BKDIGCON.RVW 20070923 "Digital Contagions", Jussi Parikka, 2007, 978-0-8204-8837-0, U$35.95 %A Jussi Parikka users.utu.fi/juspar juspar@utu.fi %C Moosstrasse 1, Postfach 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen, Switzerland %D 2007 %G 978-0-8204-8837-0 0-8204-8837-2 %I Peter Lang AG %O U$35.95 +41-32-376-17-17 fax: +41-32-376-17-27 www.peterlang.net %O http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0820488372/robsladesinterne http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0820488372/robsladesinte-21 %O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0820488372/robsladesin03-20 %O Audience i Tech 1 Writing 1 (see revfaq.htm for explanation) %P 327 p. %T "Digital Contagions: A Media Archaeology of Computer Viruses" Buried in the mass of verbiage that makes up the introduction there is an indication (far from clear) that the intent of the book is to examine the topic of computer viruses from a cultural, rather than a technical perspective. Further, the material Parikka proposes to use is not related to actual events or activities, but to reports, essays, and even fiction. (Hence the reference to "media archaeology" in the subtitle. The "contagion" of the title is intended, by the author, to refer not only to the reproductive spread of viral programs, but also the new ideas prompted by the existence of these reproductive applications.) The idea of examining what people think computer viruses do (instead of what they actually do) and how the programs are perceived (rather than how they actually operate) could possibly lead to some interesting observations. (I recall, in early seminars on computer viruses and discussions with the general public, how frequently I had to explain that viruses were programs and had authors, and correct the misperception that the applications had just evolved out of the general computer environment.) Unfortunately the introduction also indicates that while Parikka has done extensive research, he probably hasn't understood it all. There are a number of mistakes even in this early listing of events, including an extremely simplistic definition of viruses and worms themselves, and therefore the results of his analysis are suspect right from the start. (In response to the draft of this review, the author stated that "the point exactly was to question [as the intro says quite clearly] who is able and allowed to produce knowledge concerning viruses, what is acknowledged as a "truth" in this context, what kind of alternative approaches one might be able to come up with. So beyond any ideas of relativism, it proposes an approach of relationalism: how viruses are part of broader structures of producing knowledge concerning digital culture [always in relations, that is.]" Again, I would have to say that this is a potentially fascinating study, but that it isn't articulated clearly, and that the resulting opinions are severely limited in value due to a lack of distinction between perception and technical reality.) In chapter one, the author states that viruses have created fear in computer users. Unfortunately, he gives computer users too much credit in terms of their understanding of the processes involved, as well as overstating the concern felt by the majority of information security professionals. It is only in the past two years that surveys have started to show the overarching magnitude of the situation, and only in the past year that "endpoint security" has become a product selling point. His background analysis is also slipshod: insects didn't get into the Mark II because of lights at night, but due to (humanly inaccessible) windows that had to be left open for ventilation. (The use of this particular example in Parikka's work is rather fascinating, since the Mark II used Harvard Architecture, and would have been immune to viruses without a major shift in the underlying operational model.) The use of the term "bugs" for errors in Morse code was more likely due to the use of the term "bug" for the telegraph key: it was the user interface. (A similar term exists in the computer world to describe errors: pebkac, or "problem exists between keyboard and chair.") Parikka has not sufficiently understood the culture of the technical communities he is studying. In subsequent discussions, the author fails to appreciate the importance of the distinction between independent malware, and the more directly utilized blackhat programs such as network mappers and rootkits, as well as the distinction between malware activity and computer intruders. The historical overview seems to end rather abruptly circa 1995. Although there are occasional mentions of, and references to, computer viral programs in chapter two, in general Parikka seems to turn away from the topic in order to explore cultural ideas of the body, biological viruses, AIDS, the face, and immunity. He does finish off with a section exploring the idea of virus writers as psychologically abnormal, but even here much of the content falls prey to the all-too- common confusion between virus writers and other blackhat groups. Chapter three discusses ideas of artificial organisms and ecologies. Again, while viruses are remarked on, they are not central to the deliberation. It is, however, interesting to note Fred Cohen's comment that the Morris worm was possibly "the most powerful high- speed computation event" up to that date, particularly in light of estimates that the Storm botnet was, at one point, potentially the second most powerful supercomputer in existence. A "Conclusion" is entitled "Media Archaeology as Ecology." The point seems to be that writings not only record what people have thought about certain events and conditions, but what they will think in the future. Parikka seems to go out of his way to use abstruse words that are seldom used, and therefore probably poorly understood. The text is heavily larded with esoteric cultural references and unusual (and frequently poorly defined) terms or constructions. One gets the feeling that the author is possibly unsure of his own propositions, and is attempting to convince the reader by a kind of verbal hand- waving. The bibliography, and extensive footnotes, is impressive and even intimidating. A couple of my own works are cited frequently. Because of that, I know that statements and passages supposedly from, or supported by, those references sometimes are not buttressed by the credential in question. In any case, there are definitely errors of fact even in the "Timeline of Computer Viruses." No version of the Dellinger Apple virus of 1981 spread via the "Congo" game, although one variant interfered with it. Another point that the author made in response to the draft of this review is that he is writing from a perspective in social science, and that what I dismiss as verbiage would make sense to his colleagues. Unfortunately, I have to believe that this attitude betrays the obligation a writer has to his readers, not all of whom may be from a specialized field. A creator of technical literature (aside from documentation or textbooks crafted specifically for a limited audience) has to be prepared to explain, in basic language, the intent and major concepts being presented. This requirement is as applicable to social science as it is to computer science, and Parikka has not addressed it sufficiently. If he is, indeed, to make a contribution in this field, presumably he has to be able to make his points clearly to us dummies in the malware research community, too. Parikka's aim, in examining the influence of computer viruses on popular culture, as well as the prejudices that popular culture might impose upon attitudes toward viruses, is a good one, and could have resulted in some interesting insights. While other authors (despite the exaggerated claim by at least one reviewer) have addressed the history and development of viral programs, I cannot think of another work so dedicated to the "people" side of the problem. Unfortunately, the lack of rigour in Parikka's research and analysis (possibly exacerbated by his limited understanding of the underlying technologies) restricts the confidence one can have in his conclusions. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2007 BKDIGCON.RVW 20070923