Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

N. Korea Blames US For Internet Outage, Compares Obama to "a Monkey"

Posted by timothy on from the he-doesn't-have-a-monkey-dot-org-address dept.

Reuters reports that North Korea's government has publicly blamed the U.S. for the widespread internet outages that the country has recently experienced (including today), and taken the opportunity to lambaste President Obama, as well. From the article: The National Defence Commission, the North's ruling body, chaired by state leader Kim Jong Un, said Obama was responsible for Sony's belated decision to release the action comedy "The Interview", which depicts a plot to assassinate Kim. "Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," an unnamed spokesman for the commission said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, using a term seemingly designed to cause racial offence that North Korea has used before.

121 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. More moaning and groaning for nothing. by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 4, Funny

    Looks like North Korea is the paper tiger. And Kim Jong Un needs a new speech-writer - the republican base claims prior art.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    1. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by fustakrakich · · Score: 3, Funny

      Meh, I blame LG for the whole affair.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    2. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      In all fairness, we did make Un a sitcom character on "2 Broke Girls."

    3. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      the republican base claims prior art.

      Actually, Obama has probably been called worse by members of his own party. You can't muscle your way to the presidential candidacy of a major political party, without hearing a lot of low, nasty epithets. I would love to hear what Hilliary Clinton says about him in private!

      Obama is a tough guy. My guess, is that he just laughed the North Korean comment off, and said, "Is that the best they can do?!?!?"

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    4. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Just a brief side note: Un is the second half of his first name. Kim is the surname. The Korean language (like most Asiatic languages) put the surname first. First names are almost always two syllables in Korean, and are hyphenated. They don't have middle names there. Here in the 'States, it would be like having the name "Sara-Jane Smith", or "Suzy-Beth Jones." So, if they were Korean, it'd be "Jones Suzy-Beth", or "Smith Sara-Jane."
      Unless you were just using the middle name to differentiate him from his father (like Americans do when they say "George W," In which case I'm just being a pedantic idiot.

    5. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      You worthless fucking partisan freak asshole. Do you not remember people comparing Bush to a chimpanzee?

    6. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The Korean language (like most Asiatic languages) put the surname first.

      While that is completely true, usually the names get flipped when your audience excepts the surname last. Like Shigeru Miyamoto, and Nobuo Uematsu. Yes, in Japan, they would be referred to as Miyamoto Shigeru and Uematsu Nobuo respectively. But when your audience is American, the names get flipped.

    7. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by khallow · · Score: 2

      Obama is a tough guy.

      Because being able to handle an empty insult from a bunch of idiots that nobody cares about or listens to is a solid indication of how tough you are.

    8. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Japanese can be hard to guess for non-speakers, and I would tend to agree with you. However, with Korean, surnames are almost never more than one syllable, and given names are almost always hyphenated 2-syllable names, so if you see the single syllable first, it's probably the surname. Also, the names will be flipped by the person writing the article; if the person is familiar with the language, they'll know to flip the names. While Japanese and Chinese are popular second languages in America, relatively few Americans speak Korean, so the names of Korean people rarely get flipped.

    9. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 5, Informative

      One nitpick: The hyphenation thing is a Westernism and somewhat antiquated at that. None of the Chinese I know (including my wife and her relatives) use it when writing their names in Latin characters or Hanzi. Generally they just write their given name as one word. According to Wikipedia, this is standard and you should write "Wang Xuiying" and not "Wang Xiu-Ying" for a member of the Wang family named Xiuying when rendering his name in Latin characters.

      Chinese who travel generally give their family name last when speaking to Westerners, and many if not most of those who do so often or who live abroad adopt Western given names. Sometimes this is one that resembles their Chinese given name, sometimes not.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    10. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      Eh...I'd say democrats do. They were referring to the president as being a monkey long before the current president's term.

    11. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by nitehawk214 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Also in South Korea, over 2/5ths of the entire population are either Kim, Lee, or Park. Surnames have a different meaning over there than in the West.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    12. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Do you not remember people comparing Bush to a chimpanzee?

      I remember that well. It was extremely insulting -- to chimpanzees. Chimps are highly intelligent creatures.

    13. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      They don't like my .sig because it makes reference to what I am. As I've explained to others, this is one way I'm "paying it forward" for those who went before me and made it possible. I woudn't have even thought of it except one particularly repetitive troll kept posting about it earlier this year, so I figured this is the way to show that we should not be ashamed of what they are, just as we're not ashamed of who we are.

      It's also one way of "normalizing" us to others. Rather than being freaks, we're also human beings with our own opinions, and have pretty much 99% in common with what people think as "normal." Considering that one estimate that I saw on TV this fall put the number of trans individuals in tech at 2%, there are going to be plenty of people who are "in the closet" out of fear, both pre- and post-transition, or have been driven away, so it's also a way for those who are still in "stealth mode" to see that the general reaction is much better than a few stupid trolls.

      When I was outed on slashdot 9 years ago, I got a lot of support from the user base. So, in that sense, it's also another way to "pay it forward."

      But if nobody brings it up, it's only a .sig. The stories I've had on the front page deal with all sorts of stuff - it's hard to pigeonhole me. Like everyone, I am more than the sum of my genes. Just saying. :-)

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    14. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by jhantin · · Score: 1

      TV Tropes found some cute prior art for the spokesperson's snarky comment; it's the page image for Cross-Cultural Kerfluffle, since not every culture sees the monkey comparison as racist.

      --
      ...when you're writing a game...tweak the difficulty of "Easy" to something [your mother] can cope with. -- onion2k
    15. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by jhantin · · Score: 1

      It doesn't stop at 'name endianness'. It's probably less confusing, in print at least, to use the convention of all-capping the surname while leaving the full name in its native order. I imagine such a convention would be especially handy when trying to wrangle elaborate names carrying a whole syntax tree laden with titles, adjective phrases, and prepositional phrases, leaving the surname somewhere in the middle. Such names tend to be found in Europe and the Middle East at least.

      The downside to smashing case is that it loses information, such as whether 'VON FOO' is properly cased as 'von Foo' or 'Von Foo'. Where possible it's probably better to use an inline tag or something, but plain text doesn't leave room for such niceties.

      --
      ...when you're writing a game...tweak the difficulty of "Easy" to something [your mother] can cope with. -- onion2k
    16. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      /. userbase is so easy to game over and over and over again.

    17. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by baegucb · · Score: 1

      Well, generally true. I seem to recall some things being said about Margaret Trudeau back in the 70s. (I've lived in both Canada and USA).

    18. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by readin · · Score: 1

      Obama is a tough guy. My guess, is that he just laughed the North Korean comment off, and said, "Is that the best they can do?!?!?"

      I don't know. Obama may not care if Americans hate him. He may not care if America's friends hate him. But he sure seems to put a lot of effort into making sure America's enemy like him.

      --
      I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
    19. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by readin · · Score: 1

      I don't remember the Bush kids getting attacked (though if they were I would have ignored it unless it came from high-level Democrats). I didn't hear about Obama's family getting attacked except from one low level staffer who merely criticized clothing in a not-very-public forum. But again unless the attacks came from high level Republicans I don't think it is worth much consideration. Chelsea did get some insults that were beneath contempt from some conservative radio personalities, and those radio people were roundly criticized by other conservatives. The only serious insults against family members that I remember are those that were leveled against Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton. With Hillary Clinton I would have to say it was fair game because they talked about a "co-presidency".

      --
      I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
    20. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      You mean like that playboy comic that showed the Bush kids running a meth lab?

      Sorry but this "my party is better than yours" crap is just that: crap.

    21. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by colinb8 · · Score: 1

      From a previous post: "First names are almost always two syllables in Korean, and are hyphenated." - Yes and no - see below.

      "One nitpick: The hyphenation thing is a Westernism and somewhat antiquated at that. None of the Chinese I know (including my wife and her relatives) use it when writing their names in Latin characters or Hanzi. Generally they just write their given name as one word."

      That's true (but see below) for Chinese names, but for Korean names using or not using hyphens seems to vary. For example, on London's Korean Cultural Centre (KCC) website none of the given names of the staff have hyphens, and none are separated. But on the current front page a film director is "Bong Joon-ho" and the violinist is "Kyung Wha Chung" (surname Chung). The Korean newspaper Chosun website uses hyphened given names in its English pages, as does the Korean Film Archive (based in Seoul) database. Note that in my experience typically a hyphenated Korean given name is like this BAE Doo-na" and MOON So-ri (two rather good Korean actors): that is the second part of the given name is not capitalised.

      That said, to "confirm" all this I just looked at two calling cards I have in my wallet. The Korean one (from a KCC staff member) does not have the given name hyphenated, but the card from a Chinese-American assistant professor at a major London university *does* have a hyphenated given name, with both parts of the given capitalised.

      So the polite thing to do is use a name as a person themselves uses it, no matter how you or I consider it should be spelled.

    22. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      The first lady has always been a target with every president. SNL and MadTV both frequently ran sketches that made Barbara Bush look dumb and/or get trash talked by other people. Though recently Michelle Obama made herself a really bad target. She was at a store when some random customer who didn't recognize her asked her if she could grab something off of the top shelf (Michelle is my height, 5'11", and I get asked that kind of thing often) and so she later made a stink about it in the media saying that it was an example of racism.

    23. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Barsteward · · Score: 1

      oooo you sound clever...... you managed to capitalize 2 words and swear at the same time

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
    24. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      It's not a matter of what *I* think. Pinyin is a standard.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    25. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      You can see this done by lots of folks from lots of different countries, and it's not confined to the 'Net.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    26. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Looks to me more like she transliterated her English name using Chinese characters. Maybe you should ask her.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    27. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      You have an overinflated sense of importance.

      Well, I do think it's important to open up the discussion for those who are willing to talk about it but can't for various reasons, as well as trying to explain to our critics that maybe their perception of us is a little bit off. However, I only talk about it when someone brings it up in response to my sig. If you have a better way, I'm listening.

      Now, if you meant "an overinflated sense of self-importance", all I can say is "I wish." The last few years have destroyed any such delusions I may have had. Enjoy your health while you have it. Oh, and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    28. Re: More moaning and groaning for nothing. by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      There's some truth to that. The elites in NK enjoy many of the luxuries that the rest of the world has to offer, and that their people can't even imagine. So, today the kids of the elite can't use their playstations or text each other with their smartphones because the 3g network is down too. It's time to "think of the kids", in the sense of the royal pain in the butt that many of them, used to privilege, have their toys shut down, and are whining like spoiled brats to their parents. If you're among those elite, you're not going to be happy with how your leader is handling things.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    29. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

      I didn't see that, but I'm not part of the "my party is better than yours" crap. In Canada, even the Democrats would be seen as too right-wing.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    30. Re: More moaning and groaning for nothing. by gregsim · · Score: 1

      Even though I am a member of the Republican base and I disagree with you remark, I have to give you kudos for a clever turn of words.

    31. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by readin · · Score: 1

      It should depend on what the first lady is doing. If she does an interview on a topic of substance (like racism) or makes a lot of noise pushing a policy iniative ("Just say no", controlling fat, etc.) then it's fair to make fun of them based on those subjects. Barbara and Laura Bush were both pretty quiet. I don't see how it was fair to make fun of either of them. Are you saying that because SNL did it, it must be ok? SNL made fun of the first lady, so making fun of the first lady is ok, but SNL didn't make fun of the first daughter so making fun of the first daughter isn't ok?

      But actually SNL did make fun of first daughters. A quick search of "SNL Jenna Bush" came up with this: http://www.imdb.com/character/...

      --
      I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
    32. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by jrumney · · Score: 1

      According to Wikipedia...

      Never rely on Wikipedia as a primary source. In Singapore and Malaysia, where English is widely spoken as a first or second language, and the latin alphabet official for government forms etc, it is common for Chinese to write their personal name separately (one word per Chinese character), after their surname, just as it is written in Chinese. If they are Christian, they will often have a Christian name in addition to their Chinese personal name, which they write before their surname. In most everyday cases they will use either their Christian name or their Chinese personal name, but when they have to write their full name for official documents, their surname ends up in the middle.

    33. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 2

      In Canada, even the Democrats would be seen as too right-wing.

      The problem with that statement is that it is so non-descriptive that it is just meaningless.

      Take me for example, I'm a huge mishmash of opposing spectrum:

      I'm in favor of legalizing almost anything drug related, gambling related, and sex related (including legalizing prostitution) and I'm also very much atheist. Many will describe that as being very left wing.

      However I'm also very pro-second amendment, pro-capitalism, and very supportive of freedom of association (including allowing religious establishments to refuse to provide contraception, allowing people to smoke in places open to the public, allowing private businesses to refuse service to anybody for *any* reason.) Many will describe that as being very right wing.

      Yet neither description seems to work in my case.

      Narrowing political viewpoints into a one dimensional spectrum is likewise dumb. When I hear somebody say x is right or left of y, my first thought is: On what subject?

      I mean shit, if you look at this political compass (which is at least two dimensional, but still a very bad way to label political viewpoints as IMO there are easily hundreds of different dimensions) Adolph Hitler is pegged pretty damn close to being a centrist on the left/right scale, yet Milton Friedman is pegged as far right:

      http://www.politicalcompass.or...

      Like I said, meaningless.

      And before somebody says I'm an anarcho-libertarian on that two dimensional compass, that is also false. I very much support the rule of law and prefer a government to establish order so that everybody can have a common set of enforced rules that permit commerce (capitalism just isn't possible without the rule of law and/or a set of guidelines to make sure that transactions occur in a fair and just manner in addition to having a robust system for dispute resolution -- something that anarchy cannot have.)

    34. Re:More moaning and groaning for nothing. by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

      Are you saying that because SNL did it, it must be ok?

      No, just saying that I can't recall any period where the first lady has ever been exempt from public lampooning.

  2. So Ted Nugent is their propagandist? by jlowery · · Score: 4, Funny

    There are more facets to Mr. Poopypants than I imagined..

    --
    If you post it, they will read.
    1. Re:So Ted Nugent is their propagandist? by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Not? Does he explode when he turns 40?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:So Ted Nugent is their propagandist? by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Oh! Now his whole build makes sense. He's not fat. He's just full of shit.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Didn't they announce it? by morcego · · Score: 1, Funny

    Didn't the US say they were going to try and get North Korea's internet access cut?

    --
    morcego
    1. Re:Didn't they announce it? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 4, Funny

      Cutting North Korea's Internet access is just a trial run, the real objective is to cut Internet access to everyone in the U.S.A.

      --
      Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
    2. Re:Didn't they announce it? by morcego · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Cutting North Korea's Internet access is just a trial run, the real objective is to cut Internet access to everyone in the U.S.A.

      Isn't Comcast already doing exactly that?

      --
      morcego
    3. Re:Didn't they announce it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Cutting North Korea's Internet access is just a trial run, the real objective is to cut Internet access to everyone in the U.S.A.

      Well, they just need to go ahead with the Comcast/Times-Warner merger.

      One net to rule them all, one DNS to find them, one link to bring them all and into dark ports bind them in the land of dollars where the politicians lie.

    4. Re:Didn't they announce it? by ultranova · · Score: 1

      Cutting North Korea's Internet access is just a trial run, the real objective is to cut Internet access to everyone in the U.S.A.

      Trial run? Every single person on the USA is cut off from the glorious North Korean Kimternet. Mission accomplished.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    5. Re:Didn't they announce it? by tlambert · · Score: 3, Funny

      Didn't the US say they were going to try and get North Korea's internet access cut?

      It was suggested by "security researchers".

      Sadly, it took more candy than they had on hand to bribe the 12 year old in Des Moines, Iowa to stage the BGP attack against the 4 routers necessary to take North Korea of the Internet, so it was several days until the attack went forward.

    6. Re:Didn't they announce it? by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 1

      Once the Trans Pacific Partnership goes through, the North Korean government can be sued by Comcast for failing to honor the company's right to throttle bandwidth across the North Korean border. There will be a "fast lane", but also an "extra fast lane" which will allow Kim Jong Un to watch The Interview through a gateway that uses TWO 56K modems instead of just one. If North Korea does opt for a fast lane, the NSA will have only half the time to flag his tweets as Inappropriate before they finish uploading.

  4. Prediction: by daveschroeder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Many of the same slashdotters who accept "experts" who claim NK didn't hack Sony will readily accept as truth that it was "obviously" the US that attacked NK, even though there is even less objective proof of that, and could just as easily be some Anonymous offshoot, or any number of other organizations, or even North Korea itself.

    See the logical disconnect, here?

    For those now jumping on the "North Korea didn't hack Sony" bandwagon that some security "experts" are leading for their own political or ideological reasons, including using rationales as puzzling and pedestrian as source IP addresses of the attacks being elsewhere, some comments:

    Attribution in cyber is hard, and the general public is never going to know the classified intelligence that went into making an attribution determination, and experts -- actual and self-appointed -- will make claims about what they think occurred.

    With cyber, you could have nation-states, terrorists organizations, or even activist hacking groups attacking other nation-states, companies, or organizations, for any number of motives, and making it appear, from a social and technical standpoint, that the attack originated from and/or was ordered by another entity entirely.

    That's a HUGE problem, but there are ways to mitigate it. A Sony "insider" may indeed -- wittingly or unwittingly -- have been key in pulling off this hack. That doesn't mean that DPRK wasn't involved. I am not making a formal statement one way or the other; just saying that the public won't be privy to the specific attribution rationale.

    Also, any offensive cyber action that isn't totally worthless is going to attempt to mask or completely divert attention from its true origins (unless part of the strategic intent is to make it clear who did it), or at a minimum maintain some semblance of deniability.

    At some point you have to apply Occam's razor and ask who benefits.

    And for those riding the kooky "This is all a big marketing scam by Sony" train:

    So, you're saying that Sony leaked thousands of extremely embarrassing and in some cases damaging internal documents and emails that will probably result in the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment being ousted, including private and statutorily-protected personal health information of employees, and issued terroristic messages threatening 9/11-style attacks at US movie theaters, committing dozens to hundreds of federal felonies, while derailing any hopes for a mass release and instead having it end up on YouTube for rental, all to promote one of hundreds of second-rate movies?

    Yeah...no.

    1. Re:Prediction: by The+New+Guy+2.0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The reporting on the hacking seems to be missing something... what hole did they use, or was this just a password leak? What were the other movies (We know about "The Interview"...) that were affected by this hack?

    2. Re:Prediction: by Nyder · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Not sure what you are going on about, but here is the reality.

      North Korea didn't hack Sony.
      The President was quick to publicly blame North Korea. Said we would retaliate in some way.
      North Korea's internet goes down.

      What I see is a bully nation, the USA, blaming someone without the facts, saying they'd retaliate, which then someone did retaliate, so the USA is to blame because they incited others, or possibly they themselves are responsible for the internet downtime.

      Either way, the USA is the jackass in this whole scenario.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    3. Re:Prediction: by daveschroeder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      First of all, you say, "North Korea didn't hack Sony," as if it is an indisputable, known fact. It is not -- by any stretch of the imagination.

      The fact is, it cannot be proven either way in a public forum, or without having independent access to evidence which proves -- from a social, not technical, standpoint -- how the attack originated. Since neither of those are possible, the MOST that can be accurate stated is that no one, in a public context, can definitively demonstrate for certain who hacked Sony.

      Blameless in your scenario is the only entity actually responsible, which is that entity that attacked Sony in the first place.

      Whether that is the DPRK, someone directed by the DPRK, someone else entirely, or a combination of the above, your larger point appears to be that somehow the US is to blame for a US subsidiary of a Japanese corporation getting hacked -- or perhaps simply for existing.

      As a bonus, you could blame Sony for saying its security controls weren't strong enough, while still reserving enough blame for the US as the only "jackass".

      Bravo.

    4. Re:Prediction: by fustakrakich · · Score: 5, Interesting

      At some point you have to apply Occam's razor and ask who benefits.

      At some point... Yeah, the very first thing to ask would be that.

      So, you're saying that Sony leaked thousands of extremely embarrassing and in some cases damaging internal documents...

      Or anybody shorting the stock... It took a dip for a while and is now rebounding.

      Please, people, get the silly politics out of your heads. This is strictly business. Could be some soap opera between Sony, Samsung, and LG, who knows, who cares, aside from the drama and intrigue for somebody's next movie.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    5. Re:Prediction: by Marginal+Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Quite right. In summary: none of us here in the peanut gallery have any real way to know who did what. Most of the opinions I've seen here seem to reflect whatever biases each opiner may have. The known facts are few and far between. Of course, I have my own opinions but I won't share them because they reflect my own biases.

      This thing is a bit like an Agatha Christie mystery. You may be certain who did it, but you don't really know until Christie tells you. Then you invariably find out you were wrong. Even the strategy of picking the least likely culprit doesn't work. Unfortunately, in this case, we don't have the author to tell us the "truth", so we likely will never know.

    6. Re:Prediction: by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The governments lie, the media lie. That's normal. That's the same in dictatorships and democracies.

      The difference is that in a functioning democracy, they tell different lies.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    7. Re:Prediction: by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You should save that comment. I think you could use it in at least 80% of stories and be bang on-topic.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    8. Re:Prediction: by misexistentialist · · Score: 2

      Obama said he would retaliate, so it's a natural assumption, though for all we know Best Korea broke something while fortifying its defenses against this imminent attack. And while Sony may not have hacked itself, making itself look like an innocent victim of a powerful adversary rather than a negligent fool brought to its knees by teenage pranksters certainly is to its advantage

    9. Re:Prediction: by thrillseeker · · Score: 1

      What kind of Bizarro world do you live in?

      Welcome to Slashdot!

    10. Re:Prediction: by khallow · · Score: 2

      Just because it's "strictly business" doesn't mean that North Korea wasn't involved. They probably know how to short stocks too.

    11. Re:Prediction: by HiThere · · Score: 1

      That's not Occam's razor, that's "Cui Bono?". Occam's razor says to not multiply entities excessively. But the problem isn't multiplying entities here, it's that there are already too many visible entities to reach a single conclusion. We know that the US govt. exists, that Sony exists, that lots of hacker collectives exist, that...etc. We don't know which are significant. We *do* know that all of the above are quite willing to lie when it suits their interests.

      Pick a collection of known facts and make a hypothesis that you can't invalidate. Occam's razor won't help you pare things down, because the known facts support too many plausible stories. And NONE of them are testable. So don't believe your own story, or anyone else's. Realize that the story you choose to accept in this instance says more about you than about what happened, and don't believe it. You can't always know what actually happened. There are too many liars and too many suspects.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    12. Re:Prediction: by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Well of course! I exclude nobody. I just think the sentimental 'morality' play is just a bit silly. On the other hand, it always does draw a crowd. The big story to me is the reaction to the initial incident. It reveals the animal, and all the emotion clouds the judgement. The audience does not know and/or care that it is being played. They have become the movie.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    13. Re:Prediction: by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      ...Merely a response to the OP. I would say Samsung and LG are far more significant than NK and media fantasy 'hackers' if we are going to ask 'cui bono'. If you want to narrow down your targets as quickly as possible, follow the money, not the politics (and certainly not the tabloid press!), unless there's family involved, that's a whole 'nother bucket of worms.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    14. Re:Prediction: by daniel142005 · · Score: 2

      The problem is no one trusts the US anymore, they've been lying this whole time (NSA). The actions and media currently do not add up for it to be North Korea. For starters, what exactly would North Korea benefit? They had already publicly said that it was insulting, and there is no way they could prevent the movie from getting out.

      Possible people that could benefit:
      - The makers of the movie (or maybe Sony screwed them)
      - "Anonymous", as in online activists that are pro net neutrality. The terrorist threat basically forced them to release it online, which is the first time that's happened from a major studio.
      - Google. Sony is a part of the MPAA and after the leaked emails they accused Sony of astroturfing. The MPAA is currently costing Google quite a bit of money in both wasted time and advertising.
      - The United States, any branch of the government could have played a role. Even contracting it out to a 3rd party. Easy excuse to blame it on NK. The FBI could also use the attack as a "cyber 9/11" in the sense that it could be used for cyber-security laws.
      - North Korea, if they were really that upset over the movie. Seems unlikely... they should know the power of a DDOS on them.
      - Another country that would benefit from us getting involved in a conflict with North Korea, which could be anyone.

      That's just the ones I can think of, but NK just doesn't seem to make sense.

    15. Re:Prediction: by dj245 · · Score: 1

      Just because it's "strictly business" doesn't mean that North Korea wasn't involved. They probably know how to short stocks too.

      The broken english used in the threats is a match to a google translation from gramatically correct Russian. That doesn't seem like a coincidence to me. Since the Russians hacked the NASDAQ as recently as July 2014, maybe they had something to do with it. And Russians are known to enjoy manipulating stocks

      Mind you, I don't think this has anything to do with manuipulating stocks. I think it is far more likely that it was some person who didn't like Sony very much and the deflection onto the DPRK was just a red herring. But if shorting stock WAS the angle, the Russians have a lot of experience doing it.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    16. Re:Prediction: by sumdumass · · Score: 1

      My guess is that they exploited the sony root kits that was on the servers from an IT guy wanting to listen to some tunes while grepping logs.

    17. Re:Prediction: by Agripa · · Score: 1

      Attribution in cyber is hard [lawfareblog.com], and the general public is never going to know the classified intelligence that went into making an attribution determination, and experts -- actual and self-appointed -- will make claims about what they think occurred.

      Is that all that classified evidence that Iraq was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction? The US Government is going to have to earn that kind of trust before they can be believed in anything.

  5. They have a good point by Nyder · · Score: 2, Insightful

    the US & Obama was quick to blame NK, when it was very unlikely they did it, and security experts are pointing out left & right.

    Because Obama saying NK did it and we would retaliate, and suddenly NK internet goes down, fuck ya, we are guilty as fuck.

    We wrongfully blamed the NK, got people to believe our lies and then DDos or whatever happened to NK's internet. All on our heads.

    Our government owes NK a big ass apology and honestly, our government, from the congress critters up to the president, including all the various NSA, CIA, and rest of the stupid shit needs to be replaced.

    This is not the America I'm proud of, I'm not a bully and not happy with the bully tactics America does.

    Time for a change, time to take America back.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:They have a good point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Time for a change, time to take America back.

      So you are going to vote for Obama again?

      inb4 he can't run again. It's a figure of speech, idiot.

    2. Re:They have a good point by Nyder · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Not going to reply to anonymous cowards. If you got the balls to challenge what I say, then log in and let your opinion be heard.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    3. Re:They have a good point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Ok, so how was it unlikely that NK did the hack?

      Was it because they lacked motivation, having a potentially head-of-state embarassing movie about-to-be released?

      Was it lack of intent, considering that they claimed they would damage (and I'm being kind with the wording) Sony and Japan for the movie's existence?

      Was it lack of ability, considering that it is impossible for a person to know how to use a computer in NK? (Sorry, internet learning is easy, and if they can design nuke processing plants, they can operate a computer skillfully.

      The experts are pointing out that there is a strong possibility that NK did it, and you are reading that NK didn't do it because we didn't prove it. Mathematical proof is only applicable to Geometry. The rest is really following a rule system (US Legal, US Science aka. 95% confidence, or preponderance of the evidence).

      No such thing as real proof at the standard you are thinking. Even a signed, non-coerced, witnessed confession under oath can be a lie.

      You say we wrongfully believe NK did it. Perhaps, we do; however, it is much more likely that we are correct when in comparison to wrongfully believing that any other country in the world did it. It's a cheap shot to say we are wrong, when you back up with nothing but hot air, and we are acting on the best information that is available.

    4. Re:They have a good point by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      How do North Koreans get mod points, anyway?

    5. Re:They have a good point by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 3, Funny

      They buy them on Tor with Bitcoins . . . just like everybody else.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    6. Re:They have a good point by thrich81 · · Score: 1

      "Where is the greatness of America anymore?" -- you asked, here's one answer -- New Horizons, NASA space probe, launched 19 January 2006. Due to fly by Pluto on 14 July 2015. After that, headed to interstellar space, following the other four American space probes leaving the solar system; there are no others. American made, American operated, American funded. (with nods to the other fine nations who are operating interplanetary exploration programs)

    7. Re:They have a good point by Vegan+Cyclist · · Score: 1

      I'm with ya up until apologizing to NK.. Their leader is a really awful person, and even this isn't worthy of an apology for the most part - this is a drop in the bucket compared to how he runs his country and treats North Koreans. I agree there ought to be an apology tho: to the rest of the world for whipping this into such a ridiculous frenzy.

    8. Re:They have a good point by readin · · Score: 1

      No fan of Obama here, but I figure he has a little more access to information about who did this than you or I do. I HOPE he wouldn't retaliate unless he was pretty confident in his intelligence agencies' reports. I have trouble imagining he would retaliate against NK if he was pretty sure China or someone else did it. But I could imagine him needing to if it were required to avoid letting China know how much we know about them.

      Given all that NK has done to us and our allies over the years, I don't think we owe them an apology even if they are innocent of this particular crime. We could take down their internet for a couple years and still come nowhere close to making up for all the American, Japanese, and South Koreans they have killed and kidnapped over the years. Or for the thousands and thousands of our fellow humans (North Koreans included) they have killed and tortured.

      --
      I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
    9. Re:They have a good point by readin · · Score: 1

      I'm with ya up until apologizing to NK.. Their leader is a really awful person, and even this isn't worthy of an apology for the most part - this is a drop in the bucket compared to how he runs his country and treats North Koreans. I agree there ought to be an apology tho: to the rest of the world for whipping this into such a ridiculous frenzy.

      Not to mention all the stuff he and his government have done to us and our allies.

      --
      I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
  6. Re:Release all the data you didn't by The+New+Guy+2.0 · · Score: 1

    Yep, until more hacked releases of Sony Pictures movies show up, this starts to smell like a publicity stunt.

  7. Lizard Squad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    My money is on Lizard squad being behind both the Sony hack and NK's lack of internet connectivity, sadly when others stole the cred for both of these awsome hacks they were forced to turn to ddosing xb-live and psn in order to get some attention...

    1. Re:Lizard Squad by HiThere · · Score: 1

      If I had mod points, I'd rate that funny, even though it cannot be proven false.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  8. Re:Monkeys deserve more respect by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    He's a politician. What the hell did you expect?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. Re:Monkeys deserve more respect by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 1

    So is Obama your first exposure to a politician?

  10. Re:North Korea always has the best disses! by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    Scum I can see, but human?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  11. Re:well it is true by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 1

    Are you just intentional dense? Using monkey as a slur against blacks is centuries and centuries old.

  12. Re:flash by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    You need a flash player to view this site.

    What are you blathering on about?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  13. Ape by nospam007 · · Score: 2

    Oooooook!

  14. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by willworkforbeer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    LMGTFY

    George Bush Monkey Photos

    Bush haters, from the days when Obama was merely organizing communities.

    --
    Pretending this is my office full of bitter coworkers..
  15. I take offense by frovingslosh · · Score: 4, Funny

    I take offense at the comparison. I like monkeys.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
  16. Re:well it is true by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 1

    Is it centuries old in North Korea?

    I'm not really sure why the PC police even care about this. Did they not have a reason to dislike the North Korean government until the government used a term that these people have decided is offensive?

    --

    How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
  17. Re:He called a black man a monkey? by magarity · · Score: 3, Informative

    We are all essentially monkeys... blacks,white's, eskimo's and north koreans

    Maybe you are; most of us are apes.

  18. why? by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    He is simply doing the same thing as any neo-con/tea* is doing.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  19. Not again... by luismontbau · · Score: 1

    Stupid remarks. We're all simians. Stop calling black people monkeys. Mr. Obama is a democratically-elected president. You're part of a communist hereditary monarchy. There are no human races. There is but one human race. Topic over, now lets turn and face infinity and eternity, as they are lying in front of us, waiting.

    1. Re:Not again... by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Topic over, now lets turn and face infinity and eternity, as they are lying in front of us, waiting.

      BAH! You're swimming in it.

      And remember, folks, Korea is a democratic republic, and not only that, it's a peoples republic, says right there in the name. Words have meaning, right? Everybody tells me that all the time. Now, excuse me while I go take another Valium so I don't feel the heat

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  20. A monkey? by jd2112 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Monkeys like to throw shit around but they are mere amateurs compared to politicians.

    --
    Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  21. CorpGovMedia wants those NK markets open to it by leftistconservative · · Score: 1

    CorpGovMedia wants those North Korea markets open to it. CorpGovMedia (the conglomeration of Mega-corporation, federal government and the corporate medi that runs america) wants more more MOAR profits and GDP, and it sees North Korea as a source of growth. So CorpGovMedia is using propaganda on americans to manufacture consent for invading North Korea. Once the NK government is toppled, the mega-corporations can move in and started making a profit.

  22. Re:Monkeys deserve more respect by zippthorne · · Score: 1

    Does parsing words so people will come to the wrong conclusions count as lying?

    --
    Can you be Even More Awesome?!
  23. I Don't Think It Was Us by Greyfox · · Score: 1

    Our responses tend to be a bit more... killey.

    --

    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

  24. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by n3r0.m4dski11z · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Those aren't racist though. All white people are not sometimes described with the same descriptor.

    The bush pictures are firmly and clearly comparing his intelligence and facial features. Sure maybe making fun of the way people look is something one can't do anything about, so it should be viewed the same, but its not. One could argue intelligence is somewhat inherited as well, so where do you draw the line? Should we not call out morons in power?

    I'm no obama fan and i certainly think bush is a war criminal, however it is a mere coincidence that monkey in one context means one thing and monkey in another means a complete other, and both are being used to describe presidents at a time.

    There are far worse insults to throw at obama that aren't racist. Like how he uses robots to murder people because its more humane. Or how he is just the same in power as anyone else and he is really a hopeless president.

    --
    -
  25. Re:well it is true by tompaulco · · Score: 1

    Are you just intentional dense? Using monkey as a slur against blacks is centuries and centuries old.

    This reminds me of a story from over 30 years ago when I was a kid growing up in New Jersey. One of the mall Santas got fired because he called a kid "a little monkey". Well, he called lot's of kids that, but it wasn't really an issue until he called a black kid that. Poor old Santa. He needs to realize that you can't just go around turning a blind eye to race and color and treating everyone the same. Being impartial is racist.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  26. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But he's actually a monkey-level intellect, that's the funny part. Fingerpainting is his prior art.

  27. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by khallow · · Score: 2

    however it is a mere coincidence that monkey in one context means one thing and monkey in another means a complete other, and both are being used to describe presidents at a time.

    Why did you even bother to write what you did? The contexts are obviously the same. It's meant to be a very insulting comparison. There might come a day, say in some "Planet of the Apes" future where being compared to a monkey is meant to be a compliment, but that obviously is not today.

    There are far worse insults to throw at obama that aren't racist. Like how he uses robots to murder people because its more humane. Or how he is just the same in power as anyone else and he is really a hopeless president.

    Let's hear some of these insults.

  28. Re:Release all the data you didn't by HiThere · · Score: 1

    Will they be prosecuted? Perhaps they got indemnity first.

    The story I build around this has the Sony episode as a bit part in something centered around South Korea's nuclear piles. And Obama *was* talking to some diplomats from China right before this started, and China is N.Korea's Internet supplier.

    I *know* that my version is just a story. But I also realize that that's all everyone's version is, except those with inside information. Most of the latter aren't talking, and the ones that are have a reputation for lying.

    --

    I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  29. Re:He called a black man a monkey? by dhaen · · Score: 1

    There is something disturbing about your selective use of apostrophes. Which part of me isn't a monkey? - Said the Eskimo...

  30. Re:Monkeys deserve more respect by HiThere · · Score: 1

    If you do it on purpose, yes.

    I do not presume that all lies are reprehensible. But intentionally misleading someone is a lie. Some times, however, staying silent isn't a real option, and speaking honestly would be injurious (to someone, perhaps yourself).

    OTOH, false and defamatory statements *are* always reprehensible, even if the entity you are commenting about is excessively vile. And true statements can never be defamatory, except to a lawyer or a judge.

    --

    I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  31. Re:well it is true by aevan · · Score: 1

    And referring to elected officials as 'head chimp' 'bumbling apes' and for forth is old as well. Just because the current president is black doesn't mean 'oh shit what we've meant for decades is suddenly something else!'. What's next, having to rename 'towel boys' the moment a Shikh gets the job?

  32. Re:well it is true by HiThere · · Score: 2

    Also, most of us, including Obama, don't live in a forest or jungle.

    That said, I mainly consider the statement defamatory to monkeys. People are the ones who are loose with words.

    --

    I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  33. Re:well it is true by itzly · · Score: 1

    Calling kids "little monkeys" is not name calling.

  34. We're all a bunch of monkeys by itzly · · Score: 1

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  35. Re:well it is true by aevan · · Score: 1

    Thus spake Mr. Coward.

    Btw bonus irony points for saying 'famous dude' instead of a name or title =P

  36. Re:I agree by HiThere · · Score: 1

    And my hypothesis is the China did it as a favor to the US. But I can't prove it. And neither can you.

    --

    I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
  37. Re:well it is true by techno-vampire · · Score: 1

    Actually, given the time period, it might have been Mr. Coward who said it.

    --
    Good, inexpensive web hosting
  38. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by Grishnakh · · Score: 1, Troll

    The monkey thing is only racist if a white person calls a black person a "monkey".

    However, this incident has North Korea comparing Obama to a monkey, so it can't be racist. Many people here in the US believe it's impossible for non-white people to be racist.

  39. Re:Network research by X0563511 · · Score: 1

    NK has a single /24 allocation.

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  40. Re:Release all the data you didn't by budgenator · · Score: 1

    Yep, until more hacked releases of Sony Pictures movies show up, this starts to smell like a publicity stunt.

    I'm not sure that is how it started, but it sure got that way way pretty quick.

    --
    Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
  41. Chimps (and humans) are Apes, not Monkeys by billstewart · · Score: 1

    Ooook! Don't say the M-word near the Librarian!

    You're thinking of the "Bush or Chimp" website. We're not monkeys!

    And as the other poster said, at least in America, calling black people "monkeys" is specifically racist; calling white people that is just a non-racial insult.

    --

    Bill Stewart
    New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
    1. Re:Chimps (and humans) are Apes, not Monkeys by readin · · Score: 1

      And as the other poster said, at least in America, calling black people "monkeys" is specifically racist; calling white people that is just a non-racial insult.

      If you're racist yes. But if you're not racist you'll be an equal opportunity insulter and will be stunned when someone says you're racist for calling a black person something when you weren't even thinking about his race.

      You see that deer-in-the-headlights look from Republicans a lot. They insult someone for behaving the way they do and suddenly a overly-race-conscious liberal calls them "racist" and they're so surprised they don't know how to respond. There's the initial "huh, what?" then the "oh yeah I guess he's (whatever particular racial group is involved" then the "but what does that have to do with.." then finally the fucking pissed off "why are you calling me a racist when you know damn fucking well I wasn't thinking about race" and then the liberal goes into smug mode.

      --
      I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
    2. Re:Chimps (and humans) are Apes, not Monkeys by Barsteward · · Score: 2

      trashing the economy, starting illegal wars and nearly bankrupting the US is not a "difficult thing", repairing the problems caused is though

      --
      "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
  42. Re:well it is true by Lehk228 · · Score: 1

    I seem to remember "Chimpeach" referring to dubya.

    --
    Snowden and Manning are heroes.
  43. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by Barsteward · · Score: 1

    "He's an ape!" - just like the rest of us

    --
    "The hands that help are better far than lips that pray." - Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
  44. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    Well, duh!

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  45. So, does this mean ... by Rambo+Tribble · · Score: 1

    ... Kim Jong Un is aping the Ku Klux Klan?

  46. Schoolyard bully.. by doccus · · Score: 1

    North Korea reminds me of the loudmouthed 90 pound schoolyard bully who has a 300 pound wide boy behind him. They wouldn't dare inflame the US, what with it's pretty deadly military arsenal and troops, if they didn't have Russia and China behind them.

  47. An alternative thought? by slater86 · · Score: 1

    This is entirely possible. http://weknowmemes.com/wp-cont...

    --
    When people ask if I'm an optimist, I say "I hope so". --Bill Bailey
  48. Re:More Anti-Republican Prior Art by dl_sledding · · Score: 1

    ...There might come a day, say in some "Planet of the Apes" future where being compared to a monkey is meant to be a compliment, but that obviously is not today.

    Calling an ape a monkey in POTA was an insult to the ape... Just sayin'.

  49. Re:He called a black man a monkey? by magarity · · Score: 1

    Chimpanzees are apes.