Hackers, the real ones
I love The Economist. In the new Technology Quarterly they dedicate an article to hacking, the real definition: THE word “hacker” is widely misused. Among hackers themselves, it refers to someone who enjoys tinkering with technology, exploring its boundaries and getting it to do unexpected or unintended tricks, though in general use the word refers to individuals who break into computers for nefarious ends (for whom hackers prefer the terms “malicious hacker” or “cracker”). But a hacker is not necessarily bad and is not necessarily just someone who messes around with computers. Thomas Edison was arguably a hacker, back in the 19th century. I liked the example of the iRobot vacuum-cleaner. Where can I order such a fine piece of hardware? But some companies, at least, have chosen to embrace hackers. iRobot, the company behind the Roomba robot vacuum-cleaner, includes an external data connector in the device and has even documented how to use it.