251: I Agreed at the Time
Addie and Whisker of the Toymakers (@Tymkrs) discuss the creation of their 2018 CypherCon badge, a functional telephone system that required building a 96-line exchange and sourcing obsolete hardware. They detail the supply chain crisis involving a Korean modem module manufacturer that caused massive delays and cost overruns, forcing them to hand-solder 500 units the night before the conference. The episode covers the technical design of the badge, the interactive puzzles built into the conference infrastructure, and the broader culture of hacker conference badges.