Re: POISON PILL

[wcs@anchor.ho.att.com (Bill_Stewart_HOY002_1305)]

> Furthermore, pipe bombs throw shrapnel, and as such are anti-personnel
> devices. The goal was to destroy data, not FBI agents. Booby traps that
> take lives are considered in court as 1st degree murder.
> There are more elegant approaches.

Thermite, for instance :-)

Actually, that could get you nicked for arson of Federal property,
which carries substantial jail terms (a couple of anarchists who
burned a government-owned flag a few years ago got 10+ years for it.)

Releasing viruses can also get heavy penalties; keeping the malfunction 
(excuse me, "different data storage parameters") within your own
machine is more likely to be safe, though destroying data on 
"Federal interest computers" (which manages to include banks and a few
other things as well as government-owned systems) is also illegal,
and your machine becomes a Federal interest machine if they steal it.

You could do something really hostile, like have it boot OS/2 
if someone gives the wrong password :-)

		Bill