Random Hacks of Kindness

Hacker, Hacks - boy, those words sound bad but as most of you know, they are really very positive. From The Jargon File 4.3.3, a hacker is "an expert at a particular program" that holds the belief that "...information-sharing is a powerful positive good, and that it is an ethical duty of hackers to share their expertise by writing open-source code and facilitating access to information and to computing resources wherever possible."

You know what it's like...You spend hours and hours trying to figure out why your darn mp3 player won't work with your new version of RH. Then there it is - on the mailing list you participate in - a solution! You are soooo happy you could do a back flip off your monitor but you contain yourself. But what can you possibly do to show your appreciation???? You commit a random "hack of kindness" for someone else of course! (but not without rating the person that helped you out in the first place on Affero). Then your kindness will inspire another to do the same and so on and so on. See how that works? It only takes one person to start the trend. Might as well be you.

See, there's something intrinsically heroic about a stranger helping a stranger in need. We simply don't expect someone we've never met to exhibit any effort on our behalf. Which is why we think it is important to write about those who saw someone in need and took action. We would like to recognize a few of the heroes in the community, and also those that took the time to say "Hey THANKS!" BRAVO!!

Affero Community Random Hacks of Kindness Newsletter Volume #1 \| January 2003
Hacker, Hacks - boy, those words sound bad but as most of you know, they are really very positive. From The Jargon File 4.3.3, a hacker is "an expert at a particular program" that holds the belief that "...information-sharing is a powerful positive good, and that it is an ethical duty of hackers to share their expertise by writing open-source code and facilitating access to information and to computing resources wherever possible." You know what it's like...You spend hours and hours trying to figure out why your darn mp3 player won't work with your new version of RH. Then there it is - on the mailing list you participate in - a solution! You are soooo happy you could do a back flip off your monitor but you contain yourself. But what can you possibly do to show your appreciation???? You commit a random "hack of kindness" for someone else of course! (but not without rating the person that helped you out in the first place on Affero). Then your kindness will inspire another to do the same and so on and so on. See how that works? It only takes one person to start the trend. Might as well be you. See, there's something intrinsically heroic about a stranger helping a stranger in need. We simply don't expect someone we've never met to exhibit any effort on our behalf. Which is why we think it is important to write about those who saw someone in need and took action. We would like to recognize a few of the heroes in the community, and also those that took the time to say "Hey THANKS!" BRAVO!!
	Newsworthy Hack of Kindness: Palo Alto, Calif. - Jan 15, 2003 - The Benetech Initiative, a Silicon Valley nonprofit, today announced the release of The Martus Human Rights Bulletin System, an open source technology tool designated to assist human rights organizations in collecting, safeguarding, organizing and disseminating information about human rights abuses. See Full Story Here and the Sourceforge Page Here.
Affero services empower recognition and financial reward for valuable contributions to virtual discussions. As people build reputations through their interactions in their various lists and forums, Affero offers a way to document people's reputations and make them available outside each particular community. Below are some of the gracious comments Affero members have made to recognize the help they received. 12.12.02 - Juggler recognized the help from salvor "Salvör maintains an extensive web site dedicated to weblogging, IT in schools and certain feminist issues. Her site is a valuable contribution to the Icelandic online community." 12.18.02 - jayw recognized the help from jkeating "I have been stuck on a kernel recompile for days. Didnt even occur to me that I needed to "make mrproper" as you said to somebody. Thanks a million!" 01.01.03 - MasterC recognized the help from bobo_daclown and donated $5 to LinuxQuestions.org on his behalf "Thank you for the great explaination on extended/primary and logical partitions." If you are one of the many, working to help others without an expectation of direct return, consider joining Affero to enable others to show their respects when you help them, and consider leaving a word of kindness behind when someone helps you. And if they REALLY helped you, why not give a financial gift to a worthy cause on his or her behalf. "Why should I do this?" you ask....well look no further. Numerous scientific studies show that acts (and hacks) of kindness result in significant health benefits, both physical and mental. Check it out: * Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health, and it can diminish the effect of diseases and disorders serious and minor, psychological and physical. * A rush of euphoria, followed by a longer period of calm, after performing a kind act is often referred to as a "helper's high," involving physical sensations and the release of the body's natural painkillers, the endorphins. This initial rush is then followed by a longer-lasting period of improved emotional well-being * The health benefits and sense of well-being return for hours or even days whenever the helping act is remembered * Once we establish an "affiliative connection" with someone - we feel emotions that can strengthen the immune system. * The practice of caring for strangers translates to immense immune and healing benefits. * Regular club attendance, volunteering, entertaining, or faith group attendance is the happiness equivalent of getting a college degree or more than doubling your income. Source: Luks, Allan. The Healing Power of Doing Good: The Health and Spiritual Benefits of Helping Others. New York: iUniverse.com, 2001. You know what they say: One good thing leads to another - so try it out for yourself and see what happens... Know of a Hack of Kindness that you want to share with us for consideration in the next newsletter? Send it to: submit@affero.com Do you like reading about this good news for a change? Subscribe to receive our Random Hacks of Kindness Newsletter here.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world. Author: Anne Frank