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==Phrack Inc.==
Volume One, Issue 7, Phile 2 of 10
==Phrack Pro-Phile IV==
Written and Created by Taran King
June 28, 1986
Welcome to Phrack Pro-Phile IV. Phrack Pro-Phile is created to bring info to
you, the users, about old or highly important/controversial people. This
month, I bring to you one of the most influential users of our times and of
days of old...
Scan Man
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Scan Man is the sysop of Pirate 80 (P-80), a telcom enthusiasts' bulletin board
in Charleston, West Virginia (304).
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Personal
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Handle: Scan Man
Call him: Scan Man
Past handles: None
Handle origin: Thought it up while writing a scanning program.
Date of Birth: 8/30/53
Age at current date: 32 years old
Height: 6'1
Weight: About 225 lbs.
Eye color: Green
Hair Color: Dark Blond to Light Brown
Computers: 2 TRS Model I's (one of which the BBS is run on), Tandy
Model 1000 (IBM Compatible), a 132 Column Dot Matrix, a
132 Column Daisy Wheel, a Model 100 Portable, a TRS Color
Computer, and a backup 80 Column Dot Matrix Printer.
Sysop/Co-Sysop of: Pirate 80 (P-80)
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Scan Man started out in the BBS world about 7 years ago when he first got his
modem, a 300 Baud Auto-Answer/Auto-Dial Micro-Connection Modem (made by Micro
Peripheral Corp.) with tape input and output. Pirate 80 went up 4 years ago
this Halloween, which consisted of a TRS Model 1, 3 40 track, single sided,
double density floppies, and a 300 baud modem (which held up until 6 months
ago).
At the time of arising, the board was put up for interests in phreaking,
hacking, as well as pirating. Within the first 6 months to now, Scan Man had
gone through 6 BBS programs, and is quite satisfied with the current one.
First, he started with a pirated version of TBBS 1.2, then an upgrade to 1.3,
pirated again (occurred and at the same time a hard drive was added after a
number of disk drive changes and modifications). Scan Man, through his BBS
(which was in the first 5 all phreak/hack BBS's to ever go up, and is the
oldest phreak board in the country), has met or talked to what he considers
"anybody who is anybody".
At 11 years old, he found a few old phones, took them apart, and got them
working, which was when his interest in telecom arose. He was led into the
phreak world when he became aware that he could phreak (articles he read such
as blue box articles). At the time, BBS's and personal computers did not exist
at this time.
The first board he called that involved phreaking was the old Pirate's Harbor.
An anonymous message posted there had a few alternate long distance service
codes posted. He was very excited that he had stumbled upon this thrill and he
spent the first year or so calling around finding exactly what everyone was
into and from there forward he started manufacturing various devices with The
Researcher. They worked together and learned together.
Because so much information posted was inaccurate, they did this to make it
accurate and found out what was the real stories. The more memorable phreak
boards that he was on included Plovernet, (and all pre-Plovernet), L.O.D., AT&T
Phone Center, Pirates of Puget Sound, as well as a few others which he couldn't
remember offhand because it was so long ago.
Scan Man's works as a computer consultant (systems analyst). He checks
security as well as enhancements, improvements, and debugging. He's been doing
this for about a year now.
Scan Man's hack/phreak interests are unknown to his employers. He has attended
various things including sneaking into a seminar on the DMS-250 Digital
Switching System, and before that, TelePub'86, and he's sneaked into other
various telcom/computer security seminars. He starts one project at a time and
does things step by step. He's very concentrated in his projects.
Scan Man frowns upon groups and says, "If you're any damn good at all, you're
going to get a reputation whether you like it or not."
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Interests: Telecommunications (modeming, phreaking, hacking, satellite
scanning), white water rafting, snow skiing, dancing (he used to be
a roller skating dance/disco instructor), and boating.
Scan Man's Favorite Things
--------------------------
Foods: Junk food, or an expensive restaurant once a week or so.
Movies: He's a movie buff, and goes regularly, by himself even.
Animals: He's an animal lover.
Pyrotechnics: They manufacture various fireworks as a hobby.
Most Memorable Experiences
--------------------------
The Newsweek Incident with Richard Sandza.
Last year's New Years' Phreak Party.
Some People to Mention
----------------------
The Researcher (for helping him out in starting out with phreak/hacking.)
The Coco Wizard (helped a lot with the BBS and the hardware on the computer.)
King Blotto, Mr. Gucci, and The Scanner (people he could do without.)
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Scan Man dislikes the bickering and fighting between the phone phreaks of
modern day because they're just fighting to climb the social ladder. He
dislikes the current phone phreaks because they're not in it to learn, and are
only in it to gain a big reputation. The old phreaks were those that wanted to
be there because they were a student of the network and had a true desire to
learn. It's become an ego/power-trip of the modern teenage America. They're
only in it to impress other people, and write philes just to get the
reputation, rather than to write it for the information in it, and collect them
only to say their collection is sizable. He feels that credit cards are voodoo
because it seems to be what people and sysops get busted for the most.
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I hope you enjoyed this phile, look forward to more Phrack Pro-Philes coming in
the near future. And now for the regularly taken poll from all interviewees.
Of the general population of phreaks you have met, would you consider most
phreaks, if any, to be computer geeks? 90% of the phreaks, yes. 10% or less
are in it to learn. He respects that small percentage. Thank you for your
time, Scan Man.
Taran King
Sysop of Metal Shop Private
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