Journal GMontag's Journal: HOPE 5 Report 10

Was on security for Kevin and Woz.
Yep. Pretty neat-o says me!

So, I come back from some sightseeing and a couple of beers and Kevin Mitnick is already by registration talking to the reporters for his media gathering. bernieS was there too and it was kind of creepy that we were both wearing National Security Agency (NSA) shirts, but they were different shades of green. I never did wear the issued orange security t-shirt. Had asked Roadie ahead of time if I needed to be in official orange, or if the NSA shirt was okay. We agreed that Kevin would appreciate the NSA shirt more.

One reporter was asking all sorts of goofy crap that she should have researched ahead of time, so Kevin spent most of his time talking to her about background issues. There is a reference to my reaction to one of her silly questions in USA Today. The USA Today reporter, Angela Gunn, was cool and spent a lot of time asking the attendees about various points the speakers were making.

Tried to get Kevin to call my customer on my cell phone and leave her a message, be he just pulled a trick and asked my number, then hers, then he called me on my cell while spoofing her caller ID! Well, *I* thought it was funny : )

Finally the rest of the security team for Kevin arrived and I helped escort Kevin up to the 18th floor ballroom where he was speaking and spent most of that time stage right, keeping the aisles clear, etc.

The other celebrity guarding was for Steve Wozniak the next day.

Almost the same deal, but I was smoking outside with Kush (the other guy assigned directly to Woz) when we got a radio call to go back in and watch the press interview him. Pretty quiet, until the rest of security showed up. They were like a bunch of mother hens, which was funny because the main advice was "don't crowd him, he is really laid back". He is VERY laid back, very cool and has a great sense of humor. Woz had also expressed some surprise before the Con that he was getting extra security.

One of the nice things he kept saying was that things were going so smoothly and he was impressed with the organization of the event. The first time I heard him say that we had just gotten into the elevator that goes from ground to mezzanine (rather than taking the escalator) and packed it with Woz, Mrs. Woz, Cheshire Catalyst, Kush and two others.

The doors closed and we were stuck in the elevator with Woz on the way to his keynote. Took a couple of minutes to get the door open. Cheshire began by doing some intelligent button pushing. Then they resorted to random button pushing. Finally, I keyed up my radio and let the rest of the security staff know what was going on (along with anybody who could hear their radios). Woz tried to take my picture, but I asked that he not do that and he was cool. Finally the doors opened again.

On the way up the escalator I did offer to let him take a picture of the back of my University of Tennessee t-shirt (my security uniform that day), but he said he didn't like it, LOL! (says "2 Nobel Laureates, 7 Rhodes Scholars, 6 Pulitzer Prizes, 10 Astronauts, We also play a little football").

On the way to the 18th floor we tried to describe the path, and I finally said, "Just follow the shirt you hate" and we all laughed a bit.

When we got to Area A we had to wait a while, get someone to haul up more bottled water, wait for the guys running the video feed to get the mezzanine running right (or something), clear the aisles, etc. I was behind the stage most of the time before the show, then to the left of the podium facing the audience. Finally it was time to start and Woz climbed on stage. I should have guided him a bit because there were some perfectly good steps in front, but he just climbed up from the back and scooted around one of the screens.

I got to spend most of the rest of the show sitting on the stage to the left of Woz, except when I got a call from my son that he and his girlfirend and an intern buddy had just arrived in town and were on their way over.

After we escorted Woz out of the ballroom to the mezzanine where he, bernieS and Kevin were autographing stuff (computers, computer books, my unworn "real" security shirt) I finally got a smoke break.

Son and his guests arrived and I got to escort them around for a brief tour, then we went to a Pizzaria and ate, they went back out so his girlfriend could shop.

Woz was just wrapping up when I got back, so walked him and his wife out of the building and got him to make a prank call to my customer. He left a message on her answering machine that he was doing a computer survey.

Refused to guard Jello Biafra. Not alone there. Several of the security staff refused to guard him because he is a jerk. Customer wanted Jello to leave her husband a VM, because he is a fan, but I just can't stand the guy enough to get that done.

Monitoring a live broadcast on the radio while in front of the speakers is a pain.

During the special edition of "Off the Hook" I got to monitor the broadcast for the panel. So, I am listening, through headphones, on a very good portable radio, but there was a delay of a couple of seconds there. The panel was talking into their microphones, but there was a delay inside the auditorium too. Watching them was very distracting, so I kept my head down and listened to the show.

Next thing I know they are saying something about the live show, I look up and they are pointing at me. Ah, okay, waive back and go back to listening.

The show dropped off the air twice and I had to alert the panel, as Porkchop and bernieS were the main guys handling the compression gear. They were broadcasting over a regular POTS line in radio quality sound, through some special gear.

Not remembering any other major technology failures that happened around me.

Odd items

I am no longer the heaviest smoking hacker on earth (per bernieS), I am a funny one (per others).

National Socialists in denial are REALLY annoying. If politics was mentioned at this gathering, it was as a revival of the Red/Black Alliance. Unfortunately, hardly anybody there knew what that was.

I RULE!

Between the 2600 van, Roadie's "Cray Mobile" and the Hydrogen Powered Hacker Jeep, mine was the only one in the row without a parking ticket on Sunday around noon. Should be some pictures up on the event website soon. The "hack" is to go to the meter box, pay in coins and put the receipt on your dashboard. Finding $9 for the meter is not as hard as you would think. Adultworld across the street had tons of $1 coins. Imagine that!

Embedded hardware security is cooler than a CDC sponsored whine. Cult of the Dead Cow had some "hacktivists" on stage and they were a big bore. We went to watch "Hardware Bus Security in Embedded Systems" which was cooler. Lots of info on how to examine embedded systems, sensors, etc.

Walked from the Con to 57th Street where a friend said there were some vintage watch shops. Did not find them, but did find FOX News when I was on my way back to the Hotel Penn. Walked by the 21 club, Jack Dempsey's bar, several other interesting places.

It feels so good to support women in the arts!

On a different journey I found a lovely artistic theater, so I organized a group to go enjoy a bit of interpretive dance. Live artists are usually a little pricey, but this place was only $8 and that did include a glass of juice, or other beverage. I strongly suggest anybody visiting the area stop by 50W 33rd Street and enjoy. Ladies are waived the $8 fee.

Some "Off the Hook" folk are so "bright" as to believe that "Urban Urchin" is a racial slur.

One must be very bright to believe something that stupid. When at dinner on Thursday night one of the "Off the Hook" crew decided to scold me for using the term "urban urchin" in regards to the valet who would not let me park my own Jeep. Everybody else was puzzled at him too. Oh well.

NYT quotes Roadie

"There are two kinds of people here," said Mike Roadancer, the conference's head of security, while shuttling between two groups of hackers - one trying to break into the conference's computer network and the other trying to protect it. "There are the old-timers. A lot of those guys are running their own venture capital operations or have made millions in the security business. Then you have the ones I consider to be kids that just really need to be turned over somebody's knee."

Costs:
Room $375.42 (Thurs/Fri/Sat nights, with no AC until Sun. AM, was moved to a suite at 3:00 AM)
Parking $99 ($90 at hotel, $9 at meter)
Confrence fee: $50
Hydrogen for Jeep ~$30
Food/Beer/Supporting the arts: $300