RSADesign&Society.

Findingthetruthinsystems:inpraiseofdesign-hacking

byScottBurnham.InCalifornianJohnDraperreceivedaphonecallfromafriend,informinghimofafascinatingdiscovery.AtoywhistlepackagedinboxesofCaptainCrunchcerealcould,whenblown,emitaperfecthertzpitch.Therelevanceofthis waslostonDraperuntilhisfriendexplainedthatthiswastheexactfrequencyrequiredtotrickthephoneexchangeintothinkingthatthephoneemittingthistonewasanoperator,thusenablingthepersontomakecallsanywhereintheworldfreeofcharge.Allyouneededtodowasdialacertainnumberandblowthewhistleintothemouthpieceofthephone,andsecondslatercommunicatingwiththerestoftheworldforfreewasliterallyatyourﬁngertips.Theworld’sphonenetworkshadjustbeenhacked.Severalmonthsafterlearningofthetelephonefrequencyhack,Draperwentontobuild‘blueboxes’,smalldevicesthatmimickedmultiplephonefrequenciestoexpandthereachandfunctionalityofthephonesystemhack.Attheheightofhisinfamous‘phonephreaking’streak,asitwasknown,

Esquire

magazinerananarticlefeaturinghisexploits.

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AuniversitystudentnamedSteveWozniakreadthearticle,andcontactedDraper,convincinghimtocometoWozniak’sdormroomtoteachhimandafriendmoreaboutblueboxes.Drapertutoredthemonthetechniquestocreatethedevicesandalterexistingtechnologiestohackthephonesystem.Wozniakcreditsthisphaseasbeinginstrumentalinhiscareeroftechnologyinnovation,asdidhisfriendwhojoinedhiminthetutoringsessions,SteveJobs.Fuelledandfundedbycreatingandselling thephonehackingblueboxes,WozniakandJobsstarted

Foreword

Earlierthisyearwelaunchedanewaccountofdesignforthe:

Youknowmorethanyouthinkyoudo:designasresourcefulnessandself-reliance.

ItdescribedthebiggapthatindustrialprogressandModernismopenedupbetweentheprofessionalprovisionof designandourcommoncompetenceandreadinesstoseeandsolvetheproblemsaroundus.Ourtwo-foldcontentionisthatweneedanewaccommodationbetweenprofessionaldesignersandeveryoneelse;andthatdesignisuniquelyabletomakeeveryone–peopleandcommunities–moreresourceful.Thisisnotananti-professionalstance;merely anacknowledgementthatthereismoredesignopportunityintheworld–agreatervolumeandvariety ofproblemstobesolved–thanwilleverbeaddressedbyprofessionaldesignersalone.Furthermoresincemostindividualsarenotinapositiontopayfortheservicesofadesigner,theywoulddowelltoacquiresomeofthehabits,insightsandprocessesthat designersuse.Theword“hacking”,whichoriginallydenotedbrazentrespassesintoclosedsystemsofelectroniccommunication,increasinglyinvokesabroaderrangeofstuntsandsabotagesofsecurityandconvention.Ithasalsoenteredtheargotofdesigncriticism.Thestereotypicaldesigner–passionatelyauthentic,famouslyunbendingandalwaysinblack–isnewly vulnerabletotheinterferenceofamateurs.Thehard-wontrystbetweendesigner,manufacturerandintellectualpropertyrights,likewise,hasfewdefencesagainsttheopen-sourcespiritandaninternetwhereinnosecretsarehid.Thebraveonesembraceit.Whilecheerfuldesignjam-sessionsofprofessionalandamateurgoonincitiesanddesignfestivalsalloverthedevelopedworld,nothingchangesinthefavelasandruralvillageswherenecessityhasalwaysbeenthemotherofinvention.Hackingistheinterferencein,orcorruptionof,theauthorshipofdesignersandmanufacturers,usuallybyamateurs.Ithappensrightthereinthespacebetweentheprofessionalandtheordinary citizenthatthe isinterestedin.SoweaskedScott Burnham:isdesign-hackingmerelyanintrovertedchapterinthehistoryofdesign,ordoesitrevealcivicingenuityandresourcefulnessthatacenturyandahalf ofindustrially-fedconsumerismhavemasked?Hisanswerpersuasivelydescribestheevolutionofhacking fromthedigitaltotheanalogueworldandthence, withpregnantillustration,intothecivicrealmof streetsandmunicipalregulations.Meanwhilehere’smyownthought:ourcompetenceinmakingthingsasindividuals,andinmanufacturingasanation,isgreatlyreducedandunlikelytoberestoredsoon.Mostofusdon’t makeanythingmorecomplexthananapplepiefromscratch,fromrawcomponents,andlack,therefore,thevisceralsenseofdesignthatourpre-industrialandwartimeforebearsmusthavehad.Ishacking thenewmaking(alongwithitsclosecousin,repair)?Inthewaningofcommonhand-craft,mightwesettleforhackinginstead?

EmilyCampbell

DirectorofDesign,October

 Findingthetruthinsystems:

inpraiseofdesign-hacking

asmallcompanycalledAppleComputersandsetupshopinagaragetostartworkontheirnext‘box’–onethatwouldhavefarmoreimpact ontheworld–thepersonalcomputer.IfyoutracetheiPhone,theiPod,theMacandthefirstpersonalcomputerbacktotheirsource,you’llfindahacker.Inanyexplorationofhacking,thereisfirstaneedtoclarifytheterm.Theword‘hacker’hasacertaininfamyincontemporaryculture,bearingresponsibilityforsecuritybreachesandonlineintrusions. AsEricRaymondwritesinhistext

HowtoBecomeaHacker

,clariﬁcationisimportant.

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Thepractitionersrepresentingthedarkersideoftheterm,saysRaymond,“loudlycallthemselveshackers,butaren’t…Realhackerscallthesepeople‘crackers’andwantnothingtodowiththem…Beingabletobreaksecuritydoesn’tmakeyouahackerany morethanhotwiringcarsmakesyouanautomotiveengineer.”Inshort:“hackersbuildthings,crackersbreakthem.”

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Buthackingisreallyjusttoday’snameforthepersonalcreativespiritthathasalwaysunderpinnedhumaningenuity.Thefarmerreworkingapieceofmachinerytoperformadifferentfunctionthanitwasoriginallydesignedfor,orthehousewifecuttingthebottomof aplasticbottletomakeitintoascoop:hackingisourresponsewhentheresourcesathandcomeupshort.Itisonlyrecentlythatthewordhasemergedasacollectivetermforapersonalresponseto,andtriumphover,thelimitationsofourphysicalworld.Thetermitselfwascoinedbythehobbyistswhobrought computersoutoftheiracademicoriginsandintheprocessdeterminedthattheexistingtoolsandsystemsweren’tsufficientfortheirneeds,sosetabouttomakethesystemsmoreinterestinganduseful.Hackingandtechnologicalinnovationhavealongandmutually beneficialcat-and-mousehistory.Thefirstsoftwarecompaniesgavecomputerusersthefreedomtoinstallvariouscomponentsandtocustomisethesettings;butifyouwantedtogodeeperintothesystemtoalterthebasicfunctionsandfoundationofthesoftwareorthesystem,youhitawall.Somewentaboutfindingaccesspointsthat wouldallowentrytothecoreofthesystemandenablealternativefunctionstobeprogrammedin.Otherssetabouttobuild‘opensource’systemstoallowfulltransparencyandaccesstothesystem.TheLinuxoperativesystem,theApachewebserver(whichrunsthemajority oftheworld’swebsites),theFirefoxbrowserandnumerousotherapplicationsaretheresultsoftheopensourcemovement,bornofthehacker’sdesireforaccessandpermission. Astheopensourcemovementwoveinnovationandopennessintothefabricoftheinternet,therapidgrowthofhomecomputingandpersonalsoftwaremadeitpossibletomanipulateexistingsongs,videos,imagesandevendesignschematicswithease.Whenthetoolswhich wereoncetheexclusivedomainofprofessionalswereputinthehandsofmillionsofindividualusersandconsumers,everytweakofasongormanipulationofaphotographplantedtheabilitytoaltertheaestheticsoftheworldabitdeeper.

.

Esquire

Magazine,October.

HowtobeaHacker

byEricRay-mond,Seewww.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html.www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html