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DEF CON 32 Was Canceled. We Un-Canceled it

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

#321

Post by huytersd »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #276
huytersd wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard. It’s nice and hot in Vegas in August. Alaska? At best it’s fucking 50F, that’s deeply uncomfortable. Walking around in that feels like I’m dying inside. Also, it’s a goddamn convention not a business meeting. People want to drink, watch some shows, gamble a little bit, walk around on the strip. Have a good time in general. What the fuck are you gonna do in Alaska?

> It’s nice and hot in Vegas in August A high of 40C / 104F is not generally considered "nice".

That’s subjective. I love being in 100F weather. Makes me feel alive.

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

#322

Post by _cenw »

raldi wrote: post #301
_cenw wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That settles it, DEF CON in Dubai, London or Amsterdam. I vote for Amsterdam. Frankfurt also has the most international destinations (just not volume). (Probably not Dubai, considering a few speakers would be thrown out at the border - or worse if they get though. It's also artificially inflated because it's almost all transit traffic). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_in...

If we’re ignoring the second sentence of my reply, Anchorage would probably be the winner.

If we're ignoring your ninja edit.

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

#323

Post by EvanAnderson »

snarfy wrote: post #312
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…

I attended an earlier DEF CON (5 or 6?) where the attendees: 1) Hacked the in-circuit TV system and broadcast their own pirate show 2) Gained roof access and removed the satellite dish 3) Spilled hookah coals onto the bed starting a fire 4) drove the janitor's golf cart into the pool and that is only what I witnessed firsthand. I can only imagine what else went on. Maybe the attendees low spend was only part of the e…

That sounds like DefCon 7 at the Alexis Park. I think I remember seeing a photo of a golf cart in the pool.

I quit going after 7. It seemed like they partying had vastly I overtaken any actual technical content. I don't drink and I'm not super social, so it just seemed like it wasn't "for me" anymore.

Edit: It has probably changed in the intervening years but every time I looked into it it seemed like more spectacle than tech. DerbyCon filled the niche for me for a few years but then it got impossible to get tickets for and imploded. (I know there's a lot of backstory about DerbyCon that I don't know, too. For me it was just a fun way to feel a little of the DefCon 3 vibes again.)

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

#324

Post by jeltz »

tptacek wrote: post #302
wkat4242 wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Black hat is just one giant bunch of sales pitches. No I haven't been there but I've had to sift through recordings that my boss (who did attend) wanted me to look at because he was too drunk himself to do a proper evaluation. It doesn't provide information, it just provides sales suits a chance to blow their hot air :P If I'd ever go there it would just be an excuse to go to vegas to see DEF CON as well :P I work in…

This isn't a hot take. It's just wrong. Black Hat is peer reviewed and accepts a tiny fraction of submissions (tracks will accept 3-5 talks out of a typical pool of 20-50). Reviewers --- all of them vulnerability researchers --- barely have time to read outlines and look for any possible excuse to DQ a submission and move on to the next one, and the single most common DQ is "the presenter has a commercial interest in…

Keynotes are terrible at almost all conferences I have been to. They mostly seem to be there to stroke the egos of management of major sponsors.

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

#325

Post by PawgerZ »

andy800 wrote: post #172
p-e-w wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the constant attacks against their infrastructure they must defend against (let's be honest, I'm sure Caesars is not defending successfully) If there's any place in the private sector where I'd expect security (including digital security) to be literally top notch, a casino would be it. And casinos don't fuck around. If they catch some "uber haxor" laying a finger on their networks, you can bet they'd have him arre…

> I'd expect security (including digital security) to be literally top notch I know why you'd expect that, regardless, you'd be very wrong

Which private sector businesses would you say have top notch security?

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

#326

Post by hodgesrm »

snarfy wrote: post #312
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…

I attended an earlier DEF CON (5 or 6?) where the attendees: 1) Hacked the in-circuit TV system and broadcast their own pirate show 2) Gained roof access and removed the satellite dish 3) Spilled hookah coals onto the bed starting a fire 4) drove the janitor's golf cart into the pool and that is only what I witnessed firsthand. I can only imagine what else went on. Maybe the attendees low spend was only part of the e…

Other than the first item, this does not seem especially extreme by Vegas standards.

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

#327

Post by SideburnsOfDoom »

huytersd wrote: post #321
SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s nice and hot in Vegas in August A high of 40C / 104F is not generally considered "nice".

That’s subjective. I love being in 100F weather. Makes me feel alive.

One's personal opinion on 40C of dry heat may vary subjectively, that is true.

But that is beside the point; is it "generally considered nice" ? - emphasis added to the words that I chose with care above.

It is not.

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

#329

Post by nebula8804 »

jandrese wrote: post #310
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…

It might be interesting to see what is happening in Caesars during the week DEFCON was supposed to happen.

ha ha this comment can be interpreted different ways given the audience we are talking about.

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

#330

Post by huytersd »

SideburnsOfDoom wrote: post #327
huytersd wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s subjective. I love being in 100F weather. Makes me feel alive.

One's personal opinion on 40C of dry heat may vary subjectively, that is true. But that is beside the point; is it " generally considered nice" ? - emphasis added to the words that I chose with care above. It is not.

Well, tropical beaches are generally considered nice and those approach 100F pretty much around the year.
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