Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now [CLOSED] (edited title: user request)

[SmittyHalibut]

The time has come! The time is now! Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

If you aren't sure what the hell I'm talking about, go read the rules at http://crashandcompile.com and come back here. Go ahead, we'll wait...

Back? Alright, carrying on... A few changes from previous years:

First, the stakes have been raised. We are officially a Black Badge event. Consequently, we are upping the ante on the competition. More emphasis will be put on the programming and less on the just-getting-sloppy-drunk. Contestants should be familiar and comfortable with ACM Programming Contest style events. Don't expect to get in just for the booze. We'll have a few other nice prizes too.

Next, in past years we had a first-come-first-served registration policy. But, this screwed teams that happened to not be at the right place (on the forums) at the right time (right now.) My rough gauge of interest suggests we are likely to have more teams wanting to compete than we have space on stage, so we are going to have to do some sort of pre-qualifying round. I'm not sure exactly what this will look like yet, but it will likely involve a timed programming challenge on which you will be judged against the other entrants. More on this later.

Last, I'm trying to line up some better entertainment this year. There's a bit of dead-time while waiting for teams to get started with every challenge, and lets face it, I'm not very good at riffing to fill time. Nothing is inked yet, but I'm talking with some folks who are interested, it's just a matter of working the logistics. If this works out, I think y'all will dig it. I'll fill you in when I can.

===

Registration goes like this: Send me (SmittyHalibut) a DM here on the forums before midnight PDT Sunday July 1st, 2012 with ALL of the following information:

----- snip! -----

• Team name
• Participant 1
  • Name/handle
  • Email (1)
  • Beer preference
  • Distraction preference (2)
• Participant 2 (optional)
  • Name/handle
  • Email
  • Beer preference
  • Distraction preference
• Programming language(s) of choice
• Explicit acknowledgement that both participants are over the legal drinking age in Las Vegas, Nevada (21 years old). IDs WILL BE CHECKED AND ENFORCED
• Explicit acknowledgement that you're willing to pay up to a $50 per participant entrance fee to help cover costs (3)

----- snip! -----

(1) I don't need real names, but I DO need functional email addresses. I won't share email addresses with anyone, or use them for anything other than communicating with you about Crash and Compile: DC20 (Don't worry, I know how to use bcc.) Team and participant names/handles will be published, so make sure you're ok with that.

(2) I'm very serious about not making anyone uncomfortable with Team Distraction. Let me know what you are comfortable with. Please answer seriously; acceptable answers are: Male, Female, Both, Neither, or a specific person if you've got a monogamous partner pulling rank, as it were, for the position. I warn you, however, that a choice of Neither allows me to get creative with non-sexual ways to distract you, so be careful. ;-) Please ask if you have questions about this.

(3) This is a Cover My Ass clause. Last I heard from Pyr0, the event might be at least partially covered by DefCon, possibly completely covered. This is NOT SET IN STONE YET so I'm putting this clause in here to make sure I don't get stuck with a ~$1k bill for you to get drunk. Sorry, I'm just not as giving as Barkode.

Shortly after the due date, we'll contact you with details about the qualification round. Participation in the qualification process is mandatory; failure to do so may (read: probably will) result in your removal from the entry pool.

As always, team slots are reserved for the following:

• Last years champions: Frink Rules!
• Anyone willing to compete on a computer from the 70s or earlier. (Read: The Psychoholics)
• Team Goon, should one form. *hint* *hint*

We are also looking for a non-drinking Team Control Group (see the rules for details). Unfortunately, by its very nature, TCG doesn't earn points and is therefore not eligible for a Black Badge. However, if you are a teetotaler (like me) and are still interested in participating, let me know and we'll make it happen.

That's it for now. Feel free to ask questions here, in DM, or on Twitter (@CrashAndCompile or @SmittyHalibut).

[PunkAB]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!


'nuff said.

[Penni-piper]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

My rough gauge of interest suggests we are likely to have more teams wanting to compete than we have space on stage, so we are going to have to do some sort of pre-qualifying round.

What does team distraction have to do to qualify? *wink wink*

[SmittyHalibut]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

'nuff said.

...a SPECIAL place in hell... ;-)

[SmittyHalibut]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

What does team distraction have to do to qualify? *wink wink*

You, my love, can come sit over here on the audition couch...

[jax]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

On the topic of creative non-sexual distractions, would you have any use for an operatic soprano?

[Fletch F Fletch]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

On the topic of creative non-sexual distractions, would you have any use for an operatic soprano?

I will allocate a proportion of my points to anyone who sings the Mabel part of "Stay Frederic, Stay" of the Pirates of Penzance properly. (And then I will offer an open white Cadillac to that Vegas wedding chapel were one to sing it perfectlly.) In other words, operatic soprano = best distraction ever.

[jax]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

In other words, operatic soprano = best distraction ever.

I'll have to work on my repertoire, then. I haven't sung "Stay Frederic, Stay" before, but it's the right kind of song for my voice, and I love Gilbert and Sullivan. Can anyone lend me a tenor? (And an accompanist?)

Unfortunately, I'll have to decline the second part of your offer. I don't think even Las Vegas allows polyandry.

[Fletch F Fletch]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

I'll have to work on my repertoire, then. I haven't sung "Stay Frederic, Stay" before, but it's the right kind of song for my voice, and I love Gilbert and Sullivan. Can anyone lend me a tenor? (And an accompanist?)

Unfortunately, I'll have to decline the second part of your offer. I don't think even Las Vegas allows polyandry.

It would be most distracting if you just got to the tenor part and stopped, because then I'd be obligated, no, FORCED to join in. And I would be forced to spend the next month in vocal lessons, instead of programming, because otherwise I might miss a note and be shamed. Good idea.

Oh, and if you want to show off, "Poor Wandering Ones" from the same musical lets you bust out every note in your repertoire. If you have more notes than that, I'll give you all my points.

You're still allowed the open Cadillac, then, (I don't invite polyandry,) but you'll have to drive it Grand Theft Auto style all over Vegas. Possibly parking it on top of a building.

In any case, I think super-talented and smart women are the essence of Team Distraction. Nerds aren't easily impressed, but everyone on the stage last year was smart and hot and interesting and distracting. Well done.

P.S. to SmittyHalibut: I don't know if we mentioned this, but the people on stage couldn't hear a word you were saying last year because all the speakers faced the audience. If you're trying to distract us yourself, you'll need monitors on stage. Samantha Barks and Kiri Te Kanawa could have been singing at the microphone, and we wouldn't have known it. I only heard later from my people in the audience that you were complimenting team Frink Rules!'s genitalia so heartily. Thanks for that.

[Fletch F Fletch]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

The time has come! The time is now! Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

As mentioned before, team Frink Rules! is returning. We don't want to miss any prequalifications that we might need to be allowed back. Do we need to re-qual? Or is our heroic performance (we mean drinking, and somehow resisting Team Distraction) last year adequate?

Oh, and do you send the reply "HAHAHAHAHAHLOLCATSNICETRY" to any team not using Frink? (My homemade language that won last year? ) ( http://futureboy.us/frinkdocs/ )

[krux]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

As mentioned before, team Frink Rules! is returning. We don't want to miss any prequalifications that we might need to be allowed back. Do we need to re-qual? Or is our heroic performance (we mean drinking, and somehow resisting Team Distraction) last year adequate?

Oh, and do you send the reply "HAHAHAHAHAHLOLCATSNICETRY" to any team not using Frink? (My homemade language that won last year? ) ( http://futureboy.us/frinkdocs/ )

We considered trying to port Frink to the PDP-11, but didn't think we would be able to manage it before Defcon with everything else that needs to be accomplished before here and then.

That said, the PDP-11 is going to be back. I'll also bring along the metal programming dice of doom for any team who wants to give that a try. Hopefully we get a team that won't give up on using the D20, like we saw last year. Though we'll at least give you props for trying it for one problem.

I also encourage you to drop by for this and give a "talk" on Frink:

"PunkAB @punk_ab @lmcomie @Niki7a @thedarktangent Psychoholics Drunken Security Talks. Friday. 7:30ish. Hijacked table in common area (then likely a bar)."

[Fletch F Fletch]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

We considered trying to port Frink to the PDP-11, but didn't think we would be able to manage it before Defcon with everything else that needs to be accomplished before here and then.

That said, the PDP-11 is going to be back. I'll also bring along the metal programming dice of doom for any team who wants to give that a try. Hopefully we get a team that won't give up on using the D20, like we saw last year. Though we'll at least give you props for trying it for one problem.

I also encourage you to drop by for this and give a "talk" on Frink:

"PunkAB @punk_ab @lmcomie @Niki7a @thedarktangent Psychoholics Drunken Security Talks. Friday. 7:30ish. Hijacked table in common area (then likely a bar)."

If I could get Frink on the D20 or the D12, I'd consider myself as having arrived in the world of Real Programmers. While I think it would be prohibitive to try and port a Java Virtual Machine to the PDP-11, I might be able to wrestle gcj into creating an executable that could possibly run there. While gcj has always failed with internal errors when I try to compile raw Frink code, I have had occasional luck turning its final .jar file into an executable without gcj crapping itself. "Occasional" being the operative word there; Linux works, Windows works if I use a version about 6 years back. Do you have any tips on creating executables for the PDP-11 using the gcc suite? I fear that Frink's memory usage might be prohibitive. gcj also sucks/fails at creating statically-linked anything (the developers always say "don't even think of trying it.") If someone could get the shared version of libgcj to compile on there, it might just work.

I'd also have fun doing a Drunken Security Talk. I can haz some drunken HaX0ring stories with Frink, like brute-force (but clever) crypto attacks which succeeded against the Heroes tv wesbite, or breaking "state of the art" crypto to "predict" Texas lottery numbers in advance (at odds of 1 trillion to 1) using JavaScript, or cracking Norm Macdonald's crypto, or something equally useless but which would sound awesome if I was drunk and enthusiastic enough.

[Nocturnhabeo]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

If anyone is looking to fill a space on their team my language of choice is java.

[SmittyHalibut]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

You're still allowed the open Cadillac, then, (I don't invite polyandry,) but you'll have to drive it Grand Theft Auto style all over Vegas. Possibly parking it on top of a building.

I'd pay $20 to see you do that.

In any case, I think super-talented and smart women are the essence of Team Distraction. Nerds aren't easily impressed, but everyone on the stage last year was smart and hot and interesting and distracting. Well done.

I absolutely agree. I've been blessed with our Distractions in past years (especially since Psychoholics did most of the hard work of recruitment...) I've had both a "neither" and a "male" so far, so I'm going to have to start getting creative.

P.S. to SmittyHalibut: I don't know if we mentioned this, but the people on stage couldn't hear a word you were saying last year because all the speakers faced the audience. If you're trying to distract us yourself, you'll need monitors on stage. Samantha Barks and Kiri Te Kanawa could have been singing at the microphone, and we wouldn't have known it. I only heard later from my people in the audience that you were complimenting team Frink Rules!'s genitalia so heartily. Thanks for that.

Monitors. I'll see what I can do. And, you're welcome; it basically compliments itself, I just have to point at it and smile.

[SmittyHalibut]

Re: Registration for Crash and Compile: DC20 is now open!

While I think it would be prohibitive to try and port a Java Virtual Machine to the PDP-11, I might be able to wrestle gcj into creating an executable that could possibly run there.

...

I fear that Frink's memory usage might be prohibitive.

Let's step back here a bit. The PDP-11 is circa 1984, IIRC. This is 2012. That's 28 years since the computer was made. According to The Good Dr. Moore, that's about 18.6 doublings of transistor density. My big servers at work (about the same "class" of server that the PDP-11 was in its day) have 96GB RAM. Dr. Moore would predict that a similarly sized computer of the era would have (https://www.google.com/search?q=96GB%2F2^18.6) about 253kB of RAM.

I'm pretty sure the JVM sneezes more RAM than that before it ever gets to main().