Marcus Changed the World!

Blog seven

302-358 (finished!)

     After Marcus and Ange email the Xnet about the Vampmob for tomorrow, he gets four hundred responds! The next day he arrives with Ange all dressed in black to the Civic Center area, where over one thousand Vampmob members arrived to play. As police arrive and  get ready to spray the crowd with gas, Marcus loses Ange and runs into the same girl that he does before the bridge falls at the beginning of the story. That same girl is Masha! It was her the whole time and she drags Marcus out of the crowd before the gas hits. As they change into normal clothing at a club, she takes his ID, cards and transportation passes. After they run into Charles, who has been stalking Marcus the whole time, Masha handcuffs him and runs off with Marcus. When they enter an extremely small spaced van that they hide in, Masha shows Marcus the picture that she took of him and his friends before the bombing. Marcus wants that picture as proof that Darryl is with him before the bombing and she refuses to give it to him now. When she falls asleep, he snatches her phone and she wakes up right away! As they get a little violent on the van, he slips off the vehicle and runs into a homeless man with an extremely interesting paper! The news paper contains Barbra Stratford's published story on the DHS keeping prisoners secretly at certain local islands! Now Marcus needs to find a special way to contact Barbra. When he spots two easy busting  Xnet Jammers, he reveals himself to them and they idolize him. When they identify themselves as Nate and Liam, they take him to their rich apartment, where Marcus uses their Xbox. After he tells them to stay low for a few days, he leaves with survival equipment. He then meets up with Zeb and tells him to contact Vanessa for him. When Marcus meets Vanessa, he gives her private information and Masha's phone. Marcus tells Vanessa to take this stuff to Barbra Stratford. During this time Vanessa admits that she loves Marcus and he realizes that Ange has been arrested and brought to Treasure Island. When Marcus gets back to Zeb, he teaches Marcus about the word "freegans" basically fetching food out of the trash. The next morning, when Marcus wakes up to a strong light, he is captured, taken into a van and is brought to what he believes is Treasure Island.  He recognizes Severe hair ladies voice and is brought to his cell in handcuffs where he pees in his pants and suddenly falls asleep. When he wakes up the next morning and is brought into a room for torture, people in uniform Break in and arrest severe haircut lady and her guards. Marcus is finally untied and Barbra Stratford runs into the room to hug Marcus. The other guards give them privacy to talk and she mentions that he needs to remain in this jail over night until he is trailed. As she runs with him throughout the hall ways to search for Ange and Darryl, Marcus loses hope on finding them and Barbra encourages him to look harder. They finally find them both and Marcus  leaves to see the judge in court the next day. They let him go by bail and his mother and father hug him right after he walks out of the court room doors. Marcus and his father share a real father son moment and they all hurry to the hospital to see Darryl. When they arrive at the hospital, many people are trying to take pictures and Marcus and his family  bust into the room. Marcus puts his head next to Darryl's and says "D" you made it.

Prediction: The story is over so I can't find out what would happen next, but if there is a part two, I would predict that the actual bomber will become shockingly familiar to Marcus! That would be a great start for the part  two book.

Reaction: This ending is what I had predicted throughout the book! I absolutely love the ending with the way they show a new relationship between Marcus and his father. I do feel that they should of put a scene with the actual bombers being caught in the end though! This book has a really happy ending and Marcus has become a celebrity known everywhere!

 

Quote: "Freedom is something you have to take for yourself"(Doctorow 335). Marcus is saying that you need to recognize your natural rights of freedom! If you aren't getting freedom, you need to give yourself freedom. This could connect to the philosophers enlightenment ideas during the times of the French Revolution. Connecting to natural rights, philosophers believed that if the people In authority aren't protecting your rights, then "kick the bum out"!!!!

LT extra credit* They pooled together in large groups, like an oil spill in reverse (simile)

LT extra credit* I closed my eyes and let the ocean lift me. I floated away. Somewhere far below me, was my body.

Marcus- Leader or Follower?

November 29th 230-301

                              Marcus -Leader or Follower?

     When Marcus and Ange hold a conference with many Xnetters, Marcus develops a strange feeling of leadership. When the conference is over and many questions are answered, Marcus and Ange turn off the Xbox and cuddle for a little while. When Marcus realizes that he's late and needs to be home, he storms out immediately after telling Ange he loves her. The next day he hears news about the DHS improving their security and that many Xnetters have been found and arrested. When Marcus is back at Ange's house, he has thoughts of being the cause for all of these arrest. She gets upset that he's doubting himself and they break into an argument. Marcus doesn't talk to her for days after the argument and finally returns to school. On his way out of school he bumps into a man no older then him that seems homeless. The man introduces himself as Zeb and takes off. When Marcus gets home, he notices a strange letter fall out of his pocket. It's from Zeb, the man that he has bumped Into earlier that day. It is an extremely important letter mentioning that he was at the same jail as him months ago and that Darryl sent him here to inform Marcus that he's alive in jail still. At the end of the letter it mentions that Zeb hates America now and wants Marcus to continue what he's doing! He also mentions that the DHS is scared of him. When Marcus  breaks into tears, his mom walks into the room and they share a mother and son moment, where he tells her almost everything. After she puts on a shocking face, his father arrives and he also tells him the whole story! His father reacts differently then mom by driving all of them to Darryl's fathers house to notify him about his son. When they arrive at his home, they notice Darryl's father as a mess. After he hears that his son is alive, he cleans up and takes off with them to see Barbra Stratford, a famous family friend journalist. After they arrive at Barbra and tell her everything, she storms to her computer to print paperwork and Marcus mentions secretly that he's M1k3y. Right after hearing this, she tells him to come over again so she could take notes on his story privately. The next day, after Marcus leaves school, he bumps into Ange and tells her about the journalist meeting. She tags along and they both go to see Barbra Stratford right away. When they leave Barbra after hearing that their story belongs to her now, they stop at Ange's house and have sex together. When they finish having sex, Marcus gets an email from an Xnetter named Masha. She mentions how she was arrested by the DHS, was found innocent and then offer her a job to spy on the Xnet. She offers Marcus a trip to Los Angels, where she will escape with him before they both get busted, but Marcus doesn't trust her. She proves that she is for the Xnet after sending him a shocking hacking trick. Marcus freaks out after noticing that he's in danger and Ange tries convincing him to go with this girl and to bring her with him. At the beginning of chapter 18, Marcus mentions how he used to play vampire games in the woods at camp with Darryl and others. He also mentions playing at hotels and running around lying and freaking guest out! The people who play these games are known as LARPers. When Marcus meets up with Ange again and sends trust worthy Xnetters instructions for a vampire game, he contacts Masha and tells her that he's getting ready for tomorrow's trip to LA. After Marcus helps Ange pack, they both go to Marcus's house, where Ange meets his parents and stays for dinner.

Prediction: I honestly don't even know what could possibly happen next! I think that Masha isn't really going to help Marcus escape. I think there is something suspicious about that user and I think that Marcus will get caught in Los Angeles. I think that Darryl will also appear very soon in the book again! Maybe even Vanessa and Jolu. 

Quote: " I felt the eyes of the classroom on me, and it reminded me of m1k3y and the people who looked up to him. I was sick of being looked up to. I missed Ange"(Doctorow 246).

How can he say this!? He wants people to hear him throughout the whole book! He wanted to make a change for the country and how can that be done if he doesn't want to be noticed by anyone anymore! Everything that he's doing involves attention! He's a leader of a movement!

Reaction: I am really interested in this book! I do notice the change in characters, but don't really like the new disposition in some of the characters like the father. The story did get more calm and boring to read, but I do feel a huge ending coming!

Literary Term** Holding in the secret had dirtied me. Soiled my spirit. (Metaphor)

2) Dad sat stiff as a ramrod the whole time. (Simile)

Notorious M1k3y

Blog 5

 

November 20th 165-230

     After Jolu explains to everyone why they are there, people have many questions, comments and eventually exchange identity keys for the Xnet. When Marcus brings his laptop with possible evidence to the ocean for dumping, one of his trust worthy key members named Ange joins him. Because of the beautiful atmosphere they almost kiss, but don't. However they still share a beautiful moment with each other. When Marcus finally arrives home after being on a bus with his drunk friends, he finds Ange on Xnet and discovers that people use Xnet like a Facebook now. After Marcus and Ange flirt all night, Marcus wakes up and notices the quote "don't trust anyone over 25" all around town. Even in his classroom. When that quote is on Marcus's class board, Mrs. Galvez and the class discuss people called Yippies. After huge discussions on Yippies break out, mentioning the attacks they have had on cops and towns, Marcus interrupts them by standing up and reading an article from the internet out loud. After he reads a passage from the Declaration of Independence, he sits down and class ends. That night he contacts Ange on Xnet again and they arrange a date. They make plans to go to an illegal concert in Dolores Park and have dinner together at a Mexican restaurant. When they arrive at the concert, they have a blast! Eventually they move into a private area for sexual contact. The police then arrive to pepper spray the whole area and handcuff anyone they could capture. Marcus and Ange avoid the police and they decide to end the night. That week Marcus meets Ange in his favorite cafe to show her the paper mentioning the scene at Dolores Park. He wants actual victims to post their sides of the story on Xnet for everyone to see. While he explains this to her, she mentions his secret name m1k3y and he storms out of the cafe with anger. After he becomes calm, she explains how she knows his code name and tells him that she was the one who stole the big test and posted them online weeks ago! Later that night, he is working on his website In order to publish the victims side of the story towards the night at Dolores Park. Stories about the publishers is all over the news the next morning and Marcus's father is against him using Xnet! When Marcus gets to school he notices that he has a new sub. She brings up topics relating to freedom and Marcus connects The Bill of Rights to society. After he gets sent to the principals office for being disrespectful, principal Benson suspends him for two weeks and kicks him out of his office. when Marcus wakes up the next morning, he turns on the news and hears people criticizing anyone who was at Dolores Park that week. After he tells his father he got suspended, he goes upstairs to start his school paper. When he falls asleep, he has many dreams of him and Ange having sex. when Marcus meets Ange at her school, they run into Vanessa. Marcus learns that Ange and Vanessa aren't friends and Ange has thoughts that Marcus likes Vanessa. Ange takes Marcus to her house, where Marcus discovers an insane video of a general getting beaten up by DHS members in public! He shares the video many times on Xnet and the video becomes world wide! The next day Marcus receives extremely suspicious emails from people on the Xnet, mentioning that they want to interview him. Marcus rejects each one throughout the day.

Prediction: I think that he will get caught any second! The kid isn't smart enough to continue what he's doing. Think about it, it's him against America! Since when does America lose? When he gets caught I'm throwing this book.

Quote: very important quote: "Ladies and gentlemen, America is fighting a war on many fronts, but nowhere is she in more grave danger then she is here at home"(Doctorow 216). Marcus is saying that America is fighting for something, but the most dangerous place to be is in America because they are just really fighting themselves with all the changes they're making.

Reaction: I feel a little more chilled out when reading this book now. Maybe it's because he's not talking to his friends anymore. I am pretty surprised that Marcus has a girlfriend and i am shocked that he has sex with her! Two huge nerds having sex, I know it sounds weird.

Man vs society!

   Man vs society!

November 4th 100-165

     When Marcus leaves the Bart train station, he spots all these crazy street sellers, gangs, and drug dealers around the area as he walks up the stairs to the streets. As he is walking, he feels that two police men are spying on him. After Marcus steps into a restaurant, the two cops enter the restaurant to take Marcus into their police car to ask him some questions. They notice unusual Transportation timing in his pass. After Marcus makes a wise comment, the police officers drive him home and ask his mother questions. When the cops finish talking to Marcus's mother and leave, Marcus's father sounds like he is taking the cops side on this whole situation. When Marcus goes upstairs to check on his privacy fixed Xbox, he notices that the government is able to track unusual amounts of codes through Xnet, so he calls Jolu and Vanessa for a meeting at their favorite cafe. After Vanessa goes against Marcus's brand new idea on trying to figure out how to keep people's privacy safe on Xnet, she kisses Jolu and Marcus on the cheek and leaves. Jolu and Marcus have a discussion and they are going to work together on this risky mission. Their mission is to balance the abnormal activity on this private connection system. The next day many people are found with abnormal activity. People are caught with drug dealings, and cheating on people. That day Marcus meets Vanessa at the park, and they talk about random stuff. Eventually Marcus gets into the topic about fighting against the towns security, but Vanessa hates that he brings this up. She mentions that if everyone is arrested, then no one would be different from another, and Marcus gets the idea on how to balance out the Xnet to prevent abnormal activity. Vanessa thinks that Marcus is crazy after hearing his plan to defeat the DHS, so she pushes him down and runs away before he gets up. After Marcus sets up his plan using a pocket clone to create codes that add to Xnet, he explains how it's an automat fail to have this new security system called FasTrack. It's a system that records all movements of cars and people twenty four hours a day.The next morning he hears all around the news about the DHS not working well. Marcus is happy to know that what he is doing is working, which is hiding  Xnet connectors from the DHS. That night Marcus's father comes home late in a horrible mood! It turns out that he has been pulled over by cops that night and he apologizes to his son for not agreeing with him about the DHS. That night Marcus uses the Xnet, when people all over the net are asking him extremely suspicious questions. He then shuts down the system and goes to sleep. The next morning his father notifies him with huge news! The DHS is getting a three hundred percent budget increase towards the security systems and Marcus freaks out from hearing this. After his father mentions this news, he goes back to agreeing with these security systems again! Later that week, after a foolish Xnet member calls a station using a pay phone, Marcus gets several emails from many different people discussing a recent incident with cops capturing people involved in the Xnet. Marcus blames himself for this incident and compares himself to a terrorist. After Marcus's mother tells him things that he never hears before about how he kept his parents marriage together, he goes to his room and spots a wifinder. A wifinder is a DHS worker who tries to track down different  Xnet codes. After Marcus goes on Xnet to post a warning, he notices a suspicious quiz all over the server! Now Marcus wants to use the crypto key system, which only allows trust worthy people to receive and send messages. He calls Jolu, asking him to create a trust worthy group with him. They set up a fake party for the meeting so they don't get busted. As Marcus and Jolu are waiting for everyone, Jolu chickens out and Marcus is upset.

Prediction: I predict a crime scene! With the three hundred percent budget increase, there is no way Marcus will get away with what he is doing and continue to proceed. It keeps on getting harder and harder to avoid the DHS, but Marcus's plans do keep getting better and better!  I think Jolu will come back to help Marcus in the story because a huge theme in this book is friendship!

Quote:  After Marcus notices that he is being followed by cops, and is followed into the restaurant he says, "I knew I couldn't outrun fate"(Doctorow 103). This quote is really important because he is already determining what will happen. How did he know that he would be brought into a police car? Did he think that  he did anything wrong already to expect this, or maybe he knew the government would come back for him eventually in advance? Society is becoming to predictable for him!

Reaction: I'm a little confused. Why does Marcus care so much about all of this? His friends are even starting to think he is crazy! I'm getting a little annoyed about why he is so into this. He should notice that what he is doing is stupid! He's even getting people in trouble rather then saving them. Him being this paranoid is getting me paranoid!

(Sorry about the tremendous summary! There was so much information in these two chapters)

Society takes change to the maximum B#3

October 22nd 76-100: society takes change

     When Marcus arrives home, his parents open the door immediately, and hug him.They ask Marcus many questions, and mention that a tunnel was bombed by terrorists to. After Marcus eats and changes into clean clothing, he try's charging his hand made laptop and discovers that someone put a special device on his computer that can and spy on what he does. He leaves the device alone, puts the computer away, and opens up a brand new Xbox Universal with a secret software called ParaniodXbox. ParanoidXbox is a software that protects privacy on the internet. It also includes many cool free online games. Marcus goes to school the next day and stops by a local Turkish coffee shop. The man doesn't take his debt card because the government now Track everyone's purchases. This man believes in freedom and hates what the government is now doing. Marcus gets huge treatments when he arrives at school after everyone sees him in the newspaper. He notices cameras all over his classrooms and shares what he believes about terrorism with the class. Charles starts debating with Marcus and Ms. Galvez ends the debate. Marcus is starting to give away many ParanoidXbox discs to everyone, and he is developing many different ways and skills to stay on the internet without someone watching his every move. He also goes by a new code now which is m1k3y. He doesn't worry about what he is doing because he is using cryptography. A system that can scramble all messages and codes so it's private.

Prediction: I think that Marcus will use all these new skills to take revenge on the people that Locked him up a few days ago, and discover why the government security is going way beyond the limit. I also feel that on his journey to success, he will hit many bumps on the road.

Quote: "I was tapped. Everyone might be tapped. The world had changed forever"(Doctorow 86). This quote is the same as my second blogs quote, but it still caught my attention!  Probably because that line had been used several times during my life time on the day of 9/11.

Reaction: I felt that most of what i read was about all new softwares Marcus is now using for privacy, and how the government is becoming strict on society. It is showing me how the world changed after this attack. Because this book is showing  me how their world changed, It caused me to think about how the real world changed after 9/11.

Literary Term: "my brain was really going now, running like sixty". (Simile)

A game or reality? Blog 2

Blog 2

October 21st 23-76 A game to them or reality?

      After the genius plan to get rid of the track down on the book, Marcus and Darryl ditch school and meet up with their friends Vanessa and Jolu. They all wander around San Francisco looking for a special gamer connection, when they bump into other threatening gamers. There and then is a huge explosion, causing clouds of smoke.  The city announces an evacuation to all shelters, and the four of them evacuate immediately. They reach a crowded shelter where Darryl gets cut badly in the crowd. Marcus jumps in the middle of the road, stopping a jeep for help, when the people in the vehicle kidnap him and his friends. Marcus wakes up after a bag is pulled off his head, and these people that claim they work for the government ask him private questions. Marcus refuses to answer anything, and he eventually gets transported to a disgusting prison where he is asked more private questions. Finally he gives them his password on the mobile device, and he is paralyzed by the words " convince us that you were at the wrong place at the wrong time". After they get the information they want, Marcus gets what they promise him. He gets exercise time, showers, and food. During his free time he runs into Vanessa. The prison bust them for talking, and Marcus gets horrible treatment for the rest of his stay at the prison. They call guards to bring Marcus to the severe hair cut lady to sign certain documents, and Marcus feels he is signing freedom! That's because they are letting him go when he signs this. Eventually they let him go by doing the whole bag on the head procedure, bringing him into the van, and finally letting him on the streets. Seconds after he steps foot on ground, he spots Vanessa then Jolu. They all notice that Darryl isn't with them and they all break into tears. After adding up some money, the three of them sit down in an Italian restaurant to talk things over. Marcus mentions revenge on the kidnappers and his friends doubt him after his plan. On the way out of the restaurant, similar vehicles to the one they got thrown in to were near by. After spotting these vehicles, they each walk home alone.

Prediction: I think that Marcus will take revenge on them because he really seems like a man of his word! Maybe he will create a virus or something to take revenge on them. You never know what could happen in these situations 

Quote: Behind me I felt van start forward. Her all-girls school was notorious for its brawls, and I was pretty sure she was ready to knock this chick's block off. "Then the world changed forever"(Doctorow 32). This quote is extremely important here because the scene right after these words changed their lives and the whole world forever.

Quote 2: After they give Marcus baggy orange jail clothing to wear, he says, "that's where the baggy-pants down-your-ass look comes from you know that? From prison" (Doctorow 62). I felt this quote was extremely funny for some reason.

Reaction: I fell into this book like a reality so far! I thought I was there when I read about the explosion, and my adrenaline pumped when Marcus's adrenaline pumped. Even though Marcus seems extremely smart, he still shouldn't assume what ever he imagines will happen! He needs to learn to watch his big mouth and stop thinking of everything as a video game!

E.c. Literary Terms: "My memories swam like little fish that I snatched at and sometimes they wriggled out of my grasp". (Simile)

Techno Intro Perfecto #1

Blog one

Characters Darryl  Vanessa  Pakistan

October 20th 10-22 :techno intro perfecto

     The book Little Brother by Cory Doctorow starts with Marcus Yallow introducing himself as a senior at Cesar Chavez High in San Francisco sunny mission district. He is a genius in technology and goes by the code name W1n5t0n. Marcus is called into the principals office after his name is announced on the PA. Principal Benson accuses him of hacking into the school computer, finding test results. Since there isn't much evidence of Marcus being the hacker, Principal Benson sends him to class for now. Marcus checks his phone for his favorite computer game called  Harajuka Fun Madness. Marcus now wants to solve the new clues in the game with his team friends Darryl, and Vanessa. His plan is sneaking out of school to play with them, but it isn't as easy as it seems. The security system is packed with many cameras that identify who you are and library books that can be tracked. When Darryl and Marcus are sneaking out of school, Darryl notices a library book in his nap sack.

Prediction: I think Darryl and Marcus are smart enough to know what to do with the library book as they sneak out of school. It would be interesting if they ran into more of these types of problems though!

Confusing quote: "Reflexology is about a scientifically useful as a gait-recognition"(Doctorow 18). What the heck is that!? Who does this author think I am? Einstein?

Reaction: so far I like what I'm reading. I have learnt a lot about technology and other programs just from this reading session! I have already spoof called half my friends !!!! Shhhhh......