Hacks and Mods

From InterSciWiki

Author(s) Doug White

Robotsapien hack is an example of how software developers (robots, games, etc.) are finding evolutionary possibilities in opening up their inventions to hacking and modders (those who add modifications to existing computer-interactive entities). These spawn sites that report and coordinate inventions, groups that collaborate, and the emergence of professionals within these groups or the software developer organizations who provide structure and formats to integrating mods or hacks of different sorts.

The Robotsapien itself is the neatest little robot to come along and has hundreds of behavioral modalities that can be actuated by kids, starting with 3-5 year olds.

WoW (World of Warfare) modders are studied by Yong Ming Kow and Bonnie Nardi at UCI in the ICS department.

Mods are a prototype for a way of teaching the evolutionary use of software development, as in the R program and package community, modified by classroom and research project use, e.g., EduMod.