How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

[jur1st]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

fix: goons have radios, use them. I dont expect you to know everything, but if you're at the info booth you should have a way to find me an answer to my questions even if it takes a few minutes.

I hear what you're saying. Don't underestimate the amount of radio traffic and open issues that are being dealt with at just about any time though.

hallway traffic
I am usually rushed between talks, maybe I leave one early because I want to check out the vendor area before the next talk, and if I get stuck behind people strolling 2mph it gets annoying. The worst though is a group of people standing in a circle in the middle of the hallway talking, or people stopping to check their phone.

If you're not stuck in traffic, you are the traffic.

fix: have the goons ask people to move to the wall if they need to get their bearings or check their phone.

Keep moving or get out of the way. This rule applies everywhere. Especially the grocery store.

[seeess]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

On point 1 >
You are given a map. On that map is the location of the information booth. Along with the map you are given a schedule, as well as a digital schedule on the internet which is available for offline storage.
If you have issues locating a time for a talk, or a location - please locate the area on your map, in your schedule, and head that way. If you run into any issue, the information booth is there to answer any questions and provide any updates. Security staff are concerned with the safety of the attendees, and their radios are reserved for issues regarding the safety of the conference. Please keep that in mind when you wish to ask them location or talk information [you are doing it wrong].

I think I did everything you suggested. I wasn't that upset about the security goon at the door to contests not answering my questions. I was more upset that the hardware hacking village was open until 9pm (pg 17 in the schedule) and when I tried to use the map in the schedule there was no way into in except through contests which was closed.

So I did go to the back info booth and ask how to get there, but they didn't know. They were pretty dismissive and say I should try contests which was already closed.

I still don't know of the correct way to access the hardware village at that time besides taking the back casino/maintenance hallways.

I'll take your point about radio traffic, but I still expect the info booth to be able to help out.

[blakdayz]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

I think I did everything you suggested. I wasn't that upset about the security goon at the door to contests not answering my questions. I was more upset that the hardware hacking village was open until 9pm (pg 17 in the schedule) and when I tried to use the map in the schedule there was no way into in except through contests which was closed.

So I did go to the back info booth and ask how to get there, but they didn't know. They were pretty dismissive and say I should try contests which was already closed.

I still don't know of the correct way to access the hardware village at that time besides taking the back casino/maintenance hallways.

I'll take your point about radio traffic, but I still expect the info booth to be able to help out.

The good news is that every little bit of feedback will make it to the responsible dept. head. Thanks for clearing everything up, and next year - with a new floorplan and venue - we hopefully will have this cleared up.

[cthulhucalling]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

I hear what you're saying. Don't underestimate the amount of radio traffic and open issues that are being dealt with at just about any time though.



Keep moving or get out of the way. This rule applies everywhere. Especially the grocery store.

Consider your audience.

[TheCotMan]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

Thanks to everyone for all of the reports about ways that DEF CON can be made better and the ideas to make it better.

On August 30, I will be taking your observations and suggestions, and use them to provide an initial report to DEF CON goons on what can be done to make DEF CON better.

I plan to leave this thread open through to ~November or December, but not much later.

Observed issues with suggested solutions provided before August 30, 2014 have a better chance of being addressed for DEF CON 23 than issues and suggestions offered after that.

Any issues reported between August 30, 2014 and when this thread is closed, can still be included in a later report, but won't have as good of a chance as those provided earlier. (Earlier notice offers more time for planning.)

Thanks!
-Cot

[ActualReverend]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

How about an "overflow" room for the SE room? They were packed all day, and one could only enter and leave when the person was off a call. Could we broadcast* it to a room next to them? Then maybe this room could be where people enter and leave at will... along with being able to provide some "commentary" on what is going on.

*I know "broadcasting" it is illegal, but would it be legal to show it in a room across the hall as long as it is not recorded? Courts do this all the time, right?

Not a Lawyer.

[astcell]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

What if someone broadcasted the talk using Qik or another app and did not save the video to a file? Then you can sit in your room and if you have a secure(ha!) internet connection can watch the streams.

[TheCotMan]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

What if someone broadcasted the talk using Qik or another app and did not save the video to a file? Then you can sit in your room and if you have a secure(ha!) internet connection can watch the streams.

Tried using Qik from phone to record presentation from 1st row, center in audience, but audio was reported as crappy.

Qik from phone might work with a directional Mic attached as USB mic, and large battery pack and reliable network connection.

(This was the Adam Savage talk many years ago.)

HTH,
-Cot

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

can someone explain why broadcasting talks would be illegal? i'm not understanding that part.

[TheCotMan]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

Thanks to everyone for contributing your thoughts and ideas to this thread and others.

As of "NOW" all comments and ideas on DEF CON 22 have been reviewed and included in a report which reduces duplicate requests and provide summary for each department.

The earliest content, as that provided since before today has the greatest chance at influencing decisions.

Please feel free to continue to contribute. I'll build another report as an addendum in November or December, and then close this thread.

Thanks!

can someone explain why broadcasting talks would be illegal? i'm not understanding that part.

I think it was specific to whatever was happening in the Social Engineering village. I don't know what was going on there which might suffer such restrictions. Perhaps phone calls involving social engineering? Maybe video presentation of copyright works, which are fine in front of people in a room, but not re-broadcast?

Maybe someone that was part of or attended "SE Village" could explain it. ("SE Village" = "Social Engineering Village")

[supersat]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

I believe the concern with the SE Village is around wiretapping laws. Anything that would facilitate others recording the calls (e.g. streaming them) would be very risky.

[astcell]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

Some states require that only ONE side of the call be aware of recording. You can also say "This call may be monitored for quality purposes" just like they do to us.

[supersat]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

It looks like Nevada is a two-party consent state. Announcing that you're recording at the beginning of the call is a bit unusual and might make social engineering a lot harder.

[eris]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

On page 14 of the DEFCON 22 booklet ("From Dusk 'Til Con"), there is an official notice for the "Sober Meetup" that took place Friday night.

For those of us that went, this is more than what we found:


Yes, an empty darkened room off in the corner that had no lights. We had to bring in the bench and the chairs ourselves.

It became extremely obvious that the only planning that had gone into the meetup was the reservation of the room and the sign. We asked each time someone arrived if he or she was the one who set this up, and each time the list of people who were not grew.

Well, fuck it.

Since defcon isn't going to do it for us, we're going to do it for defcon.

We've got some initial planning for next year, and I've opened up a forum thread for planning next year's Sober Meetup.

Next year we won't be left in the dark.

Annnnddd....you just figured out how EVERYTHING at con "happens." It is virtually all volunteers that make ANY OF THE EVENTS happen. Congratulations, welcome to DEF CON. Also, best of luck to you, I know a lot of folks would like a space to meet, mingle, and feel safe from the rest of us wandering booze hounds. Hit up folks like O.D. (Ian Chocha) for example. He used to assist in managing Hacker Karaoke and could probably give you some good tips and hints to make it a bit more engaging and interactive for you and others.

[eris]

Re: How would you make DEF CON 23 better than DEF CON 22?

Overall I had a great experience at this defcon, but I do have some suggestions for improvement. Without particular order, and often duplicative to what others have already said:


Hacker Jeopardy:

• The new nerfed version sucks. I expect to see Vanna strip, because otherwise "Don't Fuck It Up" means nothing. If I shout out a wrong answer in the crowd, I expect to be heckled for it. If I heckle the stage, I expect to be heckled back for it. This is Hacker Jeopardy, not Fisher Price.
• I heard a rumor that this was over a minority of people who felt that HJ was sexist. Seeing a woman strip down to the same level of dress as the Rio's cocktail waitresses is not sexism. Seeing a woman do this while abusing the men on stage for their wrong answers is also not sexism.
• Sure, let's equalize it. Get some Chippendales up on stage too or something. I don't care. The correct solution is "make it better," not "make it worse."
• For what it's worth, I talked privately to Winn, GMark, and Vanna herself, and they all agreed that the new format is lacking. Vanna seemed unsure what the point of her being there even was.
• I didn't show up for day two of it.

I watched HJ on youtube just this week. I was completely confused regarding what the heck VV (both of them?) was doing on stage at all. The role seems to have been changed to "fancy dressed bartender" and it appeared to only crowd up and create chaos on the stage. The "referee" persons was greatly annoying, I do not know if that was his role, but when his fake vomiting noises over come even GMark's microphone amped voice something has gone terribly wrong. Either VV is a stripper that flogs people when they get things wrong, or you have men and women in quiet, understated, non-attention provoking outfits who merely hand out booze. With the big electronic board, do we really need a letter turner anymore? As to punishing those who answer incorrectly, I saw the "referee" doing more of that than Bad Kitty and VV anyway, so again, why were they even there?

Contests:

• Baffling. Daunting. Unclear how to get involved in many of them or participate, often because the room was constantly packed with people who already seemed to be in the middle of everything. That's probably my own fault at least partially, maybe entirely. Just having some more obvious clues as to what things are and how to get involved in them ahead of time would be helpful.

I believe all problems with contest this year can be put down to "holy crap the room for them was so small, what the hell?" And the traffic points need to be cleared up. Like, a lot. A LOT. Hopefully this will change next year. I believe there is that one giant room in the new Bally's convention space that looks like it could easily hold both contest and vendor which is often a very good combination. Many contests send contestants into vendor anyway, they should be easily accessible to each other. Maybe a sound wall might be needed but that could also be managed with clever placement perhaps. Finally, yes, signage would be quite nice. Maybe not fancy DEF CON signage with full graphics, merely some black on white text posterboarded posters above each.

THanks for extending the comment thread, CotMan.