Those of you who know about the annual Defcon hacker convention in Las Vegas, Nevada know by either having experienced it first hand, or by hearing of the stories how much of a blast it can be. This was the first year HFX attended as an official organization. Staff and affiliates have attended this convention in the years past but on an individual status. This year we hope to finally get some HFX members together and come up with plans for the future, project ideas, and just get to know each other while at the same time enjoying the features of the convention itself. If you wish to attend Defcon this year yourself, the information below should help you out.

Defcon 6 Official Convention Announcement:

READ & DISTRIBUTE & READ & DISTRIBUTE & READ & DISTRIBUTE & READ & DISTRIBUTE

This is the initial announcement and call for speakers for DEF CON 6.0!

IN
SHORT:--------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT: Speakers & partying in Vegas for hackers from the world over.
WHEN: July 31st - August 2nd
WHERE: Las Vegas, Nevada @ The Plaza Hotel and Casino
COSTS: $40 at the door
MORE INFO: http://www.defcon.org/ or email info@defcon.org

IN
LONG:---------------------------------------------------------------------

It's time to brave Las Vegas again for DEF CON! This is an initial announcement and invitation to DEF CON 6.0, a convention for the "underground" elements of the computer culture. We try to target the (Fill in your favorite word here): Hackers, Phreaks, Hammies, Virii Coders, Programmers, Crackers, Cyberpunk Wannabees, Civil Liberties Groups, CypherPunks, Futurists, Artists, and Hearing Impaired. It seems that books about the culture are becoming more popular, so of course reporters are also welcome. You won't be hurt. I promise. Just bring cash for
drinks.

So you heard about DEF CON V, and want to hit part 6.0? You heard about the parties, the info discussed, the bizarre atmosphere of Las Vegas and want to check it out in person? You want to do weird shit _away_ from the hotel where you can't get me in trouble? You have intimate knowledge of the SWIFT network, and want to transfer millions of dollars to the DEF CON account?
Then you're just the person to attend!

What DEF CON is known for is the open discussion of all ideas, the free environment to make new contacts, and the lack of ego. More people have made great friends at DEF CON over the years than my brain can conceive of. DEF CON is also known for letting the "Suits" (Government / Corporate) mix with everyone and get an idea of what the scene is all about. The media makes an appearance every year and we try to educate them as to what is really going on. Basically it has turned into the place to be if you are at all interested in the computer underground.

SPEAKERS:--------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the years DEF CON has had many notable speakers. This year there will be more of an emphasis on technical talks. While the talks of the past have been great, it always seems some tech people drop out and general
talks fill in. I will load it tech heavy so when people do drop out there will still be plenty of meat left for the propeller heads.

There will be speaking on all day Saturday and Sunday. About 20 people will
speak, plus smaller tech sessions.
If you are interested in speaking or demonstrating something please contact me at
dtangent@defcon.org

EVENTS:-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Capture the Flag, the Black & White Ball, Internet connectivity, 6th Annual Spot the Fed Contest, the new Spot the Screenwriter Contest, Hacker Jeopardy, live music from the London Pirate Radio DJs, and events still in planning.

VENDORS / SPONSORS /
RESEARCH:-----------------------------------------------

If you are interested in selling something (shirts, books, computers, whatever) and want to get a table contact me for costs.

If you have some pet research project and you want to have the participants fill out anonymous questioners please contact me for the best way to do this.

If you want to sponsor any event or part of DEF CON 6.0 in return for favorable mentions and media manipulation please contact me.

MORE
INFO:-------------------------------------------------------------------

WWW Site http://www.defcon.org/defcon-6-pre.html

Convention updates and archives from previous conventions are housed here. Past speakers, topics, and stuff for sale. Also a growing section of links to other places of interest and current events.

This is the main source for all convention updates. Hotel contact information, room rates, updated speakers lists, etc. can be found here.

HOTEL INFORMATION

Jackie Gaughan's Plaza Hotel Number One Main Street in the Old Downtown Las Vegas Reservations
Phone Number: 1-800-634-6575 When reserving a room reference the "Network Security Solutions"
conference. There are four room sizes available. On Friday and Saturday night they are $50 for a single/double room, $60 for a 1 king bed room, $100 for a suite with 1 bedroom and 1 king sized bed or 2
queen sized beds and $150 for two bedrooms with 1 king and two queens.

MAILING LIST

Send email to majordomo@merde.dis.org and in the body of the message include the following on a separate line.
subscribe dc-stuff

dc-stuff is related to general conversation, planning rides and rooms, etc. Be warned! When the convention time is near the list starts to generate quite a bit of traffic (As if it doesn't now!)

The DEF CON Shoot Event
Catch all the information and links necessary to participate at this years official DEF CON Shoot.
http://afropimps.com/dcshoot/

The DEF CON 6.0 Car ride sharing pages:

Boogah187 has set up an Orange County California Ride share page.
http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/lynx/281/index.htm

The Colorado 303 Area Code ride sharing page by the alien:
http://www.dim.com/~rage/defcon/

EMAIL dtangent@defcon.org

Send all email questions / comments to dtangent@defcon.org. It has been said that my email is monitored by various people. If you want to say something private, please do so with my pgp key (At the bottom of this announcement) I usually respond to everything, if not I'm swamped or had a system problem.

DO YOU WANT TO
HELP?---------------------------------------------------------

Here is what you can do if you want to help out or participate in
some way:

Donate stuff for the continuous giveaways and the various contests. Got extra ancient stuff, or new cool stuff you don't use anymore? Donate it to a good cause! One person was very happy over winning an osborne "portable" computer.

ORGANIZE sharing a room or rides with other people in your area. Join the mailing list and let people know you have floor space or some extra seats in your car. Hey, what's the worst that can
happen besides a trashed hotel room or a car-jacking?

CREATE questions for hacker jeopardy (you know how the game is played) and email them to winn@infowar.com. No one helped out last year, so this year let's try. Everything from "Famous narks" to
"unix bugs" is fair game.

BRING a machine with a 10bt interface card, and get on the local network, trade pgp signatures, etc.


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGP for Business Security 5.5

iQA/AwUBNRFGNHwFduZCiPcrEQK7ZACfYh6Ud6Q/D9Gm+pCQ5ZI56Z1TRV8AnRZG
+QIQjiXC3+gm1CDQwL6ovjGv=HQ3d
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----