Last week, I went to Las Vegas for a convention. The convention is called DEF CON, a convention that focuses many aspects of security and security flaws such as computer security, encryption, network securely, locks and taper evident security measures, and social engineer flaws. The convention was very educational on several levels.

Joshua and I arrived at our hotel room on Wednesday, August 3, in the hotel where the convention was going to be held. We then went out to dinner with Joshua’s coworker. The following day, Joshua and his friends worked to set up a part of the conference. After getting our conference badges, we had a great time running network cables and preparing. Joshua and his coworker went out for dinner that evening with his work, and I hung out with the rest of the guys and had sandwiches. A fantastic friend of Joshua’s was staying in our room and gave me good company throughout the night. We ended up going to a party away from the strip, where I bumped into my brother!

Friday, August 5 was the first really busy day of the conference. I spent my day floating between helping the guys with their part of the conference, and going to the villages and talks. It was very educational. I got to witness timed break-ins, learn about the fed and 0days. But was even more interesting was booth-babing for the group; I explained their competition to people interested and signed people up. But I was very impressed with how well I was treated by the nerds. Ten years ago, I would have felt harassed and abused several times, but now I was treated with reasonable amounts of respect by most people. At some point, I called it an early night since I had a terrible headache.

Saturday, I spent helping out my friends again and hanging out with my brother. We went to the Bellagio for lunch and saw the gardens and the water show. It was nice to get out of the convention and see a little of Las Vegas. I think I lost several hours to a migraine and a nap, but I cant be sure. I also went to a few talks including the EFF panel and the “crypto state of the law.” I learned quite a bit about the current state of encryption law, as well as the legal battles revolving about secure data and free speech. Afterward, I went to a party with some friends. I worked as the door person for a little while, until I was replaced by a much more assertive doorman. Then I just kept an eye on the party and did some light socializing until we cleaned up.

Sunday was strange, and not really a good day in the meddle. I did go to a good talk first thing in the morning; it was about smartphone security features and their vulnerabilities. Afterward, I wandered in and out of villages and helped my friends with a project. Early in the afternoon, some frustrating things happened (that I will not go into.) I was not clearly informed about what was going on and frustrated some people without knowing it. Socially, it was the worst part of the trip, especially because someone I thought was a friend treated me in a way that I found really unsettling. After hours of frustration, we all got together and had a great steak dinner, and talked about plans for next year; I will not be taking part in these activities.

On Monday, Joshua and I checked out of the hotel and wondered around Las Vegas a little. We went to a swanky bar and Starbucks until heading to the airport early to have dinner before our flight.