Could I walk to the front of any line for the rest of my life if I had the confidence I had right then? Definitely not. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the power my magic hat had given me.
#2017 DEFCON BADGES TV#
I started to feel bad for real TV stars and pretty people who get stared at all the time. My new friend was staring at me like I was a reality TV star. Sans hat, I got nothing.Īt some point I began to get uncomfortable. Another time, we tried to get into a pool party with our artist badges and the security guy just laughed. WTF!?! Keep in mind: a few years ago I was so meanly denied entry to a Defcon party I cried. I brought one of my new friends to the front of a hundred-person line waiting to get into a party and just looked at the doorman and he let us in. Bartenders remembered what I was drinking. The rest of the night was freaking magical. They just hacked that sign over there.” She waved her beer towards the casino.
“You wearing that to protect your brain from the hackers?” a tanned, older woman in a bright green tank top asked. Giddy with my newfound fame, I stopped for a drink at the bar near the elevator to my room–50% Defcon people, half regular tourists. I got high-fives (which is a challenge because I’m bad at them.) People yelled, “That’s my favorite hat!” and “You should win!” It was like I’d transformed into an adorable puppy or a famous actress. I marched from the room in triumph, foil-hatted head held high and my entire experience of the convention changed. I brought it to the mannequin for testing…and…he said I was in the top five!! There were so many more embellishments I could have added. Now, you might not think my hat looks that great but keep in mind that most people were grabbing foil and smashing it onto their heads like swim caps. I started with heavy-duty foil for the main structure and used the thinner stuff for the decorations. I carefully planned my hat to be sturdy, signal-blocking, and also very wearable. He asked if it was “okay” to give me a postcard. The guy making a hat next to me gave me helpful tips about the best way to block signals and also promoted his wife’s paranormal romance novel in a really sweet and sincere way. I cleared my schedule for the rest of the afternoon and got to work. The organizers had a mannequin head which could test each hat’s effectiveness. The tinfoil hats were not meant to be merely fashionable, but to actually block signals. Seriously, as I wandered through car hacking village few minutes earlier a nice guy asked if I’d like to try hacking I was so flattered and happy he assumed I could and flustered and embarrassed that I couldn’t.
Something I understood and could actually do! Someone suggested a short cut outside through the pool area and there I was, all in black, dying in the heat, wandering confused as sexy women danced on platforms and big guys in American flag bathing suits played blackjack in the pool.Įventually I found the booth–right across from the badge making tables–and also found my happy place.
I had a hard time finding the tinfoil hat making booth. All the regular events thrown into the air and landing all over the place in an unfamiliar hotel. Oh, and they played our music all over the convention center! One of my favorite moments was putting on a seven-minute song, running to the bathroom, and hearing that song playing in there. Many smiles and head nods as the crowds passed by. Not very chill! Granted, this was great exposure for SomaFM and we got to meet a lot of listeners who might not have found us otherwise. We were at one end, a temporary cafeteria at the other, and an alcove far off to the right held tables and the chill space.Įvery hour or so 1000 people poured out of the session room. One of the largest session room’s 20 or so exit doors opened into the space. (SomaFM, one of my day jobs, provides music for this area.) It wasn’t even a room per se, more a huge hallway. There were no endless lines to buy badges, I got into all the panels I wanted to attend, and I saw more women then ever.
I’ve been to Defcon all of five times and I’m already bitching about the old days? Ridiculous! They have done an amazing job of growing this thing. We were diluted by the masses of tourists. There were no pockets of public areas inundated with badge wearers, ordinary people looking at us nervously and scuttling away. The convention moved to Caesar’s this year, and the place is so big there was no way Defcon people could take it over. I had trouble connecting to Defcon until I made the hat.
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