Early Hackers: Phone Phreaks
Tue, Jan 30
Before hackers had unfettered access to digital computers, they had another communication medium for exploration: the phone network. The so-called "phone phreaks" have been identified by the specialists in the history of computing as the precursors to the hacker communities of the 1980s and 1990s who were actively breaking into systems. In this class, we will examine this early history by exploring the techniques and sociohistorical aspects of the experience of "phone hackers." By the end of this class, you should be able to:
1. Identify the key techniques and technologies of phone phreaking;
2. Reconstruct key phases of the history of hacking from the 1960s and 1970s.
The artifact of this week is the Red Box, a device that reproduces signals that unlock services in old telephone networks.
The slide deck for this class can be found on this link.
Read This:
For today's class we will read one of the most important publications on the topic: "Exploding the Phone" by the technologist and historian Phil Lapsley (Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9.)
Do This:
Writing Reflection 01
See the instructions posted on the assignment's page.
This writing reflection is due on 2/6 at 5pm.
Once you have completed the readings, fill out the following quiz. It is based on both the readings for this week's classes. If you can't see it, try this direct link.