Creativity as a Way of Life: From Hamburg to Beijing and Back Again

Much can be learned from 30 years of watching the international hacker community develop, or a decade of watching China do the same. From the broadcast area of the 30th Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg, Germany, this week I am joined by internet audio pioneer Tim Pritlove and the guru of all things blinking and TV turning off, Mitch Altman. Together we discuss just what is and has happened at this world famous event this year and what it all means for the big picture of work, life, and tube messaging.

Chaos Communication Camp 2011 Vlog

A video of 5+ minutes is in no way sufficient to explain 5 days of non-stop creativity that was CCC2011. But in an effort to give people who weren’t there a glimpse of this unique event, I present to you a video entry about hacker camp.  Note that it comes with no soundtrack other then exactly the audio that was captured with each video snippet. This is because I believe there is no need to try and add to the energy already present in these wonderful and perhaps strange moments.  Enjoy!

Inspiration from Berlin

5 years of being involved with the Chaos Communication Congress here in Berlin, and one thing that never changes, yet always surprises me, is the tremendous boost this entire event gives me.  The inspiration to move forward in an exciting way, the ideas to try something new, the encouragement that I am on the right track; this magical hacker community has very much become like a family.

It is a family that only gets together once or twice per year, but it is a family that makes sure that meeting is an unforgettable one. A mix of faces and names that I don’t always know, yet it never takes long for me to understand and learn from them. They thank me for bringing them some bit of wisdom or information, yet it is I that am thanking them in my own mind throughout this experience.

The city of Berlin is very special to me, for in the time I have come to know what my mission is in this life, this city was the backdrop for some of the most pivotal moments.  This city, my friends who live in it, and the friends who arrive around this time each year, perhaps without even ever having intended it, have helped shape my unconventional approach to work, travel, and beyond.

For that, as I’ve said so many times before, I salute all my good friends from this congress and from past congresses. I also look forward to many more with you!

The Wall of Light

bmtv96 25C3 Talk Highlights

Just a collection of odd moments from my 25C3 talk. Don’t expect to learn too much, this is more the moments that I laughed at myself, which I thought to share with you.

Note: Full credit to the 25C3 video team who put out this video and I then chopped it up into this. Thanks my friends.

This World, That World

Watch my talk “Not Soy Fast: The Silent March of the multinational GM Soy industry” Tuesday at 12h45pm CET, 6h45 EST. Streaming from one of these links.

Inside we are several thousand, over the past 3 days, shuffling about the Berliner Congress Center. Some for the first time, some for the third time, and many for the 25th time. The voices are loud and plentiful, people waving a laptop in one hand, planting them in front of neighbors to show them something they’re working on. A whole line of guys in one corner all have those Madonna headsets, though none of them has said a word in the last 30 minutes.? The flying object guys connect their flying objects to various sockets, an occasional test to see how the take off would look or the propellers are spinning. They don’t notice the Italian hacker walking around in his flowing robe with a bottle of grappa and a stack of plastic cups for anyone who wants to partake.? He comes over to the group of people I am withContinue reading “This World, That World”

bm259 Fingerprinting the German Government

The German minister who famously believes in law and order and high security and knowing as much about citizens as possible, has now – himself- been fingerprinted. Whats more, the fingerprints are being distributed all over the world as part of a very strong statement and critique of what is supposed to be such a safe and secure method of identification.

This podcast is recorded at the CCCB in Berlin, and it features the participation of some very kind and socially conscious hackers. As we sat around assembling the magazines, finger prints and all, I took out the recorder and asked them to explain how it is they got hold of the German interior minister’s finger prints and what the larger meaning of this action, will be.

By the end of the recording they realized we hadn’t spoken in detail about many of the OTHER examples of what the German government is trying to do when it comes to data retention and privacy. Below is a list of links they recommended I include for better details about what is going on.

EU-Wide implementation of the data retention

German minister defends ‘Trojan horse’ spy tactic as needed to fight terror

Schäuble: Facts Obtained Through Torture Should be Used

Oh and as a bonus, the Finger Print story in Wired.