DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it • Hacker News Board

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#31

Post by jfoutz » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:17 AM UTC

NanoYohaneTSU wrote: post #20

mrandish wrote: post #4

I suspect Caesar's dropped DEF CON because the DEF CON attendees likely have a fairly low "avg revenue per attendee" yield because fewer of them gamble compared to the avg Vegas conference attendee. They also probably spend less on high-end restaurant dining and bar drinking inside the hotel. Since the pandemic Vegas has had a pretty strong resurgence in general and this may be a sign that Caesar's is doing well enou…

Not everything is about money or the bottom line. Sometimes it's about politics. Vegas takes a loss on so many things. Nevada has grown more and more corporate over the years. This move doesn't surprise me at all.

> Sometimes it's about politics. > Nevada has grown more and more corporate over the years.

You make it sound like it's entirely about money and the bottom line.

I have a hard time believing gaming doesn't provide _huge_ contributions to favorable politicians. I feel like you've got something to say, and maybe something really interesting. But what you've got if awfully vague.

If you've got the time or inclination, I'd definitely read an elaboration of your meaning.

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#32

Post by V-eHGsd_ » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:17 AM UTC

sva_ wrote: post #24

kqr2 wrote: post #6

Also DEF CON was canceled, but we uncanceled it : https://www.reddit.com/r/Defcon/comments/1aj6ixn/def_con_was...

So they're making a marketing campaign out of it with 'un-canceled' t-shirts https://shop.defcon.org/

i'm pretty sure "defcon is cancelled" is an _ooooold_ meme

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#33

Post by c0pium » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:17 AM UTC

mirekrusin wrote: post #19

mrandish wrote: post #4

I suspect Caesar's dropped DEF CON because the DEF CON attendees likely have a fairly low "avg revenue per attendee" yield because fewer of them gamble compared to the avg Vegas conference attendee. They also probably spend less on high-end restaurant dining and bar drinking inside the hotel. Since the pandemic Vegas has had a pretty strong resurgence in general and this may be a sign that Caesar's is doing well enou…

Or they figured they're somehow net negative when they do gamble :D

There are certainly a lot of DefCon attendees who think that this describes them. In my observation they are all very incorrect, usually humorously so fortunately.

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#34

Post by fortran77 » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:18 AM UTC

mrandish wrote: post #4

I suspect Caesar's dropped DEF CON because the DEF CON attendees likely have a fairly low "avg revenue per attendee" yield because fewer of them gamble compared to the avg Vegas conference attendee. They also probably spend less on high-end restaurant dining and bar drinking inside the hotel. Since the pandemic Vegas has had a pretty strong resurgence in general and this may be a sign that Caesar's is doing well enou…

> They also probably spend less on high-end restaurant dining and bar drinking inside the hotel.

I'm not so sure. There's a _lot_ of drinking at DEF CON

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#35

Post by lmm » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:18 AM UTC

QuinnyPig wrote: post #21

caymanjim wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's seven months away. It's not like it's seven weeks.

For a conference at this scale, there's not a huge difference between seven weeks and seven months.

There's a huge difference even at this scale. Seven months was apparently long enough for them to make arrangements to hold it at another venue nearby (I'm sure rearranging it is/will be a lot of hard work, but they're doing it); would seven weeks have been?

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#36

Post by xena » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:22 AM UTC

Reminds me that I need to make my DEF CON travel plans. Thanks for the reminder!

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#37

Post by smt88 » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:22 AM UTC

c0pium wrote: post #33

mirekrusin wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or they figured they're somehow net negative when they do gamble :D

There are certainly a lot of DefCon attendees who think that this describes them. In my observation they are all very incorrect, usually humorously so fortunately.

My first thought was that GP was saying DefCon attendees would be counting cards, which is an effective and legal way to beat the house[1] (until you're caught and banned from the casino).

1. https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/nightlife/2016/04/...

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#38

Post by Lammy » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:24 AM UTC

nodesocket wrote: post #25

mrandish wrote: post #4

I suspect Caesar's dropped DEF CON because the DEF CON attendees likely have a fairly low "avg revenue per attendee" yield because fewer of them gamble compared to the avg Vegas conference attendee. They also probably spend less on high-end restaurant dining and bar drinking inside the hotel. Since the pandemic Vegas has had a pretty strong resurgence in general and this may be a sign that Caesar's is doing well enou…

Doubtful, I'm sure it's related to the constant attacks against their infrastructure they must defend against (let's be honest, I'm sure Caesars is not defending successfully). The juice just ain't worth the squeeze. They have a business to run, and the risk of having a bunch of drunken and high hackers who happen to be the best in the world running amuck is not their idea of a good corporate event.

Dunno if it has anything to do with it but they did get haxx0red last year at the same time as MGM, except Caesars paid up and MGM didn't. Hotel room cards, casino play cards, etc were down for ten days at a bunch of the MGM-owned properties (a.k.a. the half of the Strip not owned by Caesars) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MGM_Resorts_International#Las_...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-13/caesars-e...

https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/9/15/23875113/mgm-hack-c...

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#39

Post by datadrivenangel » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:25 AM UTC

So what are the consequences for Caesars doing this? It seems like this will cause a lot of extra work and maybe damages for DEF CON's organizers.

Re: DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

#40

Post by taywrobel » Mon, Feb 05, 2024, 4:25 AM UTC

caymanjim wrote: post #14

I find it hilarious that defcon.org can't handle the traffic from being on HN.

Without robust and easily scaled infrastructure in place ahead of time, an organic DDOS is one of the most difficult situations to mitigate. Not much can be done in terms of traffic shaping, rate limiting, or bot detection.