Can you "hack" everything?

Normally we see hackers as unwanted individuals, and maybe rightly so.

But not so much more. The word hacking or to hack something has got a complete new meaning. Today we gladly talk about hacking our life's or "life hacks for kids" or hacking this piece of furniture and change this and that.

Hacking has become a trend washed ashore by the tsunami caused by the maker movement.

And mainly I see that as a good thing. Creativity and a value for manual skills have found its way back into our education and then hopeful later in to all areas of our society.

But, can you hack everything? Well, if you hack it then I guess you can. Or you can because you hack the language and hack just becomes another word for imitating, copying with modifications or simply inspiration.

This photo for instance. I say that I've hacked that.

 

My profession is maybe also a kind of hack as I have a title that sounds like this “Instructional Technology Coach”. This wasn't on any job description just 7 or 8 years back. And funny enough, maybe that isn't even my job any more or my title as now I am doing more coaching about "making" or even then "hacking", as that is a lot what I do, teaching students to look closer at the things in this world and see their parts.

Back to this photo then. The original I saw on huge billboards at Hong Kong international airport. They were advertising for the luxury bag brand "Coach". I really liked the design and as the hacker I am, I saw the opportunity to hack this and use it a bit ironic for myself and my colleagues and simple "hack" this design and use it for our website or our name cards.