[M.K. THOMPSON] Bringing hacking back for change

In a recent column, I asked: Where did all the hacking go? At what point did we stop re-wiring our consumer electronics, tinkering with our cars and writing our own software? What is it about our society, our business practices and our educational system that discourages technological self-exploration rather than embracing it?

Perhaps a more important question is: How do we bring hacking back?

To answer that, we must first consider the anatomy of a hacker and discover what makes hackers tick. Recall that "pervasive computing" defines hacking as "interacting with a computer or any other technology-infused system in a playful or exploratory way, or modifying an existing system (hardware, mechanical or software) to improve performance or create an application that differs from the device`s original purpose."

Hackers have a passion for technological exploration. They sail the seas of innovation and climb the snow-covered peaks of invention. They drill deep to discover the secrets of their iPods and laptops and learn what components were used inside. They brave high temperatures and electrical burns to dismantle the dashboard of their brand-new hybrid electric vehicles to install sensors and determine the true operating parameters of the system. They take apart their newest gadgets, peeling back the layers of plastic and metal to reveal the system inside like a child unwrapping a present. They revel in knowing how everything works. This joie de vivre cannot be taught, but it can be encouraged and cultivated in our children, our students and even our employees.



But hackers are not satisfied with technology. They love their new e-book readers, but won`t hesitate to delve into the software, bypassing the modem in favor of the USB network and adding a true PDF reader. It is only a matter of time before someone cracks one open and adds solar cells to extend the battery life.

Hackers are the first to discover flaws in new products and blog about them. But their work does not stop there. After documenting a problem, hackers do not go about their daily lives hoping that someday the manufacturer will remedy the situation. They do not wait for someone else to take the initiative. Instead, they take a trip to the nearest hardware store or electronics supply store, or head straight for the internet and industrial supply catalogs and start ordering parts to fix it themselves. As a result, hackers are often also the first to discover the solutions to various technological problems which they helpfully publish online.

Hacking may seem to be an intimidating world full of specialized tools, high voltages, complex schematics and esoteric vocabulary that is home only to the engineering elite. But is what they do really so different than the daily lives of ordinary people?

How often have you observed a friend or relative look at something at a bakery and have them remark that they would rather make the same item at home because it would taste better, cost less and be healthier for them? Good home cooking is frequently better than restaurant fare.

It is a time-honored tradition to bring clothes home from a store and then take them straight to the tailor (or your sewing machine) and start ripping off bows, modifying cuffs, hemming pants, removing shoulder pads, adding buttons, enlarging openings or otherwise customizing your clothing. College students who sport punk or gothic fashion do so armed with little more than scissors and safety pins.

How many times have you seen a new product advertised just to think that you could accomplish the same goals with items that you already have in your home? Duct tape alone is sufficient to solve many problems around the house.

Your kitchen may be more vegetable-infused than technology-infused, but the basic principle is the same. Hacking is fundamentally about modifying, customizing and improving the environment that you live in and the objects that you interact with on a daily basis. It is the technological embodiment of the human spirit striving for a better and more comfortable life.

No one is born knowing how to solder and design circuit boards, any more than we are born knowing how to cook or sew. We learn to do these things as the need and the desire arise. Thus, hacking is also about self-directed learning, prompted by necessity instead of government mandates or next week`s exam. It is joyful, exploratory, creative learning - often the best kind.

Bringing hacking back does not require advanced degrees in electrical engineering, a high IQ or super powers. (Although, I admit that X-ray vision would be useful.) It only requires the acknowledgement that we can all be agents for change, the motivation to spearhead that change and the freedom to try.





Mary Kathryn Thompson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She can be reached at mkthompson@an.kaist.ac.kr. - Ed.