Ninja party is canceled this year

[jedi]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

This year we can't help but stay at the Riv, but I think trying to spend as little money as you can otherwise should send a message.

Since dc is at the Riv at least one more year, the hilton's always an option. If the con dates sync up with the trek convention again, it'd be easy to use the discount the trek attendees get:

The Hilton offers a special lower than normal room rate of $135 a night to those staying with the convention. MENTION STAR TREK CONVENTION WHEN YOU BOOK BY CALLING 1-800-635-7711 The hotel has advised that fans calling in can get this special rate just by asking for the Star Trek Convention they do not need the group code, however it is SSTR8R if the agent answering the phone has trouble finding it.

But I don't think that's the right option. It'll more than likely come back to bite the organizers in the ass in some way.

[LosT]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Like anything else in life- Defcon each year is what you make it. Shit happens, we deal. I agree we should give the Riv as little of our money as possible. I also agree with Converge's ideas of more impromptu antics. Continue to hack the system.

LosT

[jedi]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Like anything else in life- Defcon each year is what you make it. Shit happens, we deal. I agree we should give the Riv as little of our money as possible. I also agree with Converge's ideas of more impromptu antics. Continue to hack the system.

The suggestions of using services like Dodgeball and Twitter are a step in the right direction then.

[0x58]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Since this year is going to be my second year at DefCon, I was hoping to be invited to the Ninja party, if only to have one of the cool metal badges.

Since last year was my first, I do not know how it was back at AP, and the history behind it, but I personally have not had much trouble with the Riv, then again I am not much of a trouble maker.

I read the post by DT that DefCon is looking for a new Hotel, and that is good news, however how many hotels would be willing to put up with a bunch of hackers, and still be affordable? Black Hat is at Ceasars and if my mind serves me well, it was as far away from any slot machines, ATM's and other electronic devices as they were able to put it.

While I am sad that this year there is not even a chance for me to acquire said badge, I feel that DefCon needs to continue moving the goalposts. When LosT started his challenge it was meant to get more people involved in hardware. DefCon has its traditions, but maybe it is time to move on, and get something new together? Tradition is the easy path to take, and most of the time offers the least resistance. Think of something new, come up with something so radical that no-one else had thought of it yet. We are all hackers, lets all think out loud on these here forums and come up with something.

* Any and all contradictions in this post thanks to my sleep deprived state.

[mfreeck]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

The suggestions of using services like Dodgeball and Twitter are a step in the right direction then.

I am wondering why we are splitting things between dodgeball and twitter? Like alot of people here, I try to sign up for as few services as possible. It's just one more spam generator and another pass to remember or forget I even had an account there. I did sign up to dodgeball last year (and not just for defcon). Will people have to do the dumb step of subcribing to both, lest they lose out on one half of the check-ins? Is there a way to bridge the two together through a user account that will cross post?

[jedi]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

I am wondering why we are splitting things between dodgeball and twitter? Like alot of people here, I try to sign up for as few services as possible. It's just one more spam generator and another pass to remember or forget I even had an account there. I did sign up to dodgeball last year (and not just for defcon). Will people have to do the dumb step of subcribing to both, lest they lose out on one half of the check-ins? Is there a way to bridge the two together through a user account that will cross post?

I was only making the point that some form of tech should in this situation. I've only used twitter and not really a fan of the service. It tends to have alot of down time and has no capacity for groups without using another external service.

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Defcon Twitter Thread link. Click now. I'm not a fan of either, as my cell is usually overflowing with insane traffic from normal use.

[Gadsden]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Heh.. what ever happened to the good ol' days of gmrs/frs radios to organize? It is just not the same without a static-filled radio message of "boobs at pool #2!!!"

[converge]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Don't worry my friend, we will take those days back. Over. *kssshk*

Oh, and more mountain dew per sitting than Kadys could possibly provide.

[mfreeck]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Don't worry my friend, we will take those days back. Over. *kssshk*

Lotta talk for a guy without his license!

*ducking*

[the_wodon]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

I agree we should give the Riv as little of our money as possible.
LosT

Sorry if this sounds like crazy talk, but why couldn't Defcon simply follow on from Blackhat at Ceasars? It would mean people won't have to move hotels and they already have a hotel full of hackers.
Of course that may cause problems for set-up.
This is my first time of course so the different venues might just have the wrong layouts.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Sorry if this sounds like crazy talk, but why couldn't Defcon simply follow on from Blackhat at Ceasars? It would mean people won't have to move hotels and they already have a hotel full of hackers.
Of course that may cause problems for set-up.

while i'm certain that others will jump in with far greater knowledge than i have, the quick run down of a few reasons would likely center around some of the following points...

1. economic considerations - Black Hat is a corporate training event and as such has a much larger operating budget and more well-heeled attendees. Room rates for guests as well as the overall costs that the organization itself must pay are likely out of reach for something like DEFCON. remember... with the sale of Black Hat to CMP Media, the two conferences are now wholly distinct from a legal and financial standpoint, even if they still have the same mommy and daddy checking to make sure homework is done properly before they trot off to school.

2. logistical considerations - This probably doesn't really factor in as you might think... in terms of "breaking down some training rooms while setting new ones up" since a place like the Ceasar's (or any of the high-tone hotels in Vegas) have conference space out the ass. there are probably enough rooms there to run two DEFCONs without the attendees bumping into each other much in the halls. Still, the overall "layout" is different everywhere and DT likes to keep DEFCON at a place that encourages more casual wandering, less stuffy atmosphere, etc.

3. cultural considerations - Some hotels will put up with lots of crap, others won't. Despite acting like they can't find enough ways to shit on us, a place like the Riv really does want our business. (Since we're locked in with a long contract, they now know that they can shit on us somewhat.) A run-down dirt relic of "old vegas" sitting on the north end of the strip... like the hookers hanging out on that same segment of pavement they have to take a wider range of customers than high-class escort services like the Omni or Bellagio or Ceasar's. Plus, even if the hotel could be leveraged into some sort of a deal... the cred that Black Hat has built up could be undercut by crowds of people with blue hair and "pwnz0r teh Gibson!!" shirts wandering around drunk, knocking over potted plants or whatever else. Keeping the two cons at two separate hotels entirely probably has a "sterilizing" effect on Black Hat that CMP likes to preserve.

those are just some of my semi-educated guesses. i'm more than happy to hear how wrong i am.

[valanx]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

.
like the hookers hanging out on that same segment of pavement they have to take a wider range of customers than high-class escort services like the Omni or Bellagio or Ceasar's.

So... we're like second rate hookers? Or rather the customers of such?

I feel the need for a shower all fo a sudden.

And to knock over a potted plant.

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

So... we're like second rate hookers? Or rather the customers of such?

in terms of conference attendees, we are like the hooker's customers. to expand upon this analogy...

black hat attendees are (often, but not always) like asian businessmen... well-dressed, well-funded, and fully-showered. they will follow the rules and are just generally thrilled to be somewhere nice and like to be taken care of. they pay well, don't break anything, and then leave when asked politely.

defcon attendees (again, we're talking about how conference-hosting hotels see us) are likely the equivalent of the nascar-tshirt-wearing bozo from North Vegas who tries to hammer down the price as low as possible, and then still thinks he can negotiate a BBBJCIM after going greek. most high-class escorts wouldn't stand for that and likewise most high-tone hotels aren't interested in hosting people of that caliber.

(bear in mind... to follow through with my analogy... the hotels see us as "that caliber" because we are not good little sheep who bray and pay and file into neat rows. we don't piss away all our money at their casinos and bars during our down time... we search and work the system as hard as possible to get the best discounts and such that we can, then we save even more money by doing things for ourselves, entertaining ourselves, etc etc etc.)

[goathead]

Re: Ninja party is canceled this year

Score 1 beer to Deviant for using BBBJCIM in a post before 7:30am.