WHYcast history episode 29
Cardboard Tent and Moving Couch at SHA2017
In the interview with Niels “NelusTheNerd,” he looks back on one of his most vivid memories from SHA2017 (Still Hacking Anyway 2017). That year, while working as an “angel” shuttle driver, he witnessed the German hardware hacking village unveil a motorized “cardboard tent.” They took two defective self‑balancing boards (think Segway‑style two‑wheel platforms), mounted them under a tent-shaped cardboard structure, and piloted the whole contraption across the festival grounds. Behind it rolled a “moving couch,” another jury‑rigged vehicle that ferried people around the site. This playful mash‑up of low‑tech materials (cardboard) and hacked electronics captured the DIY ethos of open‑air hacker camps. Another KarTent on wheels was seen at MCH2022 (May Contain Hackers 2022), where it joined the unofficial canon of roaming hacker‑made vehicles.
Organic Career Networking Born at SHA2017
While describing his role as a shuttle driver at SHA2017, Niels recounts how volunteering at hacker camps can lead to unexpected real‑world opportunities. By giving rides and helping to run the site, he struck up conversations with fellow volunteers and attendees—one of whom later offered him an internship. That connection grew into a full‑time position at ZCERT, the Dutch healthcare CERT where he now works. His story illustrates a recurring theme in hacker‑camp history: that “collateral gains” — networking, friendships, even job offers — often arise naturally when passionate people come together to build, share, and experiment.
Veronica Schmidt’s Pacemaker Hack at the First Hack the Health Edition
During the field‑day interview, Nancy and Niels refer back to the inaugural edition of “Hack the Health,” a healthcare‑focused village at the previous event. The standout anecdote involves Veronica Schmidt, a participant who suspected her implanted pacemaker was malfunctioning. Unable to persuade her doctors, she reverse‑engineered and tampered with her own device to demonstrate its flaw, all without endangering herself. Her “bring‑yourself‑to‑the‑task” approach exemplifies the extreme end of hardware hacking in medical contexts. That first edition set the bar for the upcoming Hack the Health Village at WHY2025, promising even more ambitious medical‑device workshops, talks, and collaborations between hospitals, device manufacturers, and hackers.