Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

[greatscott]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

What sucks is that Defcon is turning into a corporate event, ie BlackHat lite. What happened to the hijinks? The stolen GTE doors, the phone system hacking? Unfortunately I think that the Rio will be better for sitting in talks (bigger rooms, less lines) but far worse for having fun. For me, the talks are the LEAST important part of con, they all end up online anyway!

Actually, the impression I am under from some post-con recon is that the Rio appears to be much more...easy-going and less crotchety than the Riviera despite the Rio's venue being bigger/newer/shinier. In that regard, I don't see much of a correlation between change-of-venue and hijinks. The hijinks is in the peoples' hearts, not the venue ;) Though perhaps there's something about ghettofab environments that turns on one's inner-tomfoolery.

[MisterVandal]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

Actually, the impression I am under from some post-con recon is that the Rio appears to be much more...easy-going and less crotchety than the Riviera despite the Rio's venue being bigger/newer/shinier. In that regard, I don't see much of a correlation between change-of-venue and hijinks. The hijinks is in the peoples' hearts, not the venue ;) Though perhaps there's something about ghettofab environments that turns on one's inner-tomfoolery.

I always get concerned when there's talk of us going into a real casino. I realize some may think of the Riv like that, but it's a small casino area, not to mention, the place is kind of a dive. A lot of time has passed, but I still remember the Monte Carlo and the fiasco that became. Though, I will say the older hackers have grown up a bit and tend to be less destructive, spending more time focusing on drinking rather than coming up with creative ways to get the place leveled.

I am wondering what the drink costs are going to be? that was one of the things that made the parties in house so awesome this year, you weren't paying 6 bucks a beer or shitty mixed drink, so you didn't have a ton of hackers hanging out front drinking beer bought from the AM/PM.

[quo]

News about the Rio

The Internets are up in a rumor storm that the Rio has been sold. Here's a great travel forum posting:

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/for...ad.php?t=57696

[Quiet]

Re: News about the Rio

The Internets are up in a rumor storm that the Rio has been sold. Here's a great travel forum posting:

http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/for...ad.php?t=57696

Still a rumor.

Harrah’s Denies Rio Las Vegas Sale Rumors

I kinda like how the poker people spreading the rumor calls the Rio a "dump/dive" and we consider it an upgrade.


Harrah's Entertainment owns the following Las Vegas area casinos:
Caesars Palace, Bally's Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas, Bill's Gambling Hall & Saloon, Flamingo Las Vegas, Imperial Palace, Paris Las Vegas, Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino and Planet Hollywood Casino & Resort.

Kinda interesting that both Blackhat (Caesars Palace) and Defcon (Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino) will be at locations owned by Harrah's Entertainment.

[snideology]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

So I cannot find more mention about the Rio's pools on their site, than the VooDoo page, mentioning 4 pools. They also note that they close at 6pm! I suppose this seems somewhat petty, but is there a way we could keep one pool open very late or all night, for those of us who are firmly of the opinion that alcohol & night swimming mix quite well?

Seriously, if they had just one open, maybe 'just for' DC attendees (we pay for a late-night lifeguard maybe?), I do think some of us would enjoy that.

[greatscott]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

So I cannot find more mention about the Rio's pools on their site, than the VooDoo page, mentioning 4 pools. They also note that they close at 6pm! I suppose this seems somewhat petty, but is there a way we could keep one pool open very late or all night, for those of us who are firmly of the opinion that alcohol & night swimming mix quite well?

Seriously, if they had just one open, maybe 'just for' DC attendees (we pay for a late-night lifeguard maybe?), I do think some of us would enjoy that.

You can see the 4 pools (well 3.5... the one on the left is cut off a bit) in the first photo I posted on page one of this thread. The second pool picture I posted I *believe* (not confirmed) is the one we would be given.

I inquired with the Rio staff about volume loudness and hours for this. They said it can probably be kept open, bumping, and loud til 12am or 1am (the outdoor club at the top of the Rio is supposedly CRAZY loud anyways). A lovely step up from the Riv, I'd say. Now to check up on if there are gates, and what the gate policy is ;)

[securityninja]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

It turns out that my brother and I were going to see Penn and Teller after the closing ceremony so we got a good chance to look around the Rio.

We came away from the Riv thinking that place had two major problems when it came to DEFCON being there:

1) Rooms for talks too small
2) Hallways way too small

I felt the same way last year and I think I might have said the same on the DEFCON 17 forum.

In my opinion (and my brothers) the Rio has considerably wider hallways but I didn't get to see the conference rooms they have. According to people in this thread they are bigger which is good.

My only concern was that the Rio didn't "feel" like a DEFCON venue but I've only been to the last two so I'm not as qualified as a lot of other people on this forum to comment on that. I would guess it will be more expensive to stop at than the Riv and it seemed a very busy hotel when I was there compared to quite a few of the hotels I visited on the strip. The Riv felt like it was just open for DEFCON and I'm not convinced that feeling will be there at the Rio.

Overall though I think its a great choice, I mainly attend DEFCON to speak or listen to others speak so the hallway space and room sizes are my biggest gripes.

SN

[Vyrus]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

What sucks is that Defcon is turning into a corporate event, ie BlackHat lite. What happened to the hijinks? The stolen GTE doors, the phone system hacking? Unfortunately I think that the Rio will be better for sitting in talks (bigger rooms, less lines) but far worse for having fun. For me, the talks are the LEAST important part of con, they all end up online anyway!

lack of fun / shenanigans needs to be fixed, first it was the influx of fedz, past few years its been the influx of "omg im not a hacker and they all look strange and scary but i came to you cus you look kinda normal and i wana know where the parties are cus i here there kewl how do i get in?"

seriously, when it gets to the point where chicks are grabbing there tits at me and smiling saying things like "how do i get one of those, don't you want me in your party?" and trying to buy party badges off people for 2k+ somthin needs to be done -_-

[I.T. Warrior]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

seriously, when it gets to the point where chicks are grabbing there tits at me and smiling saying things like "how do i get one of those, don't you want me in your party?" -_-[/QUOTE]

grabbing tits=social engineering

[bluknight]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

seriously, when it gets to the point where chicks are grabbing there tits at me and smiling saying things like "how do i get one of those, don't you want me in your party?" and trying to buy party badges off people for 2k+ somthin needs to be done -_-

Yeah, I had one (who, honestly, I think was pretty much drunk/wasted) try and pull that on me at the Attack Research party. I'm pretty sure if I had told her to blow me, she would have whipped it out then and there. I'll say this for her, however. She scanned all the ports, but that girl just had NO finesse.

[I.T. Warrior]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

Yeah, I had one ... She scanned all the ports, but that girl just had NO finesse.

Okidoki, this is what We have to do; next year, you give me some of those invites and badges, I sacrifice myself and will suffer all that tit-grabbing and BJ's for the sake of Hackerdom
Nah, now being honest, I mean, common, those gals who do that, that's just cheap psychological manipulation. I think you should show more value than that. I mean, everybody wants to see girls in their parties, but, some parties are more "1337" than others, if you know what I mean

[Dark Tangent]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

Okidoki, this is what We have to do; next year, you give me some of those invites and badges, I sacrifice myself and will suffer all that tit-grabbing and BJ's for the sake of Hackerdom
Nah, now being honest, I mean, common, those gals who do that, that's just cheap psychological manipulation. I think you should show more value than that. I mean, everybody wants to see girls in their parties, but, some parties are more "1337" than others, if you know what I mean

This was the first year I actually saw prostitutes working DEF CON. Just standing in the hallways trying to pick up a John. Amazing. Must be tough times in Vegas from them to become that direct, invading a conference and all.

[kive]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

This was the first year I actually saw prostitutes working DEF CON. Just standing in the hallways trying to pick up a John. Amazing. Must be tough times in Vegas from them to become that direct, invading a conference and all.

To be fair, there were a few back at the Aladdin, too, as I recall, as small as DC was back then. They were just somewhat misdirected in order to be there. ;)

My girl was absolutely and positively entertained watching the working girls do their thing on Thursday and Friday nights; several "attendees" wandered off, as it were.

-kive

[shrdlu]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

This was the first year I actually saw prostitutes working DEF CON. Just standing in the hallways trying to pick up a John. Amazing. Must be tough times in Vegas from them to become that direct, invading a conference and all.

They've been there since (at least) Defcon 5. When you were younger, you may have just believed that they were genuinely interested in you (and you were also not an age that they would normally expect to have disposable funds). I suspect also that there are more actual technical and knowledgeable women attending, which makes the "professional" women more apparent.

Times were hard last year, too. I actually overheard a conversation in the halls that went something along the lines of "Well, how much money *do* you have then?"

[Fuzzyneoprene]

Re: Defcon 19: [So tell me about the Rio] (recon and intel)

I'm a Vegas local, so it's easy for me to get to the Rio. If any specific intel on the venue is needed, send me a message & I'll see what I can get for you.