InTheCapital

By Carl Pierre / @carlpierre

ShmooCon 2012 has come to DC! 

For those who don’t know, Shmoocon is an annual east coast hacker convention that brings together the best and brightest the Tech realm has to offer for three days of demonstrating technology exploitation, inventive software and hardware solutions, and discuss infosec issues of critical importance. The actual convention is held in the Washington Hilton Hotel, a few blocks away from the Dupont Metro stop.

If you are so technologically inclined, there are a variety of events and activities going on over the weekend for Shmoocon including:

• Barcode Shmarcode: A contest held to see who can create the most creative ShmooCon ticket confirmation barcode, the only rule being that the barcode has to scan and it has to be your own barcode. The prize: bragging rights and props from some of the best hackers on the east coast.
• Ghost in the Shellcode (probably my favorite event title): A question-answer style challenge game that involves multiple categories and some incredibly elaborate questions that will challenge the most 3l1t3 hackers out there. 
• Hack Fortress: For all those gamers out there, it’s time to prove your mettle with two tournaments with bracketed teams fighting for the glory of being the finest trigger-happy hackers in the land. Includes Team Fortress 2 and Halo, may the hacker with the most acute fine motor movements win.
• Lockpick Village: For all you wanna-be burglars and lurkers, refine your Dexter-like skills at picking locks with the best of the best. Teachers and professionals of the industry will be on hand to teach anybody curious in the art of infiltration the finer uses of a torsion wrench.
• Shmoocon Labs: 30 people with one goal: 36 hours to get network traffic flowing through tubes so everybody can drink. You work with any group you choose, and it’s a great opportunity to learn some fancy new tricks you’ve always been dying to learn. Beware, you will have to fork over an extra 50 bones to get in. 

With that list of activities to choose from, ShmooCon will be well worth the visit for any of those who are more Technically savvy or who just want to understand the beauty of Tech culture that has blossomed quickly over the past few decades.

[source via ShmooCon]

[image via hackaday]