The Camp has started. Somehow. We are a bit behind schedule with this and that but basically everything is fine. The crowd that is arriving is amazing. Tons of stuff, technology whereever you look. Gadgets. Devices. Modules. Everything.

The PhoneOperationCenter has done a tremendous job installing a fully functioning DECT telephone system at the Camp. Everybody can bring his DECT phone and receives a extension. So this allows a toll-free, slightly encrypted one-to-one communication everywhere on the camp site. It has already helped us a lot in organization and it is a boon to the participants as well. For instance, if you dial 5566, you can instantly listen to the SubEther radio station (which usually broadcasts via FM and via MP3 streaming as well). This is so fucking cool.

Our ambitious light installation is coming up slowly as well. The Hackcenter is already glowing and is about to get a Bushfire-style lighting on top tomorrow. And Blinkenlights is alive at the BlinkenArea as well. The is a whole bunch of Blinkenlights clones showcased, like the LittleLights, ArcadeMini and RotArcade and more. I think we need to have a BlinkenCon developers conference sooner or later :-)

The village concept of the Camp seems to take off as well. Right now there is a Wireless Village, the RadioVillage, the CryptoVillage, the BSD village, the MacHackers village and a couple others I forgot or haven‘t found so far. Many people are bringing big tents and we expect the place to be pretty crowded soon. But there is still space available and we have no doubt everybody will fit in in the end.

But the most amazing of all is the people who come. The hacker scene is so peaceful and respecting. No comparison to open air parties or computer fairs. Der Spiegel has called the Camp the „Cyber-Woodstock“ and I really feel that this is not the worst comparision you can make although this event is so different to everything else. Unique people, unique feelings. I am sure the coming days are going to be a more than extraordinary event for everyone of us.

The ChaosAngels are a big, big, big help for us. The Camp is a voluntary effort and it is so great to see that so many people are working so hard to make the Camp the success we all want it be.

This is it: this scene needs a place for meeting, discussing, testing, proving, questioning, designing, redesigning, engineering, reengineering, searching, researching, hacking, phreaking, brainstorming and understanding. The Camp is a place to do just that.

Thanks in advance to everybody who is contributing his energy to make all this happen. It‘s going to rock our world. At least a bit.