WHYcast transcript episode 30
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Transcript episode 30
Nancy: Welcome to the WHY‑Cast episode 30. Nancy: I’m Nancy. Ad: I’m Ad. Nancy: And we are the hosts of the only podcast about a hacker camp in the universe. Nancy: This volunteer‑run event will take place this year in the Netherlands, approximately 42 kilometers north of Amsterdam from August 8 to 12, 2025. Nancy: So Ad, we’re back. What are we talking about today?
Ad: The same we do every night, Pinky. Ad: Try to take over the world. Ad: No, we’re talking about the news. Ad: We have an interview. We have Where to Hack. Heck, we have a vacancy—just one this time. And we have a message or a question from listeners.
Nancy: That’s great.
Ad: But first, the news.
Nancy: We get reactions. Yeah. Ad: We get reactions. Yeah, yeah. Very cool.
Nancy: The news. I think a lot of cool stuff is going on. We are nearing the 600 tickets left. So if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, go to tickets.WHY2025.org. That is also a place where you can get your very awesome merch. We have mentioned this before, but I will mention it again: we will start production somewhere at the beginning of May. This means that if you want to be sure that you have merch on the field—which you can only pick up locally on the field when you have a ticket—you have to make sure that you order your merch by the end of the month. So if you want to be sure that you have that very cool hoodie that glows up in the dark or the T‑shirt or the bucket hat or the bag, please make sure that you order yours in the coming two weeks, basically. So be quick. And yeah, 600 tickets left. I mean, wow—that is just very, very awesome. It’s very awesome. Yeah.
Nancy: Um, other thing is that Got, that’s the organization that is the legal entity and making sure that every four years there is an event, now officially has ANBI status. That’s a very Dutch thing, but it means that if you are a Dutch company and you were sponsoring us, you can get some serious tax deductions. So that is interesting for companies to sponsor us. But also, it’s a recognition of the fact that we are doing something for the greater good, mainly in the hacker scene, but also about ethics, privacy, security—things like that. So we got recognized by the government: we are a good cause, basically, which we already knew, but now it’s official.
Ad: Yes.
Nancy: I think that’s cool. Um, what is also amazing: I had a talk with Chantal a while back about the fact that we would love to see some more underrepresented groups on the status of WHY—sometimes people need some extra help or extra push or extra nudge. She is also co‑chair of WICA, the Women in Cybersecurity Association. So we combined forces and are organizing CFPizza Nights on May 9, a Friday. It will be a hybrid session—so if you can’t make it physically, you can join us online. The physical meet‑and‑greet with pizza, because we call it CFPizza Nights, is in Amersfoort.
Ad: Yes.
Nancy: Because one of our cool sponsors owns it. They also sponsor Wiccon, the WICCA event, which is a yearly event around Halloween. They provided us their space and drinks and whatnot. So if you want to join in, already 25 people signed up, and I think that is awesome. We’ve gotten great reception from people who said, “Oh, this is so helpful.”
Ad: Yeah, exactly. What are you going to do on that day? I mean, you’ve talked about this with Chantal in a previous episode already, but if you have to summarize it—what would you get when you come to CF Pizza?
Nancy: If you’re a little bit in doubt—“Is my subject interesting enough? How do I write a CFP? Maybe I’ve never done it before”—it doesn’t have to be specifically for WHY. It can be any conference. We’ll talk about how to create a great title, a good abstract, how to fill out a CFP, brainstorm on your subject, cross‑check texts. It’s like peer programming but peer CFP: help each other out. We’ll have people from the reviewing process talk about what they look for. Of course content is king, so if your content is great, you’ll probably find your audience. We’ll share tips and tricks to fill out that form and give encouragement. Yes—you can do it. Of course you can. You are important enough.
Ad: There’s probably someone who knows more about this. Maybe let’s share.
Ad: At MCH I did a talk that was a hobby thing, not being an expert, but I found cool stuff and put that into a talk—and that was fine. I got a lot of great reactions: “Oh, I knew that bit, but I didn’t know that bit. I’m going to try that tomorrow.”
Nancy: And it taught you a lot as well, right? Because people came up and said, “Have you heard about this feature?”
Nancy: You’ll find your crowd when you get on stage and talk about what you’re passionate about.
Nancy: So CFP night, May 9 in Amersfoort and online. 25 people signed up. We will help you craft your CFP and grab your stage. Cool. Am I missing something?
Nancy: Wednesday will be the next online Orga meet—April 23, eight o’clock at night. You can find all the information on the wiki under “Meetings Overview,” click “Online Orga Meet,” find the link to the Jitsi server, join in on the organization fun, and stay up to date. Please be there, share all the cool stuff your team is doing with the other Orga members. It helps to see other teams’ successes and encourage even more activity.
Ad: Well, last week we mentioned an event in Groningen at De Markplek, the local makerspace at Forum—they had a BattleBots event, and one of the people involved is Marijn from De Markplek, aka Icy Palm. Nancy, you spoke with Icy Palm about something completely different.
Nancy: Yes—he told me that last time he stumbled into Team:Villages on the field without planning to, and he decided to stick with it. I asked, “What’s going on?” and he said, “I don’t know.” I asked on Field Day, “Marijn, would you do an interview about villages?” He said, “Not now, but later.” Later—last week—I had a lovely interview with him. Let’s listen.
Nancy: Well, here today with me is Icy Palm—could you introduce yourself and tell us what you’re doing for the WHY organization?
Marijn (Icy Palm): Nice to meet you—my name is Marijn, also known as Icy Palm. I’m a software engineer and got roped into hackercamp organizing during MCH, where I was doing an angel shift. I got dropped off at the gate, stood there for way too many hours, got annoyed, then started talking with Team:Villages, who were working on the game. I joined Team:Villages there and—rest is history. Now I’m helping to organize WHY2025.
Nancy: It sounds like scratching your own itch—“This annoys me, I’ll help fix it,” and the people were fun.
Marijn (Icy Palm): Absolutely. It was a fun group, and we said, “Let’s help the next camp organize.” Team:Villages was the logical part because I helped during MCH.
Nancy: Who’s in Team:Villages?
Marijn (Icy Palm): We currently have four members: Vinko, Konmei and Bustux. Together we handle all the village stuff and communicate with many teams. Details follow.
Nancy: What is a village, anyway? It’s hard to explain on a festival field with villages everywhere.
Marijn (Icy Palm): We discuss this a lot. A village is a small community—a grouping of people. That community can take many forms: very large groups (I heard one village brings its own kitchen/bakery and has over 100 people) or two small tents. Or anywhere in between: a group of friends, large hacker communities with tour buses, hacker spaces joining together, randoms from the internet organizing something together. It’s very flexible—hard to pin down—but it’s a gathering of like‑minded people.
Nancy: People coming together around software, hardware, themes they love.
Marijn (Icy Palm): Yes. We’ll have villages around hardware hacking, hacker spaces forming clusters—like the Nordics cluster, where all Scandinavian countries join together (saunas included in permits). We have food hacking, health hacking—name it. If there’s not a village, you can create one: sign up on the WHY wiki, fill in how many people, power requirements, large structures (e.g., a 20 m pink T‑shirt statue), and we’ll accommodate you and place you optimally on the field.
Nancy: Let’s say I love pink T‑shirts and purple T‑shirts, but I need sleep. I want a quiet spot. How do I secure that?
Marijn (Icy Palm): Around the main stage it’s mayhem—noisy, lots of lights and activity. Farther away it’s quieter. We have a noise gradient: quieter camping spots in the back. If you want quiet, say so; we’ll try to place you farther away. If you want the center of attention, say so; we’ll place you near the action. In the last weeks it’s a giant jigsaw puzzle because villagers keep asking to be next to new arrivals. We use mapping software and Excel in the final weeks—even the day of build‑up is last‑minute chaos.
Nancy: Shout‑out to all villagers: these are volunteers making this happen, so be kind to them.
Marijn (Icy Palm): We will do our best to accommodate you in any way you need. But it’s human work, and with many villages (69 at Field Day, 72 now), we’ll have oversights. It will be last‑minute chaos.
Nancy: Seventy‑two now (including test villages)—we love numbers.
Nancy: Suppose I’m coming by bike with pink T‑shirts but need refrigeration. What do I do?
Marijn (Icy Palm): We have a team called Moebelhaus. They can arrange fridges, tables, chairs—really a huge list. Check the wiki and let them know ASAP. Same for AV equipment (sound sets, projectors, screens, microphones, stages): contact Production House before the May deadline, or you’ll have to bring your own.
Nancy: Or bring it yourself.
Marijn (Icy Palm): Also: be prepared to transport gear over grass. Cars can only go so far; if it’s muddy, you’ll drag things through mud. We’ll arrange drop‑off points, but you must transport equipment tens of meters to your spot—rainbows and unicorns aside. Bring suitable carts.
Nancy: Great point—first‑time village organizers might not think of that.
Marijn (Icy Palm): Exactly. Bring carts with proper wheels; availability of shared carts will be limited because many villages arrive simultaneously. Be self‑sufficient—it makes everyone’s job easier.
Nancy: Absolutely. Less difficult as well.
Nancy: One of the great experiences at a hacker camp is walking around: everyone will share what they’re doing in their village. What were some highlights at MCH?
Marijn (Icy Palm): Electric Car Village had charging equipment and car hacks—so cool. A German cluster with beer and bratwurst. Italians cooking kilos of pasta. LED‑taped villages that blinked as beacons at night—people took pictures.
Nancy: Thanks for listening.
Marijn (Icy Palm): I want to thank you so much for having me, and thank you all for your kind comments.
Nancy: At the beginning you mentioned you started as an angel. What are your thoughts on being a newbie doing angel shifts?
Marijn (Icy Palm): It’s the best way to meet people and see the whole camp. Angel shifts are many: guiding people at gates, bars, info desks, camera ops. You can do an hour or two, then get heavenly food in “Heaven,” the angel gathering place. If you’re low on funds, it’s win‑win. Angel shifts are worth it.
Nancy: It’s an easy way to meet new people. I’ve done heralding because I love the stage; others prefer behind the bar or Info. You get lovely food—what’s not to love?
Marijn (Icy Palm): For newbies, it’s one of the best ways to meet experienced people, who then invite you to village drinks. You’ll see the whole campsite—until camp ends. If you get overwhelmed, there’s a Silent Lounge to wind down.
Nancy: Lovely. If someone is still in doubt about coming to WHY, what would you tell them?
Marijn (Icy Palm): You don’t have to be in a village—pitch a tent solo if you want. It’s nice to have village support for shared cooking or amenities, but you can come alone. I went to MCH totally unprepared, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The community is so welcoming. You can rent sleeping equipment during ticket purchase. Just come and have fun—there are so many people and shared interests. Sometimes you just need someone to say “Go!” so: go!
Nancy: Thank you, Marijn, for this lovely interview. I really enjoyed it. See you at online or in‑person Orga meets, and of course at WHY2025 this August—four months away. No stress. See you there. Bye!
Nancy: Oh, I just love this guy’s enthusiasm and positivity—it’s contagious. He bounces so much. I hope we can hear more village stories: Amélie Weiss, Hector Health, Mitch Altman (Hardware Hacking Village) have been on the show. If you have cool stories about your village, reach out to us at WHYcast@Y25.org. We’d love to share your stories.
Ad: That brings us to Where to Hack. Each week we share where to find WHY‑minded people. Visit local hackerspaces—if you haven’t, reach out; they usually don’t bite. More to do: the EasterHack is sold out, but check the ticket exchange—some people can’t make it. Lots of WHY‑minded folks there. If you have cool stories from Hack Glasgow (April 26), let us know—we’ll link the program in show notes. If you’re near there, go; it’s awesome. And if you’re not in the Netherlands but near Glasgow on King’s Day, maybe Orange Terror is your excuse. In May, of course, CF Pizza Nights—Friday, online and offline.
Ad: With that, let’s jump into the vacancy. We’re not talking parking this time; we’re talking merch. Get your merch! We moved the parking vacancy spam to Mastodon and LinkedIn—still there. But merch coordination is ongoing: wristbands, merch distribution. We need someone to coordinate that. If you want more info, reach out to NetSmart (contact on the wiki under Team:Merch). Please help ensure everyone who ordered merch gets it in the right spot.
Ad: From the wiki we go to the mailbox—because we got a question about villages.
Nancy: This ties in nicely with Marijn. It was actually a Mastodon reaction from Ice‑T: “This will be my first hacker camp. How does one join a village? How open or closed are these things to newcomers?” Someone replied, “Villages are friend groups or hacker spaces.” You can join your hackerspace, but if you’re not in one, soon there will be a wiki field showing whether a village is open to newcomers. We know Millyway is always open; others will be marked soon. Of course you can always reach out—search the wiki by country (e.g., Nordics if you’re from Denmark) and contact village organizers. There will be many open villages; others are long‑time friend groups—but they’re usually happy to have you share a mate or another beverage.
Ad: It’s nice to see how a reaction on Mastodon made it back to Team:Villages, who added this as a new wiki feature. It’s in progress, so maybe by the time this airs it’ll be live. That’s why events like these are for the community, by the community.
Nancy: I think it’s lovely that we have a new feature based on listener feedback.
Nancy: We also had an email from Pink about Team:Finance. We’ve asked them and will get back next episode. Pink, please be patient.
Ad: Yeah.
Nancy: Please keep reaching out to us.
Ad: If you have feedback, questions, cool stories, put them in the YouTube comments, share and subscribe on social, or email WHYcast@WHY2025.org. With that, we’re at the end of the list for today. Thank you for watching and listening. We hope to see you next Friday—WHYday!