11.10: Idea, as Genre, with Nancy Fulda

Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.

In this book, Clifford Stoll recounts his unexpected adventure as a computer systems manager at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A 75-cent accounting error leads him to discover an unauthorized user on the system, later identified as a hacker named 'Hunter' who was stealing sensitive military information. Stoll's one-man investigation involves a high-stakes game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases, eventually gaining the attention of the CIA. The book details the early days of cybersecurity, the challenges of persuading government agencies to cooperate, and the race against time to safeguard sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.