WHYcast transcript episode 19

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 19

[Nancy]: Hi and welcome to the WHYcast episode 19. I’m Nancy.

[Ad]: I’m Ad.

[Nancy]: And we are the hosts of the only podcast about a hacker camp in the universe. This volunteer round event will take place this year in the Netherlands—approximately 42 kilometers above Amsterdam—from August 8 to 12. So, Ad, what are we talking about today?

[Ad]: Well, it’s becoming a tradition. We have news, we have interviews, we have a vacancy of the week, we have some messages from listeners.

[Nancy]: And we finally have sold more than 50 tickets.

[Ad]: Yeah, and we don’t have to go back and re-record and do stuff like that—

[Unknown]: —because now we actually blew past the halfway mark by a lot.

[Nancy]: I guess it was payday—end of month moment—and now people were like, “Okay, let me get a ticket.”

[Ad]: You can definitely see that in the statistics. Suddenly it changed, it almost froze, then payday came by and we got double the amount of a regular day.

[Unknown]: Yeah, so that was probably it.

[Ad]: But now we can safely say we are way beyond halfway.

[Unknown]: Yes, we are.

[Ad]: There’s also been an update on the camper spots. They’ve added 42 camper spots and there are four people on the waiting list. They’re on the voucher system, so they’ll get the opportunity to buy the camper ticket in order. I guess by the time this is published, they’ll be sold out again.

[Unknown]: Who knows?

[Ad]: That is too far in the future to say, and I don’t want to re-record again. So…

[Nancy]: Right. But keep an eye on your mailbox if you signed up for the waiting list, because you might receive an email that a camper spot is available for you.

[Unknown]: That was the news already, right?

[Nancy]: I think so. I just hijacked your part of the equation here—sorry, man. Sometimes that happens when I’m so happy about the “we made it” part.

[Unknown]: Unreal.

[Nancy]: In other news, yet again, the next in-person meetup will be February 22nd in Arnhem at our friends at HEC42. I’ve seen that only seven people signed up so far, which is fine, but last time 75 people showed up—so the reality is different. We like to arrange dinner for everybody who shows up, so if you plan to come, please sign up on the wiki (left side, “Meetings” section). I’ll share a link in the show notes. See you in Arnhem on February 22nd.

[Nancy]: That was it for the news. Now let’s talk about where to hack. Each week we share where you can find WHY-minded people.

[Unknown]: So I guess when this podcast comes out…

[Nancy]: I’ll be on my way to Brussels. If you listen as soon as it comes out, you can still head over to Brussels and meet us there.

[Unknown]: You are still able to make it. So go meet us in Brussels.

[Nancy]: Or you can find our big WHY-light. If you watch on YouTube you’ll see a small version, but I brought a big WHY-neon sign to Vostam—come and talk to us. I’ll be there with Bukoburm, Christel, Pindakaas, Marike, and Robert (Number 3, part of Team:Info and a colleague of Ad). Probably many other WHY-minded people too. After that will be Configuration Management Camp.

[Unknown]: Yeah.

[Nancy]: I responded to a post by one of the organizers (Walter) on LinkedIn—thanks for organizing, we mentioned you in the WHYcast. I hear it’s a cool camp as well.

[Ad]: If you look at the URL, you know why it’s called Camp (they left out the vowels—sounds like “CAMP”). And do we want to share something about the Event Hacker Hotel?

[Ad]: We could. Although it’s already sold out (Valentine’s weekend in Harderwijk, same hotel as past years).

[Unknown]: Although they changed owner, it’s still the Hacker Hotel.

[Nancy]: The Hacker Hotel. It will be the 10th edition—just like WHY will be the 10th Dutch Hacker Camp. It’s going to be a great party. If you’re there and a WHY-minded person, come find our workshop room where the Orga team will have a tiny task list for blog-posts, event calendars, sending info packages, and more. If you have an hour spare at the Hacker Hotel, come to the WHY room—we’ll have cookies and tiaras (probably with cat ears!). We’ll link downloads on the wiki soon.

[Nancy]: Ad and I will be there. If you have an amazing, crazy history story from former camps, please come talk to us—it only takes about 15 minutes and it’s fun for everyone.

[Unknown]: Yep, definitely.

[Ad]: Don’t forget to breathe.

[Nancy]: Yes.

[Unknown]: And you said interviews—if someone is thinking, “Should I go to a camp? Should I go to a hacker event? I don’t know anyone, it’s scary to go alone.”

[Ad]: One of the places you can visit at WHY is Millie Ways.

[Unknown]: Yes.

[Ad]: To call them just a village would be—it's actually a group of travelers.

[Nancy]: But Obsidian explains it way better than we can. Let’s listen to his explanation.

— Interview with Obsidian (Millie Ways) —

[Obsidian]: Thank you for having me.

[Nancy]: Here with me today is Obsidian. Could you explain for someone who has no clue what Millie Ways is?

[Obsidian]: Sure. I’m Obsidian, one of the travelers with Millie Ways. My first encounter was at Chaos Camp 2023 near Berlin. Millie Ways is an international group of technology enthusiasts offering an inclusive and welcoming space at hacker events—large ones like Congress, Camp, WHY, EMF, and smaller ones like Easterhegg and GPN. We’re a hacker space without a fixed space. We started as an inside joke in the late ’90s; in the early 2000s, underprepared friends from the U.S. needed tents and kitchens, and it grew from there. Now we support 400–500 people with a full-service kitchen (three meals a day) and evening social events on any topic—art, music, tech.

[Nancy]: If people don’t have tents or are underprepared, they can turn up and say “Hello”—there are no barriers to joining?

[Obsidian]: Exactly. We’ll find somewhere for you to fit in, welcome you, and make sure you get food.

[Nancy]: From your last experience at Congress, any cool stories?

[Obsidian]: One of our popular social events is “Whiskey Leaks”—you show up with a bottle or just a glass and hang out. At Congress I saw members of YPL and Chaos West, even Kinder Cars—people from all walks of life. It’s always a great, welcoming environment. Everyone you talk to has an interesting story.

[Nancy]: Have you been to earlier Dutch camps?

[Obsidian]: No, WHY 10 will be my first Dutch camp.

[Nancy]: How did you get involved?

[Obsidian]: I have a Discord community that hacks on phones; they tried to get me to MCH, but I was late. At Camp 23 they peer-pressured me to go, and one friend said “Just turn up at Millie Ways”—so I did, and the rest is history.

[Nancy]: I see you’re wearing an EMF 23 hoodie and a WHY pin?

[Obsidian]: Yes, I met Danny in Hamburg to pick up the white pins.

[Nancy]: If someone’s never been to a camp, what would you say?

[Obsidian]: You’ll find your people and your thing. You don’t need to be an elite hacker—leave your imposter syndrome at home. My wife does embroidery; she found her community and even helped lead workshops. It will broaden your mind.

[Nancy]: My first camp was life-changing too. Consider submitting a CFP—even for ponies or insects—because the WHY crowd is friendly and curious.

[Obsidian]: I submitted a CFP at Congress for a community stage; it got accepted. Building the abstract and slides is good practice, and I came away with new contacts and insights. It was a Dunning-Kruger moment—thinking I knew everything, then realizing I knew only a little. But it was fantastic.

[Nancy]: If you come to WHY, look for our challenge coins—they’re thematic for each event (Congress, EMF, and soon WHY). Collect them all.

[Obsidian]: Yes—each event has its own coin and stickers.

[Nancy]: Thanks, Obsidian, for your time and for making Millie Ways an amazing part of WHY. Remember: if you’re hesitant about going alone, there are plenty of welcoming places at WHY to meet new and old friends.

[Unknown]: Definitely.

[Ad]: And on the event you’ll see many WHY logos and stickers. Someone working very hard on that is Bleep Track.

[Nancy]: We’ll listen to Bleep Track explain the WHY logo theme and the new generator.

— Interview with Bleep Track (Design Generator) —

[Bleep Track]: Hi, nice to be here. I’m Bleep Track—a creative technologist and artist working on the WHY design generator. I’ve done artsy code installations, odd electric-car renovations, and I’ve been active in the German/European hacker scene for years. For recent hacker events, it became common to have a design generator so everyone can participate in the event’s style. Last year I joined the design team for the Netherlands hacker event; this year I’m helping again with the generator website.

[Nancy]: Can you explain how it works and what your role was?

[Bleep Track]: The main design is Janneke’s; my focus was on the generator code. We decided on an ’80s vaporwave meets positive space-exploration theme. You start at the WHY logo on the site, then you can adjust colors, line art, and text—enter your own words, rotate or flip them, and download a PNG or vector. There’s a monochrome mode for silk-screen printing, and you get both black and white versions. You can also toggle a starry tiling background: the stars form a minimal-spanning-tree pattern seeded by your text, so each text yields a unique star map.

I recently merged a pull request by Ocarin adding an “angel” halo feature—Saturn rings become a neon halo. We even have an Easter egg you can hunt for.

[Nancy]: It looks amazing. How can people contribute or reach you?

[Bleep Track]: Check the WHY wiki “Design” page for fonts (Bayon), colors, and generator links. If you need something or want to add features, file an issue or pull request in our repo—happy to merge community contributions.

[Nancy]: Any cool memories from MCH?

[Bleep Track]: I was there only one afternoon, but I loved the ferry ride connecting two stations, complete with a hexagon flag made from last year’s generator art. It was windy, picturesque, and full of friendly chats—imagine that for a whole week!

[Nancy]: Why should someone new attend a camp?

[Bleep Track]: It’s a unique bubble—time slows down, no outside news, and you meet amazing people in a relaxed, open environment. Don’t be shy; just dive in.

[Nancy]: Thanks, Dietrich (Bleep Track), for your time and creativity. We look forward to seeing everyone in August.

— Vacancy of the Week & Closing —

[Ad]: We’re still looking for a Team Lead Parking. There’s a catch: we need someone fluent in Dutch and living in the Netherlands, due to local regulations. Mai is experienced but needs local help. If that’s you, please step up.

[Nancy]: As of yesterday, 232 volunteers have signed up on the wiki—mind-blowing! Thank you all—you rock.

[Ad]: A listener asked, “Where can I sit with my laptop and hack?” There’s the lounge, food-court area, hack tents, workshop tents, and 44 villages (maybe 50 by now). Villages are groups camping together, organizing sub-events, hack tents, or just a workshop space. See Team:Villages on the wiki for FAQ and sign-up info. They can help with tents, tables, chairs, fridges, etc. Company villages may also check the sponsor brochure.

[Nancy]: Big shout-out to our sponsor BIT—thanks for being back!

[Ad]: If you’ve signed up your village and want to do more, check the CFP (call for proposals) at cfp.WHY2025.org. There’s room for talks, workshops—even ponies. If you’re passionate, submit it. Past talks have ranged from homebrew Hadron colliders to classical piano, water towers, efficient folding, and more. The only limit is your imagination.

[Ad]: That’s all for this week. If you have feedback or questions, leave a comment on YouTube or email us at WHYcast@WHY2025.org. Please like, share, and subscribe. Thank you for listening, and we hope to see you next Friday—WHYday! 19