IX
IX is a magical talisman/cube actively developed by the H3X3N computer witchcraft club since 2007. The cube has the ability to enchant or bewitch computers through a potent but unpredictable combination of hacker exploits, stage magic and cybersexual witchcraft.
At the Interactivos? exhibition at the Media Lab Madrid, the first IX cube was constructed across continents by hackers in Chicago and Madrid. The cube was installed in a gallery setting, in front of three computers. Viewers were invited to use the cube to enchant the computers, which were running the three most popular computer operating systems: Windows XP, MacOSX and Ubuntu Linux.
In 2008, IX was installed at DEADTECH, an art and technology center and gallery in Chicago, in an expanded and restructured version with additional stage magic flourishes around a high-tech pagan altar. The software that powers the cube's spells was retooled to accommodate any Operating System conceivable, even speculative or fictional ones.
IX knows 9 spells:
1. 0N: turns computer on
2. 4W4Y: restarts computer
3. data_disappear: makes data disappear
4. 3T3RN4L_R3TURN: makes data reappear
5. 54W: cuts the operating system in half
6. R881X0R: runs the rabbit virus
7. M461C14NZ_H4T: catches the rabbit virus in the magician's hat
8. T3H_0RD3R_0F_0RD3R: creates order + nonsense
9. CH405_M4J1K: creates chaos + sense
These spells materialize in different ways in each installation of IX. For example, the 'ON' spell summoned a variety of ASCII-art porno gods in the Interactivos? installation in 2007; at DEADTECH in 2008 it summoned the H3X3N4T0R, an extra-gendered hypnotist/succubus.