Hacker Spaces: Hacking Your Social Life

Back in 2007 a group of American hackers went to Germany and toured this esoteric place known as a hacker space. They liked what they saw and quickly founded the first hacker spaces in the United States. The goal was to set up collective spaces where curious types could come in and work on personal and group projects, often involving equipment that isn’t feasible to have in your living room. Cut to the end of 2010 and hacker spaces are established all over the globe, with the United States completely obscured by red balloons on the hacker spaces map.

Since the beginning, hacker spaces has grown into a phenomenon in its own right. There are panels on hacker spaces at many of the major information security conference such as HOPE, and Defcon.Hackerspaces.org hosts inter hacker space events such as a synchronous hackathon and call-ins to find out what’s going on with hacker spaces around the globe.

In addition to being a facility to work hard on a big project, hacker spaces are also an excellent venue for some downtime. Come in and relax, meet new people, kick back, and talk about what you’ve been working on or even just a great book you read the other day. Being part of a hacker space can be a career boost from the social side as well. Getting to know other people in the field can only help on the quest for the holy grail of information security careers. There’s no better way to get where you are going than to get to know and learn from the people who are already there. Additionally if you are a bit shy about approaching that famous person in the corner, consider volunteering for hacker space leadership. Next time you see someone you idolize in the space you’ll be able to walk right up and say, “Hi, I work for . Thanks for coming to our event.”

Hacker spaces aren’t all about tinkering with cool toys either. For instance many hacker spaces have a strong artistic community as well. Open mic nights, reading groups, photography workshops, etc. are featured at many hacker spaces. Gumbo Labs, a hacker space I recently visited in New Orleans, Louisiana is a space of hackers and artists alike. They even share the building with groups that build floats and decorations for one of New Orleans’s annual Mardi Gras Krewes.

If you are a local reader check out Reverse Space a new hacker space that just opened its doors in Herndon, Virginia. Still in its early stages of development, members of this startup space will directly influence the direction the space takes. Currently in the works are a cyber warfare center for malware analysis, proof of concept development, and practicing penetration testing techniques. Additionally, Reverse Space has facilities for hardware hacking and rapid prototyping such as two Z corp 3D printers. Bring your passion for learning and your ideas for projects and events you would like to participate in, and join us at Reverse Space.

Hackerspaces.org has a list of all hacker spaces currently active as well as in the planning stages. Go here to find one in your area. If there is not an active hacker space in your community, the site also provides resources on starting up your own hacker space. All you need is a few people with a shared passion for learning and a little bit of motivation, and you are on your way.