Skip to content

Episode 1209 · Jan 28, 2006 · 2h 29m

January 28, 2006: Pole Shift - Lloyd Stewart Carpenter | Computer-Related Topics - Kevin Mitnick

Key Moments

Open transcript
  1. Transcript

    Art asks listeners not to call with condolencesArt explains he is using the show to get away from grief for four hours and asks the audience to refrain from calling in with condolences for Ramona.

  2. Transcript

    Pole shift could wipe the planet cleanArt frames the Lloyd Stewart Carpenter interview by warning that a pole shift may not just flip north and south - it could wipe all life from the planet.

  3. Transcript

    Carpentera magnetic reversal would kill electronics: Carpenter argues a simultaneous magnetic-field reversal is more dangerous than the pole shift itself, citing Peter Warlow's claim that everything electrical would lose power and run with reversed polarity.

  4. Transcript

    Mitnick defines social engineeringKevin Mitnick explains social engineering as using manipulation, deception, and influence to get a person to release passwords or visit a malicious website that exploits a client-side browser vulnerability.

  5. Transcript

    Mitnick on his own hacker mindsetAsked to profile a hacker, Mitnick speaks for himself: he wasn't after money - he was after the intellectual challenge, the seduction of danger, and being somewhere he wasn't supposed to be.

Art Bell welcomes pole shift researcher Lloyd Stewart Carpenter, who presents alarming scientific indicators suggesting the Earth may be approaching a magnetic reversal. Lloyd reports that the sun's magnetic field has doubled since 1963 according to Russian scientists, that the Chandler wobble has mysteriously stopped, and that the Earth's equatorial circumference now exceeds its polar measurement by 27 miles. He connects these findings with biblical and cross-cultural prophecies describing the Earth rolling like a scroll.

In the second half, legendary hacker Kevin Mitnick discusses the growing threat of botnets and zombie computer armies. He explains how malicious software turns ordinary computers into drones controlled through IRC channels, enabling spam distribution and denial-of-service attacks. Kevin reveals that social engineering remains the most effective hacking tool, describing scenarios where simple phone calls or planted CDs compromise entire corporate networks.

Kevin and Art debate NSA domestic surveillance, with both admitting they would likely authorize such monitoring if they were president despite constitutional concerns. They also discuss zero-day exploits, the possibility of government operatives embedding vulnerabilities in commercial software, and whether online banking carries acceptable risks for consumers.

Guest Library

Books by These Guests

Selected titles from the guest bibliography. Use them as context for this appearance, not required listening.

Browse all books

Continue exploring

Paths out of this episode