The Caper in 'Mr. Robot' Is No Robin Hood Scheme

As the Official Blog Spouse and I are between television seasons, we have just begun watching the back episodes of "Mr. Robot," a well-reviewed series from USA that I highly recommend. And as sometimes happens in our household, a long discussion ensued about the plot that is central to the first half of the season. It's at the intersection of economics and bank technology, so how could I resist? (Very mild spoilers following. Nothing that you will not learn in the first episode.)

"Mr. Robot" is about hackers -- and technical folks have given the show kudos for basically sticking to things that are actually possible, and giving some screen time to a technical discussion of how it might be accomplished. There are no twee scenes where someone types for three seconds and -- whee! -- they have instant access to your school records, your bank records, and the last 5,000 e-mails you sent.