I didn't know him, but he did have an impact on me.

Kevin Mitnick was a name that I heard many times before, but I was never really familiar with the person. I just knew about the "getting in trouble for computer stuff" and of course the "Free Kevin" movement.

The 90s were a time of discovery for me and computers. It was also a time of me almost constantly getting in trouble for what I was able to do with computers (and networks). It took a threat of being reported to the FBI for me to finally take a break from screwing around so much.

My friends and I use to buy 2600 magazines and go to the local meetups. There was even a time after one of the meetups when a bunch of us rented a U-Haul truck to use to actually go trashing at some local businesses. (Also, I was so excited when some of my work eventually made it into an issue of 2600. I wish I still knew some of the people I use to hang out, because I would definitely brag about it to them.)

And of course, my friends an I got a huge kick out of the Hackers movie when it came out. It may have been insanely silly, but it also made the nerdy stuff seem shiny and attractive.

Basically, the "hacker culture" was part of my adolescence and helped shape who I am, and a lot of that was influenced by people like Kevin Mitnick and the kind of stuff he did.

RIP Kevin.