Night 1 Parties at Defcon

After leaving the Bellagio's spa, I called Dallas to ask what was going on that night. Of course, he's connected and knows everyone, so he's my party source. First on the agenda: Hacker Pimps party in the skyboxes. After a great steak dinner at Bellagio, I took a taxi back to the Riv. around 10 PM and made my way up to the skyboxes. There were 2 different parties in the skyboxes, both with great techno music.

Walking into the Hacker Pimps party, I noticed a pack of guys on one side of the room watching the entertainers. One of the Hacker Pimps came up to me and asked if I'd found my friend I was meeting there. I remembered this guy from the Hacker Pimps presentation at the Last HOPE. My friend was in the thick of the pack of guys, so I quickly grabbed my friend's shoulder and said something like, “I'm here. See you later. Going out to the balcony,” and I pressed through the pack of guys to get back out.

There was a smaller party next door called “Spiders are Fun,” put on by a computer security company whose name I cannot remember. The bar was open, the techno was good, and I knew some people here and met some others. Out with the smokers on the balcony, I met a computer security guy from NYC who works for a company named Gotham. I liked that name and the guy even looked like Christian Bale.

Brenno then came out on the balcony and re-lit my cigar with his. For a while, we sat there blissfully puffing away and sipping XO cognac on the rocks. After both ran out, we danced until 2 AM. People we knew came and went until the alcohol ran out and the bar became cash. I read on Leah Shanker's blog that Jeff Moss was not able to get into this party without being escorted by a girl. Obviously the bouncer didn't know who he was—crazy! I told that to my brother because he was in the long line of guys waiting to get in, albeit unsuccessfully. He didn't feel so bad when he learned that even Jeff Moss was bounced.

Last, but not least, I went up to the penthouse party to meet up with my friend, Dallas. I got there just after the cops broke up the party so there wasn't much going on and Dallas wasn't there. At the ripe hour of 2:30 AM, I finally went to bed.

Parties at Defcon are legendary. Some of the skybox parties have passwords to keep out the Feds, but they were there, anyway.