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Defcon X - Live in Las Vegas

Navisto writes: "DEFCON X gathering has begun in Las Vegas already as everyone begins to prepare for the start of Friday's event at the Alexis Park. The hacking convention is in its' 10th year and this is said to be the largest yet. This year there are dozens of speeches happening ranging from wireless, .Net security all the way to Mac OS X AppleScript security issues and hacks. Gathering in Las Vegas brings all the hackers together. This year the official events of Defcon include DC Shoot, Capture the Flag,Hacker Jeopardy, Scavenger Hunt, and this year's first WarDriving Contest. When Live Streams are activated the information will be posted on defcon.org and on the Defcon Forums... PS - E-Mail the Alexis Park letting them know their site isn't cross-browser compatible. Not everyone uses IE and NS ;)"

125 comments

  1. Alexis Park Site by Teknogeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

    >> PS - E-Mail the Alexis Park letting them know their site isn't cross-browser compatible. Not
    >> everyone uses IE and NS ;)"

    There's a deep irony in the home of DefCon not working with Opera.

    I think it's somewhere along the lines of the Microsoft website wsorking best with Netscape.

    --
    I mod down anyone who uses M$ in their posts. I like to live on the edge.
    1. Re:Alexis Park Site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes - The alexis Park link does not work on my netscape 6.2.3 running on mandrake 7.2 - seems to be the shockwave plugin ..

    2. Re:Alexis Park Site by gerf · · Score: 1

      All it is is a flash thing. ugh. oh, and opera's half price for students. they sent me a code and email. i wasn't gonna buy it, i just wanted to see what the student discount was :P my only gripe with non-ie browsers is java and flash support... otherwise, i'd be using them more.

      as for Defcon, it's my kinda time. drunken. wish i could go, but i'm stuck working to pay $23k of tuition. boo that.

    3. Re:Alexis Park Site by packeteer · · Score: 1

      get a newer mandrake... with the default konq from 8.2 i have no problem loading the flash videos that appear exactly as they do in NS...

      --
      unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
    4. Re:Alexis Park Site by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 2

      It's not ironic, it's appropriate. Anyone who went to any of the Defcons before the Alexis Park became the permanent home will agree.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    5. Re:Alexis Park Site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know, when I was 7 or so, my parents and I stayed at the Alexis Park. It was brand new and very upscale at the time.

      I imagine its a complete hole in the wall now.

    6. Re:Alexis Park Site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Don't do what Johnny Don't Does.

      It's Donny Don't, dumbass.

  2. Good luck and god bless... by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 2, Funny
    Lets hope the goodness going on can/will reach the masses. And good luck to attendees. Hope you brought your fake ID's and smile for the Fed cameras that will be all over the place catalogging every pretty mug. Were a hat and glasses while you run Snort off your IPaqs, ok?

    So how many people will Adobe(TM) arrest this time? I can't help the sarcasim when I feel so sad. From the days of Xmodem and BBS's to fighting DRM, Adobe, MS et. al to let information be free. Sad days indeed, but I look forward with keen eye to what comes out of their.

    1. Re:Good luck and god bless... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You know, I really do miss the 'old school' hacking days. Back then most hackers were thought of as intellectuals pushing hardware and software to their limits just for the hell of it. Nowadays, thanks to big corps and the media, hackers are now viewed as antisocial 15 year delinquents who take out their real world problems online. Obviously real hackers aren't this way, but unfortunately they get thrown in the same category as script kiddies.

      Damn the man.

    2. Re:Good luck and god bless... by elixx · · Score: 1

      Such stereotyping, by the press and otherwise, leads one to wonder what the popular view of 'hacking' will be in, say, 10 years.
      Perhaps, somehow, it will become common knowledge that hacking is multi-faceted and more of a way of thought, opposed to the popular view of breaking things and "fucking shit up".

      --
      No, Beowulf clusters can't imagine in Soviet Russia.
  3. Be discreet by PhysicsGenius · · Score: 2, Troll
    I went to a DefCon a few years ago and the place was crawling with feds. That's not surprising since the guys at those conventions are potential world-class criminals. What annoyed and disturbed me was that I, basically a nobody, was traced back to my home and lab. For about 3 years afterwards I would hear odd clicks on a lot of my phonecalls and I had all of my nuclear-related grant proposals denied on the basis of "security".

    Anyway, my point is that these DefCon thingies are totally hard-core and you need to be careful.

    1. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sheee-yeah, SURE ya did!

    2. Re:Be discreet by tps12 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      While I agree that the spooks tend to run a little thick at these events, and that their supervision is often unwarranted (literally!), I don't know if you can really complain about that. I know I am setting myself for a huge loss of karma, but I'd like to speak my mind irregardless.

      Now I don't mean to imply that you deserve such measures, but to a certain extent, I think you (and other attendants of DefCon and similar events, like H2K2 and SIGGRAPH) bring it on yourselves. The world has changed a lot since 9/11, and there is a ton of evidence pointing to computer hackers' involvement in terrorist activity. Obviously, the vast majority of people interested in computers are "good guys." But I don't think it's uncalled-for for the fibbies to pay a little, uh, extra attention to those who show an unusual interest in security, especially if it is not immediately relevant to their career. Remember, people called it "paranoia" when Jews fled Germany in 1937...sometimes such fear and extreme measures are necessary.

      Just something to think about. Any other thoughts?

      --

      Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
    3. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      thin line between...
      break the law-get caught-go to jail
      bend the law-get caught-become an employee of ISS
      Takes a good hacker to find a good cracker.
      Good crackers generally aren't boy scouts.
      Cops have to follow the rules, criminals don't.
      Good people don't break into systems.
      Good people don't know how to protect themselves.
      Bad people break into systems.
      Bad people understand how to break into systems.
      -
      How does a good person protect themselves??
      Any cracker anywhere on the planet can break into
      most systems anywhere on the planet.
      closed source??
      open source??
      YOu defcon fuckers break into openbsd.org again and
      I promise that I will hunt you down.

    4. Re:Be discreet by dboyles · · Score: 2

      I went to a DefCon a few years ago and the place was crawling with feds.

      That just makes for a good game of Spot the Fed.

      --
      -- "Complacency is a far more dangerous attitude than outrage." -Naomi Littlebear
    5. Re:Be discreet by redzebra · · Score: 1

      >That's not surprising since the guys at those conventions are potential world-class criminals.

      No, many of them are just a bunch trying to be 31337 , a minority are real techies which are to smart or to well payed to act real foolish. If you have any 'world-class' you don't showup there and try to show off.

      >For about 3 years afterwards I would hear odd clicks on a lot of my phonecalls and I had all of my nuclear-related grant proposals denied on the basis of "security".

      guess you live in the land of the free ... :-(
      FWIW in the last 15 years, listening in on your phonecalls is 'click-less' or the tapping was done in a stone-age fashion

      hope you feel more at ease now :-)

      --red.

    6. Re:Be discreet by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 4, Flamebait
      HAHAHAhahaha hohoho hehehe...hohoHAHAHHAHAAA...whoo...almost burst my lungs laughing there. Thanks for the chuckle.

      Defcon was, at one time, a cool place to go and meet really freaking cool people that didn't live anywhere near your area code. Since Defcon has been at the Alexis Park, however, it's attracted a completely different crowd. Basically, Defcon is the culmination of the Black Hat Briefings, a weeklong big-dollar security conference. The attitude is, come to Vegas during the week, see the shows, attend the real security briefings, and on the weekend we trot out the tattooed freaks for your amusement. Defcon isn't just a simple hacker con like Cuervocon or Xcon used to be. It's the weekend entertainment for a weeklong security conference. Few coders, but plenty of people dressed in black playing quake on windows laptops.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    7. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      irregardless is not a word.

      Bask in the light of Buddah.

      ~AREDUBYAESS

    8. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "world-class criminals"....

      No sorry, mafia bosses, drug cartel leaders, gun runners and commanders of terrorist networks are not going to defcon.

      Reality is script kiddies, dorks, goth losers, wannabe rappers, gamers and other assorted teenage riff raff is who attends these lame events.

    9. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL you are one pathetic fucker.

      But not as pathetic as the mods that found this delusional fantasy "interesting".

    10. Re:Be discreet by zCyl · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I don't usually post this type of message.

      PhysicsGenius is not a physicist, and almost every post he makes is ficticious. Check his posting history and then stop modding him up!

    11. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol, that made my day :-)

    12. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL!

    13. Re:Be discreet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      -I'll speak my mind too, and please excuse spelling and typos, dinner is calling.

      The official US government is the biggest "terrorist" force on the planet. They kill and hack anyone they want to, and make up the rules as they go. They lie about everything. EVERYTHINTG

      Many top level government officials not only profitted from 9-11 that day from their stock market actions, they profit now by going around and seizing the oil. They run the military as their personal mercenary force. the fedcops are their domestic mercenary forces to run their scams, called the "muscle" in mob speak. Now they are blending the military and cops. AIN'T THAT JUST PEACHY. And their "hackers" and black bag artists and flakers do more illegal break-ins daily than the rest of the black hat world combined.

      Plenty of lower level fbi agents and dot mil officers have come forward and testified that they were STOPPED from investigating the mid east islamic terrorists. This is DATA that can't be ignored, and is not going away. And here's another clue, this was reported obn the dang news. They us air farce and the cia flew OUT 3 to 6 thousand TALIBAN in the middle of the so called 'war on terrorism". Say what? this ain't a "clue" that 9-11 was a scam and ALLOWED TO GO DOWN? 9-11 was this nartions reichstagg fire, anyone who don't think that high level western white guys weren't in it ain't paying anby attention. This is prima facie evidence of extreme high level TRAITORS running this government. Crooks, thieves, liars, war profiteers, same as always. The son of the ex-secret police chief and dictator now dictator. Fascist lying ceo's as advisors and vice dictator. These are CLUES. oil and drugs-heroid, more CLUES. Bank shenanigans, insider trading-like where did that story go to, remember the 9-11 "puts"? Where's the NAMES? that story is SPIKED.

      All we did when we got rid of the klintonistas was replace commie pervert murdering crooks with fascist murdering stealing crooks.

      That's the REAL bad guys now. And their hired mercenaries are mostly clueless, and sieg heil any order they are given. At least some have the balls and intelligence and integrity to come forwward and whistle blow, no matter the mass media is ignoring it, SOME people aren't.

      If the spooks and fedcops want to find who is responsible for 9-11, they are looking in the wrong places, they need to look in washington, NYC, london, bonn and tel aviv. The camel jockey's were the useful idiot mules, that's it, the throw away patsy's.

  4. Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by User+956 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Why does everything have to be "X"? Why can't they just use the number 10?

    We have "Generation X",
    "OS X"
    the "X BOX"
    the "X Games"
    the movie "Jason X"
    the movie "Triple X".

    Cut the marketing crap. Using the roman numeral "X" doesn't make anything more cool or "hip", it just makes it seem tired, rehashed, and derivative.

    Maybe they'll even advertise it as "Defcon: eXtreme"! I can hardly wait to see!

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      are you stupid? the 'X' is denoting its 10th year- its not lame marketing hype. Jeeze.

    2. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by MindStalker · · Score: 1

      X BOX, X Games, and Triple X have nothign to do with the number 10. While the rest do, anyways I digress

    3. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like roman numerals? think about this: Superbowl L (50). It's not to far away.

    4. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 1

      We have "Generation X"

      Since when did "Generation X" mean "Generation 10" (1956 - 1976)?

      There's nothing wrong with being 40, but they ain't "gen xers"...

      --
      "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
    5. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by JabberWokky · · Score: 2
      Damn Dirty Romans!!!!

      X is something different in each of your examples. X in the generation is for the "unknown" - i.e., a generation without identity. For Defcon, Jason and the OS, it is simply the number ten. By the time things (like movies, operating systems or conventions) hit ten, they have generally switched to roman numerals. Many conventions and movies start out with roman numerals. For Games, it stands for eXtreme. Goofy, but it's used in several (some fictional) sports like XWF and the XFL. Maybe it's from X as in eXtra Large - XL, XXL. For that matter, the SuperBowl is in the thirties - XXX. No idea about the movie Triple X, never heard of it... does it have to do with porn? And the X Box is probably playing off of the sports X.

      Hit the yellow pages and see how many A's Plumbers and AAAA Towing companies there are, how many eMacs, eLamps, eMeters (whups) and other eThings there are - plus iBooks, iLink on Sony equipment, iPhones, etc... At least part of it is to use a single letter to distingush the item from others.

      If only my users weren't distinguished with the letter "L". *sigh*.

      --
      Evan

      --
      "$30 for the One True Ring. $10 each additional ring!" -- JRR "Bob" Tolkien
    6. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by sc00p18 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I can't explain most of them, but for OS X, one of the reasons for choosing X over 10 is best summed up by Linus (when talking about the name Linux):

      "It's unix. The X has to be there. It's like a law."

    7. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      > "It's unix. The X has to be there. It's like a law."

      Ah, that whould explain why {Free|Net|...}BSD are "dead".

    8. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by bobm · · Score: 1

      50 bucks says that Superbowl L will be called Superball 50 since the American public is way too stupid to associate the Roman numerial L to 50.

    9. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by sv0f · · Score: 2

      > "It's unix. The X has to be there. It's like a law."

      Ah, that whould explain why {Free|Net|...}BSD are "dead".


      It's a silent, unwritten "X". Trust me -- it's a weird Unicode character.

    10. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by sv0f · · Score: 2

      50 bucks says that Superbowl L will be called Superball 50 since the American public is way too stupid to associate the Roman numerial L to 50.

      Yeah, knowledge of a pissant numeral scheme indicates intelligence in the 21st century.

    11. Re:Why is everything "X"? This sucks. by bsupak · · Score: 1

      They actually used 0A for the badges and shirts

  5. Defcon has become too mainstream by Sivar · · Score: 2

    Defcon used to be an "underground" convention where hacks and stories were openly shared as if everyday conversation. The events, which were fewer, were far more interesting and had fewer Joe Computer User's.
    The last time I went to Defcon, 2/3 of the "Hacker's Jeopardy" questions had nothing to do with computing whatsoever (causing a friend's team to lose--they answered the obscure encryption questions correctly but knew nothing of politics and pre-WW1 history history) and almost nobody was able to break into any of the servers in CTF.
    There were entirely too many people on LSD and just about everyone was too drunk to speak coherantly. There were some interesting talks and some interesting people, but Defcon is becoming just another computer technology and open source convention. Give a talk about breaking in to a system and the feds, which are 3/4 of the people there, will have a discussion with you.
    If any of this has changed, please post.

    Note that Defcon is still the absolute best place to get clothing, besides maybe ThinkGeek.

    --
    Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
    1. Re:Defcon has become too mainstream by zaffir · · Score: 1

      Out of curiosity, define "Joe Computer User". Do you mean some Dell-buying Windows yuppie, or a 15 year old script kiddie, or someone who knows quite a bit about computers, linux, etc. but is not a true "hacker"?

      --
      "Upon attaching the waterblock to my penis, I began to notice that I know nothing about computers." -- JRockway
    2. Re:Defcon has become too mainstream by Alric · · Score: 1

      [offtopic reply to individual]

      Joe Computer User is a stereotype. It's fairly obvious that this term is a gross generalization, but I think most people would agree that this term refers to people who have very little knowledge about their computer and make no effort to learn more. Of course, your opinion of "very little knowledge" is relative to one's own level of computer knowledge, but if somebody's computer stops working correctly and he gets angry instead of inquisitive, he is probably an "average computer user" or "Joe Six-Pack" or whatever.

      And regarding your signature, you probably have some spyware installed. I do not get any requests for doubleclick.net cookies.

      peace.

    3. Re:Defcon has become too mainstream by zaffir · · Score: 1

      You stated my definition of a Joe User, although far better than i could have done it. I was wondering who the parent considered to be a Joe User. I'm certainly not a "l33t hacker", but computer security interests me to no end. Would he call me a Joe User? About the sig, both my FreeBSD and Windows XP box get the requests. Maybe it's some bad voodoo.

      --
      "Upon attaching the waterblock to my penis, I began to notice that I know nothing about computers." -- JRockway
  6. So when's the first arrest gonna be made? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'Nuff said.

  7. any thoughts? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    Yes, I think your sister's gaping, shit-encrusted asshole is the most delectable thing you've ever given a rim job to in your entire life. But then, that's all you've got left, since your father and his broomstick pretty much finished off her cunt.

  8. Spot the Fed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is very easy to do. If you cannot smell his BO from twenty feet away, he's a Fed

  9. Alexis Park vs Shockwave by stefanlasiewski · · Score: 2

    PS - E-Mail the Alexis Park letting them know their site isn't cross-browser compatible. Not everyone uses IE and NS ;)"

    Oh, I have a sneaking suspicion that one of the Defcon attendees will 'fix' the page for them.

    Message to the soon-to-be [h]cracker of the Alexis Park webpage, while you are modifying the Alexis Park webpage, please remember to "demonstrate security bugs" in the Alexis Park employment database and "Flash" the webmaster out of the system.

    --
    "Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
  10. Oh dear by cca93014 · · Score: 1

    interesting to see people drawing attention to their Wifi and BSD honeypots recently, especially while all of Americas hackers are getting loaded on hookers, shitty hotels and changing their homepage to Google-H4x0r

  11. Hotel recommendations for hackers by TeknoDragon · · Score: 4, Informative

    Try the Alladin!

    yes, it's pricey and they make you walk through their mall... but but their network is 3MBps up AND down (unfortunately NAT'd) and here's the best part:

    dirty dirty... WINS traffic everywhere

    don't bother using the dumb-terminals they give you... just unplug it from the wall and plug yourself in... then connect with YOUR NIC using IE and try to browse... it will send you to their subscription page and you click 'OK' to be charged $10 for a 24 hour period of net usage

    I'd like to see/hear what the Defcon crew does to their network ;->

    1. Re:Hotel recommendations for hackers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      ..and if anyone has trouble finding it, they can always stay at the Aladdin instead..

    2. Re:Hotel recommendations for hackers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Come on, the hotel gives you 3MBps access and you want people to crash it? Sigh...

    3. Re:Hotel recommendations for hackers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      eat a dick, dick

    4. Re:Hotel recommendations for hackers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      their network needs to be fixed

    5. Re:Hotel recommendations for hackers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Alladin? I thought they blew it up after DefCon V or VI.

    6. Re:Hotel recommendations for hackers by neema · · Score: 2

      They had, but they redid it. I was in Vegas just in December and I actually saw a video while I was there explaining how they blew it up and then made the new one, which is quite impressive.

      Bellagios is still the best choice, in my opinion.

    7. Re:Hotel recommendations for hackers by elixx · · Score: 1

      Christ, why do people always assume that people intend to crash things?
      There are much more entertaining things to do to a network...

      --
      No, Beowulf clusters can't imagine in Soviet Russia.
  12. yet more press by skydude_20 · · Score: 1

    Here is somemore press by a small local shop, which after reading I find to be kind of funny

    --
    Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
  13. hackers != crackers!!!! by PhysicsGenius · · Score: 1, Troll
    Hackers, like those at DefCon, are devoted to Truth, Justice and the USian Way. These guys are devoted to ferreting out the truth about computer security, no matter how well it is hidden. Your life or the life of someone you love was probably saved due to their unceasing efforts towards the betterment of Mankind. Bugs like those in Micro$ucks Internet Exploiter can have unimaginable consequences for our economy and our national security. That these guys selflessly spend hours crafting test virii to expose these bugs should be honored, not harassed by the Secret Police.

    If anyone is a Nazi, it is you for suggesting that we all goosestep to the tune of Herr Gates!

    1. Re:hackers != crackers!!!! by JPriest · · Score: 1

      hackers != crackers!!!! I am soo sick of hearing that. I am not saying I don't agree with it, only that it has been beaten profusely into the ground by self proclaimed know-it-alls and people that are neither "hacker" no "cracker". The only people calling computer security "hacking" these days are the media, scrip kiddies trying to be cool, and anti virus companies using scare based sales tactics.

      --
      Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
    2. Re:hackers != crackers!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sorry, but your minority opinion on this matter is simply not enough to change the world's perception of the term 'hacker'.

      Additionally, dictionaries don't create rules for us to follow, they merely catalogue common language expressions. Look up 'hacker'...

    3. Re:hackers != crackers!!!! by Sivar · · Score: 2

      I believe that the press doesn't like the term "cracker" because the average reader would too easily confuse it with the small bread wafer of the same name. :)

      --
      Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. --E. W. Dijkstra
    4. Re:hackers != crackers!!!! by w4r3z_d00d · · Score: 0

      Micro$ucks...Internet Exploiter...virii...Secret Police...


      you are a fuckhead.

    5. Re:hackers != crackers!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well I've never heard of a Safe Hacker......

      Hacking is just a fashionable buzz word. Just look at them like the morons they are.

    6. Re:hackers != crackers!!!! by L.+VeGas · · Score: 2

      I, for one, am sick of people complaining about those who complain about hackers != crackers.

    7. Re:hackers != crackers!!!! by sv0f · · Score: 2

      I believe that the press doesn't like the term "cracker" because the average reader would too easily confuse it with the small bread wafer of the same name.

      Hackers are talented programmers of computers, often of Asian origin.
      Crackers are white people.

  14. Re:The Hypocrisy of /. Regarding MS by Alex · · Score: 2

    Yeah I'm right with you there!

    Fuck the Enron/WorldCom shareholders, pension holders, investors, creditors. Kenneth Lay should be lauded as a creator of wealth (his wealth).

    We should let corporations do what they want after all they know best right?

    Oh wait.....

    Are you actually advocating zero government involvement with the economy, regulation etc? You haven't seen the news in the last 9 months right?

    Alex

  15. Learn about Freenet - 5pm Friday by Sanity · · Score: 1, Flamebait


    I will be giving a talk on The Freenet Project at 5pm next Friday at DEFCON. If anyone would like a high-speed warts 'n all introduction to what's interesting about Freenet, past, present, and future, feel free to stop-by.
    </Shameless Self-promotion>

    1. Re:Learn about Freenet - 5pm Friday by MisterBlister · · Score: 1, Troll

      Freenet sucks, always has, always will! You suck too, pal!

  16. For god's sake, DON'T click on that link!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's the goatsex guy again. DAMMIT!! You bastards are getting better and better at hiding that in the URL when it gets the mouseover...

  17. My $.02. by MortisUmbra · · Score: 1
    PS - E-Mail the Alexis Park letting them know their site isn't cross-browser compatible. Not everyone uses IE and NS ;)
    Well maybe they should! (what's that burning sensation?)
    --

    "The saddest words of mice and men, are not those which were, but should have been."
  18. Email address for Alexis Park by vtweb · · Score: 1

    The site will not load with Mozilla, it is built entirely of Flash content. The only email address I could find, using IE (ugh!) was
    sales@alexispark.com.

    The contact page was simply a scan of a brouchure map cutout.

    1. Re:Email address for Alexis Park by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      alexispark.com
      Request: alexispark.com

      Registrant:
      Shewey Enterprises, Inc. (ALEXISPARK-DOM)
      150 Post St Suite 660
      San Francisco, CA 94108
      US

      Domain Name: ALEXISPARK.COM

      Administrative Contact:
      Miller, Steve (SM4442) steve@IDEASOURCE.COM
      IdeaSource Creative Marketing Services, LLC
      510 Compton St. Suite 105
      Broomfield, CO 80020
      US
      303-666-4604 303-666-4605
      Technical Contact:
      Hall, Conrad (CH6273) conrad@IDEASOURCE.COM
      IdeaSource Creative Marketing Services
      510 Compton St. Suite 105
      Broomfield, CO 80020
      US
      303-666-4604 303-666-4605

      Record expires on 20-Nov-2002.
      Record created on 19-Nov-1997.
      Database last updated on 1-Aug-2002 21:15:39 EDT.

      Domain servers in listed order:

      NS1.SEQNET.NET 206.168.116.8
      NS2.SEQNET.NET 207.174.23.4

  19. Could have been worse... by MoThugz · · Score: 1

    They might suddenly have the urge to call it Defcon XP...

    Get you Defcon XPrience soon...

  20. Its a legit link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its not the goatsex guy.

  21. GOBBLES by pheared · · Score: 1

    So was anyone kind enough to offer GOBBLES enough money to fly out and back?

    Are they really from Baltimore? (/me is from just north of DC)

    1. Re:GOBBLES by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nah. those fucktards don't deserve the sweat off a script-kiddie's balls.

  22. 45th Post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    45P! Yes!

  23. Coincidence? by Myuu · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    "Hackers gather for largest convention of the year."
    "Mustang Ranch prepares for busiest weekend of the year."

    --

    forget it.
    1. Re:Coincidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      mustang ranch is in mustang, you fucking idiot. 20 miles from reno, hundreds of miles from vegas.

  24. wondering by alamonelf · · Score: 1

    Did they really offer prizes for hacking Las Vegas wireless networks. Please tell this is a joke.

  25. If you have been following DefCon over the years by Alric · · Score: 1

    Before you get too worked up about this, you should realize that the organizers of DefCon have always used Roman numerals to refer to their conferences. For example, the last one I attended was marketed as "DefCon VIII" on most t-shirts and paraphernalia I saw.

    If you were asking why do people use Roman numerals when perfectly good modern numbers exist? Well, I have to agree with you.

    I just wanted to point out that the organizers of DefCon were using Roman numerals long before the recent explosion of the letter X.

    peace.

  26. SIGGRAPH, heh by MisterBlister · · Score: 2
    Now I don't mean to imply that you deserve such measures, but to a certain extent, I think you (and other attendants of DefCon and similar events, like H2K2 and SIGGRAPH) bring it on yourselves.

    SIGGRAPH has nothing to do with computer security. Are you a troll or just stupid?

  27. Sick of hearing about it by fire-eyes · · Score: 1

    I sure hope we don't get a play by play this year, it's annoying enough hearing about it in the first place.

    Those of us who care that much would be there already.

    So cut the shit.

    --
    -- Note: If you don't agree with me, don't bother replying. I won't read it.
  28. Re:hahahahafags by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Damn! My first first post - FOR NOTHING!

    I think I'll go kill myself now.

  29. Wardriving Hint by Namaste · · Score: 1

    Somewhere on Pecos near a liquor store and near a pancake house by the library

  30. Bender had it right... by Tim+Browse · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer Extortion. The X makes it sound cool."
    -- Bender, "Futurama"

    Tim :)

  31. Defcon may be crawling with feds, but CTF rulez by goonda · · Score: 4, Informative

    CTF is the sole reason to attend Defcon. If you are a security admin responsible for firewalls, VPNs, and most importantly IDS systems, plugging into the CTF network is a fantastic learning experience. Mostly cause its the most malicious traffic you are ever likely to see in one place. Don't bring your work laptop ;) I like to start up services on my *nix box, start snort, and see who knocks on my door.

  32. Subtle troll by Sanity · · Score: 2

    Wow - finally, a post actually worthy of a "Troll" moderation.

  33. Slashdot as DDoS amplifier by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 2

    So much for the server with the page for the DC Shoot...

  34. DefCon brought to you by VH1 by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 2

    This started out as being a way kool gathering but now it's like Burning Man. It's "DefCon - The Event"

    1. Re:DefCon brought to you by VH1 by newestbob · · Score: 0
      ...yeah it's as lame as SIGGRAPH now is.

      (Which used to be a good, technical show but now is filled to the brim with unemployed dotcom kiddies)

  35. EMail The Alexis Park? What address? by Demerara · · Score: 1
    PS - E-Mail the Alexis Park letting them know their site isn't cross-browser compatible. Not everyone uses IE and NS ;)"

    Their website came up blank in Opera. So I can't even see what f#$king email address to send my complaint to.
    Poor choice of hotel, if you ask me.

    --
    Backward%20compatibility%20is%20over-rated
    1. Re:EMail The Alexis Park? What address? by slickwillie · · Score: 2

      Check the page source. You can see a link to textonly.htm, which says you can email to sales@alexispark.com. Better yet, try this.

    2. Re:EMail The Alexis Park? What address? by hwyguy2 · · Score: 1

      Conferences choose hotels for many reasons other than their website.

      For example, from our research into hotels in Las Vegas, if a hotel has both a bar and gaming, then there are legal restrictions on the ability for someone under 21 to make their own reservations their, even on their own credit card (yes, unbelievable isn't it). By staying at a non-gaming hotel, such as the Alexis Park, one can get around those restrictions. I would imagine this might be a concern for Defcon.

      If one is trying to negotiate lower rates, and find a hotel that is less smokey, then the field is also much more limited. The newer hotels are often pricier; the older hotels are smokier. These are also factors.

      Other factors that come into play are available meeting space, connectivity in the rooms, the willingness of the hotel to negotiate (some hotels do have an attitude). These also influence the decision.

      Truthfully, in my experience, the web page of the hotel is usually the lowest concern. It is used for initial fact finding about the hotel, but once the negotiation is done, is not a significant factor.

      D

    3. Re:EMail The Alexis Park? What address? by ztc · · Score: 1

      Sadly, the "textonly" page includes a jpg...so much for lynx!

  36. oh please....... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OH PUH-LEEZ!

    that's the biggest load of B.S. i ever heard.

  37. Use The Lynx Luke! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, it seems to work just fine with lynx. Come back you your roots, ye graphical ones.

  38. Re:The Hypocrisy of /. Regarding MS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The market has decided - Internet Explorer is the standard.

    Yeah, right. And what free market would that be?

  39. Badkitty? by slickwillie · · Score: 2

    Is she there this time?

    1. Re:Badkitty? by ainsoph · · Score: 2

      MEOW!!!

  40. DefCon... ComiCon? by napa1m · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Waaait a second, DefCon overlaps ComiCon?

    Hundreds of hackers will be too busy clamoring for autographed copies of Busty Bunny Crime Fighters #1 to even attend! ...or hundreds of comic book geeks will be too busy hacking their credit accounts at the local comic shop to get their books signed?

    hmm.. either way, a true geek's nightmare!

    1. Re:DefCon... ComiCon? by Jugalator · · Score: 2

      Waaait a second, DefCon overlaps ComiCon?

      It might overlap Comicon, but definitely not Eroticon.

      --
      Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  41. I hear that Adobe's.. by newestbob · · Score: 0

    ...going to call their next Open Source Acrobat reader "Dmitri"

  42. Siggraph? by metlin · · Score: 1

    (Which used to be a good, technical show but now is filled to the brim with unemployed dotcom kiddies)

    Dot commies? What nonsense. It's more professional and academia oriented, that's 'coz most of the crowd there is professional graphics programmers.

    And SIGGRAPH is supposed to be pretty cool these days, and now they've even started getting shows on DemoScene.

    Check out the Demoscene Outreach Group which performed at this year's SIGGRAPH, cool stuff. If you hate SIGGRAPH so much, maybe you should try the GDC. In fact I'd say SIGGRAPH should become even more professional, they do not seem to be handling a lot of cool & new math stuff and techniques which a lot of European schools, like MPI for example, seem to be working on.

    1. Re:Siggraph? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Very true, siggraph should be for pros, it shouldn't degrade into something for corpys alone or nerds alone. It does have a decent mix I must say.

      GDC? That's another story altogether ;-)

    2. Re:Siggraph? by newestbob · · Score: 0
      In fact I'd say SIGGRAPH should become even more professional

      Exactly my point! I see too many kids with blue hair and everything pierced walking around for me to take it seriously anymore. And whenever I show my face there, I get swarmed by kids trying to pass their resumes/demo reels to me! It's supposed to be a serious show for computer science professionals.

      Anyway, I quit the ACM because:

      • They improperly disposed of a large number of lithium batteries several years ago (I called OSHA over this and they were held accountable.)
      • They are racist
      • They support piracy of digital media in their editorial columns, and come down against legal efforts to stem piracy.
    3. Re:Siggraph? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am unaware of some of the accusations you make about ACM, but I feel of all the other ACM's SIG and other graphics conferences, SIGGRAPH is the one that's half-decent.

      I do agree that ACM has become very racist in esp. lately, but then ACM conferences are heaven when compared to some other conferences.

      Just as an example, take the ECML/PKDD conferences on data mining which get held in Germany, or for that matter Eurographics. I know excellent papers submitted by Asians which get rejected outright, and have experienced it myself.

      Hah. You should be an Asian to know the amount of "discretion" that goes on in the publications and conferences.

      But then again the reason I like SIGGRAPH is because there is a significant percentage of the crowd who know what they're talkin' about. Besides, SIGGRAPH does get some very good papers too.

    4. Re:Siggraph? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hell, for that matter 90% of Euopean conferences and journals are so damn bloody racist.

      Unless you are an Asian-American from the US, you stand half a chance esp. when it ultimately comes to publish or perish.

  43. Cross Browser? by DuranDuran · · Score: 1

    > E-Mail the Alexis Park letting them know their site isn't cross-browser compatible. Not everyone uses IE and NS ;)

    I really do find this a bit rich.

    First, their site isn't *horribly* cross-browser incompatible. Crumbs, I can Lynx it just fine.

    Second, I really have to wonder where you get off asking people to do this for you. If it was such a great requirement that their site fit this criterion, surely enough people would already be complaining. This, to my mind, is like asking people to email the webmaster telling them their site isn't in Swahili, Nepali or even Spanish. "Not everyone speaks English".

    --
    "You can justify anything by putting it in quotes, adding a famous name and making it a sig" - Albert Einstein
  44. Honeypot paradise by ch-chuck · · Score: 2

    Gawd, wish I had a top floor room with an 802.11b antenna on the balcony facing defcon central - think of the honeypots you could setup to trap these guys, esp during the wardriving contest. A little weak encryption for cover, lots of pseudo-confidential bait, watch the fun.

    --
    try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
  45. Better than spot the fed... by hsmyers · · Score: 1

    Is spot the RIAA--they have to start somewhere!

    --hsm

  46. Computer Security Conferences at the Alexis Park by hwyguy2 · · Score: 1

    I just thought I would let folks know there will be another computer security conference at the Alexis Park later this year, of a nature pretty different than Defcon. For those working in the industry, it would be well worth checking out.

    The 18th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference will be held the week of December 9-13, 2002 at the Alexis Park. We're still in the process of finalizing the technical program, but I can tell you there will be two days of tutorials, followed by 2.5 days of technical programs. Tutorials will include Information System Security Basics, Understanding Biometric Technology, Denial Of Service Attacks-Background Diagnosis and Mitigation, XML Security, Cryptography and PKI Basics, Mobile and Wireless Security Issues, Risk Assessment, and Survivable Systems Analysis. Invited Speakers include Earl Boebert and Dan Geer.
    (and you read it on Slashdot first!)

    Look for Advance Program information to be going up on www.acsac.org around September 1. If you have questions before then, feel free to visit the site, and contact one of the members of the conference committee.

    Daniel (Conference Chair, Tutorial Chair, ACSAC 18)

  47. I'd like to see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ....A OpenVMS box, like there was a at DECON 9. Why, because its considered one of the most secure OS's in the world. If I had time, maybe I'd bring one of my Alphas/VAXen. Hrm.. maybe next year.

  48. see the minibosses by misfit13b · · Score: 1

    hey all, if anyone reading this goes, be sure to check out the minibosses - old college friends of mine who play video game rock!

  49. Go to DefCon.Org! Look at the HUGE - Aaah... by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 1

    ...shall we say, posterior penetration image that is the first thing you see on the Web site.

    Somebody has made their displeasure with this conference known in no uncertain terms!

    --
    Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
  50. If you just put the tin-foil in your hat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They won't be able to read your mind.