BornHack 2025 recap

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So :) - I’ve recently been to BornHack 2025, and want to jot down some notes.

I enjoyed the event greatly. Let’s have a bit more detail though.

Camping situation

We visited BornHack as a group of four. We had two tents prominently visible in the cozy camping area.

Our tent situation looked like this:

View from inside the tent. We can see a trans flag casting is colors onto the tent wall as the morning light filters through it. The silhouette of a guitar bag visible against the tent wall.
View from inside the tent. We can see a trans flag casting is colors onto the tent wall as the morning light filters through it. The silhouette of a guitar bag visible against the tent wall.
View from the community tent at the cozy camping area towards the tent were Fiona and her partner slept. We can see that the distance between the power distribution point and the tent is now bridged by a tarp with a chair, table and some stuff under it. Attached to the tarp we can see a colorful towel and a trans flag. In the background we can see some tall gras and a treeline.
View from the community tent at the cozy camping area towards the tent were Fiona and her partner slept. We can see that the distance between the power distribution point and the tent is now bridged by a tarp with a chair, table and some stuff under it. Attached to the tarp we can see a colorful towel and a trans flag. In the background we can see some tall gras and a treeline.
A tent at cozy with a nonbinary flag on it's side. We can see several other tents in the background.
A tent at cozy with a nonbinary flag on it's side. We can see several other tents in the background.

We found a habit of cooking and eating together.

A bowl of salad and a pot full of spaghetti in tomato sauce on a table.
A bowl of salad and a pot full of spaghetti in tomato sauce on a table.
Leftovers from a meal in a food container on a table.
Leftovers from a meal in a food container on a table.

One night I wandered around the campsite and took in the colorful lights.

Here are some pictures of the cozy area at night:

The cozy tent area photographed at 4 in the morning Several tents are scattered around an illuminated tent in the middle. There's a lamp lighting the way to the campsite and in the back we can see several trees against a sky that is starting to fade into light blue.
The cozy tent area photographed at 4 in the morning Several tents are scattered around an illuminated tent in the middle. There's a lamp lighting the way to the campsite and in the back we can see several trees against a sky that is starting to fade into light blue.
The community tent at cozy at night. The tent is illuminated with red and pink light. We can see some benches and tables under the tent. We can see the sky being lighted in a soft grey against the dark treeline.
The community tent at cozy at night. The tent is illuminated with red and pink light. We can see some benches and tables under the tent. We can see the sky being lighted in a soft grey against the dark treeline.
A view up one of the star shaped community tents. You can see the six segments of the tent meeting at the centerpoint in the top third of the image. The tent is illuminated in tones of pink and red.
A view up one of the star shaped community tents. You can see the six segments of the tent meeting at the centerpoint in the top third of the image. The tent is illuminated in tones of pink and red.

…and here are some of the main road at night:

The main road around 4 in the morning. We can see the empty road towards the general camping area as it cuts a line through the trees. Above the road we can see the sky fading to bright blue with a tint of orange and yellow towards the horizon. Colorful lights are placed at the road sides.
The main road around 4 in the morning. We can see the empty road towards the general camping area as it cuts a line through the trees. Above the road we can see the sky fading to bright blue with a tint of orange and yellow towards the horizon. Colorful lights are placed at the road sides.
The main road around 4 in the morning. The road opens up towards the general campsite here. We can see a singular tree in the middle of the photo, surrounded by a number of tents. The sun will clearly rise soon, as suggested by the sky. There are still several colorful lights illuminating the path.
The main road around 4 in the morning. The road opens up towards the general campsite here. We can see a singular tree in the middle of the photo, surrounded by a number of tents. The sun will clearly rise soon, as suggested by the sky. There are still several colorful lights illuminating the path.
Early morning view down the main road through the general camping area. We can see differently colored lights along the path as well as a graffiti covered container with 'freelove' written on it. The sun is starting to rise on the horizon.
Early morning view down the main road through the general camping area. We can see differently colored lights along the path as well as a graffiti covered container with 'freelove' written on it. The sun is starting to rise on the horizon.

Camping with a CPAP

In 2018 I got a cpap device to sleep with. This increased my anxiety around camping, and I didn’t visit a full BornHack since 2017.

While it’s true that there is more baggage to take care of now and I do feel vulnerable and somewhat insecure with the device, it’s also true that camping with it worked out just fine.

From using the cpap on a sleeper train I know that power interruptions wake me up. It’s as if someone holds my nose shut. From what I could gather the power supply at cozy was very reliable. Thanks for all the infra that supported my sleep so well 💖.

Fiona lying between the power distribution point and the tent. We can see that the distance is only a few meters. Easily enough for 40m of cable.
Fiona lying between the power distribution point and the tent. We can see that the distance is only a few meters. Easily enough for 40m of cable.
Fionas cpap unit in the tent. We can see the rest of the cable still on the spool next to it. This would do fine to support her sleep.
Fionas cpap unit in the tent. We can see the rest of the cable still on the spool next to it. This would do fine to support her sleep.

Another wild idea provided by my creativity was this:

What if something crawls into my breathing tube and then I shoot it up my nose with the airflow?

Sure I wanted to breath in some nature, but not like this. While it seemed unlikely I also found it a bit concerning.

In the end I ended up wrapping my face mask in some additional cloths when not sleeping.

I think this worked out fine and hope the spiders in my lungs agree.

The social

I understand the emotional warmth of this place.
- Noted at BornHack

BornHack is the third conference I’ve visited this summer. I’d like to say it’s getting easier to talk with people and do the social stuff.

I sometimes feel I’ve created a little shell of routine and anxiety around me that I’ve been trying to deconstruct. In that the whole event feels like a success to me.

I enjoyed a multitude of conversations. At BornHack I found:

I feel that regularly doing everyday chores so close together - eating meals, taking a shower, sleeping and all that - facilitated familiarity and closeness among people. Lots of people came here as strangers, connected over time and left more familiar. It was easy to carry a positive attitude towards others and some believe in alignment of values.

Apparently we’re quite recognizable as friends with long history. I believe it has been the first time that someone called our crew a family. This resonated with me.

The beach

In 2006 a friend of mine asked whether I’d like to go for a swim. I took the bikini of my partner at the time and it felt nice. I anchor some of my thoughts towards being trans around this year.

So when I came out as trans beginning of 2025 one of the things that entered my todo list was to go swimming in a bikini again.

Lucky for me our group took to the beach for a day and one of my friends even brought a waterproof camera along.

So it happened - I was at the beach and went for a swim. This was good to do. I enjoyed it greatly.

Fiona, standing in the somewhat shallow sea. She's throwing her hair back and you can see an arch of water following the movement.
Fiona, standing in the somewhat shallow sea. She's throwing her hair back and you can see an arch of water following the movement.
An underwater photograph of Fiona in the sea. She floats almost as if sitting on a chair, her arms outstretched to the sides moving the water downwards and keeping her afloat.
An underwater photograph of Fiona in the sea. She floats almost as if sitting on a chair, her arms outstretched to the sides moving the water downwards and keeping her afloat.

Alcohol at cozy

Among the popular leisurely activities people are, of course, also drinking. This isn’t unexpected or unheard of for such events at all.

However it becomes a problem when there are people around, as is the case with one of our crew, for whom being around alcohol is a hard thing to handle.

One evening a group of people came over to us with some drinks. My understanding is that they wanted to socialize and visit different areas of the camp to see how everyone was doing.

When this group sat down with us and I noticed one of us leaving to avoid the drinks I explained to the rest that one of us has trouble with alcohol and that it would be kind of them to not stick around for more than a brief minute so as not to exclude this person.

To my pleasant surprise the groups reactions were along the lines of “oh, okay - we didn’t know that - we’ll be going in a moment then.”. A moment later they left.

I think given the circumstances this went about as good as it could’ve, and I hope everyone had an excellent evening.

More words

I feel that more could be said on the topic of alcohol as a social activity, and the role it often takes in a tech context. That is larger and more complicated than what I’m aiming for here.

That people just acted with understanding and accommodated it by leaving feels good to me. I had braced a little for discussions or people being irritated. I feel that people reacted in a rather clear headed and welcoming way.

The WIP.bar

There’s a bar at BornHack every year that’s kind of a living piece of art. It’s recreated every year and a typical social gathering spot. People hang around, talk, drink and sometimes also dance or sing together.

Just have a look at some of the colorful pictures:

A big, colorful banner hanging in the air over the bar area at night. The banner is illuminated and colored in rainbow stripes. We can see two sections of text on it reading 'All creatures welcome' and 'be gay do crime'. Underneath the banner we can see several string lights in different colors.
A big, colorful banner hanging in the air over the bar area at night. The banner is illuminated and colored in rainbow stripes. We can see two sections of text on it reading 'All creatures welcome' and 'be gay do crime'. Underneath the banner we can see several string lights in different colors.
A desk at the WIP.bar at night. We can see a club mate bubble, several lights and
A desk at the WIP.bar at night. We can see a club mate bubble, several lights and
A lightbulb in front of a speaker. The speaker is protected by a coarse grid of metal wires and lit in bisexual lighting.
A lightbulb in front of a speaker. The speaker is protected by a coarse grid of metal wires and lit in bisexual lighting.
A pixelflut running at the bar. We can see several vertical series of overlapping, colorful smilies.
A pixelflut running at the bar. We can see several vertical series of overlapping, colorful smilies.
A scene at the bar. A gummy pig is wrapped in green neon string shibari and suspended in the center of the picture. There are various colors and unfocused elements in the picture.
A scene at the bar. A gummy pig is wrapped in green neon string shibari and suspended in the center of the picture. There are various colors and unfocused elements in the picture.
A speaker next to the DJ desk at the bar. It's illuminated in green and violet and has a wire grid in front of it. We can see a tarp above and in the background being lit with shades of red, orange and yellow. The DJ desk and pixelflut screen are extending to the right.
A speaker next to the DJ desk at the bar. It's illuminated in green and violet and has a wire grid in front of it. We can see a tarp above and in the background being lit with shades of red, orange and yellow. The DJ desk and pixelflut screen are extending to the right.

A workshop on dancing

Thanks to a friend I became aware of a workshop on dancing and went.

I’d guess we’ve been around a dozen people. We learned 3 dances together, two of them were mixers, performed in changing pairs in a circle and the last one was a couples dance.

The first dance we learned was called Chappeloise or jig.

We danced to these songs:

The second dance was called Tovercirkel, Cercle circassien or a magic circle, and we danced it to Doedelyoudo by CPDC.

Finally we danced a Schottische to these two songs:

Not having much experience with dancing at all I was nervous before. Having someone guide us through the dancing together and explaining the steps in detail helped me over it. I enjoyed this experience greatly and kept talking about it the following days.

Making music

I must’ve been around 2017 that I bought a used guitar from a coworker.

It has been only last year that I discovered the joy of singing along to playing it though.

I’ve been anxious about bringing it with me, and all the thanks for the joy that came of it goes to my friends that emboldened me to take it along. This was good and joyful and I wouldn’t have done it alone.

The CTF

There was a Capture the flag (CTF), hosted by the pwnies.

Screenshot of the pwnies logo presenting the BornHack 2025 CTF
Screenshot of the pwnies logo presenting the BornHack 2025 CTF

Teams were a maximum size of two and a friend convinced me to go for it together.

We called our team beansoup (which I think is a perfectly valid name for coffee), a name I’ve used in the past when fiddling with ångstromCTF.

I only played a small number of challenges, while my friend kept advancing. I think we had good fun with it - independently of my focus wandering on.

I enjoyed the ‘CTF lounge’ challenge in particular. It was a nice chain of issues in PHP code. If I can manage I might do a writeup for it separately 🤞.

At the end of the competition our team made 8th place with 4300 points. Over time the development looked like this:

Screenshot of the top 10 teams over time
Screenshot of the top 10 teams over time

Weather and Tarps

We were in nature

A notoriously noted sign is attached to the branch of a small tree that covers most of the photos foreground. The sign is a remix of the Gadsden flag where we can see a foot about to step on a slug. The sign is labeled 'no step on schneck'. In the background we can see several logs and drainage pipes piled up. Some power cable slithers its way from the foreground to the back.
A notoriously noted sign is attached to the branch of a small tree that covers most of the photos foreground. The sign is a remix of the Gadsden flag where we can see a foot about to step on a slug. The sign is labeled 'no step on schneck'. In the background we can see several logs and drainage pipes piled up. Some power cable slithers its way from the foreground to the back.
An underwater photograph of a small fish swimming towards the left. The water behind it is a pale moss-green. We can make out the ground beneath with some plants.
An underwater photograph of a small fish swimming towards the left. The water behind it is a pale moss-green. We can make out the ground beneath with some plants.
A mushroom on the forest floor. It's growing between some bunches of grass, moss, twigs and other plants. The hat of the mushroom bends towards the sky on the outer edges and the lamellae underneath are visible.
A mushroom on the forest floor. It's growing between some bunches of grass, moss, twigs and other plants. The hat of the mushroom bends towards the sky on the outer edges and the lamellae underneath are visible.
A grasshopper is sitting underneath the outer sheet of a tent. We can see the serrations on its legs in detail and its long antennae are clearly visible against the bright pattern of the plane behind it.
A grasshopper is sitting underneath the outer sheet of a tent. We can see the serrations on its legs in detail and its long antennae are clearly visible against the bright pattern of the plane behind it.

While it was rather hot and sunny for most of the days towards the end we had heavy rain.

If I wasn’t in love with tarps before for the shade they provide I’m in love with them now for how they protected us from rain.

The rain was also spark to some creativity:

A warning sign reading 'caution - wet floor' is placed in a big puddle on the side of a dirt road.
A warning sign reading 'caution - wet floor' is placed in a big puddle on the side of a dirt road.
A rubber duck is floating in a big puddle on a dirt road. It is tethered to a post on the roadside that also props up some string lights.
A rubber duck is floating in a big puddle on a dirt road. It is tethered to a post on the roadside that also props up some string lights.
A closeup of a rubber duck in a big puddle. Using this frog-like perspective the duck appears quite big against the tents in the background.
A closeup of a rubber duck in a big puddle. Using this frog-like perspective the duck appears quite big against the tents in the background.
A rubber duck floats in an increasingly large puddle on a dirt road. We can see some tents on the roadsides. The continued rain makes it appear as if the puddle was overflowing.
A rubber duck floats in an increasingly large puddle on a dirt road. We can see some tents on the roadsides. The continued rain makes it appear as if the puddle was overflowing.
A blåhaj in a raincoat being held up at arms length in front of some greenery.
A blåhaj in a raincoat being held up at arms length in front of some greenery.
A view across parts of the general camping area towards the info desk. We can see thick drops of rain pouring from a tarp on top of the picture. There's a collection of empty trashcans lying on their sides under a star tent.
A view across parts of the general camping area towards the info desk. We can see thick drops of rain pouring from a tarp on top of the picture. There's a collection of empty trashcans lying on their sides under a star tent.

Wrapping up

I had an amazing time at BornHack.

I’m thankful to the people that made it possible and grateful for the experience 💖.

I hope you all have an amazing time and we stumble across each other again 🙂.

Photo out of the front of a van taken from a passenger seat. We can see the dirt road leading away from bornhack. The sun is shining. The roadsides are filled with bright green bushes and trees.
Photo out of the front of a van taken from a passenger seat. We can see the dirt road leading away from bornhack. The sun is shining. The roadsides are filled with bright green bushes and trees.
Photograph of the side of a blue shipping container. It has a BornHack banner on it with the logo in pride colors. We can see some greenery around the container and there are some ground mats piled up in front of it.
Photograph of the side of a blue shipping container. It has a BornHack banner on it with the logo in pride colors. We can see some greenery around the container and there are some ground mats piled up in front of it.
We can see a smallish grid of square-like cells illuminated and reflecting in various colors and gradients. Speculation says this could be the tarp above the DJ desk near the bar.
We can see a smallish grid of square-like cells illuminated and reflecting in various colors and gradients. Speculation says this could be the tarp above the DJ desk near the bar.
A picture taken from the back of a van towards the front window. We can see Fiona's back as she's driving down a highway. There's rain on the front window. The sky is partially cloudy and we can see some greenery on the sides of the road.
A picture taken from the back of a van towards the front window. We can see Fiona's back as she's driving down a highway. There's rain on the front window. The sky is partially cloudy and we can see some greenery on the sides of the road.
A note on the photos

To the extend I could I tried to make sure photos align with the BornHack policy.

I did not take all of the photos myself and I’m not always certain where I got them from at this point.

If I’m hurting anyone or it would make sense to note sources differently please point it out to me. I’ll gladly make amends.