6.7.08

The Tools of a Leech

The most basic form of pirating seems to be focused around stealing what has already been stolen. In pirating terms this is called leeching. This is the most common form of pirating and probably the safest as you are using the seeders as a virtual buffer for your stealing... but we'll get into that in more detail later. So let's get down to business and put together our tools, but don't worry, all is free in the world of a pirate.

Tool 1: The Download (P2P) Software
This is the software that will actually retrieve your loot (movies, music, applications, etc...) from the web. The P2P stands for Peer to Peer, which basically implies that there is a level of anonymity when you are using it since there is no central server, only peers. A good analogy is the difference between checking a book out at a library versus borrowing a book from a friend or peer. There seems to be many different P2P applications these days and so I won't get into naming them now but instead focus on one of easier to use tools known as Lime Wire. Lime Wire is opensource and free for it's basic version but costs around $30 for the Pro version (faster), which, is actually easy to steal. But for now, let's just get the basic version. www.limewire.com/download/. This will install on OSX, Windows XP/Vista, Linux, etc... It should be a quick and easy install and even work behind a firewall. Should you have any questions during the install make sure to use the Lime Wire website for help.

Tool 2: The Torrent List
The torrent list is usually a website that lists available downloads (torrents, or bit torrents). Again, there are many available, however, the most popular tend to have the best downloads and communities that keep virus ridden downloads at bay. Lime Wire and the other P2P tools usually have a built in "torrent search" but they usually are not as effective as the torrent lists on the web, so if you decide to use the built in search you'll be in dangerous waters. So, ready to bookmark? Try this site first: The Pirate Bay (TPB). The Swedish run site is fast becoming the "Google" of the pirate world There are a number of other quality torrent sites, but for simplicities sake we'll just focus on TPB. Once on the site just search for what you want and when you find it use the big green "Download This Torrent" link on the items view page. This should automatically start your download software, Lime Wire, and the actual file will begin downloading!

Tool 3: Players, Readers, and Codecs
You may have heard the terms mp3 or Divx, but in the pirate world these are just a few of the file types you will encounter. In order to access that content that you recently downloaded you will most likely need something to interpret it from "pirate form" to something your computer can understand. There are many different file types so to keep it simple here is the absolute "must have" for beginners list.

Music
  • iTunes (mp3 and other music format player by Apple)
Video
  • Codec Pack (allows you to play most videos in any player)
Software
  • WinRAR (allows you to read almost unzip any compressed file)
  • Magic ISO (allows you to mount virtual CD/DVD drives from CDs/DVDs you've downloaded)
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Those are the essentials, now we're ready to plunder.

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