Well Well.

A hacker conference in New York you say?  What an interesting prospect.  You know, when I attended my first conference, I was in.  That is, I knew that these people around me were people like myself.  Coming from a small town and searching for people I could hack with was a joke.  I am still young to the con life so I have much to learn in the ways of networking with my peers, but I know I no longer need to search for a venue.

I never could afford anything when I was younger.  I had big ideas and every situation that I seemed to find myself in was a general failure.  Not that I did not learn anything from the friends that I did find, but it was more that they did not have the same dedication to the skills that I had.  It was de-motivational.  I have found, in a way, that hacker cons give me the motivation I need to continue on my own.  Eventually I just need to take it to the next step and ramp things up with some group projects.  These are the prefect places to get people engaged in world changing projects.

Whatever.  It will happen.  Someday :p

I have met a few people that run some cons and they always point out that the con is never all about the talks and I think I have captured some of that reason above.  I think another reason to add is the locations that they are hosted in.  The opportunity to travel and experience the cities around the cons.  So far I think that HOPE takes the cake in this area.  Defcon and Las Vegas seemed to move aside in my mind as I started tours of New York city and really started to explore around.  I have heard a few statements from fellow hackers at this con (talking to friends on their cell phones) about how it may be unsafe or whatever to leave the hotel.  How can these people be afraid to journey out into one of the greatest cities on the planet but not be afraid to journey out into the digital domain?

I was afraid once too.  I was not always afraid but I found myself unable to push myself to new topics and domains fast enough.  The fear of being a noob or not knowing.  The fear of failure.  So much experience in this mind of mine and all it has done is made me more cautious to move to the next thing.  I have broken down those walls years ago but the borders are still fought over in my mind today.

Generally with smaller conferences (not that HOPE is) you find people who are willing to go the extra mile and do full disclosure or talk about the things that other groups will not.  As I attend the talks at Hope and listen to the mantra I start to see a young child with a giant middle finger.

Young because they hold their own inner ideals to be pure.  They try and stand for things that they think are right because, really, they are right.  Free speech, free people, consequences for the powerful, imagination without limits, and an inner will to support all this.  A middle finger because fuck you.  You the oppressor.  You the one trying to inhibit the pure path that they travel on.  Nothing will get in the way.

This group does not ignore reality though.  Take the examples shown from the keynote talk about the Yes Men.  These guys capture everything that I have spoken about above and inject it strait into the publics reality.  The methods they use are efficient and powerful.  A way to do things that many either never thought of or never had the will to try.

I know a large part of this attitude is due to the hacker culture itself but still, @hope…you see and feel it more.  It may be the raids that the presenters went through and mention to the audience.  It may be the things that 2600 and EFF stand for.  It is like a high and I am sure that everyone experiences it differently.

 

Things to Note about NY so Far:

The guy sitting in front of Hotel PA is either a really bad drug dealer or a crappy undercover cop.  -His best saying:  “Whatever HACKER.”

(I think he is gone)

Learn to use the subway.  The thing is f*cking fast.

Do not.  I repeat, do not walk across the dam street when traffic is moving.  They will just hold down their horns and almost run you over.  You better start with staring at the walk lights until they turn white.

This place is expensive and generally a rip off.  Something I can get at home generally costs 2x more.  100$ for a 50$ meal at the same chain restaurant.  The Broadway comedy club was still cool.  The guy will sell you tickets for 15$ a piece instead of 20.  I bet you can get him to lower the prices even more.

The ‘tour’ they give you at the Empire state building brings up some wtfs? but it is still fun.  They try to make you let them take a picture of you in front of a green screen then sell it to you for 30$ later.  When you try to take a picture of the picture.  They get pissed.  You can still pull it off.

I will write more later in a separate post.