WHYcast transcript episode 0
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| Episode Nr. | 0 |
Disclaimer
This is the full transcript generated using AI tools and some human oversight. It may contain errors. Please review and correct obvious mistakes before publishing.
Transcript 0
Nancy: Welcome to the WHYcast. I’m Nancy. I’m Chantal. And I’m Ad. We’re the hosts of the only podcast about a hacker camp in the world. This volunteer-run event will take place next year in the Netherlands, 42 kilometres north of Amsterdam, from 8 to 12 August 2025. This is episode zero. Here’s what you can expect from us. First, a short introduction of who we are. Ladies first—Chantal, can you tell me something about yourself and what you’re doing for WHY?
Chantal: Sure. I’m Chantal Stekelenburg. In daily life I’m head of hackers at a company. For WHY I’m the team-lead of Team:Info, co-team-lead of Team:Content, and I try to help other teams get set up and find volunteers.
Ad: All right. My name is Ad. By day I’m an ad nerd; by night I help Chantal with Team:Info and with this podcast.
Nancy: My name is Nancy. I’m co-chair of IFCAT, co-team-lead of Team:Content, and I help other teams get started. IFCAT is the legal entity that ensures a Dutch hacker camp happens every four years. I’m also in Project Leiding, the volunteer team that makes sure all the other teams can do their work. Friday will be WHY-day: every Friday we’ll release a 30-minute episode about WHY 2025. Chantal, could you explain what WHY actually is?
Chantal: WHY is a successor to many other Dutch hacker camps. It’s fully volunteer-run and organised by exactly 42 teams—no coincidence! The camp in 2025 will be completely outdoors: people sleep in tents, and we have tents for workshops, talks, and lots of fun things. There are games, CTFs, hands-on projects—whatever people bring.
Nancy: Hardware stuff, “car tents” driving around. I’ve seen drones built into ostriches!
Chantal: Last time someone had an emu riding a robotic lawnmower—at my camp, actually.
Ad: Perfect for an outdoor event. WHY 2025 is the tenth Dutch hacker camp, quite a milestone. It’s always been on camping grounds.
Nancy: Once it was at the University of Twente, but still outside. That outdoor setting gives it a holiday vibe—no suits, just fun, sharing knowledge and learning things.
Ad: And plenty of uplink in your tent.
Nancy: Absolutely.
Ad: At MCH 2022 they had a 200 Gbit redundant uplink and you could get 10 Gbit in your tent.
Nancy: Wow—where else can you get that?
Ad: Not at home—only at a hacker camp.
Nancy: It’s also family-friendly; there’s a family zone. Bring the kids, bring everyone. The last editions were great for children.
Chantal: It’s always in summer, usually good weather. People decorate their camps—and the whole site—with lasers, LEDs… Enough to see without sitting in talks all day. There are bars, a food court, plenty of socialising.
Nancy: Like-minded people, too. We’ll link an after-movie of MCH 2022 so you can see drone footage of the camp. Because this is the tenth edition, people want to top it. The first camp was so long ago I was barely born—and I think that goes for you two as well!
Ad: I existed, just wasn’t hacking yet.
Chantal: Good to mention: the site for 2025 is different from 2022, but we’ll make it just as pretty or prettier. Who’s the camp for? Anyone with a hacker mindset or curiosity about what hackers do. There’s a huge maker community—tons of 3-D printers in a field, electronic badge cases printed on site, that sort of thing.
Ad: It’s all about sharing and learning. Food hacking too—new cooking methods, beer-brewing workshops, jewellery making, art. Hacking isn’t just behind a laptop; it’s using things in ways the designer never intended.
Chantal: Numbers: MCH had about 3 200 people; we’re aiming for 3 000 to 3 500.
Nancy: My secret wish is 4 242—bring your friends!
Chantal: Even at that size it feels cosy because of villages. You can start a village for your open-source project, your company, your country—Italian embassy, Belgian embassy, whatever. If you like noise, go to Gruffel; if you need sleep, we’ve got a silent camping. And a family village, of course.
Nancy: So why do this podcast?
Chantal: Because no Dutch hacker camp had one yet, and we have lots to share. Mailing list, wiki, soon a website—but a half-hour weekly audio update is nice. And, honestly, because we can.
Ad: Good enough reason.
Chantal: We’ll interview the 42 team-leads about their projects and volunteer needs.
Nancy: Teams range from tech—power, internet (Team Nuts)—to Deco, Cohesion (Team Duct Tape), website, shuttle service. All volunteer-run; only hired security is paid, because the municipality requires professionals.
Chantal: When you visit, you can volunteer as an “angel.” Introduce speakers (heralds), run video, handle audio, collect waste, staff the volunteer kitchen, direct parking… there’s a task for everyone.
Nancy: On site, go to Heaven—the volunteer centre—to pick shifts.
Chantal: Right now teams are working in the pre-stage; during the camp visitors pick up one- or two-hour tasks. Great way to meet people. That’s how I met so many folks at my first camp.
Ad: I did audio so I could watch the talks I liked—push a record button while you’re already there. Since 2001 every camp talk has been recorded and is still online.
Chantal: In future episodes we’ll cover hot topics, upcoming talks, community plans, vacancies—always need volunteers—orga meetings, other camps worldwide, and a bit of history leading up to this tenth edition.
Nancy: That wraps up episode zero. A bit rough and unpolished—just how we roll. WHY stands for curiosity, a question in itself. For future episodes we’d love extra jingles—history-lesson jingle, fun facts jingle—licensed properly, please! We’re excited for the next shows.
Ad: Thanks for listening.
Nancy: See you next week.