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 see also hobbit sense 2.


see also:
advent admin phreaking hack hobbit 

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
     
     
see also:
advent admin phreaking hack mit cmu 
hobbit jargon file