High-level talks about technology as well as reflections on the impact of that technology on society are the backbone of the Chaos Communication Congress (CCC), the annual four-day hacker gathering between Christmas and New Years held in Hamburg, Germany. The flesh is perhaps best described by the metamorphoses the hackers subject the venue the Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) to.

It already starts outside, with the building emanating a pulsing red glow from the thousands of LEDs and light projects in and around the building. The H of the illuminated CCH logo is hacked into a C, so as to leave no doubt who holds sway over the building. On the square before the entrance stands a huge rocket: the CCC logo come-to-life.