RHOK-Stars for humanity – my day at the R(andom) H(acks) O(f) K(indness) event in Berlin

They call themselves RHOK-Stars: their tools of success are not guitars, drums and a huge fan crowd, they use a laptop, a working internet connection and enthusiasm for technical solutions with the goal of making the world a better place. In Berlin I met “hackers” of the worldwide Random Hacks of Kindness community (rhok.org) or, more specifically, developers and designers who offered their expertise, motivation and skills for free during a “32-hour-hackathon”.

Lessons learnt:

1. Hacking is not necessarily criminal and doesn’t mean to “crack” other computers and private data. “To hack” only means breaking new ground instead of using old trails.

2. Open Science works –  The Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research is a renowned expert institution that chose to trust the skills of technically savvy youngsters. They wanted the hackers to help them develop a “validity checker” which aggregates and validates statements about climate change.  This was rewarded with a prototype developed during the event: “Climate goggles”.

3. Everybody can be a part of this global community – not only techies but also creative minds which formulate problems the developers can work on: Submit the future challenge you want to find a solution for here.

My day at this “problem-solving factory” was amazing.

Follow me on my day at the RHOK event in Berlin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgVlT3zcHCM