Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
Next revision
Previous revision
hacker_culture [2020/02/21 23:08]
nathanairplane [6. Identities]
hacker_culture [2024/02/13 23:27] (current)
ntnsndr [12. Beyond the valley] Replaced Shenzhen doc with Fernanda Rosa
Line 7: Line 7:
 ## What is this course about? ## What is this course about?
  
-Are we all hackers now? This course ​chronicles the story of a kind of identity that began among geeky tinkerers and a murky criminal underground,​ only to be adopted by management consultants and CEOs. How has hacker culture helped form our technological lives? Do hacker formations like Wikileaks, Anonymous, and open-source software represent a new kind of politics, or a rejection of politics as we know it? How does this culture manage boundaries of access and power in the online economy? We will explore the contested figure of the hacker in the past, present, and science-fiction of the Internet.+Are we all hackers now? This course ​plays with a kind of identity that began among geeky tinkerers and a murky criminal underground,​ only to be adopted by management consultants and CEOs. How has hacker culture helped form our technological lives? Do hacker formations like Wikileaks, Anonymous, and open-source software represent a new kind of politics, or a rejection of politics as we know it? How does this culture manage boundaries of access and power in the online economy? We will explore the contested figure of the hacker in the past, present, and science-fiction of the Internet.
  
 This course includes assigned sources, class discussions,​ guest speakers, and a significant component of hands-on practice. All levels of technological prowess are welcome, but expect to learn some skills and to help teach others. Hacker culture is not a spectator sport. This course includes assigned sources, class discussions,​ guest speakers, and a significant component of hands-on practice. All levels of technological prowess are welcome, but expect to learn some skills and to help teach others. Hacker culture is not a spectator sport.
Line 13: Line 13:
 ## Instructor ## Instructor
  
-Nathan Schneider ​  ​ +Nathan Schneider ​("​Nathan"​ or "​Professor Schneider"​)  ​ 
-<​nathan.schneider@colorado.edu> ​   +<​nathan.schneider@colorado.edu>​ ([[:​email_etiquette|tips]])       
-Armory 1B24, meetings by appointment via email ([[:​email_etiquette|etiquette suggestions]])   +Armory 1B24    
 +Office hours Wednesdays 3-5 pm or by appointment ​  ​
 Website: [nathanschneider.info](https://​nathanschneider.info) Website: [nathanschneider.info](https://​nathanschneider.info)
  
Line 22: Line 23:
   * Gain familiarity with the varieties of meaning and mystique surrounding hacker culture   * Gain familiarity with the varieties of meaning and mystique surrounding hacker culture
   * Acquire some hacker skills and the confidence to acquire more independently   * Acquire some hacker skills and the confidence to acquire more independently
-  * Apply lessons from and against hacker cultures in entrepreneurial ​practice+  * Apply lessons from and against hacker cultures in creative ​practice
  
 ## What are the expectations?​ ## What are the expectations?​
  
-We will use two platforms to carry out our work for the course:+### Infrastructure
  
-  ​* **[Canvas](https://​canvas.colorado.edu)** is an [open-source](https://​github.com/​instructure/​canvas-lms/​) learning management system developed by a for-profit company, Instructure. It is currently our campus'​s official LMS, and we will use it for a variety of tasks, from announcements to grading.+All students are expected to use two software platforms to carry out work for the course: 
 + 
 +  ​* **[Canvas](https://​canvas.colorado.edu)** is an [open-source](https://​github.com/​instructure/​canvas-lms/​) learning management system developed by a for-profit company, Instructure. It is currently our campus'​s official LMS, and we will use it for a variety of tasks, from announcements to evaluation.
   * **[[Hypothesis]]** is a non-profit, [open-source](https://​github.com/​hypothesis/​) annotation platform that enables users to annotate the Web. Each week we'll use this to annotate and discuss the assigned sources.   * **[[Hypothesis]]** is a non-profit, [open-source](https://​github.com/​hypothesis/​) annotation platform that enables users to annotate the Web. Each week we'll use this to annotate and discuss the assigned sources.
 +
 +### Bounties
 +
 +Grades are not especially conducive to hacking, but we need some equivalent in order for this course to be legible to the university. Therefore, work will be rewarded with [bounties](https://​en.wikipedia.org/​wiki/​Bug_bounty_program). These are functionally the same as grades, but perhaps giving them a different name will prevent them from killing the learning process in the way that grades normally do.
 +
 +Bounties will be compiled in (more or less) real time on Canvas for easy access. The final grade will be calculated by adding up the bounties each student has earned. Final grades will be awarded as follows: A (94-100), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59).
 +
 +Extensions under extenuating circumstances are possible by arrangement with the instructor prior to the due date; otherwise, late work is subject to a penalty of approximately one-tenth of the total bounty per day.
 +
  
 ### Objective 0: Contribute ### Objective 0: Contribute
  
-Students are responsible for contributing to both meatspace ​and virtual ​discussions. No attendance will be taken in class. However, showing up and participating in all scheduled meetings will help you get the most you can out of the course, and absence is not particularly compatible with participation. ​Most weeks will follow a common pattern:+*25 points* 
 + 
 +Computers count from zero, so hackers do too. 
 + 
 +Students are responsible for contributing to discussions ​both in class and through online annotations. Annotations and class participation will be evaluated twice in the semester---at the midterm and at the end. 
 + 
 +#### Annotations 
 + 
 +Using Hypothesis on the assigned readings each week, aim for at least 3-5 thoughtful annotations in each assigned reading, or more if it is helpful for you. At least one should be a reply to a fellow student.  
 + 
 +A strong annotation is one that reflects an understanding of the text and builds on it in some thoughtful way. If you're marking that a certain passage seems important, explain why in your own words. If the passage rubs you the wrong way, explain what you think the author is trying to say and how you see the issue at hand differently. 
 + 
 +Some course materials cannot be annotated, and annotations are not expected for those. 
 + 
 +Bounty rubric: 
 + 
 +  * Critical thinking and prolificacy in online ​discussions ​(15 points) 
 + 
 +#### Class discussions 
 + 
 +Plan to have completed the assigned sources for in-class discussion. Be ready to raise insights and questions from the sources. If we have a guest speaker, be prepared to ask excellent questions. One strategy is to make great annotations on each week's readings, print them out, and bring them to class. 
 + 
 +Also, be ready for a more practice-oriented time. Plan to have done some preparatory thinking on that week's Exploit---the skill we'll be learning together. We'll share our ideas, however preliminary,​ and we'll work on them in class. 
 + 
 +No attendance will be taken in class. However, showing up and participating in all scheduled meetings will help you get the most you can out of the course, and absence is not particularly compatible with participation. 
 + 
 +Bounty rubric: 
 + 
 +  * Geeky enthusiasm, insight, and attention to others in class (10 points) 
 + 
 +Before this assignment is due, you are welcome to propose the bounty you think you have earned with a one-paragraph explanation. The instructor will determine final bounties, taking your input into account.
  
-  * **The first meeting**, plan to have completed the assigned sources for in-class discussion. Be ready to raise insights and questions from the sources. If we have a guest speaker, be prepared to ask excellent questions. Annotations on the sources are due at this time. One strategy is to take great notes on Hypothesis, print them out from your profile page, and bring them to class. 
-  * **The second meeting**, be ready for a more practice-oriented [DiscoTech](http://​detroitprojectarchive.com/​client/​DDJC_amc2012.pdf.zip). Plan to have done some preparatory work on that week's Exploit---the skill we'll be learning together. We'll share our ideas, however preliminary,​ and we'll work on them in class, so plan to have a screen device with you. 
-  ​ 
-Evaluation of in-class and online participation occurs twice---at the midterm and at the semester'​s end. 
  
 ### Objective 1: Hack ### Objective 1: Hack
 +
 +*30 points*
  
 Each week, each student should contribute an Exploit---a hack that addresses the week's topic in a creative way, reflecting technical ingenuity (though not necessarily expertise) and engagement with the week's sources. Exploits are due in Canvas by sunrise on Saturday morning. Each week, each student should contribute an Exploit---a hack that addresses the week's topic in a creative way, reflecting technical ingenuity (though not necessarily expertise) and engagement with the week's sources. Exploits are due in Canvas by sunrise on Saturday morning.
  
-Each Exploit should ​include a README text that explains the nature and rationale of the hack, engaging with at least one relevant assigned source. Exploits need not and should not be lengthy; their value is in the adventuresomeness of their thinking, not their girth. Also: do not break the law.+The format of the Exploits can vary based on the assignment. They might be primarily graphic or primarily textual, or code. Show, don't just tell---provide screenshots,​ diagrams, source code, and other media. If your media are not self-explanatory, ​include a [README](https://​en.wikipedia.org/​wiki/​READMEtext that explains the nature and rationale of the hack.  
 + 
 +Exploits need not and should not be lengthy; their value is in the adventuresomeness of their thinking, not their girth. Create enough material for about one side of a sheet of paper. Just be sure to include [[engagement with assigned sources|engagement with at least one assigned source]] from the week. Also: do not break the law. 
 + 
 +Bounty rubric: 
 + 
 +  * Clear explanation of the Exploit along with supporting evidence 
 +  * Creative implementation that develops skills 
 +  * Sophisticated engagement with at least one of the module'​s assigned sources
  
 ### Objective 2: Teach ### Objective 2: Teach
  
-We learn from each other. Each week, usually during the second meeting, a group of students will present to the class about a hacker skill related to that week's topic and Exploit assignment. This presentation will generally precede some time for a DiscoTech, so aim to offer something useful---a skill that fellow students may or may not choose to use as part of their own Exploits. Each presentation should be no more than 10 minutes long, with slides and/or a live demo. Slides should be turned in on Canvas before the class period of the presentation begins.+*20 points*
  
-Following ​the presentation,​ student presenters will start the DiscoTech with an exercise for the class, using whatever format they like to invite participation,​ collaboration,​ and sharing of ideas.+Hackers learn from each other. Each week, usually during the second meeting, a group of students will present to the class about a hacker skill related to that week's topic and Exploit assignment. Each presentation should be no more than 10 minutes long, with slides. One student in the group should turn in the group'​s slides on Canvas before the class period of the presentation begins. 
 + 
 +At the end of the presentation,​ student presenters will lead an accessible, interactive [DiscoTech](https://​detroitcommunitytech.org/​sites/​default/​files/​librarypdfs/​how-to-discotech.pdf) ​exercise for the class, using whatever format they like to invite participation,​ collaboration,​ and the sharing of ideas. 
 + 
 +Bounty rubric: 
 + 
 +  * Completion of an accessible and fun introduction to a skill and its significance (5 points) 
 +  * Engage with assigned materials, demonstrating both comprehension and critical engagement (5 points) 
 +  * Contextualize in culture and history, documenting additional research with both [[:​scholarly_sources|scholarly]] and primary sources, [[:​citation_standards|appropriately cited]] in APA format in APA format on slides (5 points) 
 +  * Teach a skill with a well-planned,​ effective DiscoTech exercise relevant to the week's Exploit (5 points)
  
 ### Objective 3: Master ### Objective 3: Master
 +
 +*25 points*
  
 Become a goon. The final project for this course is to write an illustrated,​ 1,​800-to-2,​000-word report on a real-world hack that for a relevant establishmentarian organization. Pick a hack that particularly fascinates you. Become a goon. The final project for this course is to write an illustrated,​ 1,​800-to-2,​000-word report on a real-world hack that for a relevant establishmentarian organization. Pick a hack that particularly fascinates you.
Line 58: Line 117:
 If the hack in question is of questionable legality, write as an FBI agent, perhaps. If the hack is just a brilliant piece of technology, write as a stiff for a big computer company trying to figure out how to capitalize on it. In any case, with clear language and documented research, explain the nature of the hack, its significance,​ and a recommendation for what your organization should do about it. If the hack in question is of questionable legality, write as an FBI agent, perhaps. If the hack is just a brilliant piece of technology, write as a stiff for a big computer company trying to figure out how to capitalize on it. In any case, with clear language and documented research, explain the nature of the hack, its significance,​ and a recommendation for what your organization should do about it.
  
-The final product itself should be a convincing hoax in the voice and visual character of the organization it supposedly represents. For examples of what this could look like, peruse ​Imperva'​s ​[Hacker Intelligence Reports](http://www.imperva.com/DefenseCenter/HackerIntelligenceReports) or _Wired_'​s [Hack Briefs](https://​www.wired.com/​tag/​hack-brief/​).+The final product itself should be a convincing hoax in the voice and visual character of the organization it supposedly represents. For examples of what this could look like, peruse ​reports from [Cisco](https://www.cisco.com/c/en/​us/​products/​security/​cybersecurity-reports.html) or [FireEye](https://​www.fireeye.com/​current-threats/​threat-intelligence-reports.html)or _Wired_'​s [Hack Briefs](https://​www.wired.com/​tag/​hack-brief/​).
  
 This project includes a built-in debugging and revision process, as well as a one-minute presentation on the last day of class. This project includes a built-in debugging and revision process, as well as a one-minute presentation on the last day of class.
  
 +Bounty rubric:
  
-### Bounties +  ​Beta version ​and participation ​in debugging ​with substantive comments on two fellow students' ​betas (5 points) 
- +  One-minute presentation, with a compelling slideon the last day of class (5 points) 
-Grades are not especially conducive to hacking, but we need some equivalent in order for this course to be legible to the university. Therefore, work will be rewarded with bounties. These are functionally the same as grades, but perhaps giving them a different name will prevent them from killing the learning process in the way that grades normally do. The maximum bounty awarded for each portion of the course is as follows: +  * Revised final (15 points) 
- +    * Complete report, ​1,​800-to-2,​000-word length, written clearly and with instructive illustrations 
-  ​Objective 0: 20 points +    Comprehension ​of the hack and convincing, accessible analysis of it 
-    * critical thinking ​and prolificacy ​in online annotations (10 points) +    Impressive ​and documented research with both [[:​scholarly_sources|scholarly]] and primary sources, [[:​citation_standards|appropriately cited]] in APA format 
-    * geeky enthusiasm, insight, and attention to others in class (10 points) +    Sophisticated [[engagement with assigned sources|engagement with at least two assigned sources]]
-  * Objective 1: 30 points +
-    * clear explanation along with supporting files in open formats +
-    * creative implementation and stretching of skills +
-    * sophisticated engagement with at least one of the module's assigned sources +
-  * Objective 2: 20 points +
-    * accessible and fun introduction to a skill and its significance ​(5 points) +
-    how others can go about learning it—what basic stepswhat resources? (5 points) +
-    * cultural context and history, documented in research ​with both [[:​scholarly_sources|scholarly]] and primary sources (5 points) +
-    * well-plannedeffective DiscoTech exercise ​(5 points) +
-  * Objective 3: 30 points +
-    * complete beta version and participation in debugging with substantive comments on two fellow students'​ betas (points) +
-    * revised final (20 points) +
-      * 1,​800-to-2,​000-word length, written clearly and with instructive illustrations +
-      comprehension ​of the hack and convincing, accessible analysis of it +
-      impressive ​and documented research with both [[:​scholarly_sources|scholarly]] and primary sources +
-      sophisticated ​engagement with at least two assigned sources +
-  * one-minute presentation,​ with an instructive slide, on the last day of class (5 points) +
- +
-Bounties will be compiled in (more or less) real time on Canvas for easy access. The final grade will be calculated by adding up the bounties each student has earned. Based on the stated bounty structure, grades will be awarded as follows: A (94-100), A- (90-93), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), D+ (67-69), D (63-66), D- (60-62), F (0-59). +
  
 ### Terms and conditions ### Terms and conditions
  
-  ​* This syllabus is a living document and may be revised during the course. The current, binding form will be maintained on Canvas, and any changes will be explained in a Canvas announcement. +* This syllabus is a living document and may be revised during the course. The current, binding form will be maintained on Canvas, and any changes will be explained in a Canvas announcement. 
-  * We respect one another'​s privacy and freedom to explore. Content shared in the course, in class or online, will not be shared beyond it without permission. +* We will be intentional about any use of screen devices, which [[:​screen_devices|risk]] interfering with our learning experience and that of students around us. 
-  * Use of laptops and other screen devices is not permitted in class, except during DiscoTech sessions or for purposes of accessibility. Such devices are [[screen_devices|likely]] to interfere with your learning experience and that of students around you. Most class discussions,​ unless otherwise stated, not require or be improved by them. +* We respect one another'​s privacy and freedom to explore. Content shared in the course, in class or online, will not be shared beyond it without permission. 
-  ​* We adhere to basic [[university policies]] regarding accessibility and academic ​integrity; we take responsibility for understanding ​them and the relevant procedures. *Verbum sat sapienti est.*+* We adhere to basic [[:university policies]] regarding accessibility and [[:academic ​honesty]]; we take responsibility for understanding relevant ​policies and procedures. *Verbum sat sapienti est.*
  
 ## Schedule ## Schedule
  
-Each week'​s ​readings ​are due at p.m. that Tuesday and Exploits are due at Saturday at 9 a.m. All other due dates are at p.m. Mountain Time:+Each week'​s ​annotations ​are due at p.m. that Tuesday and Exploits are due on Saturday at sunrise. All other due dates are at p.m. Mountain Time:
  
-  * Project proposal: April 2 +  * Project proposal: April 9 
-  * Project beta version: April 21 +  * Project beta version: April 30 
-  * Debugging commentsApril 23 +  * Final presentationsMay 2 
-  * Final project: ​April 30+  * Final project: ​May 2
  
 ## What topics will be covered? ## What topics will be covered?
 +
 +The following is the schedule of readings for the course. One book is required that must be acquired independently:​ Edward Snowden, _Permanent Record_ (Metropolitan Books, 2019).
  
 ### 1. Version history ### 1. Version history
Line 113: Line 155:
   * Edward Snowden, _Permanent Record_ (Metropolitan Books, 2019): Part I   * Edward Snowden, _Permanent Record_ (Metropolitan Books, 2019): Part I
   * Steven Levy, _Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution_ [chapters 1 and 2](https://​www.gutenberg.org/​ebooks/​729) (1984)   * Steven Levy, _Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution_ [chapters 1 and 2](https://​www.gutenberg.org/​ebooks/​729) (1984)
-  * The Mentor, "[The Conscience of a Hacker (aka Hacker Manifesto)](http://​phrack.org/​issues/​7/​3.html),"​​ _Phrack_ 1, no. 7 (1986) 
  
-**Exploit: ​Compose a testimony or manifesto.** Using appropriate typography ​and layout, ​or posting ​it to an appropriate place, create ​testimony or [manifesto](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/​archive/​2014/​06/​manifestos-a-manifesto-the-10-things-all-manifestos-need/​372135/) that introduces your hacker philosophy ​to the worldIdentify yourself any way you like or not at all. Seek to recruit, warn, alienate, terrify, or inform readers. Let the medium be part of the message.+**Exploit: ​Do something worthwhile with an old machine.** Dig up an obsolete machine ​and have fun with it. What's lying around your house or dorm collecting dust? What neat software have most people forgotten about? What can it do that a fancy smartphone can't? Pay a [visit](http://mediaarchaeologylab.com/visit/) to the Media Archaeology Lab on campus and play aroundShow us what you can do with a neglected tool.
  
 ### 2. White, black, gray ### 2. White, black, gray
Line 121: Line 162:
   * Edward Snowden, _Permanent Record_ (Metropolitan Books, 2019): Part II   * Edward Snowden, _Permanent Record_ (Metropolitan Books, 2019): Part II
   * Charlton McIlwain, _Black Software: The Internet and Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter_ (Oxford University Press, 2020): {{:​lib:​mcilwain-blacksoftware.pdf|28-43,​ 55-58}}   * Charlton McIlwain, _Black Software: The Internet and Racial Justice, from the AfroNet to Black Lives Matter_ (Oxford University Press, 2020): {{:​lib:​mcilwain-blacksoftware.pdf|28-43,​ 55-58}}
 +  * The Mentor, "[The Conscience of a Hacker (aka Hacker Manifesto)](http://​phrack.org/​issues/​7/​3.html),"​​ _Phrack_ 1, no. 7 (1986)
  
-**Exploit: ​Practice self-optimization.** Work on your development as a hacker by hacking yourself. Measure some aspect of your life, routine, mind, or body, and test strategies for optimizing ​it. For inspirationconsider resources like _[Lifehacker](http://lifehacker.com/)_ and [Hacker News](https:​//news.ycombinator.com/). Produce data based on your experiment and present it so the rest of us can better hack ourselves.+**Exploit: ​Compose a testimony or manifesto.** Using appropriate typography and layout, or posting ​it to an appropriate placecreate a testimony or [manifesto](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/​06/​manifestos-a-manifesto-the-10-things-all-manifestos-need/​372135/) that introduces ​your hacker philosophy to the world. Identify yourself any way you like or not at all. Seek to recruit, warn, alienate, terrify, or inform readers. Let the medium be part of the message.
  
  
Line 130: Line 172:
   * Gabriella Coleman, "[The Public Interest Hack](https://​limn.it/​articles/​the-public-interest-hack/​),"​ _limn_ (February 2017)   * Gabriella Coleman, "[The Public Interest Hack](https://​limn.it/​articles/​the-public-interest-hack/​),"​ _limn_ (February 2017)
  
-**Exploit: Set a valuable piece of information free.** Lots of data and knowledge are caught up in places that aren't accessible---in offline archives, behind paywalls or private intranets, trapped in someone'​s mind. Following the hacker dictum "​information wants to be free," let something loose in a way that will facilitate its flow. Post it online in an appropriate spot, or share it with those who will, or find a liberating offline place for it, like a flyer or a megaphone. Be sure to explain what makes the information valuable and how what you do with it is meaningfully liberating. +**Exploit: Set a valuable piece of information free.** Lots of data and knowledge are caught up in places that aren't accessible---in offline archives, behind paywalls or private intranets, trapped in someone'​s mind. Following the hacker dictum ​that "​information wants to be free," let something loose in a way that will facilitate its flow. Post it online in an appropriate spot, or share it with those who will, or find a liberating offline place for it, like a flyer or a megaphone. Be sure to explain what makes the information valuable and how what you do with it is meaningfully liberating.
  
-### 4. Disintermediation+### 4. Legal hacking
  
 +  * Lawrence Lessig, "[Laws that Choke Creativity](https://​www.youtube.com/​watch?​v=7Q25-S7jzgs),"​ TED (November 15, 2007)
   * Gabriella Coleman, "The Tale of Two Legal Regimes"​ in _[Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking](http://​gabriellacoleman.org/​Coleman-Coding-Freedom.pdf)_ (Princeton University Press, 2013)   * Gabriella Coleman, "The Tale of Two Legal Regimes"​ in _[Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking](http://​gabriellacoleman.org/​Coleman-Coding-Freedom.pdf)_ (Princeton University Press, 2013)
-  * Lana Swartz, "​[Blockchain Dreams: Imagining ​ Techno- Economic Alternatives After Bitcoin](http://​llaannaa.com/​papers/​Swartz_Blockchain_Dreams.pdf),"​ in _Another Economy Is Possible: Culture and Economy in a Time of Crisis_, ed. Manuel Castells, 82-105 (Polity, 2017) 
-  * Nathan Schneider, "​[Decentralization:​ An Incomplete Ambition](https://​www.tandfonline.com/​doi/​full/​10.1080/​17530350.2019.1589553),"​ _Journal of Cultural Economy_ (April 17, 2019) 
- 
-**Exploit: Devise a tool that disrupts a gatekeeper.** What is in the way of something worth doing? What systems do you encounter that are needlessly cumbersome or inefficient?​ Who is leeching profits without contributing any useful value? Come up with an idea---you don't have to implement it, especially if it's risky---that would clear the way. Bypass a government or skirt around a middleman. Get the goods. 
  
 +**Exploit: Make a remix.** Take something out in the world and turn it into something else. Mash up music or video into something surprising, or rewrite a book. Create a bit of knock-off *[shanzhai](https://​en.wikipedia.org/​wiki/​Shanzhai)*. Make some [fan-fiction](https://​archiveofourown.org/​). Save a website'​s HTML code to your computer and mess with it. Explore the possibilities of free culture, or what culture would be like if it were really free. Show us what you can come up with.
  
 ### 5. School ### 5. School
  
-  * Eric Steven Raymond, "[How to Become a Hacker](http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html)" (2001-2015) +  * Paul Ford, "[What Is Code?](https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-paul-ford-what-is-code/​)" ​_Bloomberg Businessweek_ ​(June 11, 2015) 
-  * Eric Steven Raymond, "[How To Ask Questions The Smart Way](http://​catb.org/​~esr/​faqs/​smart-questions.html)"​ (2001-2014)+  * Eric Steven Raymond ​and Rick Moen, "[How To Ask Questions The Smart Way](http://​catb.org/​~esr/​faqs/​smart-questions.html)"​ (2001-2014)
     * A sort-of reply: Julia Evans, "[How to Ask Good Questions](http://​jvns.ca/​blog/​good-questions/​)"​ (December 31, 2016)     * A sort-of reply: Julia Evans, "[How to Ask Good Questions](http://​jvns.ca/​blog/​good-questions/​)"​ (December 31, 2016)
-  * Shawna Scott, "[The Code School-Industrial Complex](https://​modelviewculture.com/​pieces/​the-code-school-industrial-complex),"​ _Model View Culture_ (January 21, 2015) 
  
 **Exploit: Teach yourself a bit of a computer language and make a program that does something neat.** It might seem scary or fancy, but it's completely possible to start learning how to code online, and lots of hackers are more or less self-taught. Whatever you know already, use this Exploit to learn a new programming language or trick. You can do something as simple as the classic "​[Hello World!](https://​en.wikipedia.org/​wiki/​Hello_world_program)"​ or [make your own chatbot](https://​chatbotlab.io/​). Try the elegant language [Python on CodeAcademy](https://​www.codecademy.com/​learn/​learn-python),​ or get visual with [JavaScript at Khan Academy](https://​www.khanacademy.org/​computing/​computer-programming/​programming),​ or play with [MIT's Scratch](https://​scratch.mit.edu/​). The [Hour of Code project](https://​code.org/​learn) has tons of activity ideas on top of that. **Exploit: Teach yourself a bit of a computer language and make a program that does something neat.** It might seem scary or fancy, but it's completely possible to start learning how to code online, and lots of hackers are more or less self-taught. Whatever you know already, use this Exploit to learn a new programming language or trick. You can do something as simple as the classic "​[Hello World!](https://​en.wikipedia.org/​wiki/​Hello_world_program)"​ or [make your own chatbot](https://​chatbotlab.io/​). Try the elegant language [Python on CodeAcademy](https://​www.codecademy.com/​learn/​learn-python),​ or get visual with [JavaScript at Khan Academy](https://​www.khanacademy.org/​computing/​computer-programming/​programming),​ or play with [MIT's Scratch](https://​scratch.mit.edu/​). The [Hour of Code project](https://​code.org/​learn) has tons of activity ideas on top of that.
  
-### 6. Identities+### 6. Avatars
  
-  * Joy Lisi Rankin, "[Tech-Bro Culture Was Written ​in the Code](https://slate.com/technology/2018/​11/​dartmouth-basic-computer-programmers-tech-bros.html),"​ _Slate_ (November 1, 2018) +  * Donna Haraway, "[A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism ​in the Late Twentieth Century](https://web.archive.org/web/20120214194015/http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/​Haraway/​CyborgManifesto.html)," in _Simians, Cyborgs ​and Women: The Reinvention of Nature_ ​(Routledge, 1991)
-  * Lisa Nakamura, "[Race in/for Cyberspace: Identity Tourism and Racial Passing on the Internet](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3531/da9329d2b7158bd697e1aa8ef073f78de6fb.pdf)," in _Works ​and Days_ 13 (1995)+
   * Gabriella Coleman, "​[Phreaks,​ Hackers, and Trolls: The Politics of Transgression and Spectacle](http://​gabriellacoleman.org/​wp-content/​uploads/​2012/​08/​Coleman-Phreaks-Hackers-Trolls.pdf),"​ in _The Social Media Reader_ (New York University Press, 2012)   * Gabriella Coleman, "​[Phreaks,​ Hackers, and Trolls: The Politics of Transgression and Spectacle](http://​gabriellacoleman.org/​wp-content/​uploads/​2012/​08/​Coleman-Phreaks-Hackers-Trolls.pdf),"​ in _The Social Media Reader_ (New York University Press, 2012)
  
-**Exploit: Create an identity.** Who you appear to be can change what you can do. Try on a new online mask---on a social network, ​for instance, or across ​fewForm a profile, take on a character, and see what happens. What can you do that you might not otherwise try?+**Exploit: Create an identity.** Who you appear to be can change what you can do. Try on a new online mask---on a social network, ​an online game, or a creator platformDevelop ​a profile, take on a character, interact with others, and see what happens. What can you do that you might not otherwise try? Share screenshots or other documentation of what your identity allowed you to do.
  
- +### 7. Craft
-### 7. Remix +
- +
-  * Lawrence Lessig, "​[\<​free_culture\>​](https://​randomfoo.net/​oscon/​2002/​lessig/​),"​ O.Reilly Open Source Conference (July 24, 2002)---watch Flash presentation if you can +
-  * Donna Haraway, "[A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century](https://​web.archive.org/​web/​20120214194015/​http://​www.stanford.edu/​dept/​HPS/​Haraway/​CyborgManifesto.html),"​ in _Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature_ (Routledge, 1991) +
-  * "​[Shenzhen:​ The Silicon Valley of Hardware](https://​www.youtube.com/​watch?​v=SGJ5cZnoodY),"​ _Wired_ (2016) +
- +
-**Exploit: Make a remix.** Take something out there and turn it into something else. Mash up music or video into something surprising, or rewrite a book. Make some fan-fiction. Save a website'​s HTML code to your computer and mess with it. Explore the possibilities of free culture, or what culture would be like if it were really free. Show us what you can come up with. +
- +
- +
-### 8. Craft+
  
   * Paul Graham, "​[Hackers and Painters](http://​www.paulgraham.com/​hp.html)"​ (May 2003)   * Paul Graham, "​[Hackers and Painters](http://​www.paulgraham.com/​hp.html)"​ (May 2003)
   * Gabriella Coleman, "The Craft and Craftiness of Hacking,"​ in _[Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking](http://​gabriellacoleman.org/​Coleman-Coding-Freedom.pdf)_ (Princeton University Press, 2013)   * Gabriella Coleman, "The Craft and Craftiness of Hacking,"​ in _[Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking](http://​gabriellacoleman.org/​Coleman-Coding-Freedom.pdf)_ (Princeton University Press, 2013)
-  * Jay Kirby and Lori Emerson, "[As If, or, Using Media Archaeology to Reimagine Past, Present, and Future: An Interview with Lori Emerson](http://​ijoc.org/​index.php/​ijoc/​article/​view/​4764),"​ _International Journal of Communication_ 10 (June 2016) 
  
-**Exploit: ​Do something worthwhile with an old machine.** Dig up an old, obsolete machine and have fun with itWhat's lying around ​your house or our campus collecting dust? What neat software have most people forgotten about? What can it do that a fancy smartphone can't? Pay a [visit](http://mediaarchaeologylab.com/visit/) to the Media Archaeology Lab on campus ​and play around. Show us what you can do with a neglected tool.+**Exploit: ​Practice the craft of self-optimization.** Work on your development as a hacker by hacking yourselfSee math or art where you didn't before. Measure some aspect of your life, routine, mind, or body, and test strategies for optimizing ​it. Explore creative, counter-intuitive possibilities. For inspiration,​ consider resources like _[Lifehacker](http://lifehacker.com/)_ and [Hacker News](https://​news.ycombinator.com/). What are you optimizing for, and why? Produce data based on your experiment ​and present it so the rest of us can better hack ourselves.
  
 +### 8. Arms race
  
-### 9Order+  * Bruce Schneier, "[The Security Mirage](https://​www.youtube.com/​watch?​v=wQJC2MMB8nA),"​ TED (Apr 27, 2011) 
 +  * Maddy Crowell, "[The Hacker](https://​www.cjr.org/​the_feature/​runa-sandvik.php),"​ _Columbia Journalism Review_ (April 17, 2023)
  
-  ​Nathan Schneider, "​[Admins,​ Mods, and Benevolent Dictators for Life: The Implicit Feudalism of Online Communities](https://osf.io/​epgwr/?​view_only=11c9e93011df4865951f2056a64f5938),"​ working draft +**ExploitPlot a world takeover.** Dream up a viruszero-dayor other sort of cyberattack that will break and reshape ​the world orderDescribe in detail how it works and what it will doas well as potential limitations and possible defenses against itWhat would you do with the power you obtain? Let your imagination go wild.
-  ​Yochai Benkler"[Peer Production, the Commons, and the Future of the Firm](https://​doi.org/​10.1177/​1476127016652606)," _Strategic Organization_ 15, no2 (May 2017) +
-  * Coraline Ada Ehmke, "[The Dehumanizing Myth of Meritocracy](https://​modelviewculture.com/​pieces/​the-dehumanizing-myth-of-the-meritocracy),"​ _Model View Culture_ (May 19, 2015)+
  
-**Exploit: Submit a bug report or feature request to an open-source project.** Critical to any open-source project is the participation of the community. For those of us who are not amazing software engineers, one of the best (and most rewarding) ways of participating is through feedback. Identify which software that you use is open-source---Canvas and Hypothesis are a start---and try to find where the developers communicate with users. (It's usually in the Issues section of the project'​s GitHub page.) Write to them with a bug you've noticed or a feature you'd like to see. Keep in mind Raymond'​s essay on questions to help ensure your recommendation is usefully phrased and well researched.+### 9Social engineering
  
 +  * Tsutomu Shimomura, "​[Catching Kevin](http://​www.wired.com/​1996/​02/​catching/​),"​ _Wired_ (February 1, 1996)
 +  * Robert W. Gehl and Sean T Lawson, "​[Pretexting:​ Recognizing the Mitnick Mythology](https://​direct.mit.edu/​books/​oa-monograph/​5281/​chapter/​3666131/​Pretexting-Recognizing-the-Mitnick-Mythology),"​ in _Social Engineering:​ How Crowdmasters,​ Phreaks, Hackers, and Trolls Created a New Form of Manipulative Communication_ (MIT Press, 2022)
  
-### 10Anonymity+**Exploit: Get someone who doesn'​t know who you are to do something.** Use your identity created in an earlier module, or try another, or use no identity at all. This can be online, over various kinds of networks, or in meatspace. Take a stranger to lunch, or get a stranger to send you a dollar. Make a friend or an enemy. But exercise your capacity to influence the world, without your existing social capital, through crafty engineering of interpersonal interactions.
  
-  * _[We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists](https://​www.youtube.com/​watch?​v=-zwDhoXpk90)_,​ directed by Brian Knappenberger (2012) +### 10Security culture
-  * J. Nathan Matias, "[The Real Name Fallacy](https://​blog.coralproject.net/​the-real-name-fallacy/​),"​ The Coral Project (January 5, 2017) +
-  * LA Crypto Crew, "[How to Become Anonymous Online](http://​hyperallergic.com/​342262/​a-guide-to-becoming-anonymous-online/​),"​ _Hyperallergic_ (December 2, 2016) +
-  * Erika Eichelberger,​ "[What I Learned Hanging Out With Nigerian Email Scammers](http://​www.motherjones.com/​politics/​2014/​03/​what-i-learned-from-nigerian-scammers),"​ _Mother Jones_ (March 20, 2014)+
  
-**ExploitGet someone who doesn'​t know who you are to do something.** Use your identity created in the previous moduleor try anotheror use no identity at allThis can be onlineover various kinds of networks, or in meatspace. Take a stranger ​to lunchor get a stranger to send you a dollar. Make a friendor not. But exercise your capacity to influence the world without doing it as you.+  ​Priyanka Kaura, "​[Imagine Otherwise: Simone Browne on Resisting Surveillance & Creative Collaborations](https://​ideasonfire.net/​podcast/​9-simone-browne/​)," _Imagine Otherwise_ (May 42016) 
 +  * Jessica MGoldstein"[Meet The Woman Who Did Everything In Her Power To Hide Her Pregnancy From Big Data](https://​archive.thinkprogress.org/​meet-the-woman-who-did-everything-in-her-power-to-hide-her-pregnancy-from-big-data-80070cf6edd2/​)," _ThinkProgress_ (April 292014)
  
 +**Exploit: Audit your communication practices and identify improvements.** Review some of your regular practices, digital and otherwise, and locate potential security vulnerabilities. Do some [research](https://​www.isaca.org/​Journal/​archives/​2010/​Volume-1/​Pages/​Performing-a-Security-Risk-Assessment1.aspx) about the [nature](http://​webkay.robinlinus.com/​) of potential [threats](https://​panopticlick.eff.org/​) and how they might be mitigated. Check out software listed at [AlternativeTo](https://​alternativeto.net/​platform/​all/?​license=opensource),​ [PRISM Break](http://​prism-break.org/​),​ [PrivacyTools](https://​www.privacytools.io/​),​ or [Surveillance Self-Defense](https://​ssd.eff.org/​) if the dangers are digital. Go further with Janet Vertesi'​s [Opt Out Project](https://​www.optoutproject.net/​). Try out a few patches, and determine whether they'​re worth the trouble.
  
-### 11. Security culture +### 11. Disintermediation
- +
-  * Priyanka Kaura, "​[Imagine Otherwise: Simone Browne on Resisting Surveillance & Creative Collaborations](https://​ideasonfire.net/​podcast/​9-simone-browne/​),"​ _Imagine Otherwise_ (May 4, 2016) +
-  * Sophie Toupin, "​[Gesturing Towards '​Anti-Colonial Hacking'​ and Its Infrastructure](http://​peerproduction.net/​issues/​issue-9-alternative-internets/​peer-reviewed-papers/​anti-colonial-hacking/​),"​ _Journal of Peer Production_ 9 (2016) +
-  * Mattathias Schwartz, "​[Cyberwar for Sale](http://​www.nytimes.com/​2017/​01/​04/​magazine/​cyberwar-for-sale.html),"​ _The New York Times Magazine_ (January 4, 2017) +
- +
-**Exploit: Audit your communication practices and identify improvements.** Review some of your regular practices, digital and otherwise, and locate potential security vulnerabilities. Do some [research](https://​www.isaca.org/​Journal/​archives/​2010/​Volume-1/​Pages/​Performing-a-Security-Risk-Assessment1.aspx) about the [nature](http://​webkay.robinlinus.com/​) of potential [threats](https://​panopticlick.eff.org/​) and how they might be mitigated. Check out software listed at [PRISM Break](http://​prism-break.org/​),​ if the dangers are digital. Try out a few patches, and determine whether they'​re worth the trouble.+
  
 +  * Yochai Benkler, "[Peer Production, the Commons, and the Future of the Firm](https://​doi.org/​10.1177/​1476127016652606),"​ _Strategic Organization_ 15, no. 2 (May 2017)
 +  * Lana Swartz, "​[Blockchain Dreams: Imagining Techno-Economic Alternatives After Bitcoin](http://​llaannaa.com/​papers/​Swartz_Blockchain_Dreams.pdf),"​ in _Another Economy Is Possible: Culture and Economy in a Time of Crisis_, ed. Manuel Castells, 82-105 (Polity, 2017)
  
-### 12Weary giants+**Exploit: Devise a tool that disrupts a gatekeeper.** What is in the way of something worth doing? What systems do you encounter that are needlessly cumbersome or inefficient?​ Who is leeching profits without contributing any useful value? Come up with an idea---you don't have to implement it, especially if it's risky---that would clear the way. Bypass a government, master the university bureaucracy,​ or skirt around a corporate middleman. Get the goods.
  
-  * John Perry Barlow, "[A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace](https://​www.eff.org/​cyberspace-independence)"​ (February 8, 1996) +### 12Beyond ​the valley
-  * Yu-Tang Hsiao, Shu-Yang Lin, Audrey Tang, Darshana Narayanan, and Claudina Sarahe, "​[vTaiwan:​ An Empirical Study of Open Consultation Process in Taiwan](https://​files.osf.io/​v1/​resources/​xyhft/​providers/​osfstorage/​5b3c5c85987be0001299ec93?​action=download&​version=1&​direct)"​ (2018) +
-  * Pia Mancini, "​[Cities as Open Collectives](https://​www.youtube.com/​watch?​v=S74uMkmNdh0),"​ OuiShare Fest (2017) +
-  * Nathan Schneider, "​[Why ​the Tech Elite Is Getting Behind Universal Basic Income](https://​www.vice.com/​read/​something-for-everyone-0000546-v22n1),"​ _Vice_ (January 6, 2015)+
  
-**ExploitImprove or subvert a government process.** Look for old-world inefficiencies,​ combat them with hacksWhere are governments needlessly burdening people? How do bureaucratic processes waste time and resources? Apply your hacking skills toward devising ​strategy that solves the problemwhether those in power like it or not.+  ​Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams (dirs.), _[Neptune Frost](https://colorado.kanopy.com/​node/​12574154)_ (2021) 
 +  ​Fernanda RRosa, "[From Community Networks to Shared Networks: The Paths of Latin-Centric Indigenous Networks to Pluriversal Internet](https://​www-tandfonline-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/​doi/​full/​10.1080/​1369118X.2022.2085614),"​ _Information,​ Communication & Society_ 26no11 (2023)
  
 +**Exploit: Build a world.** Devise an imaginary world that doesn'​t exist yet. Make a map, tell a story, provide a timeline, or offer some other picture of your world. What does this world allow you to explore that the "​real"​ world does not? What is the same, and what is different? What does that world reveal about this one? [These "​laws"​](https://​www.raphkoster.com/​games/​laws-of-online-world-design/​the-laws-of-online-world-design/​) from a practicing game designer, or [this guide](https://​radiopublic.com/​Ezra/​s1!8ed6a) from a master fantasy writer, might help.
  
-### 13. Gentrification+### 13. Singularity
  
-  * Mark Zuckerberg, "[The Hacker Way](https://​www.wired.com/​2012/​02/​zuck-letter/​),"​ _Wired_ (February 1, 2012) 
   * Alessandro Delfanti and Johan Söderberg, "​[Repurposing the hacker: Three cycles of recuperation in the evolution of hacking and capitalism](http://​www.ephemerajournal.org/​contribution/​repurposing-hacker-three-cycles-recuperation-evolution-hacking-and-capitalism),"​ _Ephemera_ 18, no. 3 (2018)   * Alessandro Delfanti and Johan Söderberg, "​[Repurposing the hacker: Three cycles of recuperation in the evolution of hacking and capitalism](http://​www.ephemerajournal.org/​contribution/​repurposing-hacker-three-cycles-recuperation-evolution-hacking-and-capitalism),"​ _Ephemera_ 18, no. 3 (2018)
   * Virginia Heffernan, "[Now That Tech Runs the World, Let's Retire the Hacker Ideal](https://​www.wired.com/​story/​now-that-tech-runs-the-world-lets-retire-the-hacker-ideal/​),"​ _Wired_ (January 31, 2018)   * Virginia Heffernan, "[Now That Tech Runs the World, Let's Retire the Hacker Ideal](https://​www.wired.com/​story/​now-that-tech-runs-the-world-lets-retire-the-hacker-ideal/​),"​ _Wired_ (January 31, 2018)
  
-**Exploit: De-co-opt ​something.** Notice something fresh, original, grassroots, and authentic that has been transformed into something palatable, profitable, and safe for a dominant class. Reverse the process. Identify forgotten radicalisms,​ incite people to re-embrace them, and renew their dangerousness to the powers that be. Reflect on the consequences of doing so.+**Exploit: De-recuperate ​something.** Notice something fresh, original, grassroots, and authentic that has been transformed into something palatable, profitable, and safe for a dominant class. Reverse the process. Identify forgotten radicalisms,​ incite people to re-embrace them, and renew their dangerousness to the powers that be. Reflect on the consequences of doing so.
  
  
Line 237: Line 258:
   * [Hack_Curio](https://​hackcur.io/​)   * [Hack_Curio](https://​hackcur.io/​)
   * [Hacker News](https://​news.ycombinator.com/​)   * [Hacker News](https://​news.ycombinator.com/​)
-  * _[Hackernoon](https://​hackernoon.com/​)_+  * _[Hacker News, The](https://​thehackernews.com/​)_ 
 +  * _[Hacker Noon](https://​hackernoon.com/​)_
   * _[Krebs on Security](http://​krebsonsecurity.com/​)_   * _[Krebs on Security](http://​krebsonsecurity.com/​)_
   * _[Lifehacker](http://​lifehacker.com/​)_   * _[Lifehacker](http://​lifehacker.com/​)_
Line 245: Line 267:
   * [Slashdot](http://​slashdot.org/​)   * [Slashdot](http://​slashdot.org/​)
   * [Textfiles](http://​www.textfiles.com/​directory.html)   * [Textfiles](http://​www.textfiles.com/​directory.html)
-  * [ThreatLevel](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/) at _WIRED_+  * [r/unixporn](https://www.reddit.com/r/unixporn/)
   * _[xkcd](https://​xkcd.com/​)_   * _[xkcd](https://​xkcd.com/​)_
 +  * _[Zero Day](https://​zetter.substack.com/​)_
  
 --- ---
  
 [ [[note:​hacker_culture|Notes]] ] [ [[note:​hacker_culture|Notes]] ]