4 ms·

This definition of a hacker doesn't sit well with me. When I was a kid I hacked on things I didn't understand for a long time in order to get a better understan

This definition of a hacker doesn't sit well with me. When I was a kid I hacked on things I didn't understand for a long time in order to get a better understanding. Was I not hacking? What I not a hacker then? I've never really put too much thought into it but always assumed I was.

yock 9y ago
Who cares? It's all just gatekeeping. Keep doing what you enjoy doing and don't worry about what categories other people put you in.
walshemj 9y ago
Trouble is that DC power at the levels required to be used as a replacement for mains is quite different to low voltage dc 5 /3.3v as say used by hackers who use ardunios etc. Talk to any telecoms vet and they will have stories about accidents with DC power hopefully funny ones not tragic ones
- Dylan16807 9y ago
  Can you reference any stories? I can't find much. But the implication that you need to use high voltages isn't true. You can easily feed 24/36/48 volts into an inverter. The high current potential only acts weirdly when you short it out, which is where a couple fuses can prevent issues.
  - walshemj 9y ago
    Doesn't normaly make the news One of they ones I heard was about a painter who when painting the walls of a small exchange put the paint can across the bus bars which shorted and exploded the can of paint.
cc439 9y ago
There's a difference between "not fully understanding the functioning principles" of something and "not understanding what is potentially lethal about the functioning principles" of something. I messed around with plenty of things I barely understood as a kid but I knew where to draw the line when it came to messing around with things I didn't fully understand. I knew to hold off and do my research (basically, ask a competent adult) before messing around with anything to do with flammable and/or "powerful" chemicals (think heavy duty, old school brake dust cleaner from my grandfathers garage), electricity (this saved me from electrocuting myself with the capacitors in a CRT TV), and high temperatures. There are certain things that will make sense to someone with a pretty extensive knowledge of the subject at hand but are still in the category where the factors at play should make one pause and consult a professional. One example would be people who hook up generators to their 220V dryer connection in order to power their house in an emergency (it's called backfeeding). Technically, that should work but if you don't think to throw the main you'll wind up injuring or killing the lineman expecting a deenergized line when they come to restore power to your neighborhood.

yock 9y ago

Who cares? It's all just gatekeeping. Keep doing what you enjoy doing and don't worry about what categories other people put you in.

walshemj 9y ago

Trouble is that DC power at the levels required to be used as a replacement for mains is quite different to low voltage dc 5 /3.3v as say used by hackers who use ardunios etc. Talk to any telecoms vet and they will have stories about accidents with DC power hopefully funny ones not tragic ones

Dylan16807 9y ago
Can you reference any stories? I can't find much. But the implication that you need to use high voltages isn't true. You can easily feed 24/36/48 volts into an inverter. The high current potential only acts weirdly when you short it out, which is where a couple fuses can prevent issues.
- walshemj 9y ago
  Doesn't normaly make the news One of they ones I heard was about a painter who when painting the walls of a small exchange put the paint can across the bus bars which shorted and exploded the can of paint.

cc439 9y ago

There's a difference between "not fully understanding the functioning principles" of something and "not understanding what is potentially lethal about the functioning principles" of something. I messed around with plenty of things I barely understood as a kid but I knew where to draw the line when it came to messing around with things I didn't fully understand. I knew to hold off and do my research (basically, ask a competent adult) before messing around with anything to do with flammable and/or "powerful" chemicals (think heavy duty, old school brake dust cleaner from my grandfathers garage), electricity (this saved me from electrocuting myself with the capacitors in a CRT TV), and high temperatures. There are certain things that will make sense to someone with a pretty extensive knowledge of the subject at hand but are still in the category where the factors at play should make one pause and consult a professional. One example would be people who hook up generators to their 220V dryer connection in order to power their house in an emergency (it's called backfeeding). Technically, that should work but if you don't think to throw the main you'll wind up injuring or killing the lineman expecting a deenergized line when they come to restore power to your neighborhood.