vadding
 /vad?ing/, n.

    [from VAD, a permutation of ADV (i.e., ADVENT), used to avoid a
    particular admin's continual search-and-destroy sweeps for the game] A
    leisure-time activity of certain hackers involving the covert exploration
    of the ?secret? parts of large buildings ? basements, roofs, freight
    elevators, maintenance crawlways, steam tunnels, and the like. A few go so
    far as to learn locksmithing in order to synthesize vadding keys. The verb
    is to vad (compare phreaking; see also hack, sense 9). This term dates
    from the late 1970s, before which such activity was simply called
    ?hacking?; the older usage is still prevalent at MIT.

    The most extreme and dangerous form of vadding is elevator rodeo, a.k.a.
    elevator surfing, a sport played by wrasslin' down a thousand-pound
    elevator car with a 3-foot piece of string, and then exploiting this
    mastery in various stimulating ways (such as elevator hopping, shaft
    exploration, rat-racing, and the ever-popular drop experiments). Kids,
    don't try this at home!

vadding

    /vad'ing/ (From VAD, a permutation of ADV,
   i.e. ADVENT, used to avoid a particular admin's continual
   search-and-destroy sweeps for the game) A leisure-time
   activity of certain hackers involving the covert exploration
   of the "secret" parts of large buildings - basements, roofs,
   freight elevators, maintenance crawlways, steam tunnels, and
   the like.  A few go so far as to learn locksmithing in order
   to synthesise vadding keys.  The verb is "to vad" (compare
   phreaking; see also hack, sense 9).  This term dates from
   the late 1970s, before which such activity was simply called
   "hacking"; the older usage is still prevalent at MIT.

   Vadding (pronounced /vay'ding/) was also popular CMU, at
   least as early as 1986.  People who did it every night were
   called the "vaders," possibly after "elevator," which was one
   of the things they played with, or "invader," or "Darth
   Vader".  This game was usually played along with
   no-holds-barred hide-and-seek.  CMU grad students were the
   known to pry open the inner doors of elevators between floors
   to see the graffiti on the inside of the outer doors.

   The most extreme and dangerous form of vadding is "elevator
   rodeo", also known as "elevator surfing", a sport played by
   wrasslin' down a thousand-pound elevator car with a 3-foot
   piece of string, and then exploiting this mastery in various
   stimulating ways (such as elevator hopping, shaft exploration,
   rat-racing, and the ever-popular drop experiments).  Kids,
   don't try this at home!

   See also hobbit.

   [Jargon File]

   (1996-01-07)