On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 5:39 PM, SkyDog <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Art, > Thank you for your criticism. I can appreciate that you felt slighted > by the conference and felt it necessary to voice your opinion. I do > think that by broadcasting your thoughts while behind the shield of > anonymity is quite the coward maneuver. > > It takes quite a bit of planning to put together a conference. I > currently put on two conferences a year, Phreaknic and Outerz0ne. I > also work on the staff of two other conferences, DefCon and Shmoocon. > We sit around and talk about what we are trying to accomplish, what we > need to improve, and what we need to get rid of. I've spent time on > the phone today with many organizers, and other high profile people in > the computer hacking scene that were at the conference. Each one of > them told me we did an outstanding job. They commented on how even > though some of the talks weren't what they wanted to see, or did not > meet their expectations, there were other events and plenty of people > to talk to. I stayed up until 4AM this morning discussing with Al the > events of the weekend, and asking for constructive criticism to help > me improve the conference for next year. I respect these people > because they have taken the time for do something for the community, > and they treat everyone as equally as possible. My personal goal for > the conference was that everyone have a good time in one way or > another, and if they weren't, to let me know. Had I known you were not > impressed, or even marginally satisfied, I would have done whatever > was in my power to rectify that. I was pretty easy to find, I'm the > 6'4" guy lumbering around smiling and shaking hands with some of the > coolest people on the planet. > > To do what we do, you expose yourself to criticism. Dolemite withstood > the jeers and jabs for six solid years. I have to give him props for > doing so. This is the first year for me to sit in the saddle for this > particular conference. I've served on the staff for many years, having > attended 2.0, many years ago. Over the years I have seen people come > and go, and lots of friendships form that will last the test of time > and distance. I can honestly say that I love these people. As weird, > bizzare, and unbelievably intelligent these people are, they are my > friends. I identify with them on a level that the rest of the world > will never understand. If the time we put into this conference > resulted in someone having that spark ignited in them, then EVERY > SECOND was worth it. If it helped launch a newbie kid into a world > that could help change his life forever, then sitting here watching > you spit on our efforts means nothing. > > If you emailed the coordinators of Phreaknic, then there seems to be a > disconnect. I have checked every email account that I have, and I have > yet to see your email. If this is your persona online, I am keen to > see your email. In fact, I hope that it comes in before I get home, so > that I can read it while drinking a glass of wine, or while relaxing > on the couch. > > You bought a service. For that service, you got 3 pieces of swag. It > takes alot to figure out what to buy each year, and not repeat > something. I don't want us to give out a piece of crap, so I poured > over the possibilities. On top of that, you got a program that listed > out EVERY event that took place at the conference. I made sure that > all events were listed, even if they weren't satisfactory to you. I > watched a crowd form for the chair toss, which I hope we do again next > year. Maybe it was juvenile, but most people can't walk up to the HR > person and fling their desk chair across the office. It was quite fun, > and anyone that competed got a kick out of it. So what if it was > mindless. The people that acted as volunteers are not highly trained > employees. They basically are people that say 'Yes, I will sit at this > post for 4 hours and attempt to help you.' My core staff spent hours > going over everything, not every volunteer. I don't think you > understand that to give you a conference where everyone on staff knows > every aspect of the conference would require an entry fee so large > you'd choke on it. For $25, look at that piece of paper we gave you > and figure it out for yourself. For $10K, I will designate someone to > lead you around from place to place and give you a detailed > description of what will take place. For $25, use that brain you > brought to work with you today and read. You also got access to 240+ > other computer people, Dinner on Friday night, 22 different talks/ > presentations and six different contests. Phreaknic is NOT a profit > center. It's something that we do out of the love for what we do. I > could have sat on my couch and vegged, but I got up and spent the > weekend making memories that will last forever. > > Man up. Meet me for a cup of coffee somewhere, and I will personally > pull $25 out of my own wallet to reimburse you for your loss. I ask > one thing from you in return. Contribute to the community, or go > away. If I wanted to hear how I screwed up, I'd ask my ex-wife to > rehash our divorce. Actually, I think I'd prefer that more anyhow. > > So I've thrown the challenge at your feet. Make a difference in the > community, or get out of the way of the people that are doing so. If > you think you can bring the thunder next year and help organize this > con on a $25 entry fee, and give world class talks and high dollar > events, then come on. In the meantime, I will be hanging with my > friends and laughing. > > *At this point, I have spoken my peace. I apologize to NLUG, both it's > organizers and members, for using this forum for my rant. I choose not > to participate in this discussion further, and I appreciate the > support that you have given. Thank you all. >
I didn't attend this (or any previous) year. But, after reading this, I am seriously looking forward to next year. If even a tenth of the staff puts as much heart into it as you did, it must be a great time. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NLUG" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nlug-talk?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
