hardware vs. software vs. the web

basically, there are three types of gurus (or four if you count networking). the hardware guru likes building computers, showing off their fast processors and video cards, and claiming that software could not exist without hardware because it would have no platform to run on. the software guru likes making useful programs, claiming that hardware is useless scrap metal without it because nobody would know what to do with the hardware if it weren't for the interactive software. then there's the web guru, who more or less writes useful web-based programs that are accessible by everyone on many different communication devices and are therefore not restricted to any particular software or hardware. in reality they are all dependant on each other. then there's the networking guru who likes to tell the other gurus to shut up and communicate.

people tend to draw the false conclusion that if someone is savvy with computers then they must know everything that there is to know. of course, you'll always have that geek who does a little bit of everything but in almost every case a geek will have a specific expertise, and for things to be done properly it is better that way.

you can play with people's heads on all three levels. as far as hardware is concerned, it could be as simple as placing a noise-maker inside of the computer case (preferably nothing magnetic or vibrating). web developers deceive people surfing their web sites with pranks such as advertisements disguised to look like program windows, etc. software developers create illusions as well, such as fake viruses/errors, fake disk activity, or the like. software is tailored for specific operating systems, so you may not be able to use everything that you find; always use your best judgment when downloading software from un-trusted sources. or you could just come up with your own ideas, too.

tc, or trusted computing, is a technology under development which is supposed to help reduce piracy. on the downside, it transfers the control over your pc from you to the people who wrote the software it is running.

this is considered by hackers to be a "bad" technology. however, we will adopt that if it is in fact what we have to look forward to.