Designers, Hacktivists, You: The Shapers of Your World

Why does your stuff look and work the way it does? Why does our world operate the way it does? Does it have to be this way? Not necessarily. From designers to hacktivists, a multitude of people and forces are shaping your world.

(deviantART / anciss)

Do you think much about where all the stuff in your life comes from? It didn’t spring forth from nothing, the product of some kind of technological spontaneous generation. There’s probably lots of R&D behind it, plus someone gave it its final form. Someone…designed it. Yes, behind most any object, there is an invisible designer who gave life to an idea. And that person is the missing link in today’s research, says Célya Gruson-Daniel (@celyagd). Designers provide an interface with society and should be included more in the ongoing shake-up of the research world. Read how this might work, in:

The Designer: The Missing Link in 21st Century Research?

Also actively shaping our world, but even less visible than the designer, are the hacktivists. This week, in part 2 of his trilogy on the rise of hacker-activists, Rodhlann Jornod explains the power for political action that resides in the specialized knowledge of hackers and their will to protect individual liberty. And the internet becomes a battlefield for the defense of freedoms…

From Hacking to Freedom Fighting - Part 2 in a trilogy on hacktivism

So? Feeling inspired? You don’t have to take down an entire country’s internet servers to make a difference. These days, absolutely anyone can get involved in “hacking” a little corner of the world for the better. Alex Cureton-Griffiths (@alexcg) describes how to get started on space-related projects in:

From Farmboy to Asteroid Hunter

And Lisha Sterling (@lishevita) tells us about Mothership HackerMoms, the first-ever hackerspace devoted to mothers and their children. “This community taps into the basic philosophy of hacking,” she says. “Hacking means taking control, together, of our environment, our culture, and our lives.”

At Mothership HackerMoms, the Freedom to Be Empowered

On that note, have an excellent weekend.

The MyScienceWork Team