Recommended: "Catch Me If You Can," a film

[Tim May]

I recommend "Catch Me If You Can," the new Spielberg-DiCapprio-Hanks movie about Frank W. Abignale, Jr., a true story of how Abignale ran away from home around 1964, forged checks, posed as an airline copilot, then as a doctor, then as a lawyer, while honing his craft in forging and identity faking.

I never saw "Takedown," the seldom-scene movie about Mitnick, Gilmore, etc., but I doubt it was as good in the "social engineering" side of hacking as "Catch Me" is.

Some excellent sets, costumes, and period stuff from the 1960s.

Abignale consults now for check makers, credit card companies, the FBI and other government agencies, and seems to be the leading authority in forgery. An interview he did a year or two ago with an Australian radio station--findable on the Web, as I found it--is great. He describes modern technology and how it actually makes what he did as a teenager a lot easier today (in some ways, less so in others).

HBO has a "Making Of" short piece, with behind the scenes camera shots, interviews with the parties involved, including Abignale, and lots of additional information. I TIVOed it.

(The next time a CP meeting/party is at my house, someone remind me and I'll put it on. Along with "A Beautiful Mind," also of interest to us.)

--Tim May, Citizen-unit of of the once free United States
" The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. "--Thomas Jefferson, 1787