vadding /vad'ing/ n.
[from VAD, a permutation of ADV
(i.e., ADVENT), used to avoid a particular admin's
continual search-and-destroy sweeps for the game] A leisure-time
activity of certain hackers involving the covert exploration of the
`secret' parts of large buildings -- basements, roofs, freight
elevators, maintenance crawlways, steam tunnels, and the like. A
few go so far as to learn locksmithing in order to synthesize
vadding keys. The verb is `to vad' (compare phreaking; see
also hack, sense 9). This term dates from the late 1970s,
before which such activity was simply called `hacking'; the older
usage is still prevalent at MIT.
The most extreme and dangerous form of vadding is `elevator
rodeo', a.k.a. `elevator surfing', a sport played by wrasslin'
down a thousand-pound elevator car with a 3-foot piece of
string, and then exploiting this mastery in various stimulating
ways (such as elevator hopping, shaft exploration, rat-racing, and
the ever-popular drop experiments). Kids, don't try this at home!
See also hobbit (sense 2).
[from VAD, a permutation of ADV
(i.e., ADVENT), used to avoid a particular admin's
continual search-and-destroy sweeps for the game] A leisure-time
activity of certain hackers involving the covert exploration of the
`secret' parts of large buildings -- basements, roofs, freight
elevators, maintenance crawlways, steam tunnels, and the like. A
few go so far as to learn locksmithing in order to synthesize
vadding keys. The verb is `to vad' (compare phreaking; see
also hack, sense 9). This term dates from the late 1970s,
before which such activity was simply called `hacking'; the older
usage is still prevalent at MIT.
The most extreme and dangerous form of vadding is `elevator
rodeo', a.k.a. `elevator surfing', a sport played by wrasslin'
down a thousand-pound elevator car with a 3-foot piece of
string, and then exploiting this mastery in various stimulating
ways (such as elevator hopping, shaft exploration, rat-racing, and
the ever-popular drop experiments). Kids, don't try this at home!
See also hobbit (sense 2).
Related:
- vadding /vad'ing/ n.
[from VAD, a permutation of ADV
(i.
e., ADVENT), used to avoid a particular admin's continual search-and-destroy sweeps for the game] A leisure-time activity of certain hackers involving the covert exploration of the `secret' parts of large buildings -- basements, roofs, freight elevators, maintenance crawlways, steam tunnels, and the like.... - hack
[very common] 1. n. Originally, a quick job that
produces what is needed, but not well.
2. n. An incredibly good, and perhaps very time-consuming, piece of work that produces exactly what is needed.... - phreaking: /freek'ing/ [from `phone phreak'] n. 1. The art and
science of cracking the phone network (so as, for example, to make
free long-distance calls).
2. By extension, security-cracking in any other context (especially, but not exclusively, on communications networks) (see {cracking}).... - down: 1. adj. Not operating. "The up escalator is down" is
considered a humorous thing to say
and "The elevator is down" always means "The elevator isn't working" and never refers to what floor the elevator is on.... - phreaking /freek'ing/ n.
[from `phone phreak'] 1.
The art and science of cracking the phone network (so as, for example, to make free long-distance calls).... - down
1. adj. Not operating. "The up escalator is down"
is considered a humorous thing to say (unless of course you were
expecting to use it)
and "The elevator is down" always means "The elevator isn't working" and never refers to what floor the elevator is on.... - bug n.
An unwanted and unintended property of a program or
piece of hardware, esp.
one that causes it to malfunction. Antonym of feature.... - metasyntactic variable n.
A name used in examples and
understood to stand for whatever thing is under discussion, or any
random member of a class of things under discussion.
The word foo is the canonical example. To avoid confusion, hackers never (well, hardly ever) use `foo' or other words like it as permanent names for anything.... - ADVENT: /ad'vent/ n. The prototypical computer adventure game
first implemented on the {PDP-10} by Will Crowther as an attempt at computer-refereed fantasy gaming, and expanded into a puzzle-oriented game by Don Woods....
