the "stuff to bring to defcon" lists have been addressed by plenty of other people (the stotan DefCon FAQ is a good place for noobs to start, as well as archives of old forum posts) so that's not what this thread is about.
i was wondering, however, if people wanted to share specific good ideas they've had, or others they've seen. little things that would have been almost non-issues to grab before leaving for the con but can become big headaches to scrounge for in las vegas. what sort of stuff have you ever said, "man, i can't believe i didn't bring that" about in the past? what sort of stuff have you brought that has made others say, "you are a genius! wish i'd thought of that!" or, more likely, "hey, can we borrow that for a second?"
here's a little list i've generated while sitting here thinking. let's see what others have to say.
- -- ----- tech gear ----- -- -
plug splitter, power strip(s) - this sort of stuff is crazy simple to bring along, particularly little splitters like this. you can never have enough power and invariably outlets are jammed up. this year i might buy a bunch of those little adapters (since they're like a dollar) and mark them with the message "this electricity opportunity brought to you by Deviant" and just leave them plugged in wherever if i get up to leave and others are still taking juice.
patch cables, phone cables with splitters/extensions - for the very leet who like to lend a hand to those in need, i also reccomend a small box of RJ45s, crimpers, and that 50+ feet of ragged-ended CAT5 you've had in the bottom of a box for ages
clean phone - those who think they need one will know what one is. hehe.
chargers - don't know if this belongs on the list or not, since it's a rather common sense item... but not having the charger for your specific gear can suck ass. so can finding a ride all the way out to Fry's or Radio Shack to buy another one that you won't even need once you get home. (a new one that you can leave behind for next year's DefCon maybe. with any luck you can retire with a whole collection of 9v 500ma AC adapters to pass on to your kids)
card reader / connect cable - plenty of people i've seen who fill their digital cameras but forget to bring something to dump photos and can't take any more shots after the first day.
rf modulator, other shit to hook up DVD players or xboxes, etc to AP tvs - remember that the TVs in the hotel rooms only have coax on the back, i believe. to hook up other stuff bring along the right cables. (once again, stuff that everyone has lying in a drawer so it's an even bigger kick in the ass if you have to ride out to a store and buy them) also, for RCA cables... have a couple Y adapters for audio. never assume the device to which you're connecting will have the right audio (stereo vs. mono) and plan on having to fuss with the streams or lose half the sound in something you're playing.
driver and O/S discs for laptop, no precious content on laptop - should also be a given, but assume that your laptop might get owned, stolen, borked, or just be subjected to experimental installations of new O/Ses and stuff.
memory stick - along with the USB drive, consider bringing a mini cd with drivers for all kinda O/S, never know who'll you meet and where you'll use it.
blank CDs / DVDs - you don't have to bring a whole spindle but having a short stack around the room can be useful.
universal remote - this, in conjunction with a little flyer i made which circulated in DefCons past, will allow for some fun and games with in-room TVs. i'm a mere novice at this stuff... if Major Malfunction is giving a talk this year go see it, it was one of my favorite talks at ShmooCon.
speakers - if all you've got is a laptop (and no way to connect it to your TV set) then your in-room music and movies can get painful to hear with people around.
headphones - once again, if relying on laptop content for in-flight entertainment, remember those headphones to avoid getting hassled by other passengers. also, it prevents you from having to pay attention to whatever piece of crap Hugh Grant movie the airline is showing.
- -- ----- bathroom ----- -- -
oust air spray or stuff - if you plan on bringing women back to your room, trust me, you want this. you might not know how much you stink but they will.
packs of matches and a few candles - don't discount what a good idea candles in general are. if you lack romance-fu they can be a big plus in your favor.
sun tan lotion - mark this one under "all idiots should know this already" column
small bottle of laundry detergent to wash stuff in sink - altho soap will do in a pinch, it's nice to be able to clean up a shirt or shorts that you want to re-wear. i tend to bring plenty of boxers and socks but only a couple outer garments. washing or visiting the vendors keeps me more than happy with minimal clothes packing needed.
- -- ----- misc ----- -- -
pens, makers, pads - you think you broght enough but you didn't. they'll walk off and you'll lose them.
tape - both duct and packing tape. gaffer's tape is best, actually, since you can do anything with it and it's allowed to go thru postage system. (when fedexing stuff home, as many of us do, some places get in your face about duct tape since it can gum up the works in sorting machines, i'm told)
- -- ----- food store stuff ----- -- -
cereal - little boxes are easy to grab and run with.
fruit - avoid the homer simpson axiom of "this doughnut has purple stuff inside... purple is a fruit" and actually try to force some vitamins down your throat in the morning. your body will thank you.
chaser tablets - we all laugh and think it's herbal remedy or pseudoscience when the commercial is on TV, but i'm willing to pop a couple of these before crashing out a few hours on the off chance that they'll work. anyone tried 'em before?
red bull - get a case or two... people go thru a lot, it's cheap, and it's like currency
disposable coolers and tons of ice - keep one cooler just as an ice chest. ice get a bag or two of ice to keep since ice machines have a tendency of being tapped out at the alexis at times.
A NOTE ABOUT ICE... one of the best things i ever brought to a defcon is the following... duct hose that one typically attaches to a clothes dryer vent. why, you ask? because it's flexible, mad collapsible, and weighs amost nothing... and because your typical cooler and trash can won't easily fit under the dispenser of an alexis park ice machine... but one can sit the cooler on the ground and use the tube to chute the ice to its destination. heh, i didn't complete half of an engineering curriculum for nothing!
- -- ----- alcohol ----- -- -
(doubt people really need any help in this category, but here's my $0.02)
rum (goes with everything, liked by women as well as men)
vodka (see above)
whiskey (for people who enjoy drinking as more than a part-time hobby)
mixers (cola soda x2, non-cola soda, cranberry x2, oj, pienapple, and maybe lemon or lime juice. for about $9 you can make like 500 different drinks)
what suggestions do other people have?
i was wondering, however, if people wanted to share specific good ideas they've had, or others they've seen. little things that would have been almost non-issues to grab before leaving for the con but can become big headaches to scrounge for in las vegas. what sort of stuff have you ever said, "man, i can't believe i didn't bring that" about in the past? what sort of stuff have you brought that has made others say, "you are a genius! wish i'd thought of that!" or, more likely, "hey, can we borrow that for a second?"
here's a little list i've generated while sitting here thinking. let's see what others have to say.
- -- ----- tech gear ----- -- -
plug splitter, power strip(s) - this sort of stuff is crazy simple to bring along, particularly little splitters like this. you can never have enough power and invariably outlets are jammed up. this year i might buy a bunch of those little adapters (since they're like a dollar) and mark them with the message "this electricity opportunity brought to you by Deviant" and just leave them plugged in wherever if i get up to leave and others are still taking juice.
patch cables, phone cables with splitters/extensions - for the very leet who like to lend a hand to those in need, i also reccomend a small box of RJ45s, crimpers, and that 50+ feet of ragged-ended CAT5 you've had in the bottom of a box for ages
clean phone - those who think they need one will know what one is. hehe.
chargers - don't know if this belongs on the list or not, since it's a rather common sense item... but not having the charger for your specific gear can suck ass. so can finding a ride all the way out to Fry's or Radio Shack to buy another one that you won't even need once you get home. (a new one that you can leave behind for next year's DefCon maybe. with any luck you can retire with a whole collection of 9v 500ma AC adapters to pass on to your kids)
card reader / connect cable - plenty of people i've seen who fill their digital cameras but forget to bring something to dump photos and can't take any more shots after the first day.
rf modulator, other shit to hook up DVD players or xboxes, etc to AP tvs - remember that the TVs in the hotel rooms only have coax on the back, i believe. to hook up other stuff bring along the right cables. (once again, stuff that everyone has lying in a drawer so it's an even bigger kick in the ass if you have to ride out to a store and buy them) also, for RCA cables... have a couple Y adapters for audio. never assume the device to which you're connecting will have the right audio (stereo vs. mono) and plan on having to fuss with the streams or lose half the sound in something you're playing.
driver and O/S discs for laptop, no precious content on laptop - should also be a given, but assume that your laptop might get owned, stolen, borked, or just be subjected to experimental installations of new O/Ses and stuff.
memory stick - along with the USB drive, consider bringing a mini cd with drivers for all kinda O/S, never know who'll you meet and where you'll use it.
blank CDs / DVDs - you don't have to bring a whole spindle but having a short stack around the room can be useful.
universal remote - this, in conjunction with a little flyer i made which circulated in DefCons past, will allow for some fun and games with in-room TVs. i'm a mere novice at this stuff... if Major Malfunction is giving a talk this year go see it, it was one of my favorite talks at ShmooCon.
speakers - if all you've got is a laptop (and no way to connect it to your TV set) then your in-room music and movies can get painful to hear with people around.
headphones - once again, if relying on laptop content for in-flight entertainment, remember those headphones to avoid getting hassled by other passengers. also, it prevents you from having to pay attention to whatever piece of crap Hugh Grant movie the airline is showing.
- -- ----- bathroom ----- -- -
oust air spray or stuff - if you plan on bringing women back to your room, trust me, you want this. you might not know how much you stink but they will.
packs of matches and a few candles - don't discount what a good idea candles in general are. if you lack romance-fu they can be a big plus in your favor.
sun tan lotion - mark this one under "all idiots should know this already" column
small bottle of laundry detergent to wash stuff in sink - altho soap will do in a pinch, it's nice to be able to clean up a shirt or shorts that you want to re-wear. i tend to bring plenty of boxers and socks but only a couple outer garments. washing or visiting the vendors keeps me more than happy with minimal clothes packing needed.
- -- ----- misc ----- -- -
pens, makers, pads - you think you broght enough but you didn't. they'll walk off and you'll lose them.
tape - both duct and packing tape. gaffer's tape is best, actually, since you can do anything with it and it's allowed to go thru postage system. (when fedexing stuff home, as many of us do, some places get in your face about duct tape since it can gum up the works in sorting machines, i'm told)
- -- ----- food store stuff ----- -- -
cereal - little boxes are easy to grab and run with.
fruit - avoid the homer simpson axiom of "this doughnut has purple stuff inside... purple is a fruit" and actually try to force some vitamins down your throat in the morning. your body will thank you.
chaser tablets - we all laugh and think it's herbal remedy or pseudoscience when the commercial is on TV, but i'm willing to pop a couple of these before crashing out a few hours on the off chance that they'll work. anyone tried 'em before?
red bull - get a case or two... people go thru a lot, it's cheap, and it's like currency
disposable coolers and tons of ice - keep one cooler just as an ice chest. ice get a bag or two of ice to keep since ice machines have a tendency of being tapped out at the alexis at times.
A NOTE ABOUT ICE... one of the best things i ever brought to a defcon is the following... duct hose that one typically attaches to a clothes dryer vent. why, you ask? because it's flexible, mad collapsible, and weighs amost nothing... and because your typical cooler and trash can won't easily fit under the dispenser of an alexis park ice machine... but one can sit the cooler on the ground and use the tube to chute the ice to its destination. heh, i didn't complete half of an engineering curriculum for nothing!
- -- ----- alcohol ----- -- -
(doubt people really need any help in this category, but here's my $0.02)
rum (goes with everything, liked by women as well as men)
vodka (see above)
whiskey (for people who enjoy drinking as more than a part-time hobby)
mixers (cola soda x2, non-cola soda, cranberry x2, oj, pienapple, and maybe lemon or lime juice. for about $9 you can make like 500 different drinks)
what suggestions do other people have?
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