DEFCON 12 will be held in Vegas, July 30- August 1 2004 at the Alexis Park Hotel.

defcon.org ^ | Friday, July 23, 2004 | Nonesuch

[Nonesuch]

DEFCON is the self-described "largest underground hacking event in the world".

Official events include numerous speakers, panels, hacking and trivia contests, and the DC Shoot (geeks with guns in the desert sun). Unofficial events include parties, all-you-can-eat sushi, and a visit to the Gun & Knife show at Cashman Center.

Some people think it's worth the $80 price of admission just to see the circus, to observe the hacker hangers-on baking in their de-facto uniform of black T-shirts and jeans.

[Nonesuch]

Will any FReepers be in Vegas this weekend, for DC12 or otherwise?

[NJ_gent]

"Will any FReepers be in Vegas this weekend, for DC12 or otherwise?"

I was there for the con - just got back yesterday evening. It was pretty good overall. A lot of the problems from last year, in terms of overcrowding and talks being shut out, were taken care of this year. There was an incident with a speaker going nuts, but he was taken offstage by goons. Probably my favorite talks were: Locking down Apache, SQL Injection, and the Terminal Services/Citrix one. Spot the Fed went pretty well, and was as funny as always. The Meet the Fed session was pretty constructive and amusing as well. There was plenty of other fun to be had, and of course a lot to do in Vegas otherwise. I also got to meet Ian Clarke, which was also a great experience.