Traceroute

I was immediately drawn into this film.

As a certified old hacker, the Traceroute message really resonated with me as I watched Mr. Grenzfurthner explore the culture that made him - and me - what we are today. From the opening scenes, all the way to the credits, I have to say that I was hooked on the nerd, and what he had to say about things, pretty much word for word.

Thorough superlative command of geek language, Mr. Grenzfurthner's painstaking, Austrian-level attention to road-trip details provides much to unpack. Who hasn't wanted to take the Golden Nerd Tour from West to East coasts, visiting all the important sites in hacker culture history, with rockets and pornstar-cum-hackers and aliens and movie stars, obscure scientists and techno legends alike, guiding the way?

I'm sure I'd sign up for this mythical bus tour in my old age, as long as we could have a slightly more geriatric Mr. Grenzfurthner as tour guide, and by then I'm quite confident he would have found ever more exceptional means to bake true meaning into the simplest of hacker things.

Lick the prop! See this movie!

A captivating documentary, not only about nerds, but the human condition: obsession, longing, hubris, greatness. Grenzfurthner introduces himself as a tour guide through nerdvana, very ironic and self-aware, but also deeply honest about his upbringing, his interests and his political views. Some of the places, subjects and people are bizarre, some insightful and some politically and socially challenging, but always fun. That is the brilliance of Traceroute.

Austrian artist and filmmaker Johannes Grenzfurthner tries to answer this question in his documentary Traceroute. It is a journey back in time (to the 1970s and 1980s) – and a trek across the USA, featuring interviews with many dedicated geeks about their worldview(s).

I would summarize Traceroute as a funny road movie and insightful commentary about covert culture, subversive science and fringe art.

You want to understand what's going on our planet? Nerds are the key...

Traceroute is an autobiographical film. You might even call it a cinematic essay. Johannes talks about his own past and future, but also the past and future of a class that is now dominating the globe: the nerds. There are many films for (and about) nerds out there, but this one is not about Superman and Star Wars and Donkey Kong, but science, politics, even sex. It is wonderful to see how candid the film approaches the subject matter. Being a nerd means: creativity, visions, openness to experimentation, subversion - and not only regarding program code and video games, but regarding society, values and ideologies.

I saw Traceroute as part of a lecture series about 'gender and tech.' I was skeptical first, but Johannes's approach is very compelling. His way of criticizing and questioning white male nerd culture (including himself) is spot on. Johannes is a political and artistic activist, and never forgets his agenda: societal change. The film presents a plethora of interesting debates and features exceptional people, and many interviewees are women/transgender (like Kit Stubbs and Sandy Stone).