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Hackers' Shutdown of 'The Interview' Confirms Coding Is a Superpower

Posted by Soulskill on from the better-figure-out-an-alter-ego-quick dept.

theodp writes: The idea of programming as a superpower was touched upon by CS teacher Alfred Thompson back in 2010, but it became a rallying call of sorts for the Hour of Code after Dropbox CEO Drew Houston described coding as "the closest thing we have to a superpower" in a Code.org video that went viral. And if the kids who learned to code with the President last week were dubious about the power of coding, this week's decision by Sony to scrap the release of the satirical film The Interview after a massive hack attack should put aside any doubts, especially after new revelations that Sony had reached out to the White House for help and screened the film for administration officials back in June. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday that the Obama Administration is viewing the Sony attack as a "serious national security matter" and is considering a range of possible options as a response, which could turn things into a contest of U.S. Superpower vs. Coding Superpower. In case it wasn't mentioned last week, remember to always use your coding superpower for good, kids!

3 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Coding" had nothing to do with theaters dropping the movie. What made them drop the movie was a terrorist threat that spoked a bunch of bean counters.

    1. Re:Huh? by Jason+Levine · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Anytime you are afraid, the terrorists win.

      The politicians too. ("Vote for me because my opponent will cave to the terrorists and DESTROY AMERICA!!!")

      Also some manufacturers. ("Senator X, deploy our Ultra-Cool-Sounding-But-Ultimately-Ineffective at all TSA check points. It'll give billions to us, the illusion of security to America, and a cushy job for you once you retire from the Senate.")

      And the power hungry segments of law enforcement organizations. ("We need to be able to raid homes without warrants because TERRORISM!!!")

      The public are the big losers when we get afraid thanks to terrorist threats (real or imagined in order to scare us into submission).

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  2. What the fuck by nedlohs · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What the fuck does emailing a vague and rambling threat of violence have to do with coding and superpowers?