The secret arts of technology

Here's a factoid that might not be well known. When it comes to building software technology, there is often a community of people driving it (for example, a company) and then there are individuals who are actually writing the code, the documents, etc. If the consumers of this technology are also technologists, then there is an interesting opportunity; the creators can send secret messages to the consumers, who are also creators.

This happens in my work all the time. I am a creator of technology; I create customized work that gets put to use by large Canadian companies. There is a layer of technology that only the most involved individuals will ever see, and it is in this layer that the secret messages may be sent. Management will never see it; even detailed work audits may never uncover these bits of communication. The message is created by individuals, and then shipped, copied, merged and managed by companies, totally unaware of the hitchhiking information.

So this special communication medium exists as a kind of transit between technologists. The discovery of these messages adds to the culture surrounding the work I do, in a way similar to but far less accessible than street art.

Tagging is common. The names of people and companies that created the technology may still be there, even though the people may have gone on to do something else years ago, and the companies that created the initial seed of technology has been purchased, merged, purchased again, re-named, and eliminated from the official records.

Less common but far more satisfying to find are dedications, curses, frank notes about the circumstances around the creation of technology, and even notes to potential finders.

Finding these tidbits is a rare joy; for some reason, there are many technologists who feel it is important to dry out the work as much as possible and will go to great lengths to "purify" the works. Personally I feel this is a shame and I try to create these messages wherever I can. To me, it is a sign of maturity of a technology; when enough hands have passed through a work, people like me always find a way to leave their footprints and find the steps of those who were before us.