6 ms·

You know if this thing were an everyday occurrence (not that I even watch TV) it would probably be annoying, but the nature of the Max Headroom broadcast intrus

by rpcope1 11y ago

You know if this thing were an everyday occurrence (not that I even watch TV) it would probably be annoying, but the nature of the Max Headroom broadcast intrusion was more comical than anything, and it's almost a shame that no one has done anything like it since. So long as the broadcast intrusion isn't violent, overly crude, or exceedingly long/disruptive I think it would really be interesting to witness something like this again (it's kind of amusing to think you might even make a sport of it, in very limited doses). Most of the time I understand why the FCC cracks down so hard on misuse of RF, but it's hard not to have a soft spot for this sort of gag.

drzaiusapelord 11y ago
>and it's almost a shame that no one has done anything like it since. Well, technically this happens all the time with website hacks and what not. The problem is that the "culture" of hacking is a lot like taggers. Its an attempt to promote your group or brand. Its childish bragging. While the Headroom hack was childish as well, it was also completely absurdist and didn't promote anything. I think its rare to see something like this where the hackers aren't pushing some agenda or self-promoting. From an aesthetic perspective it was pretty impressive. It really sells the idea of being creepy and mysterious. As a nerdy Chicago tween at that time, this stuff was legendary. These guys became heroes on all the local BBS's and in the local geekdom. Man, I miss those days.
- rpcope1 11y ago
  > While the Headroom hack was childish as well, it was also completely absurdist and didn't promote anything. I think its rare to see something like this where the hackers aren't pushing some agenda or self-promoting. From an aesthetic perspective it was pretty impressive. It really sells the idea of being creepy and mysterious. I agree, I got to thinking about it and there really isn't anything in the way of "hacks" anymore that isn't pushing an (often absurd) agenda (like "Anonymous"). It's sort of a shame that everyone has to push an agenda, but I guess that's nothing new. There was really a cool aura to the Max Headroom broadcast that you don't ever really see in other "hacks." That being said, I think it would be cool to have a HackThisSignal (maybe like HackThisSite?) where you might encourage people to pull off more things like the Max Headroom intrusion in a more controlled manner. It kind of ruins a little bit of the aesthetic, not being totally unexpected, but I think it would be a cool way to show off this sort of gag and learn more about Microwave/RF systems without necessarily being on the wrong side of the law.
- soylentcola 11y ago
  I think another big part of the "appeal" or notability comes from the fact that there were so few gatekeepers for information on par with TV and radio stations. Nowadays you could probably get some attention, both positive and negative, from defacing the website of a huge company. Maybe if you got "Facebook" to show up as "Fuckbook" for thousands of users for 10-15 minutes or something. Otherwise, there are so many websites and we are so accustomed to having access to a sort of mass communication that the rarity and impact is diminished. I remember being a kid in the 80's and a teen in the 90's and even then, I was blown away when I learned what public access TV was. The idea that you could actually get on TV!! as a normal person and run a show seemed insane. TV was that thing that talked at you. There were 13 channels for us frugal or less well-off families and there were maybe 50 or 60 for our luckier friends. Other than that, it was something out of reach. We played with camcorders and tape decks, playing at being radio DJs or TV personalities but the idea of something like a Shoutcast station in the late 90's or a Youtube channel in the 2000's would have fried my tiny brain as a hyperactive, creative little kid. So not only was someone subverting the technical systems of a big company but they were doing it to TV. At least to me, that was one of those larger than life things that took place elsewhere and the rest of us just watched. Co-opting a TV broadcast was like getting the policeman's mythical "master key" or sneaking into the White House.
chadillac 11y ago
You'll enjoy this. I know in some larger cities, this is a pretty common thing. In South Florida you'll wander into a pirate radio station pretty often, usually identifiable by it's lack of censorship, poor broadcast quality, and incessant rambling of the host over the music about every 10 seconds. http://www.vice.com/video/pirate-radio http://www.vice.com/video/pirate-radio
deleted 11y ago
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by rpcope1 11y ago

drzaiusapelord 11y ago

>and it's almost a shame that no one has done anything like it since. Well, technically this happens all the time with website hacks and what not. The problem is that the "culture" of hacking is a lot like taggers. Its an attempt to promote your group or brand. Its childish bragging. While the Headroom hack was childish as well, it was also completely absurdist and didn't promote anything. I think its rare to see something like this where the hackers aren't pushing some agenda or self-promoting. From an aesthetic perspective it was pretty impressive. It really sells the idea of being creepy and mysterious. As a nerdy Chicago tween at that time, this stuff was legendary. These guys became heroes on all the local BBS's and in the local geekdom. Man, I miss those days.

rpcope1 11y ago
> While the Headroom hack was childish as well, it was also completely absurdist and didn't promote anything. I think its rare to see something like this where the hackers aren't pushing some agenda or self-promoting. From an aesthetic perspective it was pretty impressive. It really sells the idea of being creepy and mysterious. I agree, I got to thinking about it and there really isn't anything in the way of "hacks" anymore that isn't pushing an (often absurd) agenda (like "Anonymous"). It's sort of a shame that everyone has to push an agenda, but I guess that's nothing new. There was really a cool aura to the Max Headroom broadcast that you don't ever really see in other "hacks." That being said, I think it would be cool to have a HackThisSignal (maybe like HackThisSite?) where you might encourage people to pull off more things like the Max Headroom intrusion in a more controlled manner. It kind of ruins a little bit of the aesthetic, not being totally unexpected, but I think it would be a cool way to show off this sort of gag and learn more about Microwave/RF systems without necessarily being on the wrong side of the law.
soylentcola 11y ago
I think another big part of the "appeal" or notability comes from the fact that there were so few gatekeepers for information on par with TV and radio stations. Nowadays you could probably get some attention, both positive and negative, from defacing the website of a huge company. Maybe if you got "Facebook" to show up as "Fuckbook" for thousands of users for 10-15 minutes or something. Otherwise, there are so many websites and we are so accustomed to having access to a sort of mass communication that the rarity and impact is diminished. I remember being a kid in the 80's and a teen in the 90's and even then, I was blown away when I learned what public access TV was. The idea that you could actually get on TV!! as a normal person and run a show seemed insane. TV was that thing that talked at you. There were 13 channels for us frugal or less well-off families and there were maybe 50 or 60 for our luckier friends. Other than that, it was something out of reach. We played with camcorders and tape decks, playing at being radio DJs or TV personalities but the idea of something like a Shoutcast station in the late 90's or a Youtube channel in the 2000's would have fried my tiny brain as a hyperactive, creative little kid. So not only was someone subverting the technical systems of a big company but they were doing it to TV. At least to me, that was one of those larger than life things that took place elsewhere and the rest of us just watched. Co-opting a TV broadcast was like getting the policeman's mythical "master key" or sneaking into the White House.

chadillac 11y ago

You'll enjoy this. I know in some larger cities, this is a pretty common thing. In South Florida you'll wander into a pirate radio station pretty often, usually identifiable by it's lack of censorship, poor broadcast quality, and incessant rambling of the host over the music about every 10 seconds. http://www.vice.com/video/pirate-radio http://www.vice.com/video/pirate-radio

deleted 11y ago

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