'What makes a hacker' — by Steve Wozniak

Angela Gunn (above) — USA Today's waycool "It" girl who's grossly undercompensated, in my humble opinion, no matter how much the paper's paying her (note to Editor: you couldn't replace her at twice the price so why not give her a bump just for the heck of it?) — reported on Steve Wozniak's keynote address back on July 11, 2004 at the Fifth HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth) gathering in New York City.

Here are the Woz's defining characteristics of a hacker, as related in his talk:

• A sense of humor

• The ability to derive pleasure from jokes and the unexpected

• A tendency to strive for internal rather than external rewards

This just goes to show that being a hacker need not require great computer skills: in fact, you don't need any.

In Woz's hacker world there's plenty of room for a TechnoDolt™.

Ms. Gunn provides a link to an interview with the Woz that appeared in yesterday's Seattle Times.

Full disclosure: I have never met Angela Gunn; I have never spoken with Angela Gunn or even seen her on TV, in the event she's ever been on the tube; I have, on occasion, exchanged emails with her.

More disclosure: I have never met Steve Wozniak; I have never spoken with Steve Wozniak, or even seen him on TV, though I'm almost certain he's been on the tube; last year, however, the Woz did place a comment on bookofjoe — this event was among the top 10 things that happened to me in 2005.