_________     SWAT MAGAZINE ISSUE THIRTY JUNE 2000    __________
  /         \___________________________________________/          \
 /            Interview with....Armageddon- by XCESSwaste           \
/                    Member of the M.A.B Group                       \
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes in true krash style, we have an exclusive interview with Armageddon.
Some of you may hate him [*cough* ferret-fucker *cough* - Phreak], but
many love him [yeah, the ferrets - Phreak].
See what he has to say.  My writing is in black and so is his...

When you started A-S what where you trying to do or what was your vision?

A-S started purely to fill a gap in the ezine/magazine world, there was
no magazine that covered/or even willing to cover all scenes and publish
material which related back to the same sort of person.  The concept was
that while Software Crackers enjoy cracking articles, it's also very likely
they'll be interested in programming or tech orientated articles.  Those
who are into conspiracy and such also have an interest towards other scenes
of the 'underground' world.  So the vision was basically to create something
that would offer space to all scenes of the underground, much more orientated
around "If readers are interested in it, then we'll cover it......if not then
it doesn't happen because nothing gets sent in relating to that scene."


Was it a hard fight to get it going and is it still ?

I think most people who have started any Ezine (regardless of whether it got
off the ground or not) will admit to it being as stuggle to start with.
Articles are hard to come by when your asking people to send them in for free,
and you can't offer authors much in return due to nobody even knowing who you
are yet.  Promotionally if you don't put the hours in to generate awareness
your dead in the ocean because it's that "Why should I write for you?? I don't
want my work in some small ezine." Factor, put the hours in getting web site
owners and potential authors interested and at least you can say you tried.
Even today there are times when it can seem like an immense stuggle to get
the production together, but as long as you know there's someone out there
that appreciates what your doing, it's enough to keep the whole thing going.


What "scenes" are you into, do you consider your-self to be a good
hacker/phreaker?


I'm into a lot of scenes, from hacking/phreaking and system security to
the demo scene and the pure programming side of things, I've even worked
with one or two warez groups but that was back around '94 and was more
"inner circle" then it seems today.  If it relates to a technology of some
sort then odds are I'm interested......but today my main interest lies in
programming and I'm about a month away from releasing my first utility
for hackers/crackers/technically carders and all sorts of people (it does
quite a bit).

Being good at something is relative, without doubt I know I'm better/have
more understanding of hacking/phreaking then many people in this "scene".
However, at the same time I'm the first to admit there's still lots of people
who are better hackers and know more about computers then I do.  I start my
degree in Software Engineering this September so obviously once I finish that
I'll be at a much better position to say how "Good" I am then I am now....At
the end of the day it's all about just getting that bit more knowledge then
the next person, how good you are really rests on how good you want to be in
the first place.



What have you got against Swat, why?

I haven't got anything against SWAT, the two productions (A-S / SWAT) had
a fall out some issues/months back when we published a review of SWAT, to which
both Firestarter and Netw0rkbug wrote to me saying how they agreed with the
review (I have the emails to prove it).  Next thing I know A-S takes a slating
in their magazine and it was downhill from there, Firestarter emailed me saying
it was something to do with how he agreed with my review of SWAT but the
readers of SWAT disagreed.  Personally I'd rather just put that behind us and
get on with contributing to the scene(s) we respectivly produce for.  While I
have spoken to some of SWAT's staff about it all since the fall out, the core
staff don't seem to want to drop the dispute between the productions.  If I'm
wrong about that then I welcome Firestarter to contact me and let me know where
we stand in terms of just getting to a stage of mutual respect for each others
productions.  A-S has happily supported magazines such as Oblivion and KRASH
by announcing release details and where you can get them etc.  We refuse to
offer SWAT any support purely on the basis that we seem to continously make
"Front page" news in their production with abuse pointed at A-S and myself
......while we're geting that why should we support them?  Like I said I'm all
for putting our differances behind us etc.  But that can't happen until SWAT's
head staff accept fights/abuse on IRC/News groups gets us nowhere and
it's time we just got on with producing quality Ezines....They know my email
address when they want to sort this whole thing out.



What do you personally think you do better then Swat?

I don't really want to get into what we do better then them etc.  It's a
controversial thing, everyone has their own opinions.  All I can say is that
if you like Anti-Social Magazine, read it.  If you like SWAT, read it.  If
you like both productions......then read them both.  It's just up to the
reader to decide what they're interests are and get what fits their interests
best.  SWAT have said we act a bit like a corporation in the way we run A-S,
that's fine because we've had readers say it comes across more profesionally
that way and many people seem to like that.....it's all about reading what
best fits your interests and information needs.


What do you think Swat do better then you?

Again it's to controversial to bother getting into, I have to say I have
no idea how they've gone as long as they have without missing a month so hats
off to them for that achievement.  Other then that I'm not getting into it.


Krash has now gone bi- monthly, do you ever think this will ever happen to
your mag?

We've had the odd occasion when we've taken extra months, but there has been
reasons for this at the time.  For example A-S is the most format demanding
production of the 3 mentioned Ezines and nearly all the graphics and article
formating is done by myself, if I fall ill then the mag has problems, with
all due respect SWAT is a compilation of seperate .txt files - much easier
to compile and release the finished product.  On other occasions (when we've
released a new interface, or new version of it) due to the complexity of our
interface it's meant learning a completely new set of formating rules within
a month while working on the mag etc. and that's caused initial problems.  In
the end though A-S is planned to remain a monthly production, all our readers
seem happy to recieve the production every month and the articles/graphics/music
are still coming in at a plentiful rate to keep it monthly, if that changes
we'll adapt, but so far all looks fine.


Do you think the underground Scene is dying?

No not really, it's changed a lot over the past 5-7 years in that we now have
much better communication and so the once "dark" underground is exposed to the
torch lights of anyone remotely interested in the sort of scenes often refered
to by "the underground."  This change has brought about alsorts of questions
about what is "underground" in the first place, but at the end of the day
those serious about it know what it means......and while there's still someone
out there interested in a scene, the scene lives on.


What could be done to better in the scene?

Which one?  The hacking scene could do with a better sense of unity, we're
all in it together so what's the point in squabbling aimlessly over who knows
what?  Better to just get on with what interests you then spend 10 hours a
week fighting it out on IRC for no gain at all.  End of the day it's easy
to start abusing someone you feel knows nothing, but it's not so easy when
you end up meeting them at conferances and such like.  What would you rather
do, go to a con and meet people you've helped out/who've helped you, or
you've just discussed ideas with online.......Or go to a con and spend the
whole day in a corner bored out of your mind because you've abused the majority
of the attendance online?!?  It'd also be nice if we could see an end to
web site defacement, I know even the most respected people in the scene today
feel pretty much the same way about this as I do.  We just don't need it and
it continues to put a bad image on those who truely know what hacking is
all about.



What would you do to better it yourself if you could?

I don't know what else I could do to help better it, I've been involved in
my fair share of disagreements online (Made the front page of F41th Magazine
when they fell out with A-S over a misunderstanding between the two groups).
However since this time last year most of the groups myself and A-S at large
have had fall outs with have settled our differances.  I put a lot of work into
A-S to try and generate a magazine of the scene(s) and have gone on record many
a time as saying if you want a true cross-section of the entire scene then download
A-S and F41th and you'll have everything covered for the month.  You should be
seeing a program release from myself in the next month, which has took a lot of
24 hour days to get written as my work at HNC-Network and A-S, filling in Uni
documentation and masses of other things I guess many people are doing this
time of the year has really burnt up the time like something not right.



Do you think the scene was better in the "olden days?"

Everyone looks back and says "It was better in the old days"  5-10 years from
now the up and coming people in the scene will be argueing over how they
remember analogue lines and the need for modems and such.  There are aspects
I prefer about what the scene was like 6 years ago, but the idea of keeping
everything the same would be an awful thought.....Change is good, if we
didn't have change there'd be nothing new to learn, no need to adapt and
find new things that interest us.


Many small Zines have tried to come out of the wood work but didn't.  What is
the advice you would give to them about being a sucesful Zine?

Hmmm, firstly it depends what production your trying to do.  If you want to
be a technical journal then the technical quality of your content is everything,
worry about people finding you later.  If you want to be more of a Magazine and
cover both forum style stuff and Technical articles, then initially promotion
is everything - life gets easier if you are well distributed and lots of people
know you exist.  When A-S started myself and Neuro put in about 3-5 hours
a week just contacting webmasters and letting them know it existed and trying
to get links, distributers and such.  However, the BIG thing is to just step
back after the idea of "Hey lets make and Ezine" hits you.  Step back and
give it a day or so, think about whether or not you truely think you can get
the content in and realistically have the time to produce the ezine.  At
the end of that lot, if your still serious about doing it.....go for it.
If you want to rate yourself then a few people know I have a rule that says
"If you make it to issue 4, your'll probablly make it and survive for a long
time."  That rule has been right for almost every production for the past
few years....few mags die out at issue 6 or whatever, they might change their
release schedule but they usually last.



Is there anything else you would like to say?


See you all at DNS-CON #3 (www.dnscon.org) especially everyone who was
there last year!!  I'm putting up some of the recordings from last year
on the A-S web site so if you want to know what Hacker Jeprodey was like
(whether you attended or not) etc. Then check out the A-S site a few days
into June when I've had chance to upload the stuff.......yes we were going
to release everything on CD, but you can't complain now it's being given away
for free (well not all of it, but enough).

Check out A-S Magazine, *blocked URL - can induce ferret-fucking and general
                         gimpish behaviour*


Thank you for your Time.

Yeah Cheers.
       -Armageddon.
        Editor of A-S Magazine / HNC.

Email :  armageddon@hack-net.com [heh, that e-mail address will come in handy - Phreak]



Well thats all in the means of celeb interviews for this month from one of your star writers.  Thanks Aramgeddon for taking the time to do this. Back next Time with more hit articles.

Shoutz: Guyphorx, Tsunami, Chicane, Fire Starter,Deathbringer,SouRcErRoR, Gryphon,Emortal,Loon-E and Phreakazoid

If anyone feels they want an interview, just mail me .  It will have to be good though I don't want no script Kiddies etc.

xcesswaste@excite.com