39c3 Power cycles
I am writing this while on the train from Hamburg. Throughout the year I kept hearing all sorts of crazy stories about previous editions of the CCC. I decided to give it a try.
This time I was lucky to secure a ticket and find out with my own eyes. At first I did not know what to expect and I am know it is not very simple to explain what is so special about the event organized by the Chaos Communication Club. Without prior explanation one may assume this is just another tech conference.
It’s not just another conference. It’s almost like a separate timespace continuum, dedicated to hackers and other creative, expressive souls. Or creatures as the official invitaion claims.
Some of my favourite bits:
▪ various computer clubs
▪ musicians and many other artists, some really unusual
▪ hackers, makers, crazy DIY people
▪ activists & a lot of political debates (in that good way I think)
▪ …what else have I missed?
and it is easy to miss out. Due to the volume of stuff going on simultaneously one does simply experience the whole congress at once.
The very first day at the place is your brain desperately trying to map out the building location. This is a tough task!
Here’s what I managed to do in 2025:
- explore the CCH complex in Hamburg
- sit & hack in the assembly (Cebula cluster!)
- join a spontaneous Fairphone users meetup
- work on my InfiniTime firmware a bit
- take part in the famous
hxp ctf - watch the opening ceremony and a few unrecorded tracks!
- do some Engel shifts & meet even more people that way
- did a quick walking tour around Hamburg city centre as a bonus
- …likely a dozen other cool things I am yet still to process with my brain
Some other photos I took
and I’d love to come next year too! There’s that feeling of emptiness when a great thing comes to an end.
Lessons learned for the next event
- definitely have my own DECT phone
- get some tools & materials for more projects, perhaps a mobile 3d printer (?)
- plan ahead some of the activities
- bring practical ideas for the assembly organization [it’s getting messy real quick!]
Bonus: some friends made [skip if not metalhead]
I mentioned I got convinced to try help as en Engel. This is a great way to volunteer and help out organize the congress spontaneously.
One time I was doing a 2 hours shift with a guy named Daniel who later turned out to be a bassist in a band. A metal band. I promised to check it out after the congress and I was not dissapointed. This is exactly my kind of music, they claim to continue the legacy of traditional heavy metal and oh boy, do they deliver!
Check out Tomb of Giants if you too are into this kind of stuff.
I am so going to recommend them to some other friends to try get them some more exposure across Poland.
Find out more about the congress → here