The fascination some people have with the game of golf mystified me for a long time. I wondered how perfectly normal people could become obsessed with hitting a ball into a hole. With my psychology background, I knew that random interval reinforcement is the most effective method of enforcing new behavior patterns, but it seemed like there might be more to it than that.  

This past summer I was invited to a driving range to hit a few balls. Out of sheer boredom I accepted thinking, “How hard can it really be?” I’ve noticed senior citizens trundling their bags around and they don’t seem too challenged.

Out on the range I managed to get in a few reasonably good hits. That is, right before my swing started to deteriorate. I found that the harder I tried to hit the ball the less likely I would get the results I was seeking. Soon, I had golf balls shooting all over the place and only by accident did it seem they would go where I wanted them to go. It was then that I discovered perhaps the original meaning of the term, “hacker.”

On Dictionary.com, the following definition for “hacker” aptly describes my golfing ability: “Slang. a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill.” Over the summer, my golfing practice locations quickly became obvious by their lack of turf. While I imagine my swing has improved since then, I’m not quite ready to shed the hacker label as it applies to my golfing skill, or lack thereof. Of course, hacker has other meanings, too — ones that might suit me a little better.  

Many people first learned about “hackers” from the 1983 movie, War Games. In the film, a precocious teenager, played by Matthew Broderick, accidentally gains access to a computer that controls the nuclear missiles of the United States. The computer repeatedly pesters Broderick’s character, taunting, “Would you like to play a game?” Then, the computer improbably suggests the game of global thermonuclear war. (Somehow, in the movie it seemed more plausible.) The character is portrayed as a hacker, someone who defies societyís expectations of what is normal, making up his own rules. It is this definition of hacker that sticks with most people.  

As computers grew in popularity, so did the public perception of the menace posed by hackers. A slew of movies portrayed hackers as rogue elements bent on destroying society, or paradoxically as misfits recruited to save it. Among these movies was Sneakers (1992), in which a group of hackers, whose leader is played by Robert Redford, is convinced to thwart people bent on nefarious activities. In the movie Hackers (1995), a young misfit hacks into computer systems and eventually uses his powers for good and not for evil. The Net (1995) gives us Sandra Bullock’s character, who has her identity stolen — suspense ensues.  

Then, there are the viruses (or is it virii?) that caused a lot of inconvenience and damage over the years including: Michelangelo (1992),  the Melissa Virus (1999), The Love Bug (2000), Code Red (2000), Bugbear (2002), and a cast of thousands of others. These viruses caused a lot of hype, and although most members of the public were not affected, they understood that “hackers”were behind the attacks. Fortunately, the term “hacker” is understood differently among different subcultures.  

The term hacker was first used in academic engineering and computer science circles to describe someone who is clever and able to master technical knowledge in order to accomplish difficult tasks. To describe someone as a hacker in this context does not include illicit or destructive activities, but rather, is a moniker of acheivement and a sought-after distinction.  

A hacker could be someone who is clever, not just with computers, but with any system. In the movie, Speed (1994), Keanu Reeves’ character uses several “hacks” to defeat a homicidal bombmaker. In the movie, National Treasure (2004), Nicolas Cage stars as Ben Gates, who steals the Constitution in order to save it from marauding treasure hunters. Probably, the most famous movie “hacker” is Indiana Jones, who outwits Nazis and other villains to retrieve priceless antiquities from their clutches. All of these characters master advanced knowledge in very specialized areas to effect change — usually change in a system that allows them to achieve heroic results. Their actions could be called “hacks”, and an entire industry of books and websites has sprung up encouraging people to use the same approach.  

Ode to hacks

O’Reilly and Associates publishes a series of books dedicated to “hacks” in a vast array of areas including: astronomy hacks, View Dim Objects in a Field with Very Bright Objects; baseball hacks — Calculate Expected Runs; home theater hacks — Properly Size Your HD Image; and mind hacks — See Movement When All is Still. There is even a magazine dedicated to hacks. Make is a magazine that shows readers how to remove rust; make moldable plastic from Styrofoam; and even how to beat carnival games. (You will also find a ton of projects that are actually useful.) The website, Lifehacker.com, bills itself as “tips and downloads for getting things done.” Lifehacker.com helps people to do things like how to manage their e-mail inbox more effectively; clean the microwave; cook a turkey; and even offers tips on keeping your New Year’s Resolutions.  

In this light, a hacker is someone who might be pretty useful to have around. A hacker learns the details of a particular subject or system, and then comes up with clever ways to implement change. A typical hack involves a minimum of change for a maximum effect. For a counselor, a hack might involve a clever paradigm that shows a client a new insight into the way his behavior affects others. It could involve a way a couple can overcome the bottleneck in their communication with each other.

Hacks can be performed by anyone who wants to take the time to understand something, and then try to look at that something in a different light. Hacks involve something called Third Order Change.
First Order Change is an adaptation with incremental differences. Second Order Change involves a process diametrically opposed to the original situation, as you might see with opposing teams in a game of football. It’s often referred to as “more of the same.” Third Order Change is about changing the entire way of thinking about a particular problem or process. To use the football analogy, it’s like coming up with an entirely new game. This is the kind of thing that real hackers, at least as defined in more of a positive way, strive to achieve.

If you run an organization, you probably have a hacker or two working for you. With this understanding of hackers and hacks, you might realize that youíd like to have a whole lot more. Hacks can transform an organization in unexpected ways and with a minimum of expense. As an IT professional, I am always looking for hacks. I want to come up with ways to help organizations get the most out of what they have without having to do “more of the same.”  

Unfortunately, I haven’t discovered any hacks that will improve my golf game. I have yet to achieve that Zen-like state, where my golf swing is unconscious and the ball simply travels to where I will it. But with the advent of a new year, there is always hope that Iíll master this skill. Possibly, there are some nifty hacks out there that will dramatically improve my golf game; or if that fails, I can find a new hobby that requires less dexterity, something like coin collecting or bird watching.

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