Levy_S-Hackers-Heroes-Computer-Revolution

seemed ill at ease being paraded on a Las Vegas stage like so many misshapenMiss Universe contenders. The beauty in hack-erism was Taoistic and internal,blindingly impressive when one could perceive the daring blend of idealism andcerebration, but less than compelling when presented as a chorus line in a LasVegas ballroom. The hacker smiles were wooden, their suits ill-fitting (though afew were wearing specially made though still ill-fitting athletic warm-up suits).Even the most obtuse observer could divine that most of them would rather behome hacking. But with mixed motivations of curiosity, pressure from theirpublishers, a desire to spend a few days in Vegas, and, yes, vanity, they had cometo the Sands to compete in the hottest thing Tom Tatum had ever done, with thepossible exception, he later conceded, of the Miller High Life Super Cross Finals.The contest would include hackers from seven companies. Jerry Jewell was on thescene with Sirius' two most awesome arcaders. On-Line would arrive tomorrow.After the presentation, Jewell bragged to one of the competitors that one of hismen might well be the world's best videogamer. "I've seen him play Robotron forfour hours," he said.The hacker was not intimidated. "You see this?" he replied in a shrieky voice,holding his hand out. "This is my Robotron blister. I usually stop after an hourbecause my hands are so sensitive."Later, in his hotel room, Jewell watched as his hackers practiced the gamesscheduled for the competition. Jewell was exultant about his company's deal withTwentieth-Century Fox Games. The VCS cartridges his programmers nowdesigned were widely distributed and heavily marketed by Fox; his was the firstcompany of the Brotherhood to have its games advertised on television, anddistributed in mass-market outlets. "It's one thing to see your Apple product on thewall of a computer store," Jerry Jewell was saying, "but when you see a rack ofyour stuff in K-Mart, you know you've arrived."Ken Williams arrived in Las Vegas in time for a pre-contest meeting that Tatumheld for the twelve contestants and their sponsors. Having bounced back quicklyfrom the fire, Williams was ready to be the only competitor in the show who wasactually a publisher. He and the others drew chairs in a semicircle to hear Tatumdescribe the rules."This is a new kind of contest," Tom Tatum addressed the group. "It wouldn'thappen except for television. It is created for television. The rules have beendeveloped for television." He explained that two sets of conflicting values wereinvolved in this new kind of contest: Value One was the urge for an honest, faircompetition, and Value Two was the need to do everything possible to make