One way to truly honor Jim Ellis's memory and his contributions to the internet as we know it would be to help find a cure for the cancer that killed him.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (nat'l. non-profit org.) has this amazing program called Team in Training - basically, you train for an endurance event (marathon, century cycle, triathlon, etc.), and in exchange for 3-5 months of professional coaching, staff support, transportation, accomodation, and entrance fee for your event, you agree to fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
It's such an inspiring experience. It's totally doable - you can go from complete slothdom to finishing a marathon in just a few months. And you get to meet patients with various blood-related cancers, and hear about their experiences - after you find out what chemo & marrow transplants are like, suddenly your upcoming 14-mile run doesn't seem so hard - and you directly affect their chances of survival with every dollar you raise. It is such a good feeling, both physically and mentally, to be a part of this program.
It also will never happen because the world in general (especially the Media) loves the underground noir sterotype of the "hacker" too much to give it up for the bland facts of reality.
That mainstream image of "hacker culture," with its cast of zany characters, the ultra-hip warehouse settings, pireced people with blue hair wearing leather...it's a wonder it hasn't become its own MTV show by now. The public isn't going to give up on that commercialized view in favor of reality's community-minded citizens with jobs & families & such wearing free company tshirts sitting at the same desk for 20+ hours.
Let's hear it for perpetuating a more true-to-life sterotype of hackers...
On the other hand, maybe not all public sterotypes are bad. Do you in some way like the other media vision; the more romanticized view? You know, the Neal Stephenson underdog-hero vanquishing Big Bad Business/Government with his hacking skills & saving the world from its own immorality. Still unrealistic, but a much more positive spin on hackerdom...how do you react to that?
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The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (nat'l. non-profit org.) has this amazing program called Team in Training - basically, you train for an endurance event (marathon, century cycle, triathlon, etc.), and in exchange for 3-5 months of professional coaching, staff support, transportation, accomodation, and entrance fee for your event, you agree to fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
It's such an inspiring experience. It's totally doable - you can go from complete slothdom to finishing a marathon in just a few months. And you get to meet patients with various blood-related cancers, and hear about their experiences - after you find out what chemo & marrow transplants are like, suddenly your upcoming 14-mile run doesn't seem so hard - and you directly affect their chances of survival with every dollar you raise. It is such a good feeling, both physically and mentally, to be a part of this program.
It also will never happen because the world in general (especially the Media) loves the underground noir sterotype of the "hacker" too much to give it up for the bland facts of reality.
That mainstream image of "hacker culture," with its cast of zany characters, the ultra-hip warehouse settings, pireced people with blue hair wearing leather...it's a wonder it hasn't become its own MTV show by now. The public isn't going to give up on that commercialized view in favor of reality's community-minded citizens with jobs & families & such wearing free company tshirts sitting at the same desk for 20+ hours.
Let's hear it for perpetuating a more true-to-life sterotype of hackers...
On the other hand, maybe not all public sterotypes are bad. Do you in some way like the other media vision; the more romanticized view? You know, the Neal Stephenson underdog-hero vanquishing Big Bad Business/Government with his hacking skills & saving the world from its own immorality. Still unrealistic, but a much more positive spin on hackerdom...how do you react to that?