What exactly goes on??

[Siviak]

.....I don't know, I giggle everytime I think about it.

honey... are you running low on your meds again?

[perpetualnewbie]

All of the above posts say get chummy with other people to get invited to parties and such, but I i'm kind of quiet when it comes to talking to people i'm not well acquainted with, so does anybody have tips on socializing at the con?

[TheCotMan]

All of the above posts say get chummy with other people to get invited to parties and such, but I i'm kind of quiet when it comes to talking to people i'm not well acquainted with, so does anybody have tips on socializing at the con?

(Sorry about the edit. I went back to check, and no content was removed. My reply is here:)

Join a Local 2600 group or DC Group in your area. You might be able to get 2 meetings under your belt and at least know a few people from your area.

At the con? Hang out where people are socializing, try to join a team or an event, walk up to an existing conversation and see if you are accepted. You can try to "hang out" on the forums, but with less than 2 months to go, you will have a tough time establishing yourself in all the noise of pre-con postings. This does not mean to not do it. If you have something useful, or intelligent to contribute that you think others will like, try it and see what happens.

[Added content:]
Being a minor at Defcon Starts at post 31
Other information related to being a minor at DefCon (Information about prices, and hotel age requirements may be out of date though.)

[Siviak]

All of the above posts say get chummy with other people to get invited to parties and such, but I i'm kind of quiet when it comes to talking to people i'm not well acquainted with, so does anybody have tips on socializing at the con?

myself excluded, alot of prople that attend DefCon are the quiet/shy type... these are geeks after all. Just try to meet people. if you see something cool going on go ask someone whats going on. If you hear a bunch of sirens and see flashing lights, run the other way. try to meet people and you will, like it or not .

[Abby_Normal]

All of the above posts say get chummy with other people to get invited to parties and such, but I i'm kind of quiet when it comes to talking to people i'm not well acquainted with, so does anybody have tips on socializing at the con?

Having big tits seems to help, have you thought about implants?

Honestly, remember, most defcon attendees are as dorky and social awkward as you are. You will not be alone.

People will talk to you. If you aren't a total looser you will get invited to stuff. Try inviting new people to do stuff with you. Ask someone you find intersting to lunch. Better yet, find a group of people to eat with, more chance that you will be comfortable.

Do you have a odd talent others might find interesting? Play an insturment? Have a third nipple? Share it with people.

There are going to be thousands of people who share your interestes in one place. It may be the eaiset place in the world to make new friends.

[renderman]

Someone once said that an education at MIT was like drinking from a firehose,
I think of Defcon education as drinking from a 35 foot beer bong. Roughly the same flow rate, just a bit more interesting content.

At my first con, DC7 I figured out quickly that lack of knowledge was not a bad thing, ego and lying about what you know are. For everything you think you know, there's 600 people at con who know more than you and you will be shot down very quickly.

As just about everyone said, check your ego at the door, ask questions, and just hang out. See someone working on something interesting, ask them about it. Overhear something interesting, ask for clarification. Goto the talks, check out the events. If someone's got some wierd new gadget, they are likely there to show it off and don't mind questions.

Just don't be 'that guy', you know, the one who sits in the corner working on something on his laptop and missing out on everything.

As Abby said, ask people to lunch. I've met some great people that way.

Sharing other talents is cool too. We even had a guy at DC9 with his accordian playing NIN songs

[Abby_Normal]

honey... are you running low on your meds again?

I always take my pills! The white ones keep me from screaming.

[noid]

I always take my pills! The white ones keep me from screaming.

I take the blue ones from Pfizer, thats what allows me to be such a gigantic prick all the time.

[noid]

All of the above posts say get chummy with other people to get invited to parties and such, but I i'm kind of quiet when it comes to talking to people i'm not well acquainted with, so does anybody have tips on socializing at the con?

Well, its already been stated but its a truth. Dont spend all weekend sitting behind your laptop. We're all socially awkward to one degree or another, thats why we became hackers in the first place, right? We relate to machines better than we relate to other people. However, you are guaranteed to meet no one if you make no attempt at doing so. Talk to the people around you, make friends on the forums and meet people at the forum meet. Look for other people sitting around being socially awkward and talk to them. Every year I do Defcon I come back knowing more people than when I left. I wander around the grounds, strike up conversations with people, meet the new people my existing friends are meeting, etc. Remember, there are some people that come that are just complete tools. If you try to be friends with them, they'll act like jerks. Dont take it wrong if it happens, just decide that its their problem and not yours. Provided of course you arent starting conversations with 'Hey fuckface, wanna hang out?', then in that case its just you.

[dYn4mic]

Sorry for barging into the middle (end) of a thread, but I think my situation applies here as well. (With a little variation, of course.)

I'm 16, and I plan on staying at DefCon for the entire time.

I've met you personally twice and I have no doubt you'll fit in fine... As a friend of twinvegas, mine and others... you'll have a lot of fun this defcon.

Be yourself, leave the ego at home, and be mature. Its easy to strike up a conversation because of the many common intrests. Its fun to party around a ton of geeks.
Be prepared to have your world turned upside down in how much you THINK you know.
Even if you think you know quite a bit about tech/security/networking.... defcon is the place to show you that you don't. My first defcon was an eye opening experiance that was just excellent.

[Abby_Normal]

so does anybody have tips on socializing at the con?

I almost forgot, most of us will be wearing badges with our names on them, and in some cases our forum avatar. So if you spot someone you know from the forum just come say hi.

[astcell]

You'll need $80 to get around as well, just so you don't get surprised.

[Falln]

Let me offer some examples to help you...
The Unofficial DefCon Shoot.

Hey that is awesome! My dad and I are really into shooting and this would be right up our alley. I am assuming that the range rents out guns? Can you rent out fully-automatic guns at said range?

[Abby_Normal]

Hey that is awesome! My dad and I are really into shooting and this would be right up our alley. I am assuming that the range rents out guns? Can you rent out fully-automatic guns at said range?

The shoot isn't held at a range. As far as I know they just go out to the desert and blow the crap out of stuff.

It's always held too early in the am for me.

Here's the official site, http://www.whiskey-tango.org/

[Falln]

Oh, shucks.

I can say one thing...If this is representative of the people present at Defcon, I will have a great time!