35C3 intro playing
Herald-Angel: So please welcome Michelle
for her talk about the urban organism
hacking in Hong Kong.
applause
Michelle: So thank you for coming today.
First of all, you could be anywhere right
now and you decided to come here, so, I
really appreciate it. This talk will
engage the practices and protocols of
hacking in the context of Hong Kong, and
the relationship of that with the socio-
cultural aspects of architecture and
urbanism. But why architecture and
urbanism? For a brief background, I'm
trained as an architect. But after about
10 years of corporate architecture, I
needed to kind of expand my tentacles. So
now I build buildings to maintain that
technical proficiency. And I work in
creative media which allows me to have
more instant gratification, and a more
personal contact with individual people.
And I teach in the faculty of Design
Environment at a university in Hong Kong.
So the Metropolis I'm speaking of refers
to Hong Kong. If it wasn't obvious
already. It is a city of contradictions, a
cultural pastiche of a colonial system,
Chinese traditions and with globalized
modernity. So if the city slogan, Asia's world
city, it maintains itself as a entrepôt,
or in other words, the intermediary
between China and the rest of the world.
So before, we were trading opium, tea,
sugar, textiles, and which now has
transitioned to focus more on the
financial sector, so cocaine, insurance
and stocks. For many of those just passing
through Hong Kong which is frequent and
obvious for anyone coming over to Asia.
There are several factors that make it
such an exciting prospect. So the hyper
density here is always a fascination. This
isn't super relevant, but the image on the
left is from the Leandro Ehrlich, it's
called "The Room". It's a surveillance
camera, many surveillance cameras on one
room and the other one does a
juxtaposition with our typical facades in
Hong Kong. So the exciting prospects: One
is the proximity to Chinese manufacturers.
So it's close enough where you can hop
over to Shenzhen, so the manufacturer hub,
for just a few hours. You could just take
a day trip. So if we have a MOSFET
emergency, you can run over there within
an hour, and grab everythin you need and
go back. But, we are also just outside of
a great firewall. We don't have any of
those issues, or, not most. And it's
culturally accessible, that's number two.
You won't feel incredibly left out with no
Chinese language skills. You will still be
a little bit left out, but not completely.
You can still function and operate there
happily. And then three is the stimuli. As with
any metropolis, there's a factor of hyper
activity that has this distinct scent of
infinite possibilities. Anything can
happen. And this is the difference that I
feel most because you can make anything
happen there if you're just willing to pay
a little bit. Sometimes it's not a lot of
money and I'll go into this detail later
actually. Excuse me. So in this socio-
cultural cornucopia, what gives way to
these contradictions and complexities, is
a notoriously wide income gap, the soaring
costs of real estate and as well as the
pressure towards commercialism. The more
we raise ourselves into the clouds,
exploring the limits of the upwards
trajectory, it also creates wider
separations from one another, and in that
segregation, it creates uniformity. The
defining characteristics of any post-
modern city is how control is leveraged in
the hands of the bureaucracy. Urban
policy, especially in Hong Kong, is a
stringent arrangement serving only the
private and the powerful. And without
going into the boring details, but for the
most part, the applied label here is
called crony capitalism. So technological
changes in the quality of public space
make it increasingly more evident that the
urban realm is a temporary experience that
has imploded by the changes in the social
contract. The enjoyment of public space is
normally governed by authority: public
transportation, parks, and even the most
mundane section of the pavement; some are
the responsibility of an organization. In
this respect, the city relinquishes itself
as a home or a collective space, but rather
a temporary flow of people, information,
and commodities. So did you know? The
parks in Hong Kong is nothing like the
parks in Germany. We have signs that say,
no smoking, no drinking - OK, fine - no
busking, no bicycles, no skateboards, no
hawking, so basically no fun. The pavements
aswell, if you've been to Hong Kong,
or you see in the video, the pavements are
about 1.2m wide before you reach the
façade of a building next to you. That's
because they are keen on maximizing 100%
site boundaries which reach up to there.
That's why we are all closed in because
the pavement in front of every building is
typically owned by the business in front
of it. So that is actually their section
of the pavement, not yours but it's
theirs. So while each technological
revolution allows us to offset mundane
tasks, we've also been offsetting the
responsibility of monitoring these
machines to large scale institutions.
Technology has been an extension of
ourselves for a long time but very few pay
mind of what part of us that amputates.
The quote from Gary Taubes where he writes
about sugar, like candy, the sugar: "It's
a substance that causes pleasure with a
price that is difficult to discern
immediately, and painful only years and or
decades later." That's from the case
against sugar, 2016. And if we consider
cities moving more into the virtual realm,
into cyber urbanism with smart technology,
we're heading into a world that is
shackled by algorithmic conformity. For
one example, by mass implementation of
self driving cars. And within these
networks of organized complexities, we
were never meant to be in concrete boxes,
hovering in the sky, hermetically sealed
from one another. For thousands of years,
our genetic programming had us living in
tribes. And while the world seemed to
shrink in distance, with steam engines,
airplanes, and the Internet, the space
with and between each other expanded even
more. So machines replaced our fingers,
and we no longer needed each other to meet
our needs, but instead on a system.
pause
Hopefully, I set the stage now for this
very dystopian Blade Runner view-esque of
the city. So a certain level of uniformity
is inevitable. And to me, uniformity is
not so bad if we can translate this to
cooperation. And to begin our detailed
understanding of similarities before we
implicate and find the changes within the
cracks. We have this inherent quality in
us, the small children, with such joy in
playing with switches and boxes, pushing
buttons, and identifying objects as mine
and yours. But because of this innate
desire to make changes to our
environments, and leave a mark in this
world. So our ability to make collective,
(Two images disappeared, sorry)
So our ability to make collective,
inflexible cooperation in large numbers is
our strength in this world. And I mean
that's why we're all here in this amazing
event, built by so many hands that are
sometimes organized and sometimes not.
Together, we're finding a balance between
the ecological and the engineered, or the
organic versus the designed. And to me,
the metaphorical link between the city and
hacker spaces also have something in
common with termites, ants, birds,
mussels, and mold. It's the experimental,
harmonic composition that arises from
spatial self organization.
So it shows something that's difficult to miss,
once you crossed your path. It's a horde of
termites animating a still branch, both
building and destroying the physical
environment at the same time. And I enjoy
observing termites and ants for their
emergent complex co-operative, yet
primitive behaviour. And so in this line
of thinking, the macro and micro of our
environments. And that is one of the
aspects that draws me to hacker spaces
because they too are part of this greater
concept of collective, distributive
action. Although part so to this very
messy human factor called the hacker
community. So, Dim Sum Labs, Hong Kong's
first and only hackerspace. Started off
like most hacker spaces, with a few people
getting together in informal places to
chat about all things geeky. And then the
official location was secured in 2011 with
about 10 different cofounders in a
commercial building in Sheung Wan which is
near the center. So super convenient for
people to access, but also means, there's
a scarcity of space. It's kind of a funny
name. The red part means Dim Sum, touch
your heart, literally. But Dim Sum
naturally refers to a particular cuisine
or an activity in Hong Kong where you can
potentially spend hours nibbling on things
in bamboo steamer baskets and whatnot. And
when lots of people join together, you
have this very diverse opportunity to
taste and experiment so many different
things. It's cute, right? (Oh, I lost another
image. So is the image of Dim Sum. And
I'm going crazy now.) OK. So, as I described
earlier, our proximity to China, because
of our limited space, because of the
context where money is king and we are
fools in this court, it shapes the culture
of our space in ways like affording
ourselves really cheap equipments and
components. For example, our laser cutter
was 4000 RNB, which is about 500 Euro,
and components, so it's about a 1000
resistors for half a Euro. But instead, we
spend the rest of the money on rent
instead. And also, what changes the
culture is very transitional
atmosphere of people that move onto their
journeys, their hobbies, or their
lifestyle. And in Hong Kong, like the rest
of the world outside of Germany, hacking
has a very different connotation than we'd
prefer. So as I define it, it is the
intellectual activity of exploring an
object, system or protocol beyond its
intended means. Of course, most people
don't see it that way, which is why (oh,
get out of here termites, okay) which is
why there is a book called "The Field
Guide to Hacking". It's a handshake, if you
will, to the greater community. How can we
encourage others to hack, without showing
them how? So the book contains a
collection of projects in an instructable
manner, sort of. Essays and snapshots of
the activity in our nebulous community,
And is ordered into 6 sections, each
prefaced by essays by someone who can
explain some peripheral topics of hacking.
It begins with a foreword by Mitch Altman
because if you're going to talk about
community, how can you not involve Mitch?
And if anyone doesn't know who he is, he
also yearly organizes a hacker's trip to
China, so many of you have come to visit
some labs in Hong Kong which is amazing.
Some of the projects, we start off with
something very simple, like a button badge
that you can solder yourself, with links
to github repository and all your
components that you need to do it, and
potentially teach you how to solder it. Some
projects are a little more functional.
This is the kilowatt countered that we
have in our space where we monitor the use
of electricity in the space. And that also
helps if someone has left the air con on
and it's empty, so we know. Some of the
products are a little more polemic. This
is Neomi "SexyCyborg" Wu. She's quite well
known. If you follow her on Twitter and if
you want to check her Twitter, you'll find
out yourself. general laughter And there
are some projects that are a little more
artistic. So this is fields by me and
Savio. There's one here which maybe I'll
show you later if I have time. Mine is not
very instructional but I teach you how to
hack it and how it works which I suppose
is more important. And then the essays not
only provide the spike from the sea of
projects, but also a gesture for those who
would like to know more about hacking but
perhaps not participate into it,
participate in it physically. So this is
when I write a little bit about urbanism,
and surveillance capitalism. This is from
Dr. Daniel Howe who teaches a class on
hacktivism at the school of creative media
in the city university whose essay ponders
the relationship between artistic freedom
and expression in Hong Kong. And Scott
Edmunds who founded the Bauhinia genome
project. He works on a different kind of
code. It's a four letter code of DNA. And
while cultivating a stronger relationship
between locals and Hong Kong's history, by
way of citizen science. And on
inclusivity, Sarah Fox writes about
technology and recognition with respect to
the feminist space. And then we round it
all off with Luis Filipe R. Murilo who
writes about this from an anthropologyst
perspective and empirically as a former
member of Dim Sum Labs. So I hope that
throughout this talk and the book, that it
provides some insight into the backdrop of
some of the issues that face Dim Sum Labs
every day. It's not the easiest task to
have people on the other side of the world
to have this empathetic sharing of our
Zeitgeist, but we try. Some of the things
that have been asked to me, is where can I
find the book? So there's the website,
and there's the email. The next question
is actually, can I buy the book? Well, not
really, because I ran out, and because the
publisher is called Dim Sum Labs Press
which isn't just me. So if anyone knows a
publisher that would like to help me?
Because right now I'm just printing it
from Taobao. And if there's going to be
another version, I kind of need more
content. So if you want to be part of
this, and you are kind of part of the
community, please let me know. Contact is
there. So this is not really a conclusion,
but I'm just going to assume it is. Hong
Kong has become part of this geopolitical
experiment. So we are on this precarious
edge between maintaining its openness, in
this sense where individuals can maintain
their cultural roots, and are osmosis with
Shenzhen or China, a city where it lives
under the guise of China's rules and
regulations, but as well as, breaking
beyond its limitations in the physical and
the social sense. In Hong Kong, the type
of travelers that I come across, always
have the same fascination towards the
city. It's this kind of magical wonder as
one travels up the escalator in the center
of the city, leaning over the edge just to
catch a glimpse of the sky as the towers
are leaning towards each other. It's
amazing on one hand. Because it's a
massive scale of structures that we built
with this comparatively tiny hands, and
it's similar with electronics and whatnot.
We are encapsulating and embedding our
perspectives within these artifacts that
perpetuate around us. But I also see it as
relinquishing our dominion. We are
complicit to our own detriment by not
really addressing who our environments
belong to. So in all respects: the
physical, the temporal, and digital strata
that our streets are paved upon.
That's it.
applause
Herald-Angel: Thank you very much,
Michelle. We now have time for Q and A's,
and I can see that we already have one
question from the microphone number 2.
Microphone 2: So, thank you for your talk.
What would you say to a inaudible
laughter
Michelle: I'm thinking of how to say this.
Number one, you can't just calm, there's
plenty of Europeans there, you'll fit
right in. Number two, there's - I just
tell you - there is a way you can get your
own visa because it's very easy to start a
business in Hong Kong. And then you can
kind of hire yourself and give yourself a
visa.
M2: Thank you.
Michelle: Don't tell anyone I said that.
Herald-Angel: Just between you and the
internet. And speaking of that, do you
have any questions from the internet,
Signal-Angels? No, no, it's no. So,
there's still two microphones and we have
time for questions. So please if you have
it, we have a question from microphone
number 1.
Microphone 1: Well, it's not a question,
it's more, there is a publisher called
"No Starch Press", and it's for geeky stuff.
So if you are looking for one, I
would suggest that one.
Michelle: Ah, I did look at them. I
haven't gotten that far, yet, because as I
pointed out, I kind of doing everything
myself, so. But if you know a contact.
M 1: Will have a look.
H: And microphone number 2.
M 2: Where do you see the difference
contact between Hong Kong and in Europe?
Michelle: The fundamental activity of
hacking, I think, is not that different.
As in, we are all people trying to explore
things: What cool thing can come out
of the stuff around us? The difference, I
find most, is how we spend our time, and
how generous we are with ourselves.
Because if you live in a very commercial
city that is dominated by this mentality
of finance, and money, and how do I pay
rent, and whatever, then your time becomes
money, and you do feel, or you get the
feeling that people don't want to extend
so much because they're too busy with
work, or they have to go to dinner, or
they just have better things to do, than
to basically volunteer in a space.
H: And question from Microphone number 1
Microphone 1: Hi, question: How famous are
hacker communities in Hong Kong, or the
region in general? So if I would be
looking for an alternative to the Chaos
Computer Congress here, what would I be
looking for in Asia, like, if not Hong
Kong, then Singapore, or Tokio, like Asia.
Michelle: Can you rephrase your question?
I don't know..
Microphone1: So, question is, if I'm
looking for a hacker event in Asia. What
do I look for? Which city, what event?
Michelle: We don't have very many hacker
events in Asia. There is some in
Singapore, and I suppose the Tokyo Maker
Fair is pretty cool in terms of like
artifacts and stuff. But we don't have as
much of this community because hacking is
very much so a Western concept, and the
way a lot of Asia, if we include China and
the rest of it, it's not necessarily
considered hacking. I mean if you
understand the way Chinese do things, if
we bring in the concept of Shanzhai, they
don't think that's hacking. That's kind of
just part of the culture. That's what you
do to make things work for yourself. So
it's a little more dispersed and it's not
under the umbrella term that is easy to
find here.
M 1: Shenzhen Maker Fair?
Michelle: Oh yeah, Shenzhen Maker Fair is
also really cool.
Herald-Angel: We have a question from
number 2.
M 2: Meeting here inaudible it's really cool
How do you reach outside the community,
beyond the hackerspace, beyond the
industry. How this works. Around Hong
Kong, if you do it? How do you do it?
Michelle: You mean reaching the community
outside of the hacker space?
M 2: Artists inaudible
Michelle: So I'm hoping that's what the
book accomplishes. Since I have pushed it
through a non-profit architectural design,
yeah, non-profit, so that's reaching a
different network. Unfortunately, by doing
that, and same with architects and
education, hacking and hacker spaces is
kind of this counterculture underground
thing where it's cool now. So that's
another thing I have to negotiate because
I don't want it to be just a trend, or a
toy that someone says like, your
alternative version of whatever, but more
as a way of life, way of thinking type
thing.
Herald-Angel: We still have time for more
questions. There is a question from
Microphone number 2.
Microphone 2: Hello from a fellow Hong Kong
citizen. So I'm just wondering what the
inaudible Hong Kong is inaudible politically?
inaudible just an example.
Michelle: If you say, do you mean
politically like, just directly against
China and Hong Kong then I wouldn't say so
much. Because the current member base is
not very local, and they have their own
politics to establish. Although, if you
consider politics as in Open Source then
there are people that do that.
It's a very vague answer, I'm sorry.
Microphone: The question i've had, the
number of educational programs...
I'm just, I couldn't keep on reading the
inaudible from Hong Kong.
I don't think hacking, or learning about
coding is such a marginal thing, it seems
that it is the trend... It's that a lot of
rich Hong Kong parents, they are very
eager to put their kids into learning
coding and stuff, maybe there is something
there that spaces can look into?
Michelle: I agree with that idea that it's
very big now to... kids' camps and coding
and whatnot, although I still believe that
because you're introducing these kits to a
child, that you develop this and this is
what happens, that they still maintain
that mindset. And what I'm hoping is that
they have... they can change their
thinking into: What do I need this kit for
when I can mix up all these other things
that are outside of it. So it's... that
idea's based on the educational system in
Hong Kong as well, where, you know that
it's mostly about regurgitation and less
about critical thinking. So that's what
I'm kind of pushing them more towards, in
terms of actually doing it in education.
I try to do it with my students but I can
really only do so much.
Herald-Angel: Please don't be shy. There
is still time for questions and I'm quite
sure that Michelle has more to offer you
in terms of dialogue. So get up behind the
microphones if you have any questions. And
also do we have any questions from the
internet? No, no questions from the
Internet. You, Michelle, you brought along
a thing that you have on the table. Do you
want to share it with us?
Michelle: This is just in case I talk too
fast and I didn't finish my presentation.
Then I brought this thing. So this is the
book that I was talking about. It's covered
in stickers because it is my copy.
So there's two pieces of copper on
the front of the limited edition version.
I'm sorry you didn't get one.
The limited edition version.
And in the back there's supposed
to be a PCB embedded into it.
So how it works is that as you draw a line
with a graphite pencil connecting the two
pieces of copper it changes the frequency
of the sound that's coming out from the
back PCB. So then this version was turned
into a through hole mount version so it
can be presented at Seoul or Hong Kong. So
this is the through hole version. So I
guess I'm just going to play with it for
you a little, wind this up. Also this was
built because the Dim Sum Lab's logo is a
cha siu bao, so a barbecue pork bun, on a
5-5-5 IC timer, so this whole thing is
built on, is based on that 5-5-5.
Just to be inaudible.
device emits sound
So this is volume...
Michelle adjusts volume on the device
Then we can change the pitch...
Michelle changes pitch from high to low
And then the inaudible
device emits sound
And then we have switches that can change
it from a continuous manner
to a step fashion...
device emits changed sound
Yes, that's kind of it.
laughter
Applause
Herald-Angel: Thank you very much, Michelle.
And I think we should give Michelle
another round of applause
for her excellent presentation.
Applause
postroll music
subtitles created by c3subtitles.de
in the year 2020. Join, and help us!