MLOP 22: Hackers (1995)

Welcome to Mona Lisa Overpod, the show that asks the question "What is cyberpunk?" On each episode, hosts Ka1iban and author Lyda Morehouse dive into the genre that helped define sci-fi fiction in the '80s and break down the themes which remain relevant to our lives in the 21st century. Pull on your mirrorshades, jack into the matrix, and start your run with us today! With the explosion of technology-related media and the ubiquity of personal data devices in the 21st century, it's hard to remember the great fear and trepidation that accompanied the early appearance of the personal computer. For years, our industrial world was concrete and legible...and suddenly you were getting paid by computer and you could order a pizza on the internet. The technopriests of the early Digital Age were the hackers, feared and admired equally for their mastery of the archane pathways that now ruled our daily lives. But were they nefarious brigands who sought to steal your wealth and erase your identity. Or did they just want to rollerblade, man? In this episode, we discuss how 1995's Hackers arrived both too late for the heyday of the demonization of phreakers and code kids and too early to be appreciated for its impressively insightful look at the quickly accelerating pace of late 20th century technosocial advancement. The crime of curiosity was no crime at all for young and savvy hackers who just wanted to understand the foundations of our new technological edifices, and what better guides than Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie? We also talk about relapsing on Star Trek, sulfur credits, keyword: Paradise, hackers as protagonists, going through all the thresholds, 1995 as hacker cinema year zero, evolving from nerd to style icon, DOS war stories, Operation Sun Devil, payphone selfies, the SWAT team in your neighborhood, doing a Superman III, the fabled Hackers 2, and the Phantom Phreak! We're HERE for the rollerblading! The new edition of Lyda's book, Ressurection Code, is out now! https://wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/books-by-lyda-morehouse/resurrection-code/ Join Kaliban on Twitch weekdays at 12pm for the Cyber Lunch Hour! http://twitch.tv/justenoughtrope Put Just Enough Trope merch on your body! http://justenoughtrope.threadless.com MLOP is a part of the Just Enough Trope podcast network. Check out our other shows about your favorite pop culture topics and join our Discord! http://www.twitter.com/monalisaoverpod http://www.justenoughtrope.com http://www.instagram.com/monalisaoverpod https://discord.gg/7E6wUayq Buy us a coffee on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/justenoughtrope