Some dirty filthy rumours circling suddenly that some geeks might try to crash the Internet on friday.
Quite funny really, as rather than try a DOS attack on a single computer, the idea is to go for the bandwith jugular (sort of like the body politic) and just send too many cotton-picking darn emails.
If anyone is trying to keep up with reading the emails, they will have to read increasingly fast as otherwise mailboxes might start backing up, backing off and going offline.
And if the Internet crashes, what happens next? My guess is that it's time to go home, put the kettle on (using gas as the mains electricty might be off), and have a cup of tea.
We all know that deliberately trying to bandwidth overload someone else's server is jolly naughty -- so my message to the worldly geeks is quite simple : Don't do anything illegal. Keep it clean, funny, simple and so far within the law, the crazy French have no truck or bone to fry.
Maybe just zip up some Monty Python sketches and send those to your friends.
No, No, not THE comfy chair !
Zip it up, stick it in, and put it in the email...
But the best dear reader is kept for last. Allegedly (according to Greenmantle Pursuivant and Roooooge Dragononoinone), the "day The Internet Stops" begins as the New York Stock Exchange opens -- ie 1430 British Summertime, 0930 New York Time.
Maybe just as the Nasdaq folk ring the bell and start the fun!!!
I've also wondered about the ethical issues here. IF the internet crashes -- it's only a short thing. It'll be back after the break.
But there will of course be the nay-sayers...
"how irresponsibble, putting peoples lives at risk"
"we should have laws against it"
"how would he/she like it if someone shut their car down on the M4?"
"this is quite simply terrorism under another guise"
"this is why we need a new Cyber-Police force to allow the USA to control the Internet with an Iron-Fist"
Hmmmm. The internet is free, easy and owned by everyone. Thanks to Tim.
It is not an American invention.
Anyone who uses it for any mission critical purpose, MUST bear in mind that it may be slow/unavailable from time to time.
If you don't understand this, you need to understand the difference between IP, TCP , and TCP/IP. And for that matter, UDP.
From unreliability, we create reliability. But without ERROR, we are not humans. And certainly not civilised.
Ride yer bike. Fall off. Hurt yourself a little.
Pick yourself up.
Dust yourself off.
And START ALL OVER AGAIN !!!!
That's all folks!
Good Old Fred !!!!
