideas on what to recycle to score some cash. This text is in desperate need of renovation, particularly needing a section on scrapping. For now the only thing you'll get out of it is: you can get $5/pallet (obtained from store alleys and docks or construction sites).
~The Hobo Papers #1: Free Food (printable PDF) (f) - A few ways to score some free grub that anyone can do.
~How to Go on a Free Date (f) - No I don't support dating (or any other mating ritual), but this was just a fun way to make a conglomeration of various ways of free living and see how they can constitute a total free event: a date.
~Classic Compilation #1: Free Pizza (f) - A compendium of various ways to get free pizza.
~Classic Compilation #2: Free Movies (f) - Various cons to get you into the movie theater for free, so you can piss your days away watching the latest Hollywood brain rot.
~Get Free Shit by (not) Working for the Press (f) - A more broad exploration of the sort of con developed earlier in the amusement park textfile, this time encompassing using the same technique of pretending to be with the press to get free shit like books and movies as well.
~How to Lie to People: Achieving Anonymity Through Disinformation and Data Poisoning [Part the First] (f) - The stupidest thing you could possibly do when undertaking a grift is to tell the mark the truth about any aspect of your life. The second stupidest thing you could do is to say nothing, and thus make the mark start wondering what it is that you're not telling him. Therefore, the best course of action is to spoon feed the mark disinformation that makes it look like you've got nothing to hide, all the while of course hiding everything that you've got. Savvy?
~ NEW! Security Protocol for Ebook Production (f) - Just a few suggestions to cover your ass when producing ebooks. The final section on Natural Language Watermarking in particular should be cause for concern, and warrants more analysis than I am capable of providing.
~Underground Security Paper no. 3: The Dangers of Metadata (f) - Many of your files may contain hidden data that could reveal your identity. Learn how to find it, modify it, and remove it.
~Underground Security Paper no. 2: Encrypting Email Communiques (f) - Your plaintext emails can, and most likely are, being intercepted and routinely scanned and read. Start protecting them from prying eyes.
~Underground Security Paper no. 1: Encrypting Instant Messaging Conversations (Printable Duplex PDF) (f) - Your chat conversations can easily be sniffed and recorded, start securing them and stop talking to anyone who refuses to do the same.
~How to Build a WinRAR Binder (f) - A method for sneaking files onto a target's PC by stacking WinRAR SFX archives. Huge props to CthulhuBunny for helping out with the concept testing.
~Free Your Books! A Guide to Scanning Books and Zines (English PDF version for single-side printing, and for duplex printing | French PDF version for single-side printing, and for duplex printing (translation by pragmarel)) (f) - A short version of the guide below this one, designed to be handed out at bookfairs, libraries, and the like.
~How to Digitize Books (on using FineReader) (f) - Learn how to scan in and OCR books and start spreading information!
~The Complete Guide to Finding Serial Numbers - A bit dated, but most of the links mentioned are still valid. Just keep an eye out for some sites downloading spyware before the actual crack (and don't confuse this with anti-virus programs identifying legitimate keygens and patches as trojans).
~How to Rip Flash Games (f) - This was written before the existence of various Firefox plug-ins like SWF Catcher (or before the existence of Firefox, for that matter) which make this task a trivial one, and the guide totally unnecessary. But here it is if you want to read up on some alternative ways to save web content that doesn't have a straight-forward download button.
~How to Search for Specific Ebooks With Google - Techniques for finding ebooks through Google by searching for phrases from the book (and no this isn't about using Google Books).
~How to Mail Bomb using Yahoo! Email (in Spanish - translation by SPARK / Team DisidentS ARGENTINA) - Written 7 years ago, and the technique still works perfectly today (I've also been told that you can use GMail to do the same thing). johndoe2301 also wrote an autocapper program that generates all the possible capitalization permutations of an entered email (you'll see why this is useful after reading the textfile). Download the Windows executable, the source code, the version compiled for Intel 32-bit (Std PC) running GNU/Linux, or the one compiled for PowerPC running OS X.
~The 2005 Beginner's Guide to Getting Warez on IRC (2002 edition) (f) - A mini-manual that explores what's now an oft-neglected means of warez procurement. Topics covered include: installing/configuring IRC, searching for warez channels, using/installing file servers, automating downloads, and more...
~How to Rip Netflix 'Watch Now' Movies (v1.3) (f) - The textfile that was mentioned in The Register, Slashdot, Wired, PC World, InternetNews, NewsFactor, other corporate media outlets and shitloads of blogs and social bookmarking sites. As usual, the media wrapped their greasy tentacles all around it and started spewing sensationalist bullshit like 'hacker strips DRM from Netflix movies) (I'm not, nor do I claim to be a 'hacker'), as well as overstating the significance of the text and my role (all credit should really go to folks like viodentia and Divine Tao who developed the FU4WM/mirakagi programs (respectively), I just scribbed down a way to use the tools to liberate Netflix files). shitburger has also written a nice Greasemonkey script to help automate the download process, more details about that here.
~Why Syngress.com Needs Hack Proofing - How to download free ebooks from Syngress (the title is a spoof of Syngress' 'Hack Proofing' line of books). Someone's also posted a copy of this text along with shitloads of Syngress book serial numbers here.
~Silly Web Tricks (f) - The following mini-texts are are proof-of-concept files describing various means by which to score free shit online. While they generally each focus on one website in particular, and indeed may be outdated by the time you actually read them, it is my hope that the techniques themselves can be extrapolated and applied to other sites as well.
-McGraw-Hill Online Study Guide Exploitation - How to get free access to McGraw-Hill textbook study guides.
-How to Get Free Access to Computer Power User, PC Today, and Smart Computing Magazines - HTTP Referer spoofing fun.
-Youtube Tricks - How to download Youtube videos, view age-restricted videos without logging in, view videos banned in your country, and other similar tricks.
-Getting A Totally Free Reznor/Williams Album - Trent Reznor and Saul Williams released a free copy of Williams' Niggy Tardust, but you couldn't get the FLAC version for free using the oficial site. Here's how you could've changed that. (The text is now obsolete since they are no longer handing out any free copies of the album at all).
-The Virtues of Printer-Friendly Links - When providing links to news stories, always be sure to give the printer-friendly link to help cut down on ad clutter, obtrusive formatting, and save bandwidth. Likewise, refuse to click on any non-pf-friendly links people give you.
-How to Rip NPR MP3s - How to download National Public Radio MP3s.
~Achtung! An Exercise in Castration (f) - A collection of those copyright warning screens you unfortunately all too often see before movies. Here they themselves are pirated, yet rendered out of context, protecting nothing but space, they have been rendered impotent, or rather their inherent impotence has been brought to the forefront; thus, the collection itself constitutes an exercise in castration...
~Art in the Service of the Businessman (f) - an experimental montlage (montage + collage) about the intertwinement of art and money.
~A Gustatory Ode to Capitalist Coprophagia (f) - Another montlage, this time with a few paragraphs of tangential drivel included as a bonus.
~Self-Portrait - Someone on IRC asked me for a self-portrait, so I made one...
~Fathers and Sons...And Their Pricks [Fable 3] (f) - The third in a series of fables, about a father and a son.
~Where Babies Come From To Go [another fable] (f) - A second fable about pregnancy or something. Here are some reactions the story got on www.writingforums.org (as someone pointed out, the reactions are better than the stories...).
~Lamcontenmpt of the Pyuppie Bitch [a fable] (f) - The first fable, about pussies.
~How to Smoke in Airplane Lavatories or Bypassing Smoke Alarms without Employing Electronic Sabotage (f) - This textfile arose out of thinking 'how could you disable a smoke alarm without actually touching it?' (the solution: tape a soup bowl around it). The sample proof of concept scenario (using it in an airplane WC) was developed as a joke, which made it all the funnier when tobacco.org actually linked to it :P~.
~Fun Things to Do with an Old Refrigerator - Just a few random goofy things to do with an old fridge that you may have lying around.
~ NEW! Snuff [book review] (f) - A review of Palahniuk's latest 'novel' which is a complete failure as a novel, but quite successful as an oddball trivia almanac.
- NEW! Appendix 1: List of Pornos in Snuff - A list of all the porn film titles appearing in the book, with links to pertinent imdb or other sites where applicable.
~Burn All Books! Why ebooks kick the shit out of treeware (f) - A modest proposal to make every day Burn A Book Day :).
~Why I Steal from Libraries (f) - An exploration of why libraries are the enemies of knowledge, and why I thusly steal from them (theoretically, of course)
~Counterfeit Cities: Spacial Celebriphilia and Film's Whoring of Place (f) - How Tax Payers Subsidize Hollywood’s Production Costs.
~Cannibal [Movie Review] (f) - A brisk review of Marian Dora's delicious fag romp.
~Juno [Movie Review] (f) - A filmic abortion (pun very much intended)
~The Anarcho-Fascist Tactics Quiz (f) - See how well you can distinguish tactics used by certain anarchists from those used by certain fascists...
...but that I helped work on in some way and that is pretty interesting/useful.
~Fuck Cars: A Primer on Road Spiking - A short pamphlet about making road spikes, adopted from Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching. (As all the texts on this site, this is presented strictly for informational purposes only, and is not intended as any sort of endorsement of the action itself).
~Fuck the System - Written by Abbie Hoffman the late 60's prior to Steal This Book (Abbie didn't actually write STB, though that's another story I'll write a text about sooner or later), this is a sort of a localized and largely unknown precursor to STB dedicated to getting free shit in New York City. The phone numbers and such are obviously outdated, but the general techniques are still quite applicable to modern times.
~Danger! A True History of a Great City's Wiles and Temptations. The Veil Lifted, and Light Thrown on Crime and its causes and Criminals and Their Haunts. Facts and Disclosures (PDF) (US-ASCII TXT) (UTF-8 TXT) (Page Images) (f) - A 19th century underground classic, written by two shyster lawyers Howe and Hummel, it discusses shoplifting, blackmail, gambling, slumming, and other criminal inclinations. See the (f) link for a more detailed review and more mirrors.
~Bad Ideas All-In-One Pack (v2) (v1) (f) - Includes Mutatis Mutandis, Underground Forum Roundup (v2.0), Unofficial TOTSE Bad Ideas FAQ, and the Bad Ideas Heaps O' Scams I-III (a collection of scams and free living tips culled from TOTSE's Bad Ideas forum from 2003-06).
~Underground Forum Roundup (v2.0) (f) - A compendium of links to various 'underground' forums, it hasn't been updated in three years (guess I'll add this to the list of texts that need updating), so don't cry if the links don't work.
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