I’ve been reading a book written in 2001 about hackers and cybercrime. The Blue Nowhere by Jeffery Deaver describes a talented computer hacker who sees little difference between online figures and real life people. He has moved from online games to killing people in the real world. Because he’s a master at hiding online and in different identities in the real world, law enforcement is relying on another hacker to track the criminal.

Since the book is nearly 20 years old, it is also a trove of computer nostalgia. Do you remember terminology like “codeslingers,” “MUDS” and “moby”?

In the book, t...