What do you think?
The Cynja Volume 1
The Cynja is an illustrated story introducing kids to the awesome world of cybersecurity and technology.
Hidden deep inside our planet’s virtual world, lurking in the darkened cyber alleys of our digital neighborhoods, a new generation of bad guys has risen. Zombies, worms, botnets – all threaten our happiness and future. But there is hope. A lone warrior battles this new sinister cyber evil. He is the Cynsei.
The Cynsei is trying to keep us safe. But the guardian of all things noble in cyberspace cannot fight alone. His enemies are too numerous. If the Internet is to escape falling into darkness, the Cynsei needs help. But who would be brave enough to travel into the depths of malicious networks?
A Cynja, that’s who.
Hidden deep inside our planet’s virtual world, lurking in the darkened cyber alleys of our digital neighborhoods, a new generation of bad guys has risen. Zombies, worms, botnets – all threaten our happiness and future. But there is hope. A lone warrior battles this new sinister cyber evil. He is the Cynsei.
The Cynsei is trying to keep us safe. But the guardian of all things noble in cyberspace cannot fight alone. His enemies are too numerous. If the Internet is to escape falling into darkness, the Cynsei needs help. But who would be brave enough to travel into the depths of malicious networks?
A Cynja, that’s who.
46 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 2014
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
January 17, 2018
SEXISM AND RACISM IN COLD WAR SPIRIT
This small comic book is written for young children who are starting to use the Internet and the object, target and ambition are to teach them about security and insecurity on the Internet. This first volume super-dramatizes the problem into a real cyber war which is a real war.
The first page of the story (location 6) introduces us to a totally dichotomic world: “the world [Note it is New York] we all know and love” versus “a darker side’ . . . Digital Chaos. . .” and it turns totally paranoid if not psychotic on the next page (location 7): “The Botmaster” has only one objective: “to infect millions of computer networks and to gain control of the world.”
This psychotic vision is amplified by the “nemesis” of this Botmaster, that is to say, “Cynsei” who is training young “Cynjas” who are “Cyber Warrior” whose mission is to defend the networks and the world against Botmaster. Then on location 13, we shift from cyberspace to the real world and the Jefferson Middle School where a computer science teacher, Mr. Hughes is confronted to a student, Grant Wiley who is a whizz kid of some sort on computers and in code but is not doing his homework. He is detained by Mr. Hughes and thy both transfer magically into cyberspace. At this moment it is clear that we are in a male universe and that the girl that seems to be attracted by Grant Wiley is of no interest to this teenager who prefers intercourse with his machine. This is a sexist vision, totally unjustified since boys and girls as soon as five or so are absolutely equal in front of these machines they have in their pockets or in their satchels. Just two days ago a 12-year-old girl attacked in words and violence her female teacher who had taken away her smartphone for the duration of the class. We see first this is a girl confronted with a rule coming from the school system (we are in Paris) and a female teacher.
Confiscation of smartphones or tablets in schools is the most absurd decision that can be taken. Instead of using the machines the kids have and providing the kids who do not have machines with some, instead of teaching them how to use these machines to do a myriad of pedagogical and cognitive operations, including of course learning how to read, spell and write (with a keyboard for sure, but write all the same) in some countries in general, in some local school in particular, in some classes with some teachers in detail, such confiscation rules are imposed. It causes frustration on the children’s side, it causes the classes to remain archaic in general pedagogical stance and in content, and it causes rebellion, violence and even more than just some blows and insults on the side of the frustrated, even traumatized children. But this particular event I have referred to shows girls are just as prone to having such smartphones as boys.
Then the story becomes banal as a fight between Botmaster and Cynja, a Cynja who is supported by the Cynsei, Mr. Hughes. The weapons used by Botmaster are malware, worms, rootkits, spear phishing, all, of course, are male or gender-neutral, which implies male in an all-male context. One tool though is female, a beautiful woman, made-up and all (location 27), and she is a Trojan, “a devious Trojan” of course. The first and only female of this book is a “devious Trojan,” hence a devious treacherous being that has been shifted from a male understanding in our culture, to a female, to a woman. That is definitely sexist.
Of course, the Cynja loses at first for us to discover the dark side of the Internet, “Darknet.” And then he seems to be winning, but Botmaster deepens his evil side. Yet a sentence is very strange. The meaning is obvious but the normal meaning of the sentence is the opposite of what the context imposes. “As many times as we win, the Bad Guys only get better.” Of course, we should have had Michael Jackson “badder” or proper plain English “worse” because “better” means in my language “less bad) and the context imposes the understanding of “much more bad,” hence “worse.” Imagine the confusion it may create in the minds of kids, even if we can argue that for some kids “better” only means “more or what has been provided, hence more bad.” We cannot play with language like that without running risks.
After that everything is simple: victory all around and some targets of our protection of the Internet. We have to protect our domain name system with IP identity for each computer or site. We must use encryption, firewalls and proper Internet Protocol Addresses to protect against malware on Networks, using Source Code, fighting against Viral Signatures not to become electronic or digital Zombies. Only one way: join the Circle of Cynjas to fight this cyberwar against Botmaster.
The conclusion is a perfect cold war manifesto in the best and most intense cold war spirit: Mr. Hughes tells Grant Wiley: “Grant, today our battlefield is a new frontier. [what does JF Kennedy and LB Johnson have to do here?] It’s one that’s invisible to all but those with cyber powers. It’s time for me to train a new type of warrior, one who will protect Cyberspace like those who protected civilization throughout History.” Signed “The Cynsei.”
From a psychotic and paranoid dichotomy to a Cold War spirit and Cyberwar of the good ones, us, Americans, against the bad ones, all those outside us, then them, the rest of the world, the pedagogical project backfires and produces a total locking up of the children they want to teach into the prison of them as individuals defined within their family circle, their certified and verified friend circles and even at school within a closed and limited circle of trusted schoolmates. The rule of “do not speak to strangers” and the second rule of “do not accept anything from a stranger” become jingoist rules that will in the future prevent these children to become open-minded adults since they will only accept what has been certified as “good” in their circle. From this jingoism to bigotry, there is only one step that can be crossed in a nanosecond. Imagine how the American racial problem is literally frozen, calcified by such an approach and how the Internet, a tool for the opening of minds can become a tool for enchaining minds into narrow prison cells. From what is advocated here and the latest case of thirteen children (with quite a few adults) locked up since their very birth by their own parents in their own house is just an extreme continuation of the locking up of internet-provided children in such a stainless and bulletproof bubble that they cannot even think properly.
These aspects must have been criticized because the second volume I will review separately corrects quite a few shortcomings I have put forward.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
This small comic book is written for young children who are starting to use the Internet and the object, target and ambition are to teach them about security and insecurity on the Internet. This first volume super-dramatizes the problem into a real cyber war which is a real war.
The first page of the story (location 6) introduces us to a totally dichotomic world: “the world [Note it is New York] we all know and love” versus “a darker side’ . . . Digital Chaos. . .” and it turns totally paranoid if not psychotic on the next page (location 7): “The Botmaster” has only one objective: “to infect millions of computer networks and to gain control of the world.”
This psychotic vision is amplified by the “nemesis” of this Botmaster, that is to say, “Cynsei” who is training young “Cynjas” who are “Cyber Warrior” whose mission is to defend the networks and the world against Botmaster. Then on location 13, we shift from cyberspace to the real world and the Jefferson Middle School where a computer science teacher, Mr. Hughes is confronted to a student, Grant Wiley who is a whizz kid of some sort on computers and in code but is not doing his homework. He is detained by Mr. Hughes and thy both transfer magically into cyberspace. At this moment it is clear that we are in a male universe and that the girl that seems to be attracted by Grant Wiley is of no interest to this teenager who prefers intercourse with his machine. This is a sexist vision, totally unjustified since boys and girls as soon as five or so are absolutely equal in front of these machines they have in their pockets or in their satchels. Just two days ago a 12-year-old girl attacked in words and violence her female teacher who had taken away her smartphone for the duration of the class. We see first this is a girl confronted with a rule coming from the school system (we are in Paris) and a female teacher.
Confiscation of smartphones or tablets in schools is the most absurd decision that can be taken. Instead of using the machines the kids have and providing the kids who do not have machines with some, instead of teaching them how to use these machines to do a myriad of pedagogical and cognitive operations, including of course learning how to read, spell and write (with a keyboard for sure, but write all the same) in some countries in general, in some local school in particular, in some classes with some teachers in detail, such confiscation rules are imposed. It causes frustration on the children’s side, it causes the classes to remain archaic in general pedagogical stance and in content, and it causes rebellion, violence and even more than just some blows and insults on the side of the frustrated, even traumatized children. But this particular event I have referred to shows girls are just as prone to having such smartphones as boys.
Then the story becomes banal as a fight between Botmaster and Cynja, a Cynja who is supported by the Cynsei, Mr. Hughes. The weapons used by Botmaster are malware, worms, rootkits, spear phishing, all, of course, are male or gender-neutral, which implies male in an all-male context. One tool though is female, a beautiful woman, made-up and all (location 27), and she is a Trojan, “a devious Trojan” of course. The first and only female of this book is a “devious Trojan,” hence a devious treacherous being that has been shifted from a male understanding in our culture, to a female, to a woman. That is definitely sexist.
Of course, the Cynja loses at first for us to discover the dark side of the Internet, “Darknet.” And then he seems to be winning, but Botmaster deepens his evil side. Yet a sentence is very strange. The meaning is obvious but the normal meaning of the sentence is the opposite of what the context imposes. “As many times as we win, the Bad Guys only get better.” Of course, we should have had Michael Jackson “badder” or proper plain English “worse” because “better” means in my language “less bad) and the context imposes the understanding of “much more bad,” hence “worse.” Imagine the confusion it may create in the minds of kids, even if we can argue that for some kids “better” only means “more or what has been provided, hence more bad.” We cannot play with language like that without running risks.
After that everything is simple: victory all around and some targets of our protection of the Internet. We have to protect our domain name system with IP identity for each computer or site. We must use encryption, firewalls and proper Internet Protocol Addresses to protect against malware on Networks, using Source Code, fighting against Viral Signatures not to become electronic or digital Zombies. Only one way: join the Circle of Cynjas to fight this cyberwar against Botmaster.
The conclusion is a perfect cold war manifesto in the best and most intense cold war spirit: Mr. Hughes tells Grant Wiley: “Grant, today our battlefield is a new frontier. [what does JF Kennedy and LB Johnson have to do here?] It’s one that’s invisible to all but those with cyber powers. It’s time for me to train a new type of warrior, one who will protect Cyberspace like those who protected civilization throughout History.” Signed “The Cynsei.”
From a psychotic and paranoid dichotomy to a Cold War spirit and Cyberwar of the good ones, us, Americans, against the bad ones, all those outside us, then them, the rest of the world, the pedagogical project backfires and produces a total locking up of the children they want to teach into the prison of them as individuals defined within their family circle, their certified and verified friend circles and even at school within a closed and limited circle of trusted schoolmates. The rule of “do not speak to strangers” and the second rule of “do not accept anything from a stranger” become jingoist rules that will in the future prevent these children to become open-minded adults since they will only accept what has been certified as “good” in their circle. From this jingoism to bigotry, there is only one step that can be crossed in a nanosecond. Imagine how the American racial problem is literally frozen, calcified by such an approach and how the Internet, a tool for the opening of minds can become a tool for enchaining minds into narrow prison cells. From what is advocated here and the latest case of thirteen children (with quite a few adults) locked up since their very birth by their own parents in their own house is just an extreme continuation of the locking up of internet-provided children in such a stainless and bulletproof bubble that they cannot even think properly.
These aspects must have been criticized because the second volume I will review separately corrects quite a few shortcomings I have put forward.
Dr. Jacques COULARDEAU
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review