Random Culture

Hacker Conference Videos

22C3 is happening this week in Berlin. It's basically the premier European hacker conference, and it's been going on since the 80s. But the definition of a "hacker" has changed over the years. It's no longer synonymous with "criminal" behavior.

This is a conference worth paying attention to. At 22C3, they're addressing a wide variety of issues, including copyright, privacy, search engines and many more topics with an eye towards the future.

And guess what? They're putting videos of their presentations online! Check out the complete list of presentation video downloads here.

Here are a few worth paying special attention to:

• Keynote from Joi Ito
  you'll have to grin and bear it through a mundane conference introduction first
  
  
• We lost the war - Welcome to the world of tomorrow
  Great presentation on the war for privacy
  
  
• On working memory and mental imagery - How does the brain learn to think
  The human brain: The ultimate personal computer

Doom and Duck Hunt

Duck Doom Deluxe is a mash-up of two classics, Duck Hunt and Doom, created by "Noproblo Games." You can download the game here. It's so nice to see people giving new life to old things through sheer imagination and a little bit of coding.

Link via BoingBoing.

CVS Camcorder Hacking

Enterprising users are already figuring out how to hack the "disposable" camcorder from CVS. That didn't take long.

Link via MAKE: Blog.

Systm Episode #1

The first episode of Systm, about "warspying" is out. Systm is an "online-only" Tech TV type show that's being distributed through bit torrents. This is one of growing number of shows being produced solely for the web, and it's definitely a trend to watch. We've got podcasting right now, and this is surely the next step.

Link via the Make: Blog. Follow that link, as Phillip has a nice review of the show and some screenshots.

Tecmo Suing Gamers?

CNET has a story that game maker Tecmo is suing the admins of a website that offered hacks for DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball that allowed gamers to put new "skins" on the scantily clad women in the game, rendering them naked.

Wait a second... this time last year, it was announced that Tecmo was offering a life size pillow (dakimakura) for a DOA promotion with XBOX in Japan...

Regardless of the fact that I think game makers need to see these "hacks" as an integral part of the marketing of games, this seems like contradictory behavior on the part of Tecmo.

Altoid Tin Speakers

ReadyMade magazine hosts a regular "MacGyver Challenge" where their readers create useful objects from other stuff. The latest was an Altoid tin challenge, and the winner made a set of speakers for your iPod or anything else. You can learn how to make them on the site.

If you haven't seen ReadyMade magazine, check it out... It's one of the more interesting reads out there.

Altoid MP3 Player

Hack a Day shows us how to turn an Altoids tin into an MP3 Player.

Check out their post:
"Curiously Strong Music."