maia arson crimew (formerly known as Tillie Kottman) is a renowned hacker and computer expert, as well as an outspoken anarchist, communist, LGBT rights activist, and anti-capitalist figure. crimew is trans and non-binary, and has expressed comfort with she/her, they/them, it/its, and fae/faer pronouns. (I am not currently aware of any particular preference for one of these over the others; this mega may use them interchangeably.)
Fae first came to prominence in faer early teens as an Android developer and contributor within that community. Fae was the founding developer of a popular Android launcher called "Lawnchair".
She became an excellent hacker, and gained fame for hacks of Intel, Nintendo, Nissan and others. She made headlines around the world in 2021 with her hack of security systems company Verkada. As part of this hack, she gained access to live security video feeds from "secure" locations around the world, including prisons, Tesla factories, residential homes, and more. These feeds exposed deplorable conditions within such locations, lies by associated companies, and served as a testament to the degree of surveillance that exists all around us in modern society.
Fae was "coincidentally" charged and indicted days later by the US federal government on "unrelated charges". Faer home (in her native Switzerland) was raided by Swiss police at the request of the United States. Faer status was uncertain for some time, but fae now appears to be safe indefinitely as the Swiss government is not currently believed to be pursuing any additional actions beyond the previous seizure of faer electronic equipment and website, and Switzerland maintains a non-extradition policy for its citizens. However, it is unlikely that fae will ever be able to leave the country again, lest fae risk arrest. It is also not guaranteed that the Swiss government will not charge faer in the future or for future activities--though it is seen as unlikely because most of faer actions are theoretically legal in Switzerland.
crimew is seen by many as an "ethical hacker", targeting only large corporations and not profiting or benefitting personally from her activities. As an outspoken anti-capitalist, she has described her motivation for her online activities as ranging from exposing bad security practices stemming from corporate greed, to a philosophical opposition to intellectual property, to concerns that capitalism destroys creativity, and so on.
I will close this bio with the following tweet from their (suspended) twitter account:
"wanna be a great trans ally? punch your transphobic coworker in the face on our behalf.
maia arson crimew. @cybertillie."
[Editors note: It is the official position of Hexbear.net that while punching transphobes in the face may be a great way to show support for trans comrades, it's also funny.]
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This sucks because it's really hard to stay out of that self-diagnosis trap. Like as sure as I am that something's going on, I can't say with 100% certainty that I have ADHD. I worry a lot that I could come across as a drug addict or something if I push too hard - looking for stimulants to study or some shit.
Thanks for the pod link - sounds interesting, will check it out in a bit.
It is very much catch 22. The old diagnosis was for children and it was assumed that adults couldn't have it. So old fashioned push people have a nwgative jusgment about adhd. It really is just best to do the resarch and present an informed case. Yeah, it looks a little like you are drug seeking. However you kinda are. It's okay. You are sekeing drugs to make you do luandry. Medication to allow you to finction in society is a useful thing and should be encouraged
The stigma is strong but you’re right. The drugs work, and if it turns out they help me too then I absolutely want them. I’ll try to be more assertive and keep the doc on topic this time.
I'd just straight up be like: "yes I am a drug addict, yes I have ADHD, and? :gigachad:"
granted I had an awful experience with a psych when I was a teenager that soured me on them for probably forever
Bonus: Drug addiction and poor impulse regulation is a commonly noted symptom of adhd type disorders. So it's often genetic you know. I have it, my father had it. He had it before treating peopel was a thing so his whole life he self medicated by chainsmoking weed. It kinda helps. He did a fair ammount of time in jail as a young man for impulse type petty crime. So if treafment was ever a option for him, the nature of his condition would have prevented treatment from being an option for him.
The reality is that the doctors can't really say with 100% certainty you have ADHD either. Maybe you have a different form of executive dysfunction that looks a lot like ADHD, but isn't. One doctor may consider it the same thing, another won't, and neither will do any exploration of other potential issues. This is common for mental conditions, and even many physical ones that do not have laboratory diagnostics. Focus on the concrete here. Do you want to try ADHD meds to see if they improve your executive functioning symptoms? Do you want to ask for accomodations legally backed by an ADHD diagnosis? Then you must obtain an ADHD diagnosis. The diagnostic process is a tool for you to use, not an ultimate, perfect judgment handed down by doctors as the arbiters of truth.