Simple truth.... expect anything and besides getting a flight and hotel, don't really plan anything else. For maximum fun just go with the flow. You may end up in some very cool places rubbing arms with people you've only read about in the hacker community.
This year should be very interesting. Cool talks lined up Johnny Long, Dan "attention whore" Kaminsky and , get this, Adam Savage from Mythbusters on the Discovery channel, will be there this year. Last HOPE in NYC he spoke, I saw it, he's a really cool guy. Hoping to meet him. His twitter is "donttrythis". Checkity check him out.
Here is a couple n3wb tips for maximum fun and $$ savings:
1) Shop for flight & hotel deals. This year from philly direct to vegas and 5 nights hotel at teh Circus Circus a friend and I scored tickets for about $500 a piece. giggity giggity! Unless you want non-stop, no-sleep, no-rest, skip the Riviera for lodging. 10000 hotels other than that one to stay at.
2)DRINK WATER: you're in the friggin desert for mitnick's sake!
3)You won't get much sleep, trust me! Prepare the week before by getting some good rest. out there the place just drains the living crap out of you. I found that fitting in like four hours here and there kept me going. Well that and lots and lots of monster, rockstar and 5 hour energy.
4)Black is cool to wear, hey we're hackers, its what we do. BUT, and its a HUGE BUT, bring black t-shirts that breathe! and shorts are a very good idea. jeans suck! :)
5) Leave room in your luggage for swag! You will totoally score some great stuff. (ie. t-shirts, or other crap you want to bring home.) And is it really nessasary to bring all your tech gear to the con? You may really only need a single system and any gear you may want to play with. Its easier in the long run also.
6)Don't access anything from Public Internet access points in or around the Riviera or anywhere really. Seriously. If you have access or actually own a 3g, GPRS, GSM, CDMA etc WLAN card, use it! Stay off the hotel net and the pub Defcon wifi/lan with anything you care about. It WILL be hacked and/or compromised. Don't be a victim of the "wall of sheep". (google it if you want more info). What I do is use either a sanitized/clean hd with nothing on it of value or use a bootable usb key with Back|Track. (remember to change the default password). But still remember not to check any webmail etc. SSL will not protect you. Ahh yes and one more bit of advice, skip the ATM at the Riv. trust me.... just bring enough cash ahead of time. ;)
7)Be humble. I don't care if you just hacked DOD or changed the Pres' blackberry ring-tone so that he's "rick-rolled" every time biden calls him. There will always be someone who can put you down. Once you go for the first time you'll understand, you can spot a arrogant hacker SOB from a mile away (**ehhemm,kaminsky,cough**). l33t h@xoR$ IMO are always very humble. Trust me sit back be silent unless you're asking questions. Make friends. Learn. No "measuring" of size going on here. Hacking is about learning.
All in all, sit back and take in the awesome exchange of knowledge and technical exploration available.
Hope to see you there! Remember to search for the offsec & remote-exploit ppl.
nick8ch
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