Schmitz stirrer

Every once and a while the Internet throws up a person that deserves the moniker of wanker. Forget what you think about the bigwigs, the latest member of this club is arguably Kim Schmitz, who really puts the |337 into |337 |-|4><00R. Schmitz goes

Every once and a while the Internet throws up a person that deserves the moniker of wanker. Forget what you think about the bigwigs, the latest member of this club is arguably Kim Schmitz, who really puts the |337 into |337 |-|4><00R. Schmitz goes by the nick Kimble, and was responsible for a much-publicised, yet factually dubious, group called YIHAT (Young Intelligent Hackers against Terrorism) that allegedly hacked Sudanese bank accounts belonging to Osama Bin Laden.

Over the past years Kimble has boasted of his Hacking achievements, boasts that were dismantled in an article that appeared in The Standard last February, well before the YIHAT kerfuffle. According to The Standard there are many of Kimble's claims that can be traced back to famous hacks done by others years ago and even the vaguely decent (well, nowhere near as bad as Swordfish) hacking flick Sneakers. The full article can be found loitering here.

The YIHAT thing had pretty much faded into obscurity when Kimble was arrested last week in Thailand for insider trading. This relates back to Kimble's other major claim to fame, as an international millionaire playboy. With finances made from acting as a security consultant, Kimble became reknown for the most self-indulgent personal website since John Romero got internet access in his HMMWV. The site features lots of flash movies and photos from his jetsetting lifestyle, and includes his diatribe against Germany, where he has now unfortunately been returned to to face trial.

The crowning glory was the other day, when Kimble announced on the site something that many believed to be a suicide note, containing lines like “Kimble will be no more”. The scheduled time for this monumental event arrived and eager netizens were treated to, wait for it, a site redesign, complete with an email address for getting in touch with him in jail.

Kimble.org is worth checking out, for the pure indulgence that it contains. For the latest on the wierdo goings on in the life of Kimble, those hard hitting poms at The Register are keeping a continuous eye on the situation.

John Gillooly