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CCC Mods Rent-a-Bike To Allow Free Rides
Autoversicherung writes "Germany has an activated by phone bike rental system across all major cities. At 6 cent a minute quite pricey, germanys famous Chaos Computer Club thought a free ride every now and then couldnt hurt.
Optimizing the original system in the process, modifying the blink code to be easier found and changing the logo. About 10% of Berlins bikes are patched already. A detailed description of how they did it, and how the system works."
The CCC was sent an anonymous report on how the bikes were hacked. From the webpage: "An article in our magazine Datenschleuder that has been passed along from an anonymous source details how the the system can be circumvented to gain free access to the bikes without calling anybody: [Externer Link]"Hack a Bike" is a fine example of a true hack."
Elsewhere where this kind of thing is done these bikes are custom and the parts are not compatible with normal bikes. I think Copenhagen did this.
Were that I say, pancakes?
The CCC only got a detailed report about the system and the hack from an anonymous source, and they just published it online and in their magazine.
A monkey is doing the real work for me.
A few years ago, Texas A&M University fixed up some abandoned bicycles, converted them to one speed, painted them bright yellow, and left them around campus for use by whoever wanted to ride them.
See Borrow A Bike
I think this was also done at a number of other places.
For the record: The CCC published a report which it had been sent anonymously. The actual modifications may or may not have been made by CCC members. We simply don't know. I doubt the CCC would officially endorse these actions.
I was in Copenhagen this summer (pictures start at Fri 28th May), and I was so impressed with this system. You could put in a 2 euro piece, take a bike, cycle anywhere, in the cool, fresh, clean air, and wave at all the lovely tall blonde Danish girls while looking cool on your stylishly designed bike.
Then, when you've finished, you just pop it back to a bike rack, and take your money back. However, the cost of drinks there equalled it out. All in all, damn good, I say. Oh, and visit Christiania (sp?) if you can.
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Because the members of the Chaos Computer Club are a bunch of hackers? They couldn't care less about the common good, they're just interested in exploiting whatever they can for their own self-interest. Read "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier" or "The Cuckoo's Egg" to get an example of these wonderful CCC heroes in reality. They are thieves.