science

HipCrime

HipCrime is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand HipCrime rather than just read about it. In short: HipCrime was both the screenname of a Usenet user and a software application distributed by, and presumably written by, this individual or group. The name derives from a neologism in the John Brunner science fiction novel Stand on Zanzibar.

Key takeaways

HipCrime belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect HipCrime to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of HipCrime from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HipCrime was both the screenname of a Usenet user and a software application distributed by, and presumably written by, this individual or group. The name derives from a neologism in the John Brunner science fiction novel Stand on Zanzibar.

HipCrime's Newsagent HipCrime's Newsagent software is a free and open-source Usenet control client. The program is written in Java and allows the user to auto-cancel any messages on Usenet based on author, subject, organization, message-ID, or path. It also allows the user to replace the body of any message with text of their choosing. The software also monitors any posts you choose and reposts them if they are removed. Additionally, it allows regular users to act as Usenet Administrators and create (or remove) entire newsgroups. CA Inc. has classified this as denial of service software, as well as flooder software, a specific type of denial of service attack.

HipCrime's ActiveAgent HipCrime is referred to as "a leading Usenet Terrorist" by James Farmer, maintainer of Spamfaq: Part 3: Understanding NANAE. Andrew Leonard, in his book Bots: The Origin of New Species, also credits HipCrime with creating the earliest web-distributed spambot. This bot, known as HipCrime's ActiveAgent, was a Java applet which allowed anybody with a web browser to send mass volumes of unsolicited e-mail messages. The ActiveAgent has since been expanded into an open-source application (known as MarketCom's MktAgent) and is relied upon heavily by the largest e-mail spam stock pump and dump gangs.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HipCrime

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HipCrime claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to HipCrime before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about HipCrime ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of HipCrime

In research: HipCrime appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses HipCrime in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: HipCrime is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Internet stubs, Spamming, Usenet, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for HipCrime outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study HipCrime in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what HipCrime means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain HipCrime out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HipCrime in simple terms?

Why does HipCrime matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study HipCrime?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on HipCrime.