Take Down
When renowned computer hacker Kevin Mitnick was arrested in a Raleigh, North Carolina apartment early last year, the event marked not the daring capture of a sociopath, but the easy picking of a frustrated UNIX nerd who was begging to be caught. Mitnick, a "career hacker" if you will, had allowed a potentially harmless pastime to grow into a debilitating obsession. His hacks had become cries for help, the electronic pleas of a loner, an underachiever, the product of a broken home. His capture by the FBI was thus a humanitarian gesture. Marlon Perkins couldn't have tranquilized wounded animals with more noble intentions.

This is the Mitnick melodrama as presented by Tsutomu Shimomura, a senior fellow at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Shimomura helped authorities track Mitnick after the hacker invaded and ransacked Shimomura's computers in December 1994. Mitnick was snagged some two month later, implicated in a variety of computer break-ins, and charged with "illegal use of a telephone access device." The entire story can be found on Takedown, a site that details Shimomura's role in the man hunt, and delves into Mitnick's personal history and psychology.

The site brims with fascinating minutiae, including replays of some of Mitnick's key Telnet sessions. Sure, you could read the print version of "Takedown,"co-authored by Shimomura and *New York Times* reporter John Markoff. And, yes, you can visit the book's official Hyperion promo site. But Shimomura's own Takedown site provides RealAudio samples of John Woo-like phone messages left on his personal answering machine during the height of Mitnick's mischief. Were the messages from Mitnick himself? This has yet to be determined. They are, however, patently bizarre:

"Damn you. My technique is the best. My boss is the best. Damn you. I know rdist technique, I know sendmail technique, and my style is much better. Damn you, don't you know who I am? Me and my friends, we'll kill you."

A second voice speaks: "Hey boss, your kung fu's really good."

Back to the first voice: "That's right, my style is the best."

While neither voice may be Mitnick's, the crank call does reflect the playful hacking spirit shared by Mitnick and his brethren. In other words, hacking isn't about stealing money or intellectual property. It's about demonstrating one's own power in a faceless, post-modern society. While Shimomura arrogantly paints himself as a white knight to Mitnick's ugly Quasimodo, he does sketch an accurate and compelling picture of hacking as a pastime-cum-obsession. -JP

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AeroCrafter Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook
Getting tired of billboards on the Web? Me, too. Especially when they are as mundane as this one. If you happen to own a copy of "The Aircraft Sourcebook," you will definitely want to check out the table of corrections to the text found at this site. Short of that, this page only tries to convince you to buy a copy of your field guide to the exciting world of airplane construction. If you do feel the urge to buy the book, I suggest you check out a copy in your local bookstore; you won't find much information about it here.-BB

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Longriders Biker Mall
Visit the Biker Mall for motorcycle photos, support... and a whole lotta trouble. We're talking browser trouble. Netscape 2.0's Frames feature may be a few thousand BPSes ahead of its time - it's nice to have all those independent windows on a single screen, but if the content chokes your bandwidth, the gimmick isn't worth the download struggle. Even on a T1 line, the site hobbled in like Tim Conway's old man character from "The Carol Burnett Show." An audio file of a roaring Harley sounded like white noise, and "slides shows" of various motorcycles and bikini babes failed to slide as promised. -JP

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Paper Airplane of the Month
Long after the last cootie catcher of your grade school years has been recycled, paper airplanes are still guaranteed to amaze. Especially if you live on the third story. This cute site offers a new plane template every month to print, fold and let fly. But given the infinite possibilities of a sheet of paper (and maybe a paperclip or two), the maintainers of this page could certainly do better than monthly updates. You can always take the matter into your own hands though - hacking your own dead tree dirigible is always more fun than recreating that same old flying wing.-DP

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Puppetry
Puppetry is one of the worlds most venerable art forms, yet it is usually not considered "serious" in this country - an impression this site goes to great lengths to change. Whether you are a serious puppeteer, or totally new to the art, there is an extensive amount of well-organized information to capture your interest. The site is arranged by types of puppetry, and includes famous puppets and puppeteers, current puppet exhibits and touring companies, online resources, mail order supply houses, and much more!-BB

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Square Dancing
Swing your partner dosee doe... With lists of square dance dealers, organizations, callers, cuers, clubs, and other related Web sites, Square Dancing is certain to teach you at least something about the world of square dancing. Even though the site is still under construction, there's good information to be found, no matter what part of the country you're in. Or the world for that matter - there's a link to the Belgium Square Dancing Organization. Who knew? -RK

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Thee Joker's Funhouse
First of all, hacking was not just an 80s teen fetish that ended when the Legion of Doom went to jail and Shimomura nailed Mitnick. It's alive and well in many basements and high school computer labs, which still follow the maxim that "information wants to be free." This site is a basic guide to phone phreaking and hacking resources on the Web. Although a bit young, and riddled with an annoying amount of slang, Thee Joker's Funhouse is a fine starting point if you want an introduction to the questionable activities of those lurking on the lines. Remember, though: If the phone company calls, deny owning one.-DP

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Unofficial Martha Stewart Home Page
Upon first click, this page seems like an exercise in irony... But laugh not. We're talking true Martha Stewart fandom here. In fact, the phrase "goddess of the home" can be found in the opening paragraph. By exploring this site, you too can learn the secrets of being Martha - icon for the hyperreal American home of beautiful flowers and tidy living rooms! Start with the Martha Mega-FAQ, indulge yourself with a few "Ask Martha"columns posted here, and then grab your wire whisk and follow a link to the coveted oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe. Yum!-DP

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Virtual Garden
Let's face it: You either have a green thumb, or you prefer plastic plants. I'm the latter kind of person. But still, the Virtual Garden offers a wealth of information I wish I could put to use. The searchable plants encyclopedia is really amazing - learn to identify the three forms of lettuce and discover if the Adiantum plant really has the power to thicken and curl hair. For the more diehard dirt dweller, the site has numerous online gardening books and magazines to peruse and even a directory of the finest botanical gardens in the world. Couldn't find any Cannabis Sativa growing tips on the site, though.-DP

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