When it comes to getting revenge on the employer who fired you, one Odenton man is finding out that hacking into its  computer system and re-routing hyperlinks to go to a porn site is probably not the way to go.

Michael Christopher O’Brien pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of causing damage to a protected computer — a federal offense. The charge carries a hefty 10-year maximum jail term and $250,000 fine.
O’Brien, an IT specialist, was employed by a local real estate investment and management firm up until he was fired on May 3, 2005. Obviously stewing over his situation, O’Brien decided to get some payback on Aug. 3, 2005.

According to the court record, O’Brien admitted to hacking into his former employer’s network on that date and making some changes — including changing links on the website so they redirected to a porn website. Repairing their former computer guy’s handiwork cost the company upwards of $5,000. And, since the company’s system was used in interstate and foreign commerce, O’Brien found himself on the wrong side of a federal indictment last July.

O’Brien and prosecutors reached a plea agreement in the case, the details of which have been sealed by the court. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27.

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And so we are left, 24 hours after he was unleashed, to ponder Kegasus.

The half-man, half-horse centaur, the manimal who rips holes in the fabric of awesomeness, has undoubtedly done what Preakness InfieldFest organizers wanted — generated buzz.

And any buzz (pardon the pun) is good buzz, I suppose, if your intent is to cut through the clutter of today’s media landscape. If Charlie Sheen has taught us anything, it’s that it helps to be outlandish when you’re screaming for attention in a multi-platform world.

And who needs tiger blood and Adonis DNA when you have four hooves, a beer gut and a nipple ring? Winning.

That said, what do we make of Kegasus — who reminds me of Gibby Haynes — strictly as a marketing vehicle, mythical or otherwise?

As this story in the Sun points out, it does speak to what most consider to be the Preakness infield’s key demographic. Think dudes in their 20s who wouldn’t know a furlong from a beer bong and no doubt long for the days of “The Running of the Urinals” at Pimlico.

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Local fans of the ABC show “Secret Millionaire” saw a familiar face Sunday night — John Ferber, who co-founded Advertising.com in the 1990s with his brother, Scott, and today lives in Palm Beach County, Fla.

Ferber spent a week posing as a documentary filmmaker in the notorious Skid Row district of Los Angeles.

The episode ended with Ferber cutting checks totaling $100,000 for three neighborhood organizations. He also purchased $20,000 in goods for the groups.

Baltimore-based Advertising.com was acquired in 2004 for $435 million in cash; Ferber pocketed about $72 million in the deal. He has several Internet ventures percolating from his Florida base, including Microgiving.com, which we blogged about a couple of weeks ago.

He says he was intrigued about going on reality TV after a producer for the show — who read a profile of Ferber in a magazine — forwarded him some YouTube clips of the British version of the program.

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Here are the five most-read stories this week written by Daily Record staffers.

1. Baltimore restaurateur is going Hollywood – by Jon Sham
In the second installment of our “Sweat Equity” multimedia series, we meet the new owner of the Hollywood Diner, who is hoping both the location and the celebrity of the place will help usher in diners looking for an inexpensive — yet delicious — meal.

2. Md. wine shipping bill is poised to pass – by Nicholas Sohr
Poised to allow Marylanders to receive wine shipments from winemakers, the General Assembly faces the prospect of grappling with the same issue next year as advocates seek an expanded shipping law.

3. Prime Rib’s Beler to receive top culinary award – by Wayne Countryman
Buzz Beler, owner of The Prime Rib in Baltimore, will receive the Silver Plate Award in the Independent Restaurants category on May 23 at the 2011 International Foodservice Manufacturers Association’s awards celebration.

4. Dew Tour coming to Ocean City this summer – by Rachel Bernstein
Members of the resort’s City Council confirmed Tuesday that Alliance of Action Sports, or Alli, which coordinates the Dew Tour, notified city officials Monday of the decision. Alli had also been considering Virginia Beach, Va., as a destination for the start of the Dew Tour this summer.

5. Ex-NBA player rep admits to income tax evasion, mortgage fraud – by Ben Mook
A Silver Spring man who has represented an NBA All-Star and is a partner in a growing urban clothing line now faces up to 10 years in prison for cheating the government out of more than $1 million in income taxes and providing false information on mortgage loans over the last nine years.

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The Rocket Man will make his appearance Saturday at 1st Mariner Arena for a jukebox performance of all his greatest hits. Tickets range from $29 to $149, which isn’t so bad, considering that it’s Elton John.

AFI Silver Theater and Cultural Center in Silver Spring is having a retrospective on Alfred Hitchcock, for all you film buffs. It ends March 31 and costs between $7 and $11. So catch it soon.

And while I’m on a roll with morbid things, Zombie Nation at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum will be laid to rest (get it?) after this weekend, ending on Sunday.

The exhibit has zombie versions of your favorite pop culture icons. Dress as a zombie and you’ll get a discount on admission.

Enjoy the weekend!

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Slate’s Emily Yoffe treks to Leisure World in Silver Spring to explore the phenomenon of “retirement entrepreneurs” and the result is a really interesting read.

Most of the 8,500 residents in the age-restricted community (you have to be 55 and older to live there) are living at Leisure World precisely because they prefer to spend their retirement years not worrying about a 40-hour work week. But as Yoffe illustrates, some have turned to self-employment — and found an avenue to a dream job, with a ready-made customer base.

This tracks with new labor reports and studies showing increasing numbers of men and women working past the age of 65.

One Leisure World resident runs an elder care business. Another is an interior designer. Another is a beautician. All have found a marketplace inside the gates of the 610-acre private community, and they see potential for their services in assisted-living neighborhoods close by.

I’ve been to Leisure World on several occasions and every time I couldn’t help but think of Del Boca Vista. The next time I’m there I’ll think of something else: a business incubator.

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A group of 27 designers are working diligently these days to decorate two luxury units at Baltimore’s Ritz Carleton Residences in the hopes of attracting up to 12,000 visitors there in May.

That’s because the site has been selected by the Baltimore Symphony Associates for the 35th annual Decorators’ Show House, complete with valet parking and sweeping vistas of the Inner Harbor.

“In a way, you could say it’s a celebration of our 35th year,” said Marge Penhallegon, chair of the event. “So far, the response has been ‘wow.’ ”

The $220 million Ritz residences have been in the news lately because sales prices of the ultra-luxury condos on Key Highway in Federal Hill have been slashed due to the sluggish market. Examples include a $5 million unit reduced to $2.1 million and an $800,000 unit reset to $499,000.

The new pricing move was made last summer, after only 23 of the 190 units had sold, Ritz official said. The biggest sale had been to bestselling author and video game creator Tom Clancy who set a city real estate record when he purchased three penthouse units for $12.6 million in 2009. Clancy has since added more units to compile an entire top floor residence, and is seeking a city permit to construct a firing range inside his lavish digs.

Now comes the BSO.

Penhallegon said Greg Harris, a local marketing whiz who works for the Ritz, suggested holding the Show House on the water this year as a way to showcase the units even more. Complimentary valet parking and two additional units for a boutique and café and tea room sealed the deal.

“Our usual crowd is so stuck in Baltimore County,” she said of past Show Houses that have taken place in mansions located in the rural valleys, “but we thought this was a chance to attract a  new audience, a younger professional crowd.”

Penhallegon said the Show House officially opens on May 7 and will close on Memorial Day, May 30. Tickets are $25 in advance (at Graul’s Market and Budeke’s Paints) or $30 at the door. All proceeds toward the BSO’s education programs, which include Music for Youth, Tiny Tots and BSO on the Go.

So far, decorators have adopted eclectic themes in the units, she added.

“We won’t see a country kitchen, but a ship’s captain galley design. Some rooms are very contemporary, very urban,” she said. “Being on the water has inspired them.”

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The Daily Record hosted its annual Health Care Heroes awards breakfast Wednesday morning at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore. It was a great event, and I’m not just saying that because The Daily Record pays my mortgage.

It’s a pleasure talking with the doctors, nurses, public health officials and other professionals working on the front lines in an industry so central to the state’s economy and so critical to the nation’s prosperity. Their commitment to their craft is inspiring.

I encourage you to check out the publication when it hits the streets and our website Friday.

That the event was held on the same day as the one-year anniversary of President Obama signing the landmark health care reform legislation into law wasn’t lost on me, or others in attendance.

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The Baltimore Blast are headed to the Major Indoor Soccer League championships this year for the sixth time in nine years.

To celebrate, the Blast are throwing a party downtown on Thursday so visitors and those on their lunch break can mingle with the players and join in. The celebration will be at noon at Hopkins Plaza on Charles and Baltimore streets. There will be music, free food and Blast paraphernalia, as well as the chance to win tickets to the championship game.

As for the game itself, Baltimore will play against the Milwaukee Wave at First Mariner Arena on Friday. The game will be at 7:35 p.m. and tickets range from $16 to $30.

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Another blow has been dealt to Columbia’s village center concept with the closing of Michael’s Pub.

Last call is Tuesday.

Since opening in 1986, Michael’s Pub has carved out a reputation as something of an anomaly in suburbia: a neighborhood bar. I’ve seen this firsthand, having lived in Columbia’s King’s Contrivance village — where Michael’s is located — for more than 10 years. The close proximity to the bar’s cold beer and buffalo wings has served me well, though my waistline might beg to differ.

As first reported by Patch and then the Columbia Flier, owner Shane Curtis said he is closing his doors due to financial strain.

About two dozen employees will lose their jobs at a place regulars describe as similar to “Cheers,” the fictitious TV bar where everybody knows your name.

Michael’s Pub will become a business cautionary tale, about government regulation, ill-timed expansion, the Great Recession and any other factors that may have led to its demise.

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