On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 4:50 AM, Christine Yoon <
siege.yoon@gmail.com> wrote:
> Barrett -
>
> Thanks so much for the info and the pictures! I've been sifting through
> video since this weekend, and adding these photos will help a lot. I'll be
> stoked if we can get the safari video, of course, but if it's not possible,
> c'est la vie. The one piece of footage that I would be thrilled to have at
> this point is the video where you asked for assistance buying a ticket to
> New York last fall. If you have *any* idea of anyone who might still have a
> copy of that, let me know!!
>
> I'll look through the Guardian pieces and read up on David Fein and
> Commander X over the next few days. I may also try to contact Jay
> Leiderman. And I've already had the chance to talk to Mirna a bit. Stein
> is putting me in touch with Josh and John in New York... so I think we will
> be set in terms of friends appearing on the video, at least for this round
> of pitching. I would love to talk to Jenna tomorrow night if possible - the
> company has a Skype recording setup, but I don't have access to it until
> about 10 pm my time, i.e. after midnight. How does that timing work for
> y'all? I'll also email your mom, and perhaps try to set up a talk with her
> over the weekend. Both Stein and Mirna have said that your dad would be a
> great person to talk to as well - do you think he'd be down? Finally, I
> don't know how Friday is looking for you, but I think that would be a good
> time for us to do your Skype bit... just let me know if you've got plans.
>
> My cell is
504 4197287 - I think it'll be easiest to text just before we
> start an interview. I'll be using the company's Skype account, but I don't
> remember it off the top of my head.
>
> Things seem to be shaping up nicely! Looking forward to speaking face to
> face-ish!
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 7:04 PM, Barrett Brown <
barriticus@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Sorry again for the delay.
>>
>> Jonathan Farley isn't based in Boston; he does teaches somewhere in
>> the Northeast, though (I forgot where, as he changed schools recently,
>> but I'll ask).
>>
>> I've sent an e-mail to the guy in South Africa who produced the
>> hunting video, so hopefully I'll hear back from him soon; it's
>> actually possible that the FBI took my copy, as they listed taking a
>> CD case with a blank CD that I think may have been it. In the
>> meantime, I do have about a dozen pictures from that hunting trip to
>> Africa on Facebook as well as a few more from boar hunts in Texas in
>> my Gmail; go ahead and friend me on Facebook to get access to the
>> former and I'll forward the latter in a moment. The other FB photos
>> might also be useful.
>>
>> Mirna's Gmail address is
mirnahariz@gmail.com if you'd like to go
>> ahead and contact her; she'd be the best for a Skype interview, and
>> could probably best be convinced to participate in the series as a
>> whole if it comes from you. I actually don't have her phone number
>> anymore (lost them all when FBI took my phone), but I'll send her a
>> message telling her to expect you to get in touch.
>>
>> The Anonymous book is actually about Gregg Housh, whose deal it was; I
>> was just brought on to ghostwrite it, and since then I've sold them
>> the manuscript and moved off the project, which will be re-written by
>> some other writer. But if you wanted to couple each episode with other
>> things I've written, such as for The Guardian, that might be viable;
>> here are my past op-eds for them:
>>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/barrett-brown
>>
>> Also, to be clear, there's nothing about the project I'm doing with
>> David House that's a secret or proprietary; I just haven't yet
>> completed the presentation, which will take a bit more work on my end
>> before it's ready. I should have it done within a week and a half,
>> though, so at that point you'll be better able to determine how it
>> might be incorporated into a season or a few episodes or what have
>> you.
>>
>> Jenna would be happy to do a Skype interview at your convenience. I'm
>> sure my mom could download Skype as well. Her e-mail is
>>
lancaster.karen@gmail.com if you'd like to contact her directly, or I
>> can give you her cell, too.
>>
>> Incidentally, that Anon mentioned in the Isikoff interview is not
>> actually a 16-year-old girl; "Kayla" was just a persona used by an
>> older male hacker who was among those arrested on the same day I was
>> raided. But I do have plenty of interesting stories about many of
>> those people, and a couple of others, such as David Fein (NoPants) and
>> Commander X, both of whom are "out" under real names and faces, would
>> be available to do chats and most likely to appear on the show, as
>> would Jay Liederman, the "Anon lawyer," whom I spoke to about this the
>> other day (and who also uses Skype - e-mail is
>>
jay@leidermandevine.com).
>>
>> I'll be available throughout the week if you want to talk via phone or
>> Skype; let me know.
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 20, 2012 at 5:08 AM, Christine Yoon <
siege.yoon@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > Barrett -
>> >
>> > Thanks for the update. Sorry if I was overstating the obvious in my
>> > earlier
>> > email - you might find later that it's a habit of mine. :P I'm glad to
>> > hear
>> > that the Boston warehouse thing seems to be moving forward! As long as
>> > I
>> > know where that stands by the beginning of August, I'll know how to
>> > frame it
>> > during the pitch. And as soon as you have anyone who might be living
>> > there
>> > who's definitely in, shoot me their contact info!
>> >
>> > Speaking of people who might participate, Jonathan Farley seems like an
>> > awesome addition. Does he happen to be based in Boston as well? How
>> > long
>> > have ya'll been in contact?
>> >
>> > If you can get the hunting video or any other more social, off-the-cuff
>> > footage to me by this weekend, it'll be *really* helpful. Anything
>> > where
>> > your demeanor is something other than "informative." Otherwise, I'd
>> > like to
>> > perhaps start collecting any photos that might be described as
>> > "surprising."
>> > I'd also want to jump on Skype with anyone who'd be willing to tell some
>> > colorful Barrett anecdotes this weekend, hopefully Saturday
>> > afternoon/evening. This weekend's Skype material would be for pitch
>> > purposes only - no one involved would have to participate in the actual
>> > show. I really want Jenna to be one of those people... anyone else you
>> > could recommend would also be appreciated. Does your mom have Skype
>> > capabilities?
>> >
>> > (I'll also want to do one of these with you, but it might wait till the
>> > middle of next week.)
>> >
>> > I understand that you may be in the process of writing a book about your
>> > Anonymous stint. I just had a thought that we could use your writing as
>> > a
>> > way of framing each episode - very spur-of-the-moment example here, but
>> > let's imagine that each episode of the show would correspond to a
>> > chapter of
>> > the book. So you might have an HBGary chapter, in which you a) talk to
>> > folks on the street about the incident; b) interview/reminisce with
>> > someone
>> > else who participated or was close to the action; c) try to track down
>> > Aaron
>> > Barr and get some face time with him. You'd have a much better idea of
>> > how
>> > to break down chapters than I would, but I would think that there might
>> > also
>> > be chapters involving "the other McCain," Sabu, OpCartel, some of the
>> > more
>> > unusual and unexpected members of Anonymous (you mention a 16 year old
>> > girl
>> > in the Isikoff interview), etc. We'd open and close each episode with
>> > you
>> > addressing the audience, and narration written by you would appear
>> > throughout. I don't know whether this actually corresponds to your
>> > writing,
>> > or whether it even has to, but I'm just curious to see what you'd think
>> > of
>> > that sort of structure. (It may be that your upcoming project will take
>> > care of this structure element for us, but for however long we aren't
>> > able
>> > to share information about it, I need to have some other structure to
>> > suggest in its place.)
>> >
>> > Also, if you have any thoughts for show titles, I'd love to hear them.
>> > The
>> > shorter, the better - "Hacktivist" is my working title for now, but I
>> > don't
>> > feel like it covers everything.
>> >
>> > Let me know ASAP which folks I can interview this weekend!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > On Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 3:37 PM, Barrett Brown <
barriticus@gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Christine-
>> >>
>> >> Absolutely understand about the narrative necessities of the format
>> >> from your standpoint, and will of course cater to those as needed.
>> >> Regarding specifics:
>> >>
>> >> 1. From the standpoint of any show that does come out of this, the
>> >> project I mentioned is simply something new I'll be doing in
>> >> cooperation with various other figures that will put me "in motion" in
>> >> terms of my actual activity, and thus potentially leading to incidents
>> >> and conversations and all that which might be helpful to the series.
>> >> It will take a while to implement fully, which is to say that it will
>> >> be an ongoing matter. Whether or not the production team would find it
>> >> interesting for the purposes of the show is of course up to them, and
>> >> I'll let you know when we've created the video presentation for it
>> >> (presumably before September), at which point you and they can better
>> >> make any such decision. It will be very much ongoing; from your end, I
>> >> would simply think of it at this point as a possible arc for the first
>> >> season - and if it succeeds to the extent we think it might, then
>> >> perhaps it might form additional background material for any further
>> >> seasons.
>> >>
>> >> 2. Understood about potential complications of the warehouse. I do
>> >> think it's a go at this early point, and if it is, we can either film
>> >> there or not depending on whether the other participants are willing
>> >> to sign. I've already mentioned this pitch to a couple of them,
>> >> including David, and they seem to be positive on that, so it might
>> >> work out. I'll keep you appraised.
>> >>
>> >> 3. There are indeed a few other figures here and there who'd I count
>> >> as interesting antagonists, including the conservative pundit Robert
>> >> Stacy McCain. We have a years-old feud in which I've made a point of
>> >> writing about his ties to white nationalist groups as well as an
>> >> incident in which he spurred on various threats to a black
>> >> mathematician and HuffPo contributor named Jonathan Farley (who also
>> >> might be a good onscreen ally), who himself had gotten on the wrong
>> >> side of pro-Confederate groups by way of a newspaper column he wrote
>> >> and ended up fleeing north out of safety concerns. McCain sort of
>> >> renewed the conflict when I started being covered in connection to
>> >> Anon, calling for FBI to investigate me since about March of 2011 and,
>> >> more recently, openly hinting that I myself am an FBI cooperator who
>> >> took down Lulzsec (which he almost certainly doesn't believe). Beyond
>> >> that, there a few other individuals connected to Tom Ryan, Barr, etc,
>> >> who have also come at me in interesting ways, although they now seem
>> >> to be mostly fighting among themselves.
>> >>
>> >> 4. No one knows exactly what Sabu is doing now, although it's widely
>> >> suspected that he's still under some sort of obligation to the FBI to
>> >> continue to operate against various individuals on "our side." He's
>> >> something of a ghost now.
>> >>
>> >> 5. I'll leave Jenna's inclusion up to your discretion. I have a
>> >> historically chaotic romantic life for a number of reasons, but it
>> >> looks to me as if she and I will be together for a while, and as of
>> >> now, she functions as my confidant. She's never been in the public
>> >> eye, but she knows about this and is willing to be on-camera if that
>> >> would be helpful. She's just an option in terms of "characters" who
>> >> will respond emotionally.
>> >>
>> >> 6. My mom knows I'm working on this with you, and could perhaps be
>> >> persuaded to, say, have dinner with me on camera. What we can
>> >> absolutely count on is e-mails and Gmail chat messages from her on any
>> >> occasion on which I do anything at all that she would have prefer I
>> >> had handled differently. She's also someone whose reactions, even if
>> >> they do emanate from Texas while I'm in Boston, would play into my
>> >> on-screen life.
>> >>
>> >> 7. I haven't talked to Mirna in a while, but perhaps she'll be
>> >> interested in participating since she's running a booking agency in
>> >> Austin now and could probably benefit from any publicity. I'll ask
>> >> her.
>> >>
>> >> 8. There isn't any video of me actually talking in the bathtub with
>> >> original audio; someone just made short clip of it that's now on
>> >> YouTube, and which Gawker likes to link to. As for hunting, I suppose
>> >> something could be arranged.
>> >>
>> >> On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 12:58 PM, Christine Yoon <
siege.yoon@gmail.com>
>> >> wrote:
>> >> > Yo - started writing to you when you first wrote re: David House.
>> >> > The
>> >> > prospect of the activist warehouse is enticing, but it seems a little
>> >> > ephemeral at this stage. Until we know that it's a go, and that
>> >> > pretty
>> >> > much
>> >> > everyone who would be living there would be OK with being filmed, I
>> >> > won't
>> >> > mention it to the pitch committee. I think we are in good shape
>> >> > without
>> >> > it,
>> >> > though - I don't think the lack of warehouse will weaken the show.
>> >> > (If
>> >> > it
>> >> > is a go, I will need to have statements and bios from everyone who
>> >> > wants
>> >> > to
>> >> > participate by the beginning of August.)
>> >> >
>> >> > If the warehouse thing does happen, and if you think the
>> >> > "unprecedented"
>> >> > project is a go, I'd love to hear more about that. I imagine there
>> >> > won't be
>> >> > all that much for you to share, if you are hoping to maintain some
>> >> > element
>> >> > of surprise, but what would matter to me most is the projected
>> >> > timeframe
>> >> > of
>> >> > that project. The odds of our being able to shoot anything before
>> >> > September
>> >> > are low, so if it's slated for before then, we'll likely miss it.
>> >> > And
>> >> > if
>> >> > it's a long-term thing, I'd like to have an idea of how long it might
>> >> > last,
>> >> > just so I know whether to frame it as a season-long thing or perhaps
>> >> > just a
>> >> > one-episode arc.
>> >> >
>> >> > I was glad to receive the adventure bio. It's really densely packed
>> >> > - I
>> >> > am
>> >> > going to need to read through it a few times before I isolate more
>> >> > elements
>> >> > that I want to focus on. The things that initially jumped out at me:
>> >> >
>> >> > - Aaron Barr, Jennifer Emick, Thomas Ryan, Ron Moore - It's great,
>> >> > from
>> >> > my
>> >> > perspective, that you have these foes, especially in that they are
>> >> > individual people, rather than abstract corporations. Are there
>> >> > other
>> >> > public figures that you feel merit a mention in your
>> >> > antagonist/nemesis
>> >> > category? (I know you are focused on security issues now, but I'd
>> >> > also
>> >> > love
>> >> > to hear about feuds outside of that realm, say, with the
>> >> > Scientologists
>> >> > or
>> >> > any other religious folks.)
>> >> >
>> >> > - Sabu. Is anyone still in contact with him?
>> >> >
>> >> > - Jenna - Has Jenna ever been in the public eye? Have you talked to
>> >> > her
>> >> > much about the prospect of being on the show? From what you've told
>> >> > me
>> >> > about her, I think she would be great, particularly since she
>> >> > understands
>> >> > your work... but I am a little wary of positioning her as a full-on
>> >> > cast
>> >> > member, since a) I'm not sure to what extent she would be willing to
>> >> > be
>> >> > involved, and b) correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like your
>> >> > romantic
>> >> > relationship is somewhat recent.
>> >> >
>> >> > - Karen - Frankly, Karen would be an ideal regular element of the
>> >> > show.
>> >> > Have you mentioned it to her at all? I understand that if you were
>> >> > to
>> >> > move
>> >> > to Boston, she'd be out of filming range, but if you're in Texas at
>> >> > any
>> >> > point, it would be amazing to have direct face-to-face time between
>> >> > the
>> >> > two
>> >> > of you. Let me know how you feel about this. I completely
>> >> > understand
>> >> > if
>> >> > you'd like to keep your family out of the spotlight. But knowing
>> >> > Authentic
>> >> > as I do, I know that her on-screen involvement would make a huge
>> >> > difference.
>> >> > No one will care more about your exploits than she will... and that
>> >> > will
>> >> > translate powerfully on screen.
>> >> >
>> >> > (I've mentioned her before, and I don't want to seem repetitive, but
>> >> > I
>> >> > wonder how you feel about Mirna. I feel more confident pitching
>> >> > Mirna
>> >> > than
>> >> > Jenna, perhaps because I've met her face to face, but also because I
>> >> > know
>> >> > that you have a decade, at least, of history together, and she knows
>> >> > what to
>> >> > expect around you. I also think that her law background could
>> >> > provide
>> >> > an
>> >> > interesting angle on or counterpoint to the hacktivist perspective.
>> >> > Just
>> >> > let me know if you'd be interested/willing to include her. FYI, I
>> >> > will
>> >> > probably ask her for a skype interview just for the purpose of the
>> >> > pitch
>> >> > video, regardless of whether or not she's in the show. I just need a
>> >> > few
>> >> > quick sound bytes of people describing you.)
>> >> >
>> >> > I've gone through a lot of articles and video this weekend, and I am
>> >> > really
>> >> > happy with what I've found so far. I'm listening to your
>> >> > conversation
>> >> > with
>> >> > Aaron Barr now, and I'll be going through the Russia Today videos
>> >> > over
>> >> > the
>> >> > next few days. All of the video I have, though, centers around
>> >> > political
>> >> > talk. I wasn't able to find any bathtub videos that included your
>> >> > native
>> >> > audio, for some reason. If you are able to get that hunting video to
>> >> > me,
>> >> > let me know. I'm just dying for anything that's spontaneous and not
>> >> > fully
>> >> > geared towards activism.
>> >> >
>> >> > By the way, I wasn't thinking of hunting as a regular element of the
>> >> > show -
>> >> > just mentioned it as a way of expressing your personality outside of
>> >> > the
>> >> > internet realm. Which brings me to my most important point - as
>> >> > you're
>> >> > drafting your mission statement and thoughts on the show, keep in
>> >> > mind
>> >> > that
>> >> > Authentic produces reality TV, not investigative journalism. The
>> >> > best
>> >> > way I
>> >> > can think to differentiate the two right now is to emphasize that
>> >> > reality TV
>> >> > is about characters, first and foremost, whereas journalism is more
>> >> > about
>> >> > objective facts, demonstrable trends, history, etc. To win this
>> >> > pitch,
>> >> > we
>> >> > have to position this as a show about the people, especially you, who
>> >> > take
>> >> > it upon themselves to pursue whatever it is you choose to pursue
>> >> > (transparency, justice? You'd know best how to phrase it). We want
>> >> > to
>> >> > highlight what choices you'll make in your individual lives to
>> >> > achieve
>> >> > those
>> >> > goals, and what the personal consequences to you and your foes are,
>> >> > whether
>> >> > you do or don't succeed. A lot of the details of your work won't
>> >> > translate
>> >> > to this format unless we can humanize them - hacking HBGary's emails
>> >> > is
>> >> > a
>> >> > remarkable feat, but hacking HBGary's emails thanks to Aaron Barr's
>> >> > careless
>> >> > password management and causing Aaron Barr to resign - that's a feat
>> >> > with a
>> >> > face attached - something that anyone, regardless of background, can
>> >> > relate
>> >> > to.
>> >> >
>> >> > I know you want to raise awareness for your work. It seems to me
>> >> > that
>> >> > you'll have to approach this show as a way of driving Internet
>> >> > traffic
>> >> > to
>> >> > your various sites. It will be difficult to convey a lot of the
>> >> > details
>> >> > of
>> >> > your work on screen, and honestly, most of it's probably easier to
>> >> > understand in written form. As I see it, what the show should do is
>> >> > demonstrate that a) you are focused on issues that affect real
>> >> > people;
>> >> > b)
>> >> > you, Barrett, do whatever it takes to affect a change; c) if you can,
>> >> > anyone
>> >> > can. Forgive me if any of that sounds trite - in terms of sleep, my
>> >> > 10
>> >> > AM
>> >> > is like most people's 5 AM - but I hope you see what I'm getting at
>> >> > here. I
>> >> > want to portray you candidly as a person who's achieved international
>> >> > awareness through the power of his own determination, and in spite of
>> >> > the
>> >> > obstacles of social status and chemical dependency that may have
>> >> > stood
>> >> > in
>> >> > his way.
>> >> >
>> >> > On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 1:29 PM, Barrett Brown <
barriticus@gmail.com>
>> >> > wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Finally got the damn internet to work again. Below find the
>> >> >> adventure
>> >> >> bio up to my March 6th raid by FBI, followed by brief descriptions
>> >> >> of
>> >> >> two characters (mom and gf) who would be coming up most consistently
>> >> >> (gf especially since she lives with me and is involved in Anon);
>> >> >> there
>> >> >> are quite a few more people with whom I interact on Skype, Next
>> >> >> thing
>> >> >> I'll get you is draft of mission statement regarding how I can
>> >> >> expect
>> >> >> to provide content that's both interesting/entertaining and uniquely
>> >> >> informative re: both the "new activism" and the cyber-industrial
>> >> >> issues that motivate me, my group, and other activists I work with.
>> >> >> Will also include ideas on how a few things that do occur on the
>> >> >> text-driven internet can be "brought to life" a bit when warranted.
>> >> >> As
>> >> >> a preview, I should note that I enjoy going out drinking, and I also
>> >> >> enjoy giving my little lectures on government and activism to
>> >> >> patrons
>> >> >> and bartenders alike. The bartenders at The Quarter, the bar next to
>> >> >> my apartment, would thus be a good venue by which to accomplish any
>> >> >> "man on the street" sort of thing while giving it a twist. Hunting,
>> >> >> as
>> >> >> you mention, is also a possibility; will think a bit more on that
>> >> >> and
>> >> >> other options by which to facilitate some variation. I'll need to
>> >> >> make
>> >> >> certain that David House is indeed set on this "activist warehouse"
>> >> >> idea, in which case there'll be quite a bit more to work with on all
>> >> >> fronts; will plan to talk to him in next day or so to find out where
>> >> >> we are on that.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Also, here's a video clip in which I talk to former HBGary Federal
>> >> >> CEO
>> >> >> Aaron Barr shortly after the 2011 hack:
>> >> >>
http://www.mediafire.com/?7vb98xu7cobcif2
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Barr has been an ongoing foe of mine, and just tweeted something
>> >> >> about
>> >> >> me to another fellow, "Hubris," an ex-military hacker who helped run
>> >> >> the group "Backtrace Security" which in turn secretly contracted
>> >> >> with
>> >> >> HBGary to identify and locate the individuals responsible for the
>> >> >> hack, as well as to find something to "get [me] picked up on." This
>> >> >> has only been confirmed due to a hack on e-mail accounts belonging
>> >> >> to
>> >> >> Backtrace's other founder, Jennifer Emick, by a group called UGNazi
>> >> >> (several members of which were soon afterwards arrested); the
>> >> >> e-mails
>> >> >> released also show that Emick, a former Anon, was indeed serving as
>> >> >> an
>> >> >> FBI informant at the same time that she and her partners at
>> >> >> Backtrace
>> >> >> were working for HBGary. More recently, Hubris and Emick got in some
>> >> >> sort of ridiculous fight that's resulted in Hubris confirming other
>> >> >> details and releasing documents that shed more light on all of this.
>> >> >> Only a few elements are worth noting at any point in the series, but
>> >> >> anyway Barr and another contractor named Thomas Ryan are both
>> >> >> interesting enemy figures that also happen to be involved in a
>> >> >> couple
>> >> >> of the methodologies/capabilities that Project PM works to document
>> >> >> and expose.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> For more on Tom Ryan see this
>> >> >>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Sage
>> >> >>
>> >> >> And for more on Tom Ryan and Aaron Barr's known cooperation against
>> >> >> Occupy Wall Street, see this:
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/aaron-barrs-strange-trip-occupy-wall-street-102111
>> >> >> and this (
http://gawker.com/5850054/). Barr himself was fired from
>> >> >> the
>> >> >> job he took after resigning from HBGary because he spent too much
>> >> >> time
>> >> >> on Anonymous, as noted by his former boss here:
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/20/aaron-barr-cybersecurity-anonymous-occupy-wall-street_n_1219328.html
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Adventure Bio:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> 1981: Born to Robert Brown and Karen Lancaster in Dallas.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> 1986 - 1987: Robert, who had made millions in real estate projects,
>> >> >> is
>> >> >> investigated and then indicted by FBI for alleged participation in
>> >> >> “land-flipping.” He’s eventually found not guilty, but legal bills
>> >> >> combined with economic downturn and exuberant spending habits
>> >> >> (including big game hunting across Africa and elsewhere) end with
>> >> >> him
>> >> >> losing everything. Parents divorce, Barrett and Karen move into
>> >> >> grandmother’s apartment.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> 1998: Barrett, who had just barely escaped being expelled from
>> >> >> school
>> >> >> after being caught sleeping in girls’ hotel room on school trip,
>> >> >> decides to skip last two years of high school and goes to Dar es
>> >> >> Salaam, Tanzania with father and several ex-military men, and a
>> >> >> Dallas
>> >> >> financier who funded the operation, which was intended to establish
>> >> >> several business interests in the country, starting with lumber.
>> >> >> Barrett learned basic Swahili from books and tapes beforehand in
>> >> >> order to serve as translator when needed. Various bizarre conflicts
>> >> >> arise among crew members due to lack of payment and other matters,
>> >> >> eventually leading to everyone’s passports being held from them by
>> >> >> director of NASACO (National Shipping Company) Ademba Gomba until
>> >> >> intervention by the State Department. Afterwards Barrett is flown
>> >> >> back
>> >> >> by worried mother, Robert loses his money once again.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> 2000: Enters University of Texas to pursue journalism but then drops
>> >> >> out after getting some writing gigs.Still owes UT $2,000 according
>> >> >> to
>> >> >> next 12 years of calls from collections agencies.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> 2001 - 2009: Lives mediocre life of freelance writer in Austin,
>> >> >> Mexico, New York, twice having to work as a furniture mover for
>> >> >> six-month periods due to lack of gigs. Eventually gets small book
>> >> >> deal, minor reputation as a media critic and political commentator.
>> >> >> Appears on a few media outlets regarding random topics. Gets in
>> >> >> public
>> >> >> feuds with various ideological enemies. Struggles with addiction to
>> >> >> heroin.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Early 2010: Establishes Project PM, experimental net-based
>> >> >> “think-tank” intended to develop potential new methods for taking
>> >> >> advantage of internet. Recruits participants via Skeptical Inquirer
>> >> >> column and various blogs. Group creates blogging/activism platform
>> >> >> intended to organize crowd-sourced efforts, establishes small (but
>> >> >> only slightly successful) Science Journalism Improvement Project to
>> >> >> partner scientists with journalists, plans crowd-sourced African
>> >> >> Improvement Project, etc. Contacted by Anonymous organizer/media
>> >> >> outreach figure Gregg Housh after writing HuffPo article predicting
>> >> >> that Anonymous will facilitate effective opposition to states. Moves
>> >> >> back to Dallas. Prescribed Suboxone, methadone alternative.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> January 2011: Begins working with Anonymous participants to assist
>> >> >> net-driven portion of Tunisia insurgency, promoting OpTunisia,
>> >> >> writing
>> >> >> Anonymous press releases. Turns Project PM into venue for organizing
>> >> >> further assistance to North Africans, loses most of original
>> >> >> participants over concerns about Anonymous’ legal status. Arranges
>> >> >> pro
>> >> >> bono legal aid for Anons raided by FBI pursuant to earlier DDOS
>> >> >> attack
>> >> >> on Visa, MasterCard, and Paypal over Wikileaks blockade.
>> >> >> Increasingly
>> >> >> quoted by journalists on Anonymous and related issues.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> February 2011: After HBGary hack reveals Team Themis scandal, begins
>> >> >> conducting investigations into other issues stemming from 70,000
>> >> >> leaked e-mails. Records and distributes phone conversations with
>> >> >> executives at firms in question.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> March 2011: Subject of NBC Nightly News segment on Anonymous after
>> >> >> interview conducted at home in course of withdrawals from Suboxone.
>> >> >> Increasingly referred to incorrectly as either “official spokesman”
>> >> >> or
>> >> >> “leader” of movement, prompting hostility from some Anons.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> April 2011: Gets back on Suboxone. Publicly “quits” Anonymous after
>> >> >> a
>> >> >> much-publicized “civil war” occurs between channel operators within
>> >> >> Anon server, shift in emphasis away from Arab Spring. Moves ongoing
>> >> >> investigation on cyber-industrial complex to Project PM, which
>> >> >> establishes
Echelon2.org wiki to disseminate info on discoveries.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> May - July 2011: Further hacks conducted by Anons on firms with ties
>> >> >> to HBGary and Aaron Barr. Several establish “Lulzsec” group, begin
>> >> >> unprecedented hacking spree against both legitimate and random
>> >> >> targets, driving massive media coverage. Barrett incorrectly tied to
>> >> >> Lulzsec’s activities by several intelligence contracting firms and
>> >> >> media reports despite ambiguous relationship with most of its
>> >> >> participants. Several Lulzsec members arrested in U.K. and U.S.,
>> >> >> including hacker Sabu, who is quietly turned into FBI asset.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> August - September 2011: Project PM work continues. Barrett agrees
>> >> >> to
>> >> >> serve as co-writer to Gregg Housh on book project, which is sold to
>> >> >> Amazon.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> October 2011: After an Anon is subjected to routine Mexican Anons
>> >> >> launch #OpCartel, threatening to release dozens of names of
>> >> >> Zeta-affiliated individuals taken from stolen government e-mails
>> >> >> unless, before backing off the operatio