[Noisebridge-discuss] [drama] My Hair Is On Fire - Current events that are shaping your rights as we speak
Mike Williams
merwanwilliams at gmail.com
Wed Mar 16 23:51:41 UTC 2011
What about Gurus and Wizards?
http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/susan/joke/hacker.htm
On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 4:43 PM, jim <jim at well.com> wrote:
>
>
> in my experience, the earliest use of "hacker" among
> computer types was for coding (e.g. hackers' conference
> of 1984 or 5).
> soon after, with growing awareness of the internet,
> people not directly in the coding community began to use
> "hacker" with the nefarious meaning you've described.
> a fairly quick response from the coder set was to
> insist that "cracker" had the nefarious meaning and
> "hacker" was the code artist, possibly something of an
> untutored renegade, but most importantly enthusiastic,
> and not necessarily malevolent.
>
>
>
> On Wed, 2011-03-16 at 12:17 -0700, erik swedberg wrote:
> >
> >
> > your use of the word hacker to describe people who do stuff with
> > electronics and software is itself a co-opting of the term that used
> > to have to do with breaking into systems (for fun, learning, or
> > malice) and phreaking - the connotation includes a healthy dose of
> > subversion - think war games, or guys in trench coats meeting in
> > shopping mall food courts with well-worn vinge and brunner paperbacks
> > in their pockets.
> >
> >
> > it sometimes befuddles me that lots of people seem to have forgotten
> > the history. think of all the awesome scientists and engineers who
> > worked on electronics and software from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and
> > 90s - sweet dudes with beards (and all these folks:
> > http://www.luckham.org/LHL.Bell%20Labs%20Days.html): bell labs, the
> > guys who wrote unix and its variants, the programmers for the atari
> > 2600 games, woz, ham radio operators, the dudes who invented the
> > transistor (http://www.corp.att.com/history/milestone_1947b.html), the
> > guys who made the first video games using oscilloscopes - none of
> > these folks were then called hackers, whereas now they would all
> > qualify under our current definition.
> >
> >
> > and the word is changing again, to be more inclusive of those not
> > engaged in the dark arts. for the modern people who want a badge to be
> > proud of their hard-earned electronics and computer skills, i propose
> > a new word: hobbyist.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -erik
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________________
> > From: Evan Bangham <ebangham at gmail.com>
> > To: rachel lyra hospodar <rachel at mediumreality.com>
> > Cc: noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> > Sent: Wed, March 16, 2011 1:53:48 AM
> > Subject: Re: [Noisebridge-discuss] [drama] My Hair Is On Fire -
> > Current events that are shaping your rights as we speak
> >
> > I'm glad you asked. I'm afraid that I've done some thinking and I'm
> > going to be back peddling from some of my previous statements.
> >
> > Allow me to posit, if I may, that Noisebridge is a community that is
> > made up of both makers and hackers.
> >
> > Lets define hacking using these words using some of the verbiage we've
> > previously laid out in the thread.
> >
> > Hacking:
> > "To attempt to solve a problem by artfully applying skills and tools
> > in or closely related to the areas of computer programing or circuit
> > design without reference to a plan or instructions." I don't think
> > many would argue that it was people in software that started using the
> > word in relation to writing software before it started to
> > linguistically crawl its way into other circles.
> >
> > Maker:
> > If you use this same definition as hacker and remove the reference to
> > computer programming and circuits you have the word 'maker'. Makers a
> > la Make magazine, make stuff using tools in a skillful manor without
> > reference to instructions much as hackers do. The only difference is
> > that making is not using code or circuits and is thus not considered
> > hacking. Making can involve anything from sewing and crafts to
> > designing and building bicycles.
> >
> > By my definition of the words hacking and making, the building of
> > robots for instance, is not hacking, but is in fact, a combination of
> > making and hacking. Those that build robots could be either makers or
> > hackers, or both. Building various components of a robot could, if
> > involving software and electronics be considered hacking. For example,
> > if I'm writing a quick and dirty piece of software to enable the robot
> > to track some object using a camera, I'm hacking. If I'm building a
> > robot arm using a metal shop, I'm no longer hacking, I'm making.
> >
> > In consideration of our robot example, one could come to the
> > conclusion that it's natural for the definition of hacking to be
> > intertwined with things that have historically, not been considered
> > hacking. Clearly this fact does not suddenly make the words synonymous
> > just because the skills are used in concert with each other. Any
> > broadening of the definition of hacking to suddenly include all forms
> > of making are simply an appeal to some sort of linguistic relativism.
> >
> > My motives for starting this discussion is that we hackers have spent
> > time and sacrifice learning our craft. All those nights in front of
> > the keyboard, staring at the glowing screen or heads buried in books,
> > learning gate logic and object oriented design patterns take their
> > toll on the body and spirit. From society at large we are in some
> > cases scorned and alienated. Given these sacrifices, we wear the our
> > badge of hacker with pride, that is pride in our ability to make (or
> > break) cool shit with electronics and software as our reward.
> >
> > Now we have a situation where non hacker activists see that we apply
> > our specially honed skills in technology evermore in the capacity to
> > fight against government and corporation's attacks on our freedoms.
> > They see that because we are outcasts that we are beholden to no one
> > but our selves and are own free ideas. This leads the non hacker
> > activists to think "hey man, that's hip, thats cool, these people
> > fight the power in such a creative and awesome way!" "I want in on
> > that piece of pie and become an individualist hacker like those other
> > guys!" so they appropriate our word and our institutions for their own
> > means to help cheerlead and message for their own non hacking related
> > ideas and groups.
> >
> > Hackers and makers love political involvement and we have groups like
> > the EFF doing our bidding, so it makes sense to have groups inside
> > noisebridge that specialize in politicking(for lack of a better
> > word). Its when people start calling the act civic engagement hacking
> > that a line has been crossed. Its at this point that the word has been
> > misappropriated and the effect of this miss appropriation of the word
> > hacker, is to minimize the importance of the skills that we sacrificed
> > our time and sanity for.
> >
> > This swindling of our brand disempowers us and our community. In my
> > conversation with various hackers in noisebridge (Cobalt being one of
> > them) I've been told that noisebridge's failure to dedicate itself to
> > hackers and that its all inclusiveness, is limiting their involvement
> > at noisebridge. I'm not in complete agreement with that view, but when
> > I'm hearing hackers aren't willing to come to noisebridge to start
> > cool projects because people with the necessary skills to help them do
> > so aren't available at noisebridge, partially due to non hackers and
> > non makers infringing upon the space, making hackers feel unwelcome.
> > This disappoints me greatly.
> >
> > Noisebridge is a community of makers and hackers, but they are not one
> > and the same. Noisebridge embraces makers and hackers equally and
> > rightfully so because both are a means to making cool shit that
> > requires a wide range of skills to produce. Makers can directly help
> > hackers and vice versa. Hackers need food to survive just like anyone
> > else, lets have some cooking classes, both hackers and makers benefit,
> > great! Hackers like beer, let's make some beer, awesome! Makers like
> > making stuff out of wood and metal, hackers like coding and circuits,
> > lets make some robots.
> >
> > Its when we have a breakdown of the partnership between makers and
> > hackers that there is friction. Let's say some makers start hosting
> > classes like "hacking yoga". Oh wait, that's already happening isn't
> > it? It would be all good if there were coders or electrical
> > engineering types in the class, but if I had to bet, it would be that
> > they are very much in the minority in that class. Now that we've got
> > makers, non makers and non hackers using the label of hacking for a
> > yoga class that hackers do not benefit from, naturally this makes the
> > hackers pissed off.
> >
> > This is why people who do code and circuits get pissed off when the
> > see the word hacker used so loosely. I hope this lets people better
> > understand the situation at a kind of sociological level at least.
> > This is not just some pet peeve, it is very real and its effects can't
> > be positive for the community at noisebridge.
> >
> >
> > Fuck I should start a new project "Hacking Noisebridge"
> > On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 6:30 PM, rachel lyra hospodar
> > <rachel at mediumreality.com> wrote:
> >
> > What does it mean, to hack?
> >
> > Is sewing hacking? garments are a technological system we use
> > to
> > regulate temperature. I use a machine to modify them,
> > creatively and in
> > contravention of established norms.
> >
> > If yes, what about other dimensional art forms? i just used a
> > table saw
> > on plywood, is that hacking? Plywood is a highly engineered
> > material.
> > Is this only hacking if i use it as a truss, so that its
> > properties are
> > called on to distribute force? what if i use it for its
> > unnatural flatness?
> >
> > if no, what about if i sew a circuitboard into a garment? is
> > it only
> > hacking when there is conductive thread in my machine? what
> > about when
> > i am sewing an insulation layer?
> >
> > Stop saying what isn't and define what is!
> >
> > On 3/14/2011 11:36 PM, Evan Bangham wrote:
> > > Politics|Cooking|Art|Writing != Hacking
> > >
> > > Yes, hacking can involve creativity and breaking established
> > norms, but you
> > > can't just use it as a blanket term to describe doing
> > anything that involves
> > > these things.
> > >
> > <snip>
> > >
> > > The slow food hacking thing I suppose enters the realm of
> > hacking to a
> > > limited extent because it is using chemistry and the like,
> > and I imagine is
> > > subversive in some way. I could say the same about
> > photography and the like
> > > as long as it breaking the established norms of the medium
> > and is harnessing
> > > technology in some way. Traditional fine art however, can
> > never be 'hacked'
> > > because it is just so far removed from the realm of anything
> > related to
> > > technology or science.
> > >
> > > I think in many senses I'm being far to accommodating for
> > these expanded
> > > definitions of the term as it is though.
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> > Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> > https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>
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> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
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