'The Word "Hacking" isn't Used Accurately Today' - Tom Rutka, '19 #Noonies Hacker Of The Year

Hey there Hackers: it’s now August, the month of Hacker Noon’s 2020 Noonies Awards season! Visit noonies.tech before public nominations close at Noon MT on 12 August 2020 to nominate your Product Manager of the Year; best-in-class Blockchain contributors, analysts, influencers; Software Development innovators, and more. 

In Hacker Noon’s inaugural awards last year, we wanted to recognize the brightest and best, in tech, and the award category ‘Hacker Of The Year’, is for the ones who are recognized for having contributed to the hacking community, white hat or otherwise. This is our sweet little Q&A with an awesome human named Tom Rutka, who is the winner of the award.

How did you feel when you were nominated (... and won!) the category for Hacker of the Year ?

I didn’t believe it at first, because I never participate in contests except hackathons. It was fun. I was really inspired by Hackernoon’s founder David Smooke and the issue with Medium.com. David did a great job onboarding people to his website and driving engagement. I appreciate the publicity.

What is your real job?

I’m a front end engineer so I like to build intuitive, performant and creative web apps. 

How do you keep up on the cybersecurity industry’s latest developments?

There’s too much knowledge to keep up with so I just stay on the defense and engage with what interests me the most.

One best thing you did in your career?

Investments.

What kind of hacking do you specialize in?

I think the word “hacking” is used inaccurately in today’s media such that the original definition consists of “exploiting vulnerabilities in technology”. Now that hacking has evolved into a a billion-dollar growth business, everybody wants to sling the term for any silly gain they come up using technology. I really don’t think of myself as a genuine hacker but I do like making mash-ups with technology. 

How does your home (IT) setup look like?

I used to collect lots of gadgets and computer gear but since I started traveling, I just prefer one laptop that does everything and a portable projector.

Any advice for newbies to be better hackers? 

Don’t be evil. If you’re going to hack, use your skills for good like stopping scammers.

Which topic do you usually read on Hackernoon.com ?

I don’t browse by topics. I just read the headlines that interest me most.

What was the last book you read and was it any good?

‘The Power of Concentration’, by Theron Q. Dumont. It is a short but very concise book which I re-read when I forget how to focus.

If you could vote for your favourite Hacker Noon feature, what would it be?

The community forum.

What’s your biggest vice?

I can’t reveal my weakness.

Would you like to share more on what you are working on right now?

Cinemagraphics, adding visual special effects to the web.

What is one thing you’d wish to change about yourself?

I would like to have superpowers.

If you could change a global issue that is one of the world’s biggest problems today, what would you change?

I would get rid of evil and media manipulation in the world. Too many people are addicted to watching violence and negativity. If people knew how to better control their emotions, there would be less problems.

Is there anything else you wish the readers to know about you?

Once, I got a job by bringing a six-pack of beer to an interview. Now, I help people get six pack abs. 

Where are you living at right now? Rio de Janeiro

What is your favourite breakfast meal? Pancakes, eggs and bacon

Do you have a phrase or a quote you live by? If it’s to be, it’s up to me.

Favorite podcast: I find that audio books are a better use of time.

Favourite tech app you use daily: Telegram

Vote wisely for our 2020 Noonies launch on the 13 August, but meanwhile support us, keyboard warrior style by making your nominations count. We need your noms for Podcast Episode of the Year, here, and Social (Media) Activist of the Year, here, and Best DeFi Initiative, here.