Woots and Thank-Yous

[TheCotMan]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

This is not a complete list, but I have been working on it long enought to post *something*:

Thanks to you!
* DT for putting his ass on the line, in the form of resources expended to start and plan the con, legal risks, and evil paperwork that is always associated with such events. Thanks for providing the resources that we use to keep the forums running, the new hardware to replace the bad hardware, the licenses for the software we use, the SSL Cert that help improve security for user credentials, the time to keep on top of security issues, and be proactive in the application of security measures that keep the data safe. Thanks to you for another great Defcon-- This was the best Defcon I've attended (even better than Defcon V)
* The Core goons that deal with the planning and background work for each con, from the B&W Ball, to the vendor area, to the Network, to the Hotel TV, to the encoding of Video/Audio, to Speaker Selection, retention, backup speaker selection, keeping time-lines, and flowing like water when routing around schedule conflicts, Break-out-Sky-box/Room allocation, Defcon Group organization, Web page updates and design, Swag/badge sales, and of course security-- I mean "happiness patrol enforcers" for helping to prevent fun from becoming fun-time-in-the-hospital (or jail.)
* Chris sorry to single you out man, but that is the way things go. I had no idea you worked your ass off at Defcon so much. On just Thursday, when Converge and I were in the badge-space, I think I saw a red blur a few times, and asked converge about it, and he said, "Oh, that is Chris." Here, there, everywhere. Now that I have some idea what you like to drink, you are first on my beer list for next year. Thanks also for the offer of invite for the Saturday night thing, but I had to return early.
* Rental Car Agency for getting it right the first time
* The Riviera Hotel and Casino women (2) at check-in for resolving the room assignment issue, and getting us the Deluxe in the Monte Carlo that had a refrigerator.
* The Hotel Staff for not giving me a hard time when I brought a cooler of assorted drinks (for the Toxic BBQ, and later the remaining sodas back from the Toxic BBQ) up to my room
* MFreeck and Converge for their hospitality as people I can trust as future roomies at future Defcon.
* Sorry to Mfreeck for kidnapping you for 60 minutes while I picked up astcell from the airport.
* Astcell, for being patient with the delays of the pickup-- It is lame that the other people planning to get you a ride from the airport flaked, but we benefitted with your company.
* MFreeck and Converge for talking me into going to Sushicon.
* GodMinusOne for setting up Sushicon and kicking ass when they tried to wiggle out of the arrangements you made.
* Jess (and others) for explaining the suckiness of the 7-day waiting period on the forums, and encouraging an extra stage of a restricted 24-hour waiting period, which we are testing now.
* Da Kahuna, and your group, good to meet you on the ride back, sorry I did not see you much (at all?) later at con. Hope you and your first-timers had a good time.
* DT, Mfreeck, and Converge for getting me in and squared-away on the Defcon Badge thingy. That kicked ass, and was totally unexpected. :-)
* The Sushi Place (name?) for giving mfreeck, converge and I a separate check.
* Lost for bringing your van, acting as a driver, and coming along on the super-secret locksmith shop tool run.
* Meee, Lost, Nikita, converge, ck3k, and other people I forgot the names of, for coming along on the super-secret Locksmith Shop run.
* Food 4 Less for carrying Guinness in the can - Sorry I took all you had.
* Vons (? I think) for carrying Guinness in the Can - Sorry I took all you had
* Albersons: Sure, you had a cooler, but why no Guinness in a can?
* Sam's Club for allowing our group purchase.
* Astcell for donating the use of your Sam's Club card for the Pre-TBBQ Food-Run.
* Astcell, Converge, Mfreeck, and everyone else in THE GOLDEN VAN OF DOOOOOOOM (and excessive beeping) for the heavy loads of stuff we packed on your laps-- special thanks to Astcell who may have lost any chance to have kids as a result of the weight of stuff sitting in his lap
* [Syntax] For taking the time to deal with the TBBQ Tee-Shirts, get them printed and being so giving as to donate some profits to the EFF and I think, The Hacker Foundation? Good job in being on the ball, and taking over this job from High Wizard.
* Voltage Spike for being easily found when I needed to give you your reward in the form of a 4-pack beverage in a can-- You may have been able to thwart my proxy last year, but I found you -- err, you found me this year.
* Astcell thanks for the offer to perform the pre-con-recon, the beer I owed you from the previous year, and the 200% interest on both counts with your 4-pack. You rock man! It is good to know you.
* Kallahar thanks to your for being first with the pre-con recon, and getting the pictures up. The 4-pack Guinness and my thanks are my reward to you. You kick ass.
* Tacitus: you also got pre-con recon pictures posted, but you only got 2nd place, because, um, you were second to post. You still got Guinness and my thanks for the great pictures and recon.
* Converge, GodMinsuOne, L0nd0, (Was there another "Grill Master," I am missing?) for keeping the grills running. Dang. You guys worked these grill for hours at a time. By the end of the BBQ you all looked tired. When I ran into GM1 the next day, he looked like a zombie, and I found out how draining manning those grills was to the grill masters. Thank you for the hard works, and grease you had to tolerate until you could change your clothes. I heard no complaints about the grilling-- only praise. Great work
* The people in my van trips back from the ToxicBBQ: Thanks for not hurling in my rental. You all seemed far from that stage of drunkenness, but I thank you anyway.
* Kallahar: great contest this year. Nice work on the build of the target range, and good job in involving people, building excitement and generating interest with more people competing this year.
* Lost/LoST/Lostboy: Holy crap, man! You went all out this year. Thanks for the Boebot, this thing is going to be great when I start work on it next week. :-)
You invested so much of your own TIME *and* MONEY into the events you hosted at Defcon. Hundreds? Thousands of dollars in money, and countless hours to craft the riddles, build the clues, design the boxes, and buy the supplies? And then, if that was not enough, you later lead a break-out session, that only required a $5 fee that became an EFF donation, to lead over a dozen people in the building of robots? If Defcon had more people like you, world domination would take less than one year. You also give of your time in the forums, to offer to answer questions about hardware for people to build machines to enter into one of the contests. I am really hoping that this break-out session you lead will bring you more entries to any robotic contest you host next year.
It was good to meet you and your wife, and hopefully next year, I will be there the full con, and you, your wife, mfreeck, converge and I will be able to make that run for pho.
* The various Lost @ Con Mystery Box contestents, for letting me observe your work and progress. Perhaps next year, I won't be observing other teams, if I decide to play. ]:>
* TOOOL and the people running the LP Village: Rockin! What a great place. You need more space, and a dedicated room you can lock so you can leave your stuff there. The extra room for presentations, break-out sessions and whatnot could even be shared with other group sessions.
* HackerPimps for throwing a great party, and letting somenoe like me in-- what kind of standards do you have, if you let people like me in? ]:>
* Doc-LPCon: well done. I only was able to see part of the 2nd contests, but after polling some people that tried, it sounds like you had a great contest.
* DC949 for aCTF: I was not there last year, but this year I can see you spent a lot of time building this contest. Nice work with the projector, music, tables, and of course, I was very happy to see *hard wired* network cables for maximum reliability. It must have taken hours (days?) to custom crimp all of those cables to all of those tables. I am sure the players must have appreciated the work you put into this event. Congrats on a great setup.
* Deviant Ollam: you were everywhere! The Beverage cooling contest was good to see. I am sorry I missed it last year. Sorry to abandon you as time-keeper, but I had planned to watch teams work on the Mystery Box challenge. Sorry I missed renderman's entry too, but I am glad you were able to use the watch.
* "The Asian woman working the info booth" (I know your first name, but not your handle/nickname, and I don't want to use your first name on the forums if you would prefer your nickname) : Sorry about paying the EFF the $20 so the person throwing could keep throwing, but I found out Priest was not going into the Dunk Tank, and I was not going to be available to dunk the next person on my list on Saturday. I did not have time to stick around and watch how it went, but thanks for being a good sport about it, and putting yourself on the line for the EFF.
* Converge for organizing the Forum meet even though the 2 hour delay really screwed tings up. It happened at 8 and then happened again at 10pm in spite of the time delays.
* Meee for asking the delta team to stand down, and postponing my being scratched off your list until next year or some other time. I know Tacitus and I are still on your list, but I don't even remember how I got on it 0:-) -- Acually, I don't remember talking to tacitus recently, maybe he really is off your list. :-o
* Meee thanks for the invite because I was "low drama" :-) It was good to have you with us on the LP Shop run, and at the Forum meet. "Passive Aggressive" is not how I would describe you, but I think I would use, "coy," and maybe, "difficult to fathom." You do well at keeping things mysterious and unknown. It was good to meet you.
* Nick and Winn for running Hacker Jeopardy. Sorry, I was not able to see Saturday night, but Friday seemed to do well.
* Thorn: Nice to finally meet you. :-) It was great to see the Wireless Contest returning again for another year.
* SketchCow: Thanks for letting my buy the 3 DVD set. I have not had time to watch it, but I will make time. Thanks!



Sorry:
* Mfreeck and converge: the toilet. At least that didn't happen again. I guess they really did fix it like they said they did.
* The person on the LP Shop run that I offered a tubular padlock. I forgot who you were, but had it available to give to you if I found you at con. Sorry about forgetting to make arrangements. PM me if you are on the forums.
* Not sticking around the HackerPimps party. I suck. My feet were sore, and I did not know but maybe 2 people there. Sadly, I found out that an hour after I left that plenty of people I would recognize showed up and the party started rocking.
* Missing the other parties on Friday, and of course, Saturday night.
* Chris for missing the Sushi thing on Wednesday (?) Sorry- Wed-Friday is kind of a blur.



You Suck! to:
* The guy in the contest area that filmed people without permission, and continued to film after being asked to stop. You suck. I hope that you kept up this practice until you found you were prevented from doing so. May your life be as unhappy as a person whose only goal in each day is to breathe one more breath while laying in a hospital bed hoping for the pain to end. May you lose your fingers, sight, hearing and memories, in that order before being kept alive against your will.
* City of Las Vegas for having construction on so many paths to and from Sunset Park and the site of the Toxic BBQ that is took ages to drive there and back
* UNLV, and sporting events in general for letting people into and out of sporting events during the times I was going to and from the TBBQ. You should plan your events around me, dammit! (heh heh)
* My feet for being so sore from all the walking they were required to perform. Don't do this to me again next year, or else!
* Me for having to return Saturday night and miss all of the fun of the Saturday night parties, socializing, and Sunday recovery.
* The fire Marshal for the mis-information, OR the people that gave you (Fire marshal) misinformation-- whichever person or people are responsible for the mis-information. Those 2 hours really hurt this years Forum meet scheduling, and made it really tough for at least one team to compete in scheduled events.


I know I am missing Thanks, and Appologies to several people, but my memory is failing me. PM me a reminder and I'll edit/amend this post or post a new one.

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Here's one:

Here's a thank you to everyone who threw a renagade party on Fri and especailly Saturday nights.

The Saturday of Defcon is my favorite day of the whole year, the one day if I didnt get it off I would lose my job for, go back into debt for, do whatever i needed to do to be there for.

I know the parties you throw are in no way cheep. I want you to know how appreciated they are.

[kenfury]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Noid and Evil: Thanks for being true friends and making this happen.

Meee: The schoolgirl outfit was just too much.

Crash/Neg9: for rockin' out

Flea: for reminding me where I was and stoping me from making bad decisions Sat. night

Che/Siviak: I hope you had as good time as I did

WilX: I'll just leave this blank

Ceazar/Avarice/Rooster/2621: Thanks for offering be the choice of red, white, or brown.

Priest: For keeping all of us safe and (mostly) sane.

Morgan D: for holding my gear in a safe place.

Divide: Mmm.. Edward 40 hands.

typeos: You Irish self bring the green faerie.

All the goons: For making sure we all made it and keeping metro away.

There were more but I want to keep this short and sweet.

[Abby_Normal]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

I almost forgot to thank the Jews! Shalom guys!

[ferretgirl]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Well here it is, my very first post after my very first def con.

I'm sure I'll forget some people, even though I don't know many of you, but here it goes...

Flea: Thank you for being my friend and getting me out of the house that fateful night and down to DD. Thank you calling me and making sure I didn't miss any of the good stuff. I love you.

Siviak: Words can not express

Eris: You're the bomb. Thank you for all the compliments and letting me borrow so much of your stuff!

Vandel: Thank you for falling on Eris and not myself when you passed out.

Warhorse: Thanks for the crash space and the rope corset.

Tacitus, Kallahar, Captian, Pescador, Arclight, Queeg, Riverside, Lei, Bartender, and everyone else that I see at DD and The Pit. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life and annoy you all so much.

In end I would like to say that I am very glad to finally put a face (and refresh faces from Layer 1) to the many names that I met over the weekend. Jefe, ASTcell, TommEE, Deviant, Jackalope, Trinity, Noid, Evil, Mee, L0nd0 and {x}-tasy, Russ, Abby_Normal, Ice-Tre, Sno, Hackajar, Priest, Uncle Ira, Lil_Freak, Tis, Mary, CJunky. I do hope to get to know you all better.

And I know you weren't there but *hugs* to Valkyrie. You touched my heart at Layer 1.

[Chris]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

I had considered not doing one of these this year since I always forget people and feel shitty...but then I said fuck it. I'm smart, I'm pretty, and dog gone it, people like me...so if I forget you...I'll buy you a beer sometime and don't take it personally.

See....I knew I'd forget someone...so now I had to edit.

These are in no particular order:

AlxRogan, Evil, and Phork--Thanks for all of your hard work in the Vendor Area this year. Your professionalism and dedication actually allowed me to get a bit of sleep for the first time in several years.

Wad, Panadero, xaphan and tflat--Best...Job...Ever

Shadowvex/Green Sector---You guys rule as vendors and as friends. Thanks for keeping the vendor area lively.

Freaky and the IVU guys--Always a pleasure to deal with you and I am looking forward to NOT fucking you over next year. Accept my apologies again.

All of the rest of the vendors--you keep me clothed and computing 365 days at a time. If it wasn't for you guys I'd probably be naked most days, and NO ONE wants that to happen!

TW, Barkode, Nous, and the rest of the Ninjas--Thanks for a kick ass party and for taking care of my ass Saturday night.

Pyro and all of 303--Wicked party guys. Much fun.

ASTCell--Thanks a million for the pin. You keep me in cool swag every year and it is appreciated!

Ghetto Hackers--Thanks for letting me and my friends into your party year after year. You guys are great.

Hacker Pimps, Siviak, and anyone else that threw parties this year--You guys kick ass. Year after year you not only allow me into your parties but afford me the ability to get all of my friends in. It's a responsibility I don't take lightly and I thank you for trusting me....and for getting me liquored up.

Jackalope and Golgo--Thanks for everything. You guys are the best to hang out with drunk or sober and I truly value your friendship.

Converge and Mfreeck--Thanks for coming back! Don't take any more years off dammit.

CotMan--Thanks for the beers, the kind words, and taking a few minutes to just chill out and talk. It was fun, and all of it was needed and appreciated.

Hackajar-Thanks for trying man

Lost--It was great to meet you in person. I could not have been more impressed with everything you did this year. You exemplified the true spirit of DEF CON like no one I have seen in several years.

Noid, Pappy and the 'surveillance' staff--Your professionalism and dedication makes it easy
for the rest of us to enjoy ourselves.

Agent X, Proctor, and Nico--Thanks for holding back certain items for me. I usually have one quest each year and each year you guys help me fulfill it.

Major Malfunction--Jesus man. I don't even know what to say. You are the best to hang out with, you always hook a brutha up and you know when to bring a person back to the right level of giant headedness. Thanks for all your hard work.

Dead Addict--What can I say. Always fun to hang out with. I'm glad we've had the opportunity to get to know each other over the past few years.

Q--Man, you hooked me up with everything I needed all of con. It was good to hang out again this year. Thanks for everything.

Videoman, Lock, Heather, and the NOC staff--You guys rule. You got every type of drop I needed to the vendors so fast that I had one less thing to worry about. You helped make my job easier and I appreciate it. Let me know next time you are in town.

Zac, DT, Black Beetle and Charel--Thanks for not only inviting me back to your party year after year, but for trusting me to help throw a part of it.

Michelle--Best 20 bucks I ever spent. (Get your minds out of the gutter you fuckheads, it's NOT what you think).

Ed--Thanks for being there when I need you...always.

Russ--I almost feel shitty including you on a list. I could devote an entire thread to everything you have done for me over the years. You need it, you got it.

The rest of the staff--I could spend a day thanking each of you individually for your hard work. Instead, collectively I salute you. Thanks for yor hard work and dedication.

Everyone else that attended--This was the best DEF CON for me since DEF CON 10. You guys are the reason. I am always amazed at how great the folks in this community are. I have said it before and I say it again...YOU are DEF CON. If it wasn't for how great you guys are we would have stopped doing this shit years ago. Thank you and see you next year.


I don't have fuck yous. If you were being an ass I politlely told you to please go and fuck yourself in person so there is no need for redundancy.

[converge]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

TOXIC BBQ THREE - Thank You

In the spirit of my best attempts to thank those that make my con experience awesome, here is my best attempt at thanking those that made this year's ToxicBBQ another evening to rave about.

L0nd0 - Without you at least half of what organization that exists would fall apart. Not only are you the man on the inside, but you help herd folks when the time comes, get people straight as to where to arrive, and when we hit the park? .. you're up at the grill the entire time keeping the meat on track. Without you the BBQ would be a grill and a couple dorks hanging out.
{X}tasy - How you keep l0nd0 in line is a mystery to me, but it is a pleasure seeing you every year and your participation in the BBQ is exemplary of the awesome community that surrounds Defcon.
Che - I'm tagging the idea of the BBQ on you.. all it needed was a push; you're a good friend to see yearly and the BBQ is no exception. You are one of several that makes the food run fun, like l0nd0 you hop off and hit the grills when the party starts.
Siviak - Our former Vegas insider with enough charisma to keep the grills ignited without lighter fluid. Lucky for us, the BBQ is on Thursday while you still have a voice!
GM1 - I don't think I've seen anyone tag those grills as much as you did this year. Surely any armhair you had was singed and .. didn't you have a beard when we started??
Lil Freak - Best aprons EVER! Not only the awesome surprise, but utilities as well! Not sure what the pockets were designed for, but it held whatever caffeinated beverage I had at the time like a champ!
Headrush - I swear you're always smiling, and your laid back demeanor makes you a staple of the BBQ and its atmosphere.
Renderman - You're too hard on yourself sometimes. Resident Notorious Canadian Hacker BBQ Cheerleader .. rock on man. You're great company and make the BBQ special, sauce or no sauce.
Grey Frequency - After hearing so much about you from various folks online, it was very nice to finally meet you. Thanks for returning to the BBQ and helping make it a fun event.
Syntax - I can't fully express how cool those Tshirts came out, how nice of a suprise the banner was, or how happy I was to hear that shirts recouped your money and that you rocked out a donation to the EFF with proceeds.
Guile - You're one of the folks I never get much chance to just sit down and chat with, but cool and a valued presence at the BBQ. I know for Texans its probably hardly a BBQ, but you always humor us and our kickass little picnic in the desert.
TheCotMan - Not only did you help out immensley with getting folks organized for the food run, but your van towed the line, bottemed out, and otherwise got supplied to the site; then you made countless trips to and from the park to get folks there! You, sir, successfully spited traditional Las Vegas transportation.
Kai - You and your crew were some of the first on site with additional grilling space; by the time we arrived your grill was already hot and had me regretting the 'pickmeup' pizza that I had at the food run.. next year I'll have to snag some of those bacon-wrapped delights.
Mfreeck - I'm so glad you got to hang out with folks and not get heat stroke at this year's BBQ. You were also smart enough to have your camera handy and thus became the only one with pictures in the household, capturing both the food run and BBQ.
Elaine K - Competition for Siviak's mom! You were so kind to chat with and the neck cooling devices were lifesavers for the folks that hung out by the grills all evening. The superman cake was a nice touch too, I think the goons in comms got enjoyment out of that as well.
Meee - You bring a mature, stearn sense of fun to the group that complements some of the crazier attendees quite nicely; yet I get the feeling that your quiet observation and thought brings about more entertainment than you let on.
LosT - With so much energy, effort, and time put into making this Defcon filled with hardware, robots, and more .. it was really nice to know you at least got some chill time and hang out with us at the BBQ. You and a handful of others have helped change the ideology driving Defcon from a Party/Ponyshow to a yearly event that can be just as cool and interesting as folks want it to be through participation.
Jur1st - You were another blast to finally meet and added to the BBQ atmosphere proportionately. Food, drinks, .. not quite the party level that some of the groups put on, but you helped wind me and others up to survive those crazier events.
Deviant Ollam - You exude hacker mentality; from the impromptu sessions in lockpick village, talks, contests, or the general 'fuck you' to anyone trying to tell you otherwise.. it inspires me. it inspires many. You, amoung others, bring this vibe to the TBBQ and make it more than the typical picnic it would otherwise be.
Spahkle - Whether swinging by the grills or making you way around the tables.. you are TBBQ. It was great that you could join us this year and it seemed like you had a little more energy than the year you played frisbie golf beforehand. I'm also convinced you're part of the reason GM1 was able to stay vertical the next day after he threw all of his effort into the grills.
Icetre - That food run will be forever burned into my memory. Catching you at Sams was a surprise, but the amount of liquor in that purchase(s) blew all pretense away. I regret not being able to partake in some of that, but I heard that it was pretty kickass (in spite of the 'asshole' event that caused EVERYONE grief)
AbbyNormal - Another person I never did stop and chat with, although I saw you from time to time throughout the TBBQ and con. Very glad you could join our evening in the park and hope to stop and actually meet you next year.
Gruffy, Julia - It was most excellent seeing you make the BBQ and was glad to finally meet the renound Julia. It seemed like every Defcon I began to see less and less of you around.. probably because of the time involvement that kept me out of most cool parties and events; it was nice to kick back in the Lockpick room and chat a little.
Calypso - You were pleasant to meet, strikingly witty, and totally kicked my ass when it came to Ghost in the Shell. I hope you had an excellent first Defcon and was glad you kicked it off by joining us at the BBQ. I will be sure to pester Meee to help make sure you get back out there next year!
ASTcell - For a guy that initially wasn't going to be able to make it, it was GREAT to have you as part of the group this year. You added another level of fun to the food run AND you let many of us leach off you Sams card. The amount of food and drinks piled on you in the minivan was phenomonal.. yet you were ready to take on more if it meant getting to the BBQ in still and loaded with supplies.
Neg9+1 - Ck3k, Twinvega, Crash, Xodia, Staticblackz, et al: You guys know how to roll .. you help kick the BBQ into life every year and help make con a great place to hang. Special thanks to Ck3k for hanging out with us while TheCotMan was caught trying to get back to the park. Riviera::Bring Vega Back.
Nobody & Jess - It was excellent meeting both of you the night before at Sushicon and glad you could join us for BBQ before the craziness of the con limited time/access to passing each other in the hallways of the Riv.
Hackajar - As energetic as usual, you came and hung out at the BBQ in style. I apologize for the uncool gesture of not making it to theSummit as I originally intended/planned.. now that I know it goes on as long as it did, I'll be sure to make my way there next year, and maybe even drag a few other folks as well.
Jackalope - If only we could get you to spin at the TBBQ too! Very glad you could join the TBBQ this year and kick things up a little before all the crazy stuff breaks out. You've been officially added to my growing list of people I didn't get to chat with but really should have tried harder.. maybe at TBBQ4?
dyn4mic - I'm a dork in the fact that I can't place a face to your handle even though I've probably met/chatted with you more than I realize. Thanks for being a part of the tremendous BBQ this year.. next year I'll have to make sure I remember which cool person you are!
Nikita - I searched all over and could not find the targetted beverage.. I'm not even certain that your group got pickings of the BBQ leftovers and feel kinda crappy about it. I will make special attempt to assure that bawls will be present for next year.
IVU - Kallahar, Tacitus, et al: It was excellent to make my way around and catch you all again this year, even though time limits; you folks are yet another group helping to build a bigger, better, badder Defcon and your contribution to the TBBQ is no exception.
Cygnus - Always good to see you again. I can't even think of TBBQ without flashing back to your participation in the craziness that was the original food run. This year's food run was no exception.
Capn Crunch - You're an interesting man and it was great that you could join us for the tail end of the BBQ. It was also good to hear that things worked out and you got to make your way around Defcon as well.
The Reporter - Chatting with you while waiting for the ride out was interesting.. not sure how the ropes worked out for you during con, but I hope you were responsible with your medium and made more friends than enemies. Alas, the downfall of the camera. Thanks for the chat.


Special Thanks to :

Paul Vixie, David Dagon - Your donation helped kick the BBQ off on the right foot with excess selection of meats, drinks, snacks and related condiments; in the end it helped create the overflow pile of supplies that filled an entire truckbed and made its way back at Goon HQ.
H1kar1, Octalpus, Javantea, and Veggies of the World - I feared the worste when H1kar1 arrived and the veggie grill was nowhere in sight. I was very glad to hear that things kicked off okay and that this year non-meat eaters were able to enjoy the BBQ. Kudos for putting up with our meat-eating tendencies and the inability for most of us to understand a world without meat. Major apologies to flea for being a dumb meateater in the hallway before the food run.. I really did want you to feel invited.. but it took me a few seconds to realize the fatal offering of gummi bears; you're were *way* too gracious in light of my ignorance and I appreciate that.
Goons, Security, and others working - You're busy making the main party happen while we're out having a good time in your place... and all we can offer is cooled/reheated scraps from our table.. lame. We all appreciate EVERYTHING you folks do and put up with; we'd do more if we could. Thanks.

Everyone else that was there, but I can't quite place a name/handle to your face:
You make the BBQ the fun event that it is. Sure, a handful of folks get together and decide when and where things will be; yes, there is a core of folks that know each other from the forums, work on initial food supplies, help man the grills, make shirts, etc .. but the real party happens because of you. Without you there would be 10 people huddled around a grill and a table. Without your generosity of bringing food and drinks to cover yourself and more, we would be pointing around wondering who ate the last hot dog. IIRC we threw away upwards of 50 or so hot dogs because we had so many and could not cook them within a timeframe of being comfortable of their bacteria levels.

You are the reason no one wonders where the next beer/water/soda is at. You are the reason the cop cars drive by instead of having to stop and break us up. The attendees of this year's BBQ closely approached 4% of all attendees at Defcon .. and we had 0 tards to fuck it up for the rest. How's that for kickass? I can honostly tag this as the best opensource event I've ever been a part of, but Defcon as a whole is rapidly competing in that direction. Those attending the BBQ bring the spirit of Defcon to the park .. an aura of community that we can all feel as a part of the TBBQ .. as Siviak best put it, you make our little picnic rock. Thanks.

ThePrez98 - Really hope you can make it to TBBQ4, we'll set aside a nice steak and our finest beer to celebrate your return.
Ndex - Psssh .. wtfkids?
JonM - Psssh .. wtfropes?
Highwizard - I know I gave you a lot of crap about not coming out, but it was mostly because I wanted you to know that you would be missed. You have a lot of friends iching to hang out with you again and I hope you can be at a better point by next year.
Skroo - .. wtfelevators? I swear, I saw Cat more frequently than I found you at Defcon .. hopefully next year we can discuss Sprint over some beverage.. in the meantime I'll be harassing you about getting one of those kickass evilproject.org shirts.
Valkyrie - Desert sun yes, but Vegas is not nearly as shiny without you to grace us with your presence and laughter. Hope things work out to see you next.

Others who were not in attendance due to other arrangements: you missed out.
See everyone at TBBQ IV!

please forgive typoes and incoherence if it exists; this was part of a marathon session that was interrupted by life about once every four words. the basic vibe is that I'm really thankful for everyone that came, even the folks that randomly caught up with me afterwards at Defcon and listened to my rant about why they should ABSOLUTELY be at the TBBQ4

[guile]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Short and sweet list

Syntax: Thanks for letting me bunk with you for 3 straight years. It's been fun. Looking forward to 07.

c0nverge & MFreeck: what wonderful people you are. I really enjoyed the opportunity to have a really fun and interesting conversation with MFreeck. Y'all are great people. You remind me why I miss the Northwest.

Shannon & Richard: Holy shit! Richard next year we're gonna need a babysitter for Shannon. That woman's got some energy! It was great spending so much time with y'all. Make sure you come out to the DC214 meetings.

Ninjas: What a fucking awesome party. I couldn't get away from the hookah.

DT, Goons, staff and speakers: You keep the con going. Thanks for all of the work you put into the con to make it a safe, fun and informative weekend.

Abby: Great party friday night. Thanks for being such a great hostess. Sorry to hear about the drama on Saturday night.

[shannon]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Short and Sweet Too!

Thanks to:

Richard: What can I say, I love you, I want you, I need you.

Guile: It started at DFW and (hopefully) Keeps Going.. and going... and going..... Thanks for the 'foot in the door' and your Patience!! Welcome to Richard's Hell.

Syntax: The Pictures are AWESOME! Thanks! I'll miss your quiet chuckle at my antics. You have the best Grin!

Abby and Sno: You two are the most awesome chicks at the Con. Thanks for putting up with me and being my friiiiieeennds. I cant wait to see you two again. THe parties were awesome! Love you both.. truly!

Dallas and Amber: You make the best Screwdrivers in the world.. thanks you to I had the best time on Friday.. uh.. that I can remember.. Thanks for putting up with my butt in the pool too!

CrackerJack: THanks for the Invite to the Ninja Party.. if it hadn't been for you I would have never met: DT, Priest, a Hookah, Barkode... bah-duh, bah-duh.. and the dominoes keep falling.

Barkode: You are simply a ~really~ great guy. LOVED Talking to you in our room. Sucks you live in CA.. if you ever get a hankerin' to come to Texas, we got a room for you.. (just ignore the 3 kids, dogs, noise, ect)

'My Favorite Goon' (Jim): I dont care what your handle is, this is my special one for you.. the ride to the airport was hilarious!! I cant wait to give you a big bear hug next con!! Just spread this to the other Goons "please, for the love of God, keep ANYONE from Killing Shannon!"

Flea: Calling my Hubbie a 'Hoss'. You rock in my book. He still has the bruise from your arm-wrestle! I want to braid the beard.. please? please? can I? can I? huh? huh? huh????

To Everyone at Con for being SOOO cool to Richard and I. I knew what to expect at Con but NEVER dreamed that I may have a place there too. THanks for letting a wife-tag-along feel so cool.

DT: You are the icing on the cake. THanks for being soo nice at the Ninja Party when I just walked up to you to say "Hi, Im Shannon". You really DO give an awesome face to this world. You Took a Risk, Gambled, and look at what you created.... amazing, just amazing..

[800XL]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

I've been trying to attend Defcon for the last several years. This was my 1st. Great atmosphere and experience. Thank you for organizing it. I will be back next year.

[Nikita]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

My thanks, Which I am not the best at this type of thing so forgive me if i leave you out. Also Thanks to all those for thanking me I feel Special :D

DT, Black Beetle, Domazon, el-capitan, Nico, KS and Charel- I love you guys :-)Thanks for a wonderful dinner sunday and as always the day to day joy that is working with you all year long.
Goons- You know you are all the shiznit :D Especailly Those of you i spent time hanging around with at ceasers and the swag booth and got to know a little better are great and we appreciate everything you do :D

Speakers- all of you who made your way over to finally meet in person, Im glad to be able to put faces to names now. Including those who realise how frustrating it is to have your name and credentials make you appear to be boy on paper :D I appreciated laughing about it with the hottest- drunkest- cheeseburger eating "fed" chick ever. Thanks Tyler

Ded- Helping neil get his very own hacker handle Jameson, it would not have been possible with out you. Also the great conversation in the swag booth made the day go smoother, especially showing up early and rocking it when our team showed up so late.
Jameson aka Neil- Your art work kicked ass and so does your drinking skillz. I will not forget your charming ability to tell certain people to f themselves at 3 am on my behalf. Im glad you enjoyed your first defcon and didnt mind having to point to me often :D Next year we should have a specially crafted I love my hacker tshirt versions made for you.
Ira- thanks for the speakerwire and the dancing who wouldve known you were so light on your feet you heartbreaker you!
Rescue- It was a pleasure to meet you, you made things go smoothly and your party was excellent :-)
A- you are so cute and a great guy, nice meeting you.
L3Ds3xc- You are totally your handle, keep on rocking it superstar! Im glad you liked working with us. You helped me out a lot and you are fun to hang with it was nice having you.
Siviak- for provding a holding cell for my deadly little ninjas
hackerpimps- Awesome party!
Unnamed men standing behind me friday night- Thanks for being willing to have my back not letting that guy back into the party.
Keif- I wuv you, you are a constant inspiration and i loved your spins homey.
Octal- you rock, thanks for helping me ice my toe and running round like you did.
Lady Merlin and Skydog for the nice time friday night and all the pictures. I swear I dont change clothes that often.
Dan k- as always a pleasure to hang with you im glad you made it to your buddies bachelor party and listened to me about getting to your speech in time :-)
Hooyah- It's so good to get back in touch with you and hang out, i missed you and im lucky now knowing you are so close.
Converge & Mfreek- Thanks for the company and rubbing off your goodluck atleast short term on the nickle slots. For sharing some drinks and some smiles. And for all and all being very approachable. No worries about the bawls, i eventually found some, i wil show you two the joy of cold inviting bawls in your mouth..one day..one day i will.
Ghetto- ( and previous ghetto ) Bygones be bygones and by god they are gone, Rooster thanks for being a sweetheart- caeser your challange was cool and provided grifter and I with interesting conversation whilst i was .16 bac.
Grifter- Nuff said. The level is still 50% but you are still an angel in my eyes. Please pass some love onto your lady for putting up with our deathly smoke clouds.
Major- damn man, you got there fast- thanks for your help friday night getting drunk man out of the party.
Agent x- Ditto on that for you, and i love you for your help herding my little kitty cats.
Kenny& Katy +including the wonderful Gil- I never will think of fry sauce the same way, Thanks for the pictures, the drinks, the fun the good company and the many instigations and instances occuring with fornication in public bathrooms. Please come visit again in seattle too.
FX- Mumpi- Thanks for the vodka, kisses and many good times.
Hendrik & Toralv- Same to you both :-)
The guy whom i recently forgot his name with the CCC- thanks for the convo I had fun talking to you, see you hopefully this next ccc.
Motormouth- aka 3ric- Thanks for clearing that mistaken identity up and making me aware of the location of my boobies. much to everyone elses dissapointment.
Deviant- You are so wonderful, Thanks for hanging out with me at the splash when i was working on 4 hours sleep for the week, Thank you for wrapping up the power cords so neatly i never had the time, thank you for the TTB project itself! For being so easy to hang with yet me lacking the time and location when i couldnt tear my butt away to hang and still being chill about it.
Nick Farr- Oh dear, I can say that you made my night on saturday much chipper in light of the circumstances. The recognition and impromptu introduction in the midst of that clusterfuck really made the difference.
Overdose- Thanks for sharing the black polish and helping with the ninjas.
Digi- You should already know you rock, but i will say it again...you rock. Thanks for the company sat night.
Evil- Your lighter, your company and the hook-up for jameson.

Sorrys:
This is getting way too long- gotta end this... sorry if i left you out its hard to just sit down and write from memory and sorry to Cotman for not going to the LP shop, Sorry to everyone else for not making the meet, bbq and missing you between parties. Sorry to the half-naked guy friday night, sorry to the bartender who got stuck with him. Sorry to everyone i sent rejection letters too. Anyone else im especially sorry if i was curt, lack of time and increase in booze can bring kita's patience level down.

F-yous:
Those already previously mentioned by others for obvious reasons.
The door guy who condecendingly said " Ohh look she found one" When referring to my invite.
The guy who didnt beleive me when i said I'll make one phone call and have you out of here if you don't behave and go in the hallway. You Totally bruised my arm a$$hat.

And lastly For all of you who were a) looking for a guy named Nikita and being disbelieved to learn that in fact i am a chick. TA DAH! These are boobies!
b) insiting on saying La Femme after introductions.
c) insiting on talking to me after i said i dont want to talk to you, and causing a scene while im trying to eat my sobreity meal.

[valkyrie]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous - From Valkyrie

I don't wish to belabor this thread any more than it already is but the sheer honesty and consideration for others that has been posted here demonstrates to me that the desire for this community to evolve, not just technologically, but organically, is showing promise.

I wish to thank both converge and Ms. ferretgrl for their comments about yours truly in this thread. I could not ever think that you would think of me in that way, so it boggled me a bit. I don't know what I have done to have you think of me in that way, but I thank you.

Second, the F-bird managed to find me in my hideout, so I received a deliciously suspicious boxen yesterday. To my delight and surprise, it held DefCon swaggy type wonders, which shall be enjoyed. But the most treasured was this one:

Apparently two DefCon bandits colluded to send me a card with well-wishes. Not only that, many others whom I respect and admire signed/annotated said card. After discovering and reading it, it took me a while to absorb it all. I am still trying to absorb it. Of all my material treasures, this that you have given is the pearl of great price.

For you all: I bow my head in wonder at the compassion and consideration you all have touched me with. A great goddess hug to all of my community, my friends. Because that is what you are. Thank you.

Stay shiny y'all

valkyrie
_____________
sapere aude

(P.S. - I always knew Nikita was a girl. :-D)

[hckhckhck]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Late but not forgotten I wanted to say thanks to everyone.
It was my first Defcon and I was blown away by the talent and splendor.
Thanks to the Goons for the way they handled the first days delay.
Thanks to all the folk I asked stupid questions to and got nice answers.
Thanks to LoSt! The Mystery box contest was astounding.
And thanks to the folks here on the forum. I really didn't know how much it plays a part in DC until too late, but everyone here's been great.

There is so much more...

[LosT]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Ok, I waited too long for this, but I've been a bit busy with the move and all...

Thanks to Plickt, AcidicA, and Mondayx2- you helped me before, durring, and after con - I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys- not to mention I would have never eaten...

Thanks to Cotman, for the late nights on IRC helping develop the concept for the Mystery Box contest...and for putting together the LP trip, and for keeping the asshattery down on the forums...

Thanks to EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE MYSTERY BOX CONTEST- I was afraid the contest was not going to be as well accepted as it was...I hope that everyone had a good time-

I have special thanks for Grey Frequency & Renderman- for those who don't know her, Grey is so nice- she got me a copy of Render & Thorn's book!

Thanks to Russ for keeping the contest area from self-destructing-

Thanks to Octal for being so nice to me at DC12, inspiring me to put more into DC14...

Converge & Mfreek, duo xie!

I KNOW I am forgetting people...but thanks for the opportunity to bring a new contest to Defcon...

Thanks to Neural for the first TCP/IP contest...

Thanks to the UAT crew for looking past DC13 and working with me!

Oh yeah, Joe, thanks for the bling! :)

I'll add more later, I know I'm not with it right now....

LosT

[calypso]

Re: Woots and Thank-Yous

Well this has to be the most fun I've ever had at any convention so thank you EVERYONE for making me want to come back again.

Meee: Thank you. I could never have made it out there without you prodding me to go. Your friendship means a lot to me and thank you once again.

Deviant Ollam: Your help teaching me lock picking has helped me in ways you will never understand. It sounds cheesy but yes lockpicking has helped me relax more and it gave me a new hobby.

Astcell: Thank you for taking pictures and being the nicest person in the world. Thanks for taking flattering pics of me and not posting the not so flattering ones ;) Anyway you are the greatest person in the world and don't let anyone tell you different.

GruffyD: What can I say....I would die for you and Julia. If you ever need anything I will be there breaking every land speed record there is.

Renderman: You were the coolest canadian I have ever known.. Sorry about sunday morning >.>;;;

mitra: -sigh- I wish I was in WA right now

Flea: love your wheelchair, stay cool

Queeg: I didn't get to see a lot of you but I wouldn't mind hanging out more next year

Sno: Thanks for the great time at tipping point and thanks for looking out for me on my first night in vegas.

I know I'm forgetting sooo many awesome people but ya know the saying: If you remember Defcon, then you weren't really there. Thank you and I'll see you next year.