Everythingontheuniversitycampusseemsghostlikeinthequiet,
everythingexceptthecomputercenter.
Here,twentystudentssittransfixedattheirconsoles,
tappingawayontheterminalkeys.
Witheyesgluedtothevideoscreen,
itmightbethemiddleofthenight,
butheretimedoesnotexist.
Theseyoungcomputer“hackers”arepursuingakindofcompulsion,
adrivesoconsumingitovershadowsnearlyeveryotherpartoftheirlives
andformsthefocalpointoftheirexistence.
Theyarecompulsivecomputerprogrammers.
Someofthesestudentshavebeenattheconsoleforthirtyhoursormore
withoutabreakformealsorsleep.
Somehavefallenasleeponsofasandloungechairsinthecomputercenter,
butloathetogettoofarawayfromtheirbelovedmachines.
Mostofthesestudentsdon’thavetobeatthecomputercenter
inthemiddleofthenight.
Theyaren’tworkingonassignments.
Theyaretherebecausetheywanttobe—
theyareirresistiblydrawnthere.
Therearehackersatcomputercentersallacrossthecountry.
Intheirextremeform,theyfocusonnothingelse.
Theyflunkoutofschoolandlosecontactwithfriends;
theymighthavedifficultyfindingjobs,
choosinginsteadtowanderfromonecomputercentertoanother.
Theymayevenforgopersonalhygiene.
Weliterallyhadtocarryhimoffhischairtofeedhimandputhimtosleep.
Wereallyfearedforhishealth,”
saysacomputerscienceprofessoratMIT.
Computerscienceteachersarenowmoreawareoftheimplications
andareonthelookoutforpotentialhackers
andcasesofcomputeraddictionthatarealreadysevere.
Theyknowthatthecaseofthehackers
isnotjustthestoryofoneperson’srelationshipwithamachine.
Itisthestoryofasociety’srelationship
totheso-calledthinkingmachines.
