MEP EP#73: Joe Grand: The Origin Story

Podcast Notes

• Joe Grand
  • Also known as Kingpin
  • Computer engineer, hardware hacker, product designer, teacher, advisor, runner, daddy, honorary doctor, TV host, member of legendary hacker group L0pht Heavy Industries
  • Proprietor of Grand Idea Studio.
  • Our first guest to have a Wikipedia page
  • Has been creating, exploring, and manipulating electronic systems since the 1980s.
• Parker and Joe met each other at the unofficial propeller expo in Sacramento. This what right around the time MacroFab was starting in 2013.
  • Joe “flew” Ken’s brand new quadcopter
  • IRC channel #tymkrs on afternet
• Joe first discovered the hacker world at 7 years old in 1982.
• First online name was “black ninja” then went to fbi agent, astro zombie, autovon, the youth, before settling on Kingpin.
• Joe’s first hardware hack he remembers was the Ring Busy Device – you can still use the phone, but if someone called, it would give a busy signal. Built with circuit board from Radio Shack kit. Came with switch so he could turn it on and off.
• DEF CON badges – what’s the history?
  • Joe is friends with the Jeff Moss aka Dark Tangent for a long time through bulletin board systems
    • Joe had been giving talks for DEF CON for a long time and was approached by Jeff to make an electronics badge
  • Before e-badges they had Laser cut , acrylic badge, liquid filled badge
  • First electronic badge ran on a PIC10f202
  • Badge hacking contest – 20 people hacked the first time
  • DEF CON 14-18 were years that Joe tried to challenge and one up himself
  • DEF CON 14 Badge
  • DEF CON 15 Badge
  • DEF CON 16 Badge
  • DEF CON 17 Badge
  • DEF CON 18 Badge
• Tooth tunes hack
• The MacroFab Meetup in Houston is next week!