Cult of the Dead Cow

Cult of the Dead Cow

cDc Paramedia Logo
Origin	Lubbock, Texas
Country	United States
Years active	1984-present
Category	Hacking/DIY media
Founder(s)	Grandmaster Ratte' Franken Gibe Sid Vicious
Product(s)	the original e-zine Back Orifice BO2k NBName SMBRelay Torpark
Affiliated Group(s)	Hacktivismo Ninja Strike Force L0pht Mindvox Legion of Doom Masters of Deception YIPL/TAP Soylent Communications Sacrament of Transition Hong Kong Blondes ACiD Productions Soulz at Zero
Website(s)	Main Site MySpace

Cult of the Dead Cow, also known as cDc or cDc Communications, is a computer hacker and DIY media organisation founded in 1984 in Lubbock, Texas. The group maintains a weblog on its site, also titled "Cult of the Dead Cow". New media are released first through the blog, which also features thoughts and opinions of the group's members.

To further the Cult's stated goal of "Global Domination Through Media Saturation," over the years cDc members have granted interviews to major newspapers, print magazines, online news sites, and international television news programs.

Timeline

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The group was formed in June 1984 at the Farm Pac slaughterhouse by Grandmaster Ratte' (aka Swamp Ratte'), Franken Gibe, and Sid Vicious, three BBS SysOps. The slaughterhouse, a hangout of many Lubbock youth, was burned in 1996. (The burned out building was used as a haunted house for several Halloweens after that. In 2001, the grounds surrounding it were converted into the "West Texas Canyon Amphitheater" and re-opened as the Lone Star Amphitheater in 2006)

In December 1990, cDc member Drunkfux gave birth to the modern hacker con. HoHoCon, usually held in Houston, Texas, was the first hacker conference which invited the participation of both journalists and law enforcement. In all, dFx hosted five annual HoHoCons.

In 1991, cDc was named "Sassiest Underground Computer Group" by Sassy magazine. Also in 1991, the group began distributing music in the form of cassette tape albums sold through its post office box. Many of these albums are now available online in their entirety.

October 1994 saw the creation of the cDc's Usenet newsgroup, alt.fan.cult-dead-cow. It was thus the first hacking group to have its own Usenet newsgroup. In November of that year, the group claimed responsibility for giving Ronald Reagan Alzheimer's disease, claiming to have done so in 1986 with a blowgun.

The cDc declared war on the Church of Scientology in 1995 during the alt.religion.scientology controvers