The TV character MacGyver was a TV hero of mine. He could get into trouble and always find a way out by being very crafty with what ever he had on hand. I love problem solving and MacGyver had the cool solutions to tough problems. It was entertaining to see the solutions come together and inspiring to see what could be done when someone thought creatively about solving a problem.
As I grew older and the real world got more complicated, I have seen that the kind of challenges I face are also very complicated. Albeit I don’t face the dangers that MacGyver did but I do find myself facing challenges without simple solutions. I decided years ago that it was unacceptable to be unprepared for thinking on my feet and so I absorb any opportunity I can
I recently attended a talk by Tanya Snook entitled “Hacking is a mindset not a skillset” and found her presentation very good for stiring up ideas in my own head. Her talk was of the calibre one would expect on a Ted talk (I hope she is ok with that grouping) and left me with energy and inspiration that I hope for with an event of that nature. Tanya, the speaker, broke her concept down into 5 parts which made a lot of sense to me. In the days that followed I found myself thinking about those 5 parts and what emerged in my head as I tried to remember them is the following.
The Bridge of Death – A challenge to be accepted!
In Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail King Arthur and his men come upon the Bridge of Death being guarded by the bridge keeper. They have met a challenge and its exciting. I love this part of the story because the challenge is different for each and ultimately what trips up the bridge keeper is not a fantastic answer, but a question that trips up the challenge. In hacking as a mindset the challenge or the barrier is what actually eggs us on, because we know that it’s not always about having the perfect answer.
For Tanya’s more easily understandable approach to hacking as mindset visit: http://www.spydergrrl.com/2013/02/hacking-is-mindset-not-skillset-girl.html