Cyberpunk Directory

📼 Featured: Phone Phreaking, Cap.Crunch, Wozniak, Mitnick

📝 Stories from the Edge

Solo and the Machine

You have to understand, back in the day, the game was different. We weren’t talking about state-sponsored APTs and zero-day exploits sold for millions. We were talking about curiosity, about rattling the digital doorknobs of the world just to see what was behind them. The case of Gary McKinnon, or ‘Solo’ as he called himself, was a classic example of that old-school ethos colliding with a post-9/11 world that had lost its sense of proportion

Ghost in the Wires: The Complete Mitnick Dossier

Every system has a ghost. A whisper of code, a flicker of data that lives in the margins. For the sprawling, analog network of the 80s and 90s, that ghost was Kevin Mitnick. His story isn't just about hacking; it's the origin story of how to exploit the ultimate vulnerability: the human mind.

It all began with a magic trick...

📷 Images

Explore iconic visuals from foundational cyberpunk films.

• Blade Runner (1982)
  
  • The Spinner flying past the Tyrell Pyramid
    A wide shot capturing the scale of the corporate-dominated world.
  • Rainy Street-Level View with neon signs
    A close-up of the chaotic, multicultural streets that define the genre.
  • Roy Batty's "Tears in Rain" monologue
    The iconic and emotional climax of the film.
• Akira (1988)
  
  • Kaneda's Motorcycle Slide
    The definitive, kinetic image from the movie.
  • Neo-Tokyo at Night cityscape
    A panoramic view showcasing the film's incredible detail.
  • The Opening Explosion
    The silent, cataclysmic event that sets the story in motion.
• Ghost in the Shell (1995)
  
  • The Shelling Sequence (cyborg creation)
    The beautiful and atmospheric opening credits sequence.
  • Major on the Boat in the city
    A contemplative shot that captures the film's philosophical themes.
  • The Garbage Truck thermoptic camo chase
    An action scene highlighting the Major's cybernetic abilities.
• The Matrix (1999)
  
  • Neo Dodging Bullets (bullet time)
    The revolutionary sequence that changed action filmmaking.
  • Morpheus with the Red Pill & Blue Pill
    The symbolic choice between truth and illusion.
  • Digital Rain (Matrix code)
    The most recognizable symbol of the film's virtual world.
• TRON (1982)
  
  • The Light Cycle Battle
    The pioneering CGI race that defined the film's aesthetic.
  • Disc Wars battle
    The gladiator-style combat of the digital world.
  • The Master Control Program (MCP)
    The imposing, digital antagonist of the film.
• RoboCop (1987)
  
  • RoboCop's first appearance
    The reveal of the man-machine against a backdrop of urban decay.
  • The ED-209 enforcement droid in the boardroom
    A famously satirical and violent scene of corporate failure.
  • RoboCop's first-person POV with targeting system
    A look inside the machine, showing his programmed directives.
• Dredd (2012)
  
  • Menacing close-ups of Judge Dredd's helmet
    Emphasizes the faceless, implacable nature of the law.
  • Wide shots of the Mega-City One tower blocks
    Showcases the brutalist architecture and immense scale of the dystopia.
  • The "Slo-Mo" sequences with hyper-saturated colors
    The film's unique and visually stunning depiction of violence.

📼 Essential Documentaries

• A Research Center for Augmenting Human Intellect (1968)
  "The Mother of All Demos"
• Cyberpunk (1990)
  Archive.org | YouTube
• No Maps For These Territories (2000)
• The Cyberpunk Educator (2003)
• C/Punk/Doc (2009)
  Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
• William Gibson: The New Cyber/Reality (2010)
• Cybernetics for the Masses (2011)
• Cyberpunk - From Fiction to Fact (2012)
• Cyberpunk is Back (2013)
• Cyberpunk: The Dystopian Prism (2013)
• William Gibson: Technology, Science Fiction & the Apocalypse (2014)

Latest News from the Edge

🎵 Music & Audio

• Kavinsky - Cyborg
  Classic synthwave with a driving, cinematic feel.
• Vangelis - Blade Runner Blues
  The iconic, atmospheric blues piece from the original Blade Runner soundtrack.
• Vangelis - Tears in Rain (Blade Runner)
  The deeply atmospheric and emotional track from the end of Blade Runner.
• Hans Zimmer - Rain (Blade Runner 2049)
  A somber, atmospheric track that captures the melancholic beauty of the film's world.
• Carpenter Brut - Le Perv
  Aggressive, high-energy darksynth with a heavy metal influence.
• Carpenter Brut - Maniac
  A high-energy cover of the Michael Sembello classic from the movie Flashdance.
• Kavinsky - Nightcall (Official Video)
  The iconic track from the movie 'Drive', defining the modern synthwave sound.
• Perturbator - Dangerous Days (Full Album)
  A landmark album in the darksynth genre, known for its gritty atmosphere.
• Lazerhawk - King of The Streets
  Energetic and retro outrun-style synthwave.
• Akira Original Soundtrack
  The groundbreaking and experimental score from the legendary anime film.
• Ghost in the Shell "Inner Universe"
  The powerful and ethereal opening theme from the 'Stand Alone Complex' series.
• Kenji Kawai - Making of Cyborg
  The haunting, iconic choral track from the 1995 Ghost in the Shell soundtrack.
• Rob Dougan - Clubbed to Death (Matrix Soundtrack)
  The iconic orchestral-electronic track from The Matrix soundtrack.
• NEON DRIVE | Retro Cyberpunk & Synthwave Mix
  A curated mix of retro-futuristic synthwave and cyberpunk tracks.
• Top 10 Darksynth Albums (Electrozombies)
  An article listing essential albums for fans of the darker side of synthwave.
• 1h Dark Techno / Industrial / Cyberpunk Mix
  A mix focusing on the heavier, industrial side of cyberpunk music.
• Lazerhawk - Distress Signal
  A classic, driving outrun track with a space-themed vibe.
• The Terminator Theme (Extended Version)
  The classic, driving synth theme from the 1984 film by Brad Fiedel.

🎮 Retro Cyberpunk Games

Revisit the classic pixelated and polygon worlds that started it all.

• Syndicate (1993)
  A real-time tactics game where players control cyborg agents in a brutal corporate future.
• Snatcher (1988)
  A neo-noir graphic adventure by Hideo Kojima, featuring a detective hunting for bio-engineered robots in a futuristic city.
• Ghost in the Shell (1997)
  A tank-based action game for the PlayStation that immerses players in the cybernetic world of the famous anime.
• Shadowrun (1993)
  A blend of cyberpunk and high fantasy, combining technology and magic in a dystopian world.
• System Shock (1994)
  A groundbreaking first-person survival horror game with an iconic rogue AI antagonist named SHODAN.
• Beneath a Steel Sky (1994)
  A classic point-and-click adventure game set in a sprawling, corporate-controlled dystopia.
• Deus Ex (2000)
  An influential RPG that combines augmented transhumanism and global conspiracies with player choice and stealth action.

📼 Retro Cyberpunk Media

• Blade Runner (1982 Film)
  A neo-noir film that defines the genre, exploring what it means to be human in a dystopian, high-tech world.
• Ghost in the Shell (1995 Film)
  An animated masterpiece exploring consciousness, identity, and the digital ghost in the machine.
• Videodrome (1983 Film)
  A proto-cyberpunk film that explores themes of media control and the merging of flesh and technology.
• WarGames (1983 Film)
  A Cold War-era film about a young hacker who almost starts World War III by hacking a military supercomputer.
• Sneakers (1992 Film)
  A heist film with a focus on cryptography and surveillance, featuring a team of benevolent hackers.
• Akira (1988 Film)
  A landmark animated film exploring post-apocalyptic gangs, bio-engineering, and a government conspiracy.
• Tron (1982 Film)
  A classic film where a hacker is digitized and forced to fight for his life inside a computer system.
• RoboCop (1987 Film)
  A satirical action film that critiques corporate control, media, and transhumanism through the story of a cyborg police officer.
• Total Recall (1990 Film)
  A mind-bending action film about identity and memory, where the protagonist is unsure if his experiences are real or implanted.
• Strange Days (1995 Film)
  A neo-noir thriller where illegal digital recordings of memories and emotions are sold on the black market.
• Johnny Mnemonic (1995 Film)
  A data courier must outrun assassins while carrying a massive amount of illegal data implanted in his brain.
• The Matrix (1999 Film)
  A revolutionary film exploring the nature of reality and humanity's battle against a world controlled by sentient machines.
• The Terminator (1984 Film)
  A time-traveling cyborg assassin is sent to the past to alter the future, leading to a war between humans and a malevolent AI.
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991 Film)
  A more advanced terminator is sent to protect John Connor from a liquid-metal assassin, featuring a more advanced AI and themes of human rebellion.
• Dredd (2012 Film)
  A brutal and stylized take on the comic book character, focusing on authoritarian law enforcement and urban decay in a futuristic megalopolis.
• Hardware (1990 Film)
  A low-budget sci-fi horror film about a deactivated robot that reactivates and begins to rebuild itself in a post-apocalyptic apartment.
• The Lawnmower Man (1992 Film)
  A film that explores virtual reality and intelligence augmentation as a scientist experiments on a simple man, with catastrophic results.
• 12 Monkeys (1995 Film)
  A time-traveling hero from a post-apocalyptic future is sent back in time to stop a virus, but struggles with the line between reality and insanity.

🕵️‍♂️ Stories About Hackers

Explore the real-world figures who inspired the genre's tech rebels.

• Kevin Mitnick (The Most Famous Hacker)
  A legendary hacker whose story is a perfect example of a "low-life" battling "high-tech" authority.
• John Draper (Captain Crunch)
  A pioneer of early hacking culture who used simple means to manipulate complex systems.
• Chaos Computer Club
  One of the world's most famous hacker collectives, known for demonstrating systemic vulnerabilities and advocating for information transparency.
• Julian Assange (WikiLeaks)
  A modern figure whose actions with leaked government data directly mirror the themes of digital rebellion and secrets against power.
• Aaron Swartz
  A programmer and activist who fought for open access to information, embodying the struggle for digital freedom.
• Takedown (2000 Film)
  A film based on the story of Kevin Mitnick's pursuit and capture by the FBI.

🎨 Cyberpunk Art & Design

Discover the visual artists who defined the look of the genre.

• Syd Mead
  Known as "the visual futurist," he did concept art for Blade Runner, Tron, and Aliens.
• Masamune Shirow
  The manga artist and creator of Ghost in the Shell, his detailed art style is a core part of the genre's aesthetic.

🧥 Cyberpunk Fashion

Find brands and resources for the distinct "high tech, low life" style.

Key Styles & Influences

The core of modern cyberpunk fashion is Techwear, focusing on functional, futuristic clothing from advanced fabrics. This is often blended with Deconstructed & Asymmetrical designs from Japanese avant-garde and punk movements, creating layered, pieced-together looks. Many styles are also directly influenced by iconic anime like Akira and Ghost in the Shell.

Notable Brands

• ACRONYM
  A German brand co-founded by techwear pioneer Errolson Hugh, it's highly influential in Japan and considered the pinnacle of cyberpunk fashion.
• HYPEBROTHER
  A popular online store with a wide range of cyberpunk-inspired techwear, armor, and accessories.
• Y-3 (Yohji Yamamoto x Adidas)
  A collaboration blending Japanese avant-garde design with technical sportswear for a clean, futuristic look.
• Undercover
  Famous for its punk-inspired, dystopian, and surreal graphics that feel like clothing for a futuristic rebellion.
• Julius_7
  Known for its dark, industrial, and post-apocalyptic aesthetic with monochromatic color palettes.

📺 Cyberpunk on Television & Documentaries

Television Series

• Max Headroom (1987 TV Series)
  A satirical series featuring a computer-generated TV host, exploring themes of media and corporate greed.
• Aeon Flux (1991 TV Series)
  An avant-garde animated series set in a bizarre dystopian future, known for its unique visual style.
• Altered Carbon (2018 TV Series)
  A modern cyberpunk series where consciousness can be digitized and transferred between bodies, exploring themes of immortality and identity.
• The X-Files "Kill Switch" (1998 Episode)
  An episode co-written by William Gibson, focusing on artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
• The X-Files "First Person Shooter" (2000 Episode)
  Another episode co-written by William Gibson, exploring a dangerous virtual reality game.

Documentaries & Other Media

• The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
  This powerful documentary about the life of programmer and activist Aaron Swartz is available in its entirety online.
• Citizenfour (2014)
  A gripping, real-time documentary following Edward Snowden as he leaks classified NSA documents, exposing the massive surveillance programs.
• DEFCON: The Documentary (2013)
  An inside look at the world's most famous hacker convention, exploring the culture and ethics of the hacking community.
• Hackers: Wizards of the Electronic Age (1984)
  A historic documentary capturing the original hackers at MIT, exploring the early days of computer hacking culture.
• The Max Headroom TV Incident (1987 Hijack)
  A real-world media hack that embodies cyberpunk themes of anonymous rebellion and information control.
• Hackers (1995 Film)
  A film that, while not a documentary, is a time capsule of 90s hacking culture.
• 2600 Hacking Video (1990)
  An archival video from the famous hacker magazine.
• Virtual Reality 1991 (PBS Documentary)
  A documentary exploring the early days of VR technology and its societal implications.

📖 Cyberpunk Literature

A comprehensive list of authors and their defining works in the genre.

• George Orwell: Nineteen Eighty-Four
  A foundational work of dystopian fiction that explores themes of surveillance, totalitarianism, and the control of information, which are central to the cyberpunk genre.
• Philip K._Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
  The source novel for Blade Runner, asking profound questions about humanity through a hunt for rogue androids.
• Bruce Bethke: "Cyberpunk"
  The 1983 short story that is widely credited with coining the term for the genre.
• Bruce Bethke: Headcrash
  A satirical novel that won the Philip K. Dick Award, poking fun at the excesses of the genre.
• John Brunner: Stand on Zanzibar
  A visionary novel that explores themes of overpopulation and societal decay in a complex, fragmented narrative style.
• John Brunner: The Shockwave Rider
  Often considered a proto-cyberpunk novel, featuring a protagonist who manipulates information and is a fugitive from an oppressive system.
• William S. Burroughs: Naked Lunch
  A highly influential novel known for its non-linear narrative and themes of rebellion, drug use, and technological control.
• Pat Cadigan: Mindplayers
  A classic novel that delves into the psychology of a mind-reader and therapist in a high-tech future.
• Pat Cadigan: Synners
  Explores the relationship between technology, consciousness, and art in a world where memories can be recorded and broadcast.
• William Gibson: Neuromancer
  The seminal cyberpunk novel that popularized the term "cyberspace" and established many of the genre's key tropes.
• William Gibson: Count Zero
  The second book in the Sprawl trilogy, further exploring the themes of artificial intelligence and corporate power.
• William Gibson: Mona Lisa Overdrive
  The final installment of the Sprawl trilogy, connecting the stories of previous characters in a complex narrative.
• Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash
  A satirical and witty novel that is considered a definitive work of the genre, featuring a protagonist who is a hacker and pizza delivery driver.
• Neal Stephenson: The Diamond Age
  A postcyberpunk novel that focuses on nanotechnology, education, and social class in a futuristic world.
• Bruce Sterling: Crystal Express
  A collection of short stories that showcases Sterling's influence on the genre and his exploration of biotech and future societies.
• Bruce Sterling: Islands in the Net
  A novel that explores a future where information networks have reshaped global politics and corporate power.
• Bruce Sterling: Mirrorshades
  An anthology edited by Sterling that helped to define the style and themes of the early cyberpunk movement.
• Bruce Sterling: Schismatrix
  A key work in the Shaper/Mechanist universe that focuses on humanity's different evolutionary paths.
• Rudy Rucker: Software
  The first book in the Ware Tetralogy, featuring sentient robots and a search for immortality.
• Rudy Rucker: Wetware
  A sequel that continues to explore the boundaries between humanity and technology, with a focus on biotechnology.
• Kevin Mitnick: Ghost in the Wires
  A non-fiction memoir detailing the real-life exploits of the famous hacker, showing the reality behind the cyberpunk fiction.