WHYcast transcript episode 5
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Episode 5
Nancy: Hi, and welcome to the WHYcast episode 5. I’m Nancy.
Ad: I’m Ad, and we are 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, approximately 40 kilometers above Amsterdam, from August 8 to 12, 2025.
Nancy: Well, first off, it’s only 42 weeks until the event, so that is pretty cool. Forty-two weeks! Forty-two. We have some nice announcements from last week’s Orga meet. We have Where to Hack, we have a history lesson, we have a very cool interview lined up for you. And we have, obviously, the vacancies of the week, because we still need more hands.
Ad: We need more hands, always. At least 42 hands. Yes. So, well, we had a very cool meet again last week online, which is every Monday. We had a very cool meeting last month with anyone who is willing to volunteer or volunteering already to make this crazy cool event happen. I’m not quite sure—I forgot to count them—but at least 40 people were online. It may even have been 42. Hopefully. One of the cool things that came out of that meeting: in case you missed it, the website is live. Of course, we always had a wiki, but now we also have a website. There’s still a lot of work to be done—that’s why there are still teams that could use your help—but I think it looks great. The whole ’80s-vibe look that we have, thanks to Team House Style, is really looking great. It’s a very cool website.
Also important: because, of course, we all volunteer-run, but sometimes things cost money, and we need, next to tickets, some sponsoring. The sponsor brochure is now live. So if you own a company or work for one that is willing to sponsor, please reach out to the sponsor team. We’ll put a link to the brochure in the show notes—it’s finished and live. If you have questions about sponsoring, send an email to sponsor@why2025.org. We’ll get back to you. We also announced that we’re aiming for an average ticket price of €342. That’s very doable—looking at the budget sheets, there’s still work to do—but, of course, the magic 42 was there again. So that’s a little bit of news from the organization.
Nancy: Yes. And if you’re curious to meet people from the organization—or people like we have in our organization—maybe you should visit something that’s up in Where to Hack.
Ad: Ooh, each week we’ll share where you can find WHY-minded people: Where to Hack. So I’ll tell you—Nancy, you brought a little friend. Can you tell me?
Nancy: Well, there’s the Ubuntu Summit in The Hague on October 25. One of the people very involved with all the Ubuntu stuff is Moon—that’s a hint. There’s an interview with Moon coming up very soon, but I also know Moon for her work on Ubuntu Touch and UBports, running a full open-source mobile OS on phones and tablets. And this is their mascot, so I… brought it.
Ad: You have their mascot right in front of you for the listeners? Yeah. It’s a very cool mascot. If you want to meet and greet and talk to Moon about “either I want to do before” or “why,” you can meet her in The Hague—which is also in the Netherlands, maybe 42 kilometers below Amsterdam approximately. It’s on October 25–27. If you go to events.canonical.com, you’ll find the Ubuntu Summit there. I think it’ll be great fun.
Nancy: And now let’s jump into a bit of history. Each episode will dive into a piece of history from the predecessors of WHY2025, so that could be Galactic Hacker Party (1989), Hackers at the End of the Universe (1993), Hacking in Progress (1997), Hackers at Large (2001), What the Hack? (2005), Hacking at Random (2009), Observe Hack Make (2013), Still Hacking Anyways (2017), May Contain Hackers (2021—no, COVID happened, so it became May Contain Hackers 2022). This week we’ll look at 42, because it’s 42 weeks until the event, the current week is number 42, Geestmerambacht is about 42 kilometers above Amsterdam, and there are 42 teams. Apparently, we really like 42 a lot. But where does it come from? Why this obsession? Let’s ask Wikipedia.
Nancy: In the history of WHY2025, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams—the number 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, calculated by an enormous supercomputer named Deep Thought over 7.5 million years. Unfortunately, no one knows what the question is.
Nancy: Well, that’s all the information you need. See you next week. No—so it’s from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and what is that? It’s a book—well, no, it’s a “trilogy in five parts,” which is odd for a trilogy. The first novel was released in 1979, but it’s actually an adaptation from a 1978 radio show by Douglas Adams. From 1978–1981, the BBC made a six-part TV series. In 1994, video games appeared on many platforms: Apple II, Mac, Commodore 64, CP/M, MS-DOS, Amiga, 8-bit Ataris, Atari ST, Kaypro II, Osborne 1, TI-99/4A… pretty much any computer you could think of from 1984 onward. The story starts with Arthur Dent, a British guy who wakes up to find a bulldozer in his front garden—the local council is demolishing his house for a bypass. It turns out that’s nothing compared to the earth being demolished for a hyperspace expressway. Plans had been on display at the Alpha Centauri planning department for 50 years, so it was too late to protest. The story goes on with weird twists and interesting satire. It’s British humor—you either love or hate it—and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The timing was just right, too. Many in-jokes in nerd and hacker culture come from it. It’s not just 42: there’s Trillian (the chat client named after a character), “Don’t Panic” on the Guide’s cover, towels (Towel Day is May 25), “Mostly Harmless” for Earth, the Tesla Roadster in space, a Coldplay song, references in games like World of Warcraft, Kerbal Space Program, and GoldenEye 007. There’s Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe—a five-star place at the end of time and matter. Hacking at the End of the Universe (1993) echoes that. If you want to learn more, grab the books, watch the BBC series, listen to the radio shows, or check the 2005 movie. The internet and YouTube have plenty. Now you know why 42. Let’s get back to 2024 and get ready for WHY2025.
Nancy: So last week we had a cool interview with Yik about fire—everything was on fire. He said afterwards, “I wanted to shout out my team and forgot, sorry!” because he was stressed.
Ad: …because he was intimidated by the camera and by you, I think. Just kidding. One aim of this WHYcast is to give a podium to the people who make the event happen. So shout-out to Janica (first aid), Sandra (security), and Michael (Central Post). Lots of love from Jick too. Thanks for making this event possible.
Ad: Let’s look at colors, paint, lights, and other cool stuff that makes WHY look amazing. At Hackalot on September 7, we interviewed Mum about Team:Deco.
Ad: I’m standing here with Mum. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the team you work on?
Mum: About myself… I was born at a very young age, and then all kinds of things happened. I’m here now. I’m part of Team:Deco and one of the two team leads. The other is Rool (LED lead); I lead paint and mixed LED-paint projects.
Ad: Sounds like a great team.
Mum: It’s worked well in the past, so we’ll rinse and repeat. People often ask what Team:Deco is and isn’t. We build the entrance gate that says “You have arrived—party starts here.” We create awesome terrain decorations, big selfie-spot letters, decorate the volunteer areas to make them pleasant, and put up signs to show where everything is. We also do decorative lighting—pretty lighting that sometimes helps you not fall on your face, but our goal is beauty.
Ad: What don’t you do?
Mum: We don’t design merch or any printed materials—that’s the merch team. We make signs, paint stuff, put LEDs on things, and make everything pretty.
Ad: Thanks. Do you need help?
Mum: We’re one of the rare teams with enough people, but anyone who loves pretty stuff is welcome—painting, LED work. We’ll need help putting up fences, too, especially during build-up. Look at our wiki, mailing list, or Signal group to join.
Ad: There are many ways to help. Thanks, and I trust you’ll make it beautiful.
Nancy: Let’s talk vacancies again. Now that the website is live and things are happening, Team:Info could use help writing for the site. Soon there’ll be a news feed with blog posts. We also need people to manage socials and share our updates. If you’re good with social media or English, get in touch—Team:Info would love you.
Ad: And if you’re extroverted, reach out to me. We attend events like WICC and need people to talk to strangers about WHY.
Nancy: Speaking of the WHYcast, we could use help producing it. Research, recording, editing—it’s a lot of work. If you have cool show ideas or can help with editing, email whycast@why2025.org.
Ad: Please do. And Simon from Team:Accessibility said at the last meeting, “We”—but “we” is just him. He’s set up a great framework but needs help filling in the details. If you want to make this the most accessible hacker camp ever—reach out to Simon. Inclusion matters a lot.
Nancy: He has a solid base but can’t do it alone. Help Simon.
Ad: Simon says help Simon. Exactly.
Nancy: With that, we’ve ticked off our list.
Ad: Did we receive any questions or feedback?
Nancy: I refreshed… no.
Ad: Okay, then we’re done for this week.
Nancy: If you have questions, comments, or show ideas—and do a bit of research—email whycast@why2025.org. We’ll read your messages next week.
Ad: Absolutely—that’s very important. Have a great Friday.
Nancy: WHYday.