WHYcast transcript episode 9
| WHYcast episode | |
|---|---|
| Episode Nr. | 9 |
Disclaimer
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Transcript Episode 9
Nancy: Hi, and welcome to the WHYcast episode 9. I’m Nancy. I’m Ad. And we are the hosts of the only podcast about a hacker camp in the universe. This volunteer‑run event will take place next year in the Netherlands, approximately 42 kilometres above Amsterdam from 8 to 12 augustus 2025. So Ad, what are we talking about today?
Ad: Well, like always, we have some news, and we’ll be taking a look at Where to Hack. We have another cool story from an old camp with Walter, and an interview with one of the volunteers—in this case Team:Info. Elboro is going to tell us all about that. Vacancy of the week, and if there are any questions from our listeners, we’ll put those at the end.
Nancy: Exciting. So, shall we start with the news? Last week we had our monthly online Orga‑meet—where everybody is welcome, by the way—so if you are interested in what teams are working on, what the organisation is working on in a broader sense, you are more than welcome to join us 4 december online and 14 december offline, an in‑person meet at Bitlair in Amersfoort.
Ad: Yes.
Nancy: Because I will never say that wrong again.
Ad: Correct name. You will never—
Nancy: One of the things that came out of it is that the first draft of the Code of Conduct is released to the community. It’s also on the mailing list, so you can give input. We really want it to be broadly known and give everybody the opportunity to have feedback beforehand. You can also look on the wiki page for Team Cohesion.
Ad: Cool. It’s posted there as well.
Nancy: And we want a proper version before ticket sales start. Ticket sale will start in, hopefully, three to three‑and‑a‑half weeks.
Ad: That’s soon—blink a few times and you’ll miss it.
Nancy: Another thing. Do you know that Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon gave Amy a tiara?
Ad: Yes—it’s a tiara.
Nancy: Right? And you have one. I’m showing it on the YouTube channel and will share the link to the design in the show notes. It’s a WHY 2025 tiara, 3D‑printable, looks great on Saint Henry, and big shout‑out to Bookworm Crystal for the design and to Marike Pindakaas for printing this one. It’s a nice eye‑catcher to make people wonder why.
Ad: It prints fairly quickly, so you could make a whole batch.
Nancy: Shout‑out to people with 3D printers: download the file, print some for the in‑person meet on 14 december so we can all wear our WHY 2025s to Christmas dinners and other parties. I’ll just keep it on because it looks nice on me.
Narrator: Each week we share where you can find WHY‑minded people—Where to Hack.
Ad: Daniela suggested OWASP‑analogues.eu, 28 and 29 november in Utrecht.
Nancy: Utrecht is central, so that makes sense. It’s on‑site only—technical talks on security, DevOps, and cloud, plus hands‑on training.
Ad: Keynotes, vendor booths—maybe gadgets to gather there.
Nancy: I see WHY‑minded people on the speaker list—Martin Knooploog, Ulle Johansson—and Daniela will be there. Another shout‑out to her since she thinks we mention her too often.
Ad: So check it out, 28–29 november, Utrecht; link in the show notes. And now: Walter. Each episode we dive into history—from the Galactic Hacker Party 1989 through MCH 2020.
Nancy: Walter, great to have you back again. Let’s talk about HAL.
Walter: HAL—Hackers at Large 2001. The most interesting story is how the police tried to get the University of Twente to say no. I’ve seen the letters. Fortunately someone with links to the organisers answered and the event went ahead. Hackers made fun of it: police officer Frans Kolkman supposedly called us staatsgevaarlijke anarchisten, so T‑shirts were printed.
Nancy: If everybody plays by the rules…
Walter: I felt better with the police at the previous event, but HAL wasn’t too bad—just one police bus at the gate. I brought a huge MicroVAX—“micro” because in the 1960s computers filled a room.
Ad: Room‑sized to garbage‑bin‑sized—that was micro.
Nancy: Fun fact: HAL 2001 is the first camp whose talks were all recorded—media.ccc.de/c/hal 2001.
Ad: Lots still relevant—some things never change.
Nancy: Intellectual property, hacking the brain—our brains haven’t evolved that much in twenty years.
Ad: Cool. Now the interview with Elboro from Team:Info.
Nancy: Hi there! Tell us about yourself and your first camp.
Elboro: Started at Hacker Hotel a few years ago, warm welcome. First camp was the Galactic Hacker Party ’89—only one day, cameras were rare. Latest camp was MCH, so first and last Dutch camps for me.
Nancy: You’re a volunteer for WHY 2025?
Elboro: Yes—Team:Info and Team Finance. Info is busy: 42 teams means 41 to talk with, collecting data, social media posts, future booklet, editing the WHYcast. We need more volunteers; some prefer on‑site desk duty, others prep work. We’re updating website content, planning regular blogs, and noise around ticket sales.
Nancy: Any fond MCH memory?
Elboro: The warm‑bath feeling. Even before leaving home friends message Are you there yet? On arrival someone finds you, helps carry luggage, a tent spot appears. People are happy you’re there. That atmosphere is wonderful.
Nancy: You can always join a village or angel if you’re not on a team—help an hour, be part of the community. We make the event together.
Ad: Thanks, Rob. Now: Vacancy of the Week—Team:Info needs help.
Nancy: We need people to promote on socials and at events, and, when ticket sales open, to build address lists and ship posters, stickers and packages worldwide. Good at googling and fact‑checking? Desk research counts! Contact Team:Info on the wiki or mail info@why2025.
Ad: Messages from listeners?
Nancy: Unfortunately none—apparently we’re very clear. Shout‑out to Team:Info for all the mailing‑list, wiki and website work. A new blog post should be live when you hear this—why2025.org, and you can sign up for the mailing list.
Ad: That’s it for this episode.
Nancy: If you have feedback, comment on YouTube—like and subscribe—or email whycast@why2025.org.
Ad: Hope to see you next week—next Friday, WHYday.
Narrator: WHYday.