An 0wnz0red glossary

Joey's written a glossary for nontechnical people struggling to understand my story, 0wnz0red.
haxor (also H4X0R): hacker.

X0R is often used as the suffix "-er"; for instance "fucker" becomes "fuX0r" in 1337speak. Often a 1337speak noun ending in X0R becomes a present tense verb when followed by "s" or "z" or a past tense verb when followed by "ed". For instance, "this beer sucks" becomes "this beer sux0rz" (or, if you really want to go whole-hog, "+|-|1z b33R sUx0rz".

0wnz0red: owned, which means "screwed over". If someone has cracked your computer's security and taken it over or beaten you in a game of Quake, that person has 0wned (or 0wnz0red) you.

Note that this is different from the term 0wns (owns), which means "is very good" or "rules". An example: "I love my new computer! It 0wns!"

pr0n: porn. "pron" is a common typo that eventually got accepted as a synonym for porn; it then was made more 1337 by turning the "o" into a zero.

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Cory Doctorow

Upcoming appearances

* Feb 9, 2012, DeKalb, IL: Day of Doctorow, NIU
* Feb 10-12, 2012, Chicago, IL: Capricon 32
* Feb 13, 2012, Arlington, TX: UT Arlington College of Engineering Distinguished Speaker Series
* Feb 16, 2012, Victoria, BC: 13th Annual Privacy and Security Conference

Recent books:
* Context (essays)
* With a Little Help (short stories)
* For the Win (YA novel)
* Makers (adult novel)

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