Applause (or Boos) ...

[TheCotMan]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Funny, every employee of the Riv that was not directly connected to event planning or convention planning or whatever that department is loved having us there. I had a waiter thank me and my group in Kady's profusely for bringing money to the restaurant. I had bartenders at the single bar telling me they had more tips that weekend than they had for the last few months. Heck, the ladies on the cleaning crew in the bathrooms said they were happy to see us. I had over $700 of receipts(not all my own of course but they didn't give a shit about that) to turn in at the ABC store for their free gifts by Saturday and got the most polite treatment I ever had from the Riv. We were appreciated, by the working class folk at least.

One of the managers at the Riv expressed his thanks for use being there on Sunday, in an elevator. I asked him how things were with Defcon having our convention at the hotel, and he said, paraphrased, "We really, really like having Defcon at our hotel. We like it so much, that we wish we could have your conference here every week." When I asked him if our attendees caused more problem than helped, and he said that there weren't any real problems this year, and he expressed a strong interest in seeing us come back next year.

I'm not sure where the disconnect exists between some people's experience with bad services, and the people I spoke with. House keeping on my floor was happy to see us, and so were the people I talked to at Kady's, and the Banana Leaf eatery, too. I didn't spend much time in the ABC store, but even the security people I spoke to were happy to see us there, when i asked about us.

I was not in the rooms where Riv people came in and told people to leave, so I don't have them in the set of people that I spoke with about this.

A few boos, which is not like booze:
Vending machine on floor 16 of the Monte Carlo tower: You suck. Your owner sucks. If you are going to drop coins inside your frame without counting them, at least warn people that you will steal their quarters.
Ice Machine on the 15th floor of the Monte Carlo: You suck. You don't work. You don't ever work. Die in a fire.
Registration Desk because of your many overlooked opportunities to avoid failure.

[Dallas]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Ill start with the BOOS as I am still working on the Applause list..

Booo to Riviera for the 6407 shutdown, yes I know the reasons, but that party is generally one of the most controlled and safest in the hotel. If you only understood what you have done by shutting it down (yes..I still know the reason) you would not. The best, most attended (attended by the best of defcon I might add in all ways) and most legit party for Defcon was shutdown over what was really nothing ON what could have been its best year for both the Hotel and the organizers. Next year it may not happen at the Riv, bottom line is that sometime you just want the pleasure of giving your friends a drink at the top of a hotel without Hotel staff looking over your shoulder. As a result of this, only the working class suffered. The maids did not get their usual hundreds PER DAY, the Bellhops did not get their tips, etc. (Not at the usual level). Its sad we have to move the best events away from the RIV. If the RIV can understand we are still working on that whole trust issue and get past the fact not every drop of alcohol and food is bought from the Hotel, this is not going to work. Want a reasonable fee to "allow" the party, fine. But don't make it anything its not. Forget the first year and lets move on. Nuff said.

Boo2: Killer Bees suck...did anyone actually see any?

Boo3: Whoever drop kicked the door to the roof or whatever. Not cool. This does not set well damaging hotel property. Pick the lock next time dumbass.

Boo4: The Riv Naked Lady Magic show, even at $ 10.00 it was not that good.

Wait..wait..one more..a Pre-Kudo. I did honestly get a number of "thanks" from Cab and Hotel staff for having the Con at the Riv, they passed on that it is dead in Vegas during the week and that end of the strip tends to suffer the most. So I whole heartedly agree with Cottman, it was strange seeing so many people thanking attendees for coming. I have no complaints this year of Hotel staff or security (except upper management over the Penthouse party -- ...still no excuse.)

Next up..KUDOS..Applause..whatever..now where is that book. :)

[xor]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

The line/s: Lines, lines, lines, I haven't seen so many lines since I gave up drugs.

Hack the line!!!! Hack the line!!!!!

Using Ninja moves, and accordion physics, I found a vulnerability in the badge cue. Exploiting the split doorway architecture of Riv and the lack of goon security I found a vulnerability in the badge processing cue and successfully popped the badge cue which enabled me not to have to wait in badge cue for a second time to get a badge,

I'll prepare a white paper for next year

xor

Sorry we didn't get to meet Dallas.


To all the incredibly intelligent and sexy people I did get to meet; you guys are awesome. You should all look in the mirror and say to yourselves; man I hit the genetic lottery; beauty and brains,

[tweek]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Pros:
Actually getting to see talks this year, last year was in Mystery Challenge and saw nothing!
Got friend to get badge Thursday before I flew in, no queue at all.
10,000c challenge and hacker jeopardy, hilarious including the wasted fed spotter chick.
Any party that has giant sumo and horizontal bungy, props to the guy who did it in an arm brace!
Talk on the psychology of security, its official geeks think very differently to the rest of userland.
No Starch Press, Physics manga book anyone!?!? plus they gave away a good bit of swag with each book purchase.
Quatum capri room, I was amazed I actually understood the stuff and could ask relevant questions.
UK goon who got my big fish/small fish t-shirt

Cons of con:
Swag booth selling out of sizes quickly, shirt I now have is 'snug' but then they restock the next day!
Does all music have to be techo/trance/electro, bring in some decent breaks and other funky stuff.
Christ, who turned up the heating outside, my eyeballs are drying out.

Cons of hotel:
Killer bees or dogs with killer bees in their mouth and when they bark they shoot bees at you.
Food in the Riv, either its gruel a la buffet or sandwiches and sesame food poisioning from the 'food' court.
Decent draught beer, if Fosters in the sports bar is the best they have....run, run for the hills.

Cons of me:
3 hour delay in Chicago and then the same movies on the return UK flight to going out, they were bad enough then.
Putting my passport through the washing machine when I got home.....fail

[Abby_Normal]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Does all music have to be techo/trance/electro, bring in some decent breaks and other funky stuff.

I have to agree here.

In the penthouse we always try to play a little something for everyone, you never know what we'll play. But you will NOT hear "Utz Utz Utz" all night, ever!

23bs mobile club is another good place to hear something other than techno as well. I have heard them play anything from Grand Master Flash to Balkan Beat Box.

[Xodia]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Props:

Highwiz: For the beer, DC101, and copious amounts of homoerotic humor.
Valkyrie: For making DC101 happen in a timely manner.
Noid: For giving me a place to crash on Tuesday and keeping me out of trouble!
Cotman: For the ride to Sushicon, awesome conversations, and a very exciting Vegas strip traffic experience. .
GM1: For slaving over a grill to insure people get fed, but also for keeping your cool through some stressful situations...yet still bum me a smoke.
Roamer:: For the beer and hilarity. Gadoosh!
Londo: For slaving over the grill, but more importantly, for having a disregard for line jumping.
Dualcore: For the shirt, the roomshare, the badge, and huge amounts of rum.
Siviak:For providing party space, and for introductions to some seriously attractive women.
Icetre: For the party that wasn't, but the booze that were. Also, for the introduction to Poofta. That guy was hilarious.
Salem: For lots of cider! Also for trying to get my bag back to the best of your ability.
Runnerup: For explaining where all those damn bees came from.
Goathead: For insuring my safety during the con.
Bascule: For the awesomely good time that was Hacker Karoke! I look forward to it next year, man.
Lil_Freak: For letting us crash with your Sunday night. You saved us a ton of headache in the morning.
Diego: For the good times, but next year, better times.
Art: For the rides to/from the Riv multiple times. You saved my poor feet some hassle.
Valanx: For the flask fillups and for some tasty whiskey. Win the challenge next year, man!
Mouse: For having one of the most original talks I've seen at a con in a good while! Excellence. Miracle fruit is some weird stuff...
Vectorx: For completing my memory of what exactly happened Friday night at DC14.
Vandal: For finally explaining the roots of the Ohio/Michigan rivalry to me. That was one of the most interesting conversations I had all of con.
Abby_Nrml: For wrapping the chili I carried in a towel first, thus preventing me ruining my shoes. Also for being one of the few people that knows of obscure mouse cosplay porno other than me. :)
CJ: For the pre-con round of beers at the bar in the Riv. Thanks!

To anyone I forgot, I'm sorry! I had a great con and actually learned quite a bit for a change.

Boos:

Riviera Security: For telling Sean to "Get the fuck off of here and find another elevator" even though he was going to the same floor. Also for repeatedly giving me the evil eye for no particular reason.

Vegas heat: For cracking my lips regardless of how much water I drank or chapstick I used.

Adam Savage: For making it impossible to get anywhere for a few hours Saturday morning.

Jackalope: For being too busy to hang with cool people like me.

[Chris]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Boo2: Killer Bees suck...did anyone actually see any?

Oh yeah. they were there.

[Abby_Normal]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Oh yeah. they were there.

I saw them, I assure you they were real. I wouldn't doubt the Riv lured them there! ;-)



And this guy got a pretty good photo. http://www.tylerkrpata.com/2009/08/p...hatdefcon.html

[e_dogg]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

<snip>
I'm not sure where the disconnect exists between some people's experience with bad services, and the people I spoke with. House keeping on my floor was happy to see us, and so were the people I talked to at Kady's, and the Banana Leaf eatery, too. I didn't spend much time in the ABC store, but even the security people I spoke to were happy to see us there, when i asked about us.

I was not in the rooms where Riv people came in and told people to leave, so I don't have them in the set of people that I spoke with about this.

I overheard a Riviera staff worker talking to a goon on Sunday morning while waiting for them to let people through to the conference area. Apparently she asked a con-goer to do something (move out fo the way, don't go to a closed area, stop misbehaving, whatever) and the con-goer said something to the effect of "Fuck you, bitch" to her. She understandably felt a little bitter about that. So it seems to have gone both ways.

A few boos, which is not like booze:
Vending machine on floor 16 of the Monte Carlo tower: You suck. Your owner sucks. If you are going to drop coins inside your frame without counting them, at least warn people that you will steal their quarters.
Ice Machine on the 15th floor of the Monte Carlo: You suck. You don't work. You don't ever work. Die in a fire.

Murphy's law #382 - The vending and/or ice machines on your hotel floor will never work or be completely empty. You must travel at least two floors up or down in order to find an operational one. Expect the floor with the working machine to change daily.

[Dallas]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Awesome, then Applause for the Riv for keeping us safe....Nice pic as well.

I saw them, I assure you they were real. I wouldn't doubt the Riv lured them there! ;-)



And this guy got a pretty good photo. http://www.tylerkrpata.com/2009/08/p...hatdefcon.html

[streaker69]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Great, killer bees, I'm glad I didn't make it. Since the idea of hanging out with 5000 people wearing black tshirts was bound to piss off the bees.

(bees sting black things)

[Abby_Normal]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

I'm still pretty fried, but here are a few:

Woots for:

D-code - For taking all the blame! :-)
The Goons - you guys rocked more than normal!
Salem - For making us our own custom cider!
23b - For trying so hard to keep the dream alive, for the mobile club and for being great friends!
Solomon - for the coffee! I think the coffee/chill out suite was a great idea. maybe next year we can do a brunch. Also, for letting us party in your room!

Niki, Dallas, Amber, Siv - for everything you all do, especially the stuff I can't post about here!
Macro and Kevin - for being down! You make me feel like I'm back home!
CJ - You kept us out of trouble, and maybe out of jail
IceTre - For keeping me grounded, and keeping me sane.

Everyone who helped carry stuff! You have no idea how much we appreciate that!


Boos:

The Bees
The Riv management (not all of them, you know who you are, and I know you'll read this) keep shooting yourselves in the foot.

i know I forgot a lot, I'll add more when I think of it.

[kallahar]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

Now imagine if the bees had been there when the adam savage line went through that area.

[BlackOrchid]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

On monday the winds were a bit much and the dead bees were falling out of the palm trees by Kristophers. SOOOO..

Thank you AMBER for the flip flop usage because I'm allergic to bees. You're a doll.

I'll do more 'thank you's' later and probably a few boo's. But I'm going on 28 hours with no sleep and that's just not a good time to start a rant.

[gottestod]

Re: Applause (or Boos) ...

PROPS:

CP99: The Venetian Snares, Rick-Rolling Hacker Jeapordy. 'Nuff said.
Xodia: In the immortal words of Eeyore, Thanks for Noticing!
D-Code: The ride, The knowledge, and the big kick up the arse. Your a five finger death punch to the rectum and I love you for it man.
CJ: Squatting Space!
Sylvia in The Beauty Salon (Riviera Employee): You are a goddess of a bygone age
Pixelfairy: We need to talk ruby.
TOXIC BBQ: YUMMO!!!!!
Phoenix: For Putting Up with My BS!
Bo: For Encouraging My Bad Behavior!
Dallas: For the Booze, The Laughs, and Checking my ass out in a dress.
Flea: Watching out for us all, being a mate
AbbyNormal: Making sure I didn't hang myself in my hotel suite!
IceTre: It's going to take me another 17 f--king years to pay you back
Kallahar,Tacitus: MOBILE CLUB & Slam Dancing in the SkyBox
Eris: Helping me see Con: A leg of a lamb, a ton of wine, and thou whistling beside me in the dark. 23!
Vandal: Touching my firm ass.
Beansidhe: Propane, Party Help, and A Beautiful Smile That Lights Up The Room!
Lady Who Gave Me Her Dress: Didn't fit, but I loved looking like Liza Minelli for a bit
Socket: Organizing the ride to the Toxic BBQ with Me
CyMike: Trying to Recruit me as a Goon, Not Ready Yet! :)
Amber: For Removing Nivek At Key Moments So We Could Have Sanity!
Salem: Cider of the Gods
Solomon: Coffee Seminar and Extreme Caffeineage Followed by Party.
AL: For getting pwned but being a good sport about it!

Boo:
Hotel Security - except the guy in the men's room who was gullible enough to believe that AbbyNormal was a male trannie, you were funny! :)

My Pet Killer Bee's Escaping, They killed them all and I'm planning to sue them for this

No 6407 Penthouse Party

Bungee Jumping Faggotry