V. The Architectural Layer: Engineering the System. If the Scholing Network were a body, the architectural layer would be its skeleton and nervous system. This essay centres on geavanceerde.engineering (“Advanced Engineering”), unpacking how infrastructure, design and code underpin the artistic and political interventions of the network. More than a website, this node is a repository of methodologies, frameworks and open‑source tools that enable others to build their own insurgent architectures. We explore the philosophical foundations of systems design, examine case studies of successful implementations and consider the ethical implications of building alternative infrastructures in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
We begin by defining “advanced engineering” not as a narrow technical speciality but as a holistic practice that integrates aesthetics, ethics and functionality. Drawing on figures like Buckminster Fuller, Donna Haraway and Alexander Galloway, the essay argues that systems are political because they shape how we live, interact and perceive the world. The first part of the essay surveys historical examples: the cybernetic communities of the 1970s, the hacktivist collectives of the early Internet, the open‑source software movement. Each of these moments combined technical ingenuity with a vision for social change. Geavanceerde.engineering positions itself in this lineage, aiming to provide the scaffolding for the contemporary resistance.
The second part provides a tour of the site. There is a documentation library that breaks down complex engineering concepts into accessible lessons. There are modules for building secure communication channels, designing distributed platforms resistant to censorship, and implementing algorithms that prioritise communal benefit over profit. Each module includes diagrams, code snippets and reflections on potential misuse. For example, the “Encryption for Everyone” section includes not only tutorials on implementing end‑to‑end encryption but also discussions about surveillance, legal considerations and the risk of exclusion for those without technical literacy. The site also hosts a collaborative wiki where users can add their own insights, update existing modules and debate best practices. In this way, geavanceerde.engineering functions as a living document, one that evolves as the network does.
We then examine case studies of how advanced engineering underpins the other nodes. For instance, the data visualisations on 074ku.ai rely on a custom library developed at geavanceerde.engineering to process social media feeds efficiently. The interactivity of ikziezombies.com is powered by a modular architecture that allows new zombie archetypes to be added without rewriting the entire site. The encryption tools developed here secure the communications of notyouagain.ai’s community. These connections illustrate the network’s principle of interoperability: each node is autonomous yet interdependent. By sharing code openly, the network ensures resilience; if one node falls, others can pick up its functions. In the context of the zombie war, this redundancy is a survival strategy.
The conclusion grapples with ethics. Engineering is not neutral; choices about protocols, architectures and licences have political consequences. The essay poses questions: How do we prevent our tools from being co‑opted by authoritarian regimes? How do we balance openness with security? How do we design systems that are accessible to those with limited resources? It calls on engineers, designers and artists to contribute to the site, to audit its code for potential vulnerabilities and to propose guidelines for responsible use. In the zombie apocalypse metaphor, advanced engineering is the difference between a fortified safe house and a collapsing shack. But fortresses can also become prisons; therefore the challenge is to build structures that protect while remaining porous enough to allow new ideas and people to flow through. The essay leaves readers with a blueprint and an invitation: build with us, critique us, and help engineer the infrastructures of freedom.
Do you know who the toxic zombie was in this story? Leave your thoughts in the comments below—there is no wrong answer.
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