1 comments about Elite Deviance.

1. 
   
   Other reviewers have complained that the book lacks theoretical coherence and substance, and while I cannot disagree with this criticism altogether, it is important to point out that the book is first and foremost, a college level textbook. Thus, although it is not theoretically tidy, I am inclined to give the author the benefit of the doubt. In my view, it must be seen as much a didactic tool as an independent attempt to advance a fresh theory of Elite Deviance.
   
   Even without positing a fully formed theory, this book is undoubtedly filling a gap that sorely needs filling. The only other books that come close to doing so is Peter Dale Scott's "Deep Politics and the JFK assassination," and much of the writings linking the drug trade to the CIA, and through the CIA to high level U.S. politicians. And here I have in mind such works as Gary Webb's "Dark Alliance;" Terry Reed's "Compromise," and Alfred McCoy's, "The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia," among many others.
   
   The next conceptual level up from this genre and Simon's book is quite a large leap. Arguably one would have to ascend to something on the order of Jürgen Habermas' et. al., theories of corruption based on a framework of communicative action. In addition to being quite a leap from undergraduate political science and sociology, it would also require a change in focus to criminal intent and the sociology and psychology of crime - not exactly the center of gravity of elite deviance.
   
   The beauty of the present volume is that it does catalogue rather carefully the many instances of elite corruption that remain just below the waterline of American society. This collation is turned into a taxonomy of patterns and robust chunks that hint strongly towards a complete theory of elite deviance. For me that is enough.
   
   In the same vein as Scott's Deep Politics, Simon's treatment here gravitated towards an all but pregnant "pre-theory" of elite deviance based on the overwhelming coherence of the various strains of empirical evidence that this book so carefully collates into meaningful patterns. Constructing a suitable theory from the welter of data pointing to elite deviance and corruption is an exercise that any good college professor would leave as an exercise for his industrious students.
   
   I believe Professor Simon has done just that: He has left this book as a launching pad for industrious students to peek over the horizon to see all the many theoretical possibilities. It is a work in progress and one of the finest of this genre. A final theory of elite deviance in the American political system would make a fine dissertation topic for one of Simon's students.
   
   Five Stars

2 comments about Hacker.

1. I am a Teenager, i quite enjoyed reading - "Hackers" with its plot involving detective work and action. This is a very good book that keeps you interested all the way through the book never a dell moment arises. Well done Malorie Blackman



2. i own hacker and pig-heart boy and i would recomend it to anyoon! all my family enjoyed it and you will too! it is about a girl called vicky that is hacking into a the bank computer to help save her dad - he has been accused of stealing over a million pounds from the bank that he works in. this is what the blurb says: WHEN VICKY'S FATHER IS ARRESTED, ACCUSED OF STEALING OVER A MILLION POUNDS FROM THE BANK WHERE HE WORKS, SHE IS DETERMINED TO PROVE HIS INNOCENCE. BUT HOW, WHEN ALL THE EVIDENCE IS HIDDNE IN COMPUTER FILES? HELPED BY HER BROTHER GIB AND HIS BEST FRIEND CHAUCY, VICKY DECIDES TO TRY AND HACK INTO THE BANK'S COMPUTERS. FOR IF THERE IS ONE SCHOOL SUBJECT SHE IS REALLY GOOD AT, IT IS COMPUTING. BUT EVEN IF SHE DOES MANAGE TO BREAK INTO THE SYSTEM, CAN SHE FIND ALL THE ANSWERS BEFOR THE REAL THEIEF FINDS HER? you MUST READ this exellent book! Malorie is such a good author!

No comments about Computer & Intellectual Property Crime: Federal/State Law, 2006 Supplement.

No comments about Legal lessons in the computer age.: An article from: Security Management.

5 comments about The Personal Internet Security Guidebook: Keeping Hackers and Crackers out of Your Home (The Korper and Ellis E-Commerce Books Series).

1. I was very impressed with the way the author was able to simplify the discussions around securing your computers, whether it be at home or a laptop on the road. The list of reference websites was amazing and proves that the author took the time to research the book carefully. He did not just give simple instructions for securing the computer. He actually took the time to explain what everything was and why it was important to make the changes. Good book for novices at home and can help fill in the gaps for more knowledgeable people. An excellent resource and reference. I recommend it.



2. This book contains some useful information, simply presented, but it is so poorly written and edited that I kept thinking that it was meant to be a parody, doing for computer books what "Spinal Tap" did for rock documentaries.

   The text appears not to have been edited, or even proof-read: In a chapter describing the history of the Internet, Vinton Cerf is sometimes "Cert" and sometimes "Cerf," even on the same page! In one case, the author states "So Cerf (yes dudes, not SERF!) and Kahn developed a new protocol..." and a few paragraphs later, "You see, the original model that Cert and Kahn put together...." (P.11). These quotes also give a good taste of the author's writing style, which might be described as "faux au courant."

   Beyond that, the material is very disorganized. Every page seems to be peppered with seemingly random footnotes, often providing trivial information, while many obscure acronyms are never even explained at all.

   The book is 200 pages long, much of it taken up with screenshots and diagrams. 40 of those pages are devoted to a list of security-related hardware and software tools with descriptions obviously copied from the vendor's advertising materials, and much of it already out-of-date. The foreword is by the CEO of Linksys. whose products are featured in many screenshots, and who is further flattered with a 2/3 page bio (more than is devoted to all three authors combined on the back cover), leading me to believe that the book is a Linksys commission with some additional support from the other sources mentioned.

   The book is a quick read, and it might appeal to the dumb and dumber crowd, but I wouldn't trust it or recommend it for anyone else.




3. This book was very useful ---- I found that I get attacked every day --- due to logs on my router. I agree with one of the other reviews -- too much Linksys stuff ... but still a great book and provided me with the information I needed to block these constant attacks on my cable modem line.



4. I was able to use the advise from this book to setup my home router. I have been watching the logs and it is amazing how many times on any one day that I get attacked. I have a cable modem at my apt. This book was great on the details about how to setup the home router.



5. This book is poorly written and contains very little useful information. It spends far too much time describing trivial differences between various computer & network configurations, and too little time really discussing security. When it comes to discussing security tools (in an appendix), it simply lists all of the available products, with little to no comparisons or recommendations. The average user will get nothing from this book, and is better off spending the money on a firewall or screensaver.

No comments about Teen addiction to cybersex pervasive.(Behavioral Pediatrics): An article from: Pediatric News.

No comments about Computer Law and Software Protection: A Bibliography of Crime, Liability, Abuse and Security, 1984 Through 1992.

No comments about Have You Backed Up Your Data Today?: An article from: Security Management.

No comments about Introduction to Computing in Criminal Justice.

No comments about Hypercrime: The New Geometry of Harm.