Aaron old chap, please believe me when I say that I did not intend to give offence.

I'm done talking about that sort of bullsh*t
I can only quote the late Sir Winston Churchill (British PM in WWII) regarding us British and yourselves:

"We are two nations divided by a common language"


You said:

I just wanted an outlet to express my IT related hobbies.
I said:

The_Spec still does things for amusement, rather than monetary gain.
By which I meant that you are not a cybercriminal.........

Now, in my use of English, hobby = pastime = amusement................

So, I was saying exactly what you have confirmed? but from the wrong side of the pond, in language terms?

Gary McKinnon is not, and never was, a hacker.............he was only a bloody sysop (machine minder) at the best. He used standard remote access tools, and relied on a blank password.

Now, I know you have done similar sorts of thing, but your attitude seems (to me) to be "why make things more difficult than they are?"

Just to set things straight

And thank you for your kind sympathies on my wife's death.