A hackpack is a backpack with a set of "always carry" tools for hacking the world around us.
We are starting a project at sudo room to create cheap base hackpacks with optional expansion packs.
We have a mailing list where we discuss everything related to hack packs.
People currently working on project: Tunabananas, Matt, Mackenzie, Juul.
Base hackpack
Target price <= ?
This is only an initial possible version. It may be too electronics-focused. Comments/changes welcome.
- A backpack (get from thrift store and wash at high temp)
- Soldering iron (should be 30 watts)
- Set of small screwdrivers (at least philips and flat-head)
- Needle-nose pliers
- Diagonal wire-cutters (these will probably suck, but maybe we can sharpen them?)
- Tweezers
- Larger screw-driver with assortment of bits
- USB to 3.3v serial adapter
- Multimeter
- Assortment of resistors
- Small assortment of diodes, caps, mosfets, buttons, switches, LEDs
- Female to female pin header cables (like these)
- Some male-male and female-male pin headers
- USB stick (2 GB minimum) with bootable Linux and lots of libre books / learning materials.
- Sharpie
- White china marker/chalk...something that will write on dark surfaces
- Zip ties
- Binder clips
- Hose clamps
- A small LED flasher, and/or instructions to make one?
- Shrink tubing
- A lighter
- A hot glue stick (melt it w/the lighter)
- USB wall plug w/decent amperage
- A spare USB cable for your smart (or dumb?) device
- Pair of disposable gloves (rubber or vinyl)
- Bandanna
- Snap knife w/locking blade
- Alcohol prep wipes or a small bottle of hand sanitizer with a screw top (no flip caps)
- A 1/2 gallon ziploc bag
- List of where to buy more of everything
- List of other awesome things to add to hackpack, what they do and where to buy
- A sudo room sticker
- An invitation to sudo room
- List of places / ways to get free food
- Band aids
Initial attempt at price assessment spreadsheet
Consumables
- Solder
- Wire of different colors and thicknesses
- Duct tape
- Yerba mate tea
Data
I do not think we have to worry about using CC material with the non-commercial clause, as we are not trying to make a profit (Juul (talk)). We are collecting libre data on our datasink.
Bootable GNU/Linux
Which distro? What should we include?
- UBCD and Trinity Rescue Kit should definitely be included. Maybe an older, smaller copy of Backtrack? -chrisbee
- Tails?
Books
- Cory Doctorow's works
- Most of John Sundman's works are CC, but not downloadable from his website anymore (now downloadable from datasink).
- ManyBooks.net is a great resource for libre books in many formats.
- ebooksgo has several nice libre books
- The Open Textbook Library
- Others?
Comics
- XKCD is cc-by-nc
- Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now based on stories by Cory Doctorow is cc-by-nc-sa
- There are others
Music
There is definitely lots of CC music out there. Here are some resources:
- phlow magazine
- Jamendo
- please add more
Audiobooks
- Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
- ?
Art
We could have a set of cloth pens and let sudoers or buyers of hackpacks customize them.
Expansion packs
Fictionpack
Dead-tree versions of $1 to $3 essential hacker works. These are sold individually.
- The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
- Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash or The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
- Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
- please add more
Factpack
Dead-tree versions of $1 to $3 important non-fiction hacker literature. These are sold individually.
Unfree
- Hacking the xbox by Andrew Bunnie Huang
- The Cathedral and the bazaar by Eric S. Raymond
Libre / Public Domain
- Hackers by Stephen Levy (First chapter only)
- Coding Freedom by Gabriella Coleman
- Free as in freedom by Richard Stallman
- Wireless Networking in the Developing World
- Beautiful Trouble - A toolbox for revolution and guides for creative protest.
- please add more
Manual for Civilization
A project from The Long Now:
- http://blog.longnow.org/02010/04/06/manual-for-civilization/
- http://blog.longnow.org/02013/08/14/toward-a-manual-for-civilization/
- http://blog.longnow.org/02014/02/06/manual-for-civilization-begins/
Clothpack
Mackenzie is working on this. Current target is $5.
Some things that may go in the pack:
- Scissors - $1 at dollar store
- Sewing needles
- Pins
- Thread
- Tailors chalk
- Conductive thread
- Instruction manual/booklet
- List of nearby places to access sewing machines for free
chrisbee would add-
- Dental floss
- Safety pins
- Ball o' wax
- A snap knife or razor blade
- Some gaffer's tape (makes good patches whether it's sticky or not)
RXpack
Target price: $16
- A rtl-sdr compatible usb adapter (like this one)
Wifipack
Target price: $30
- A dual-radio OpenWRT compatible router
- Instructions on how to flash with sudowrt firmware and do interesting things like spectrum analysis.
Mate anywhere kit
Make tea and stay awake anywhere!
Target price: $10
- Silicone travel cup - $5 (cheaper at Koreana Plaza?)
- Travel water boiler - $3.38 (but meant for 220v :/)
- Tea ball - $1
- Ziplock of yerba mate
- Piece of cloth + piece of string = reusable tea bag
Hygiene pack
Target price: $5
- Toothbrush (25 cents at university/san pablo dollar store in four-packs)
- Small toothpaste (50 cents)
- Floss (50 cents)
- Hand sanitizer (50 cents)
- Small soap/bodywash (50 cents)
- Small deodorant ($1)
- T-shirt (can be used as emergency towel) (1.50)
- Condoms (free?)
- Small mirror ($1)
- Comb or hairbrush ($1)
Sewing pack
Preferably on a belt, especially that can be easily slung across the chest, over one's shoulder. If sharing, should be adjustable to many sizes, for many-sized people.
- Adjustable bealt
- Scissors in easily accessible holster (could also use electrical cable or wires to approximate holster)
- Pin cushion in close-able container (used goofy rotating bait box here)
- Hand needle, thread, thimble or cork for hand-stitching, in small pouch
- Scraps of fabrics in large pouch—or patterns, manuals, or documents if necessary.
- (Optional) could attach machine oil lubricant container to belt as well.