As someone who has crushed a hornet's nest in his hand (when he was about 10), and well remembers the 36 stings afterwards (something of a record in these parts) while running away bravely, I'm not sure that's the analogy they should have chosen.
Certainly they might try to retaliate, but that would be very foolish.
Many decades ago Don Lancaster said "don't fuck with the eagle". This was because the Federal government's resources are vast compared to any individual. The government has the resources to pay 100 people full-time just to take down a forum. That's probably what they just did with Darkode.
Many of those Federal agents are just 9-to-5 guys, probably not too bright, quite content to make a good middle class living. But there are also undoubtedly a number of smart, ambitious people, who are being paid quite well to pursue, capture, and convict the Darkode actors.
So, lets see, you can either roll over and beg for mercy, like one of Ross Ulbrict's henchmen, and get less than 2 years in jail, or you can be a delusional arrogant twit like "mastermind" Ross and get life in Federal prison, without parole.
The choice is simple.
I'm sure there are also a lot of very bright 9-to-5 guys as well. Just saying...
In retrospect I shouldn't have used the words "not too bright".
This is the threat many drug rings give dealer who get caught. You do your 10 years and you do not provide the feds with any information or everyone you love will be offed. It's a threat that is very effective at keeping mouths shut.
So the choice isn't always clear-cut "take the government and their protection and work for them".
I can't find record of this anywhere. Are you talking about Don Lancaster of DL's guru lair? The only hit's I am getting for your quote are from some very country tumblr blogs and song lyrics. I am curious about the context.
>Certainly they might try to retaliate, but that would be very foolish.
This wasn't your original assertion but you do go on to break down why the shouldn't. They won't. This was a business that got shut down, they aren't "after the man" except as a byproduct of running an illegal business and getting away with it.
They are going to disperse and either continue phishing, hacking and cracking regular users and programs anonymously or they will set up another market on tor.
I'm talking about Don Lancaster of TTL Cookbook fame, and yes of Guru's Lair.[1]
The quote, or perhaps the more PG version "don't mess with the eagle", appears in his later book The Incredible Secret Money Machine. That one is more of a philosophy of life book, it's much different than his technical books.
IIRC (it's been many decades since I read it) Don expounds on that theme, it's not just a random quote. E.g. a govt bureaucrat can make your life hell just for the lulz[2]. That's why it's dumb to do stupid things in a high profile manner.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lancaster [2] ok, lulz wasn't a word in 1978, but work with me here. :-)
+1 Thanks.
I am currently re-reading Taleb's Antifragile book[1] and I think it's better the second time thru. But it probably wouldn't be as interesting w/o Fooled By Randomness and The Black Swan for background.
In Antifragile Taleb admires entrepreneurs and risk takers with skin in the game. He abhors bankers and politicians who benefit from the upside and pass the downside on to the taxpayers. But the book isn't for everyone. E.g. there's no chapter of "7 steps to building future wealth". It's more of a philosophy of life book.
I really enjoyed The 48 Laws of Power and a few other titles by Greene. Some of Malcolm Gladwell's books are interesting although they are a tad popsci. Recently finished Zero to One which was good, but if you listen to Thiel often there wasn't much new material. Lords of Finance is a NYTBS that is really well done and reminiscent of Taleb so you might like that.
Thanks.
That is not true. I've worked with a few of them, and they are more intelligent than you think. Most of them work 70-80 hours a week, have difficult times with their families ( high divorce rate). They just happen to work for superiors that care for "cases closed" and the cosmetic appearance and the applause from politicians of a case being closed.
They didn't smash it "in the hand". They smashed it. With a hammer. Flame thrower. ICBM. MOAB. Smoke generator and nets.
I could imagine a hundred ways to smash a hornets nest that won't get me hurt in any shape or form... and I could imagine a few that would definitely bite back (like, say, crushing it in the hand without gloves).
Once you get past the imagined "hand" part, it's not a bad analogy since they do have to worry about what part of the "swarm" got away...