"Born blind, the self-styled Joybubbles accidentally invented phone hacking when he realized that by whistling certain tones into the telephone, he could make long-distance calls for free. His neat little trick would inspire a movement of phone hackers and enthusiasts who called themselves 'phone phreaks,' among whose membership included future Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak."
"Morrison hopes, with her documentary, that'll change. '[I] decided I would make a documentary film about him since nobody else had,' Morrison says."
Rachael Morrison learned about Joybubbles, the legal name of Joe Engressia, through an obituary. Intrigued by his life as a blind phone hacker, she discovered there was no existing documentary or book about him. Joybubbles invented phone hacking by whistling tones into telephones, inspiring a movement of phone phreaks, including future tech leaders. Morrison felt compelled to document his story to ensure his contributions to technology are recognized and remembered, as he remains largely forgotten in history despite his significant impact.
Read at Inverse
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