Cyberpunk Directory

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

📝 Stories from the Edge

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.