WHY2025

Rick van Rein

Rick van Rein is a self-employed cryptographer at OpenFortress, mostly active in open source and open protocols. His aim is to make security and privacy free and available to all. That is free as in free beer, but also free as in free speech, not subjected to commercial interests.

Rick holds MSc and PhD degrees in computer science with emphasis on electrical engineering and mathematics. Rick originally started his education at the most pragmatic LTS level electrical engineering, and advanced via MTS electronics and HTS-P technical computer science to university study in computer science. The combination of pragmatics with theory are markers of Rick's work.


Sessions

08-09
10:00
50min
Imposing Climate Law onto Governments
Rick van Rein

This talk is a roller-coaster ride through a few years of experience in teaching the government about their obligations w.r.t. climate change. It details the procedural hacks they use, and ways to evade them. It also gives examples of elegantly designed cases with a potential of very high impact. Climate law is a domain of logic, language and social ethics, all available in the average hacker's toolbox. I'd argue the world needs our minds to lap up the debris left behind by our governments.

Yearn for a better future
Andromeda
08-10
10:00
50min
Sensible Money: Designing a Sustainable Economy
Rick van Rein

Economic models are increasingly challenged for destroying our planet. But it is not easy to design a sustainable alternative. In a follow-up on my OHM talk "hacking for bankers", I would like to present a few realistic currencies that we can use to move away from the unsustainable path that we are currently walking. We could build a profitable yet sustainable grassroots movement.

Yearn for a better future
Cassiopeia