Shortly after Ford updated their Facebook page to the new timeline, they were taking a look back at how the company had pushed the boundaries of technology. The posted the following message to their timeline on the heels of a big announcement, which we have since learned was the launch of the Ford ST.
“At Ford, we’re continuously trying to push the boundaries of technology, so in anticipation of a big announcement tomorrow, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite “hacks” by our original hacker, Henry Ford.”
Yes, you read that correctly, Ford is calling Henry Ford their “original hacker“, referring to how he pushed the boundaries of technology. This is sort of an odd pairing when you think of it at first. I mean you have a man who died before the 1950s being called a hacker.
More than likely when you think of a hacker you conjure up mental images of a person sitting behind a computer screen typing long strings of code on a black screen, as the term “hacker” is synonymous with computers these days. If you boil down the term “hacker” doesn’t it simply mean someone who is an expert or an enthusiast of anything? Let’s go to the Hacker Dictionary for the official definition of the term, so you can make up your own mind if Henry Ford truly was a hacker:
hacker: [originally, someone who makes furniture with an axe] n. 1. A person who enjoys exploring the details of programmable systems and how to stretch their capabilities, as opposed to most users, who prefer to learn only the minimum necessary. 2. One who programs enthusiastically (even obsessively) or who enjoys programming rather than just theorizing about programming. 3. A person capable of appreciating hack value. 4. A person who is good at programming quickly. 5. An expert at a particular program, or one who frequently does work using it or on it; as in `a UNIX hacker’. (Definitions 1 through 5 are correlated, and people who fit them congregate.) 6. An expert or enthusiast of any kind. One might be an astronomy hacker, for example. 7. One who enjoys the intellectual challenge of creatively overcoming or circumventing limitations.
However you feel on the matter, Ford did share an album of some interesting photos displaying their “Favorite Hacks by Henry Ford“:
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What are your thoughts on Ford calling Henry Ford their “original hacker”? Does it make sense, or are they just trying to speak to a younger generation? Let us know in the comments below.