Not going to DefCon?

[highwizard]

Is some or all of this thread a "DefCon has been Canceled" type of thing? HighWiz are you not thowing TBBQ and an afterparty?

Is this like that "I love you but I'm not _IN LOVE_ with you" type of things (E.g. "I'm going to be in Vegas but not _AT DefCon_")

This is more like, Hackajar stop be a self promoting hack, who uses the EFF just to make a name for himself. And take the crack pipe out of your mouth ateast 10 minutes before you make a post next tim.e

[theprez98]

I'm not going to Defcon although I wanted to. However, I've never been there before either, so no one knows me, and therefore no one will likely miss me.

[Floydr47]

I'm not going to Defcon although I wanted to. However, I've never been there before either, so no one knows me, and therefore no one will likely miss me.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger, theprez98, as much as I would like to attend Defcon I won't be able to either. Vacation time doesn't fall right for me and work is booming. I've been lucky to get 8 hours a day off for the last 3 months. I will look forward to hearing all the stories and seeing all the photos though. I hope everyone who does get to attend has a great time. Have fun y'all...

[Deviant Ollam]

Vacation time doesn't fall right for me and work is booming. I've been lucky to get 8 hours a day off for the last 3 months.

geez, man. i'm not gonna tell anyone how to live their lives, but i find that to be a pretty hard to handle set of priorities. nearly every job i've ever had has tried to lay the "we're really under pressure" story on me at some point or another while begging for massive overtime, late nights, or modified vacation scheduling.

i give them all the same answer... fuck the hell off. i work for them because it's a sweet gig at the time, but my work isn't my life. if they try to knock around my schedule or do any other sort of typical corporate shenanigans, they are no longer a sweet gig and no longer worthy of my attempts to hold the job with any vigor. don't get me wrong, for a paycheck i'll put in an honest and solid day's work anywhere that i agree with a company's goals... but it'll be a hot day on mars before i put company priorities before nearly anything in my personal life.

as i've said in the past (and will likely mention in my talk) there's a reason that the defcon / hacker salute is what it is. sometimes the healthiest thing in the world is a good, hearty "fuck you!" expressed with glee. it does wonders in the realm of keeping people's priorities straight.

there's a reason it's called vacation time, man. tell the company to blow smoke out their ass and cool their heels for a weekend while you come out and hang with us!

but, hey, everyone's life is different and i don't have kids to feed or anything, so i can't speak for the whole populace.

[converge]

Is anyone in the forum meet interested in setting up a ghetto videoconference setup for those not attending? I am in the throes of beginning research of the matter, since I know nothing outside of 5-7 year old Windows-based videoconferencing technology.

pros:

1) it would be cool
2) forum members not attending could still psuedo-attend
3) it would be cool
4) forum meet could be recorded for playback if desired

cons:

1) it could take a little work in short time among a bunch of folks already busy getting ready for the conference
2) interfacing with cheap webcams/etc on the other end.. (ie, getting folks in)
3) bandwidth from the Alexis.. would need a spare collo donation
4) maybe folks don't want to be live on teh interweb
5) maybe folks don't want the risk of being recorded
6) "dood.. why don't you just show up?"

[astcell]

Looks like Lost_S0ul is not going either.

[Voltage Spike]

it'll be a hot day on mars before i put company priorities before nearly anything in my personal life.

You say that now, but your tune might be different if you owned the company.

Is anyone in the forum meet interested in setting up a ghetto videoconference setup for those not attending?

You are probably going to have to think this one through. Is this a mobile setup or a fixed one? If mobile, who carries it? If fixed, who protects it? If this is going into the talks, you are probably going to have to mute it to prevent disruptions. Can people still pay ridiculous Alexis Park prices for food while videoconferencing?

[lil_freak]

You say that now, but your tune might be different if you owned the company.

If Deviant owned the company I'm sure it would not be a problem or issue if someone was trying to take time off to go to Defcon.



I'm sad to see that many of those whom I consider friends will not be able to make it this, however there's always next year, unless Defcon is cancelled again.

[Siviak]

Is anyone in the forum meet interested in setting up a ghetto videoconference setup for those not attending?

just say the word man.. I'll do all I can to help you set this one up.

[converge]

heh.. I know you will. You're an amazing nerd like that.

[Siviak]

heh.. I know you will. You're an amazing nerd like that.

thanks? I think..

[ch0l0man]

I'm not going to Defcon although I wanted to. However, I've never been there before either, so no one knows me, and therefore no one will likely miss me.

So what am I chopped liver? :P

[Chris]

Quick prologue to this thread:
I am not criticising anyone that has posted on this, merely giving a piece of advice that has worked for me.


Whenever I switch jobs (which really isn't that often) I tell them about my committment to come to BH/DEF CON each year and explain that a requirement of my taking the position if it is offered is to put in writing, in the offer letter, that they will pay for my trip to BH/DC to include airfare, hotel, rental car, and either a per diem rate or meal reimbursement.

If an organization is unwilling to do this (none have been so far) then I really don't want to work there. Let's face it, BH/DC and all expenses comes out to somewhere around $2500-$3000 ($1200 for BH, $500 for airfare, $700 for hotel, $300 for a rental and then meals). If a company isn't willing to invest $3000 a year in training, chances are I don't want to work there anyway.

Now, I work INFOSEC so this is a bit easier for me than it might be for someone who is either not in the IT field, or not in INFOSEC specifically. However, if a company really wants to hire you, you have the ability to ask for things that they may not otherwise give you if you don't square it up front.

All that said...while I hate to miss seeing friends at BH/DC, your work/family commitments obviously have to come first.

[converge]

As you stated in your last paragraph, that is highly subjective to the hiring situation you're in.

In my case (an example you are already well versed in), I was trying to break a tech market from a retail drugstore position. Leverage was limited. In addition, I had two competing interests to levy for at the time of hire, and I had to decide which to push for instead of going for broke and losing an opportunity back into tech.

It was a big decision, because *not attending* was not even something I had considered since I originally started attending. I still want to go. I will go again. I will plague your forums until then. Someday I will finally meet my arch-nemesis skrooyoo.. maybe play a game of chess er something.

[skroo]

Someday I will finally meet my arch-nemesis skrooyoo.. maybe play a game of chess er something.

I hear he usually wears clothes in public. Should narrow the search down somewhat.