[Noisebridge-discuss] [drama] My Hair Is On Fire - Current events that are shaping your rights as we speak
Will Sargent
will.sargent at gmail.com
Thu Mar 17 01:50:19 UTC 2011
Dear all,
I am hearby co-opting the words "ninja" and "rockstar" to refer to
moderately competent computer programmers.
I'm not sure exactly what a ninja guru rockstar wizard hacker would look
like, but I bet it's impressive.
Will.
On Wed, Mar 16, 2011 at 4:51 PM, Mike Williams <merwanwilliams at gmail.com>wrote:
> 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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>
>
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