30C3

TL;DR: Please set up a congress everywhere near you, invite your neighbors and take part in C.H.A.O.S.!

Remember when we met in Berlin at the bcc? The 25C3 was when we first stuck those pesky signs on the door that read “Sold out, we’re sorry”. The building was already incredibly packed and we couldn’t let anyone in anymore. This inspired the concept of “congress everywhere” which debuted at the 26C3. The theme of that congress was “Here be Dragons”, so the idea to expand the fun of the congress beyond the bcc was called “Dragons everywhere”.

But what was this notion of “congress everywhere”? It actually existed from the times the congress first had streams. Some people needed to go to work during daytime, others had family and couldn’t leave during the holiday, and some probably just preferred watching it all from the comfort of their living room. But facing another packed bcc in 2009, we formally encouraged people to open their homes and hackerspaces, and they did!

At 27C3 (“We come in Peace”) we called them “Peace Missions“, and there were more than 50 of those in 14 countries all over the world. The concept of the “Signal Angel” spontaneously emerged at the 27C3, allowing those watching the streams to act questions and interact with the audience remotely. At 28C3 (Behind Enemy Lines) we called them “No Nerd left behind” and there were over 60 publicly announced get-togethers in 15 different countries as far away as Chile, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

With the move to Hamburg and the much larger CCH for the 29C3 (Not my Department), space was no longer an issue. Everyone who wanted to attend could get a ticket, even at the door! Yet, remote participants from 34 places in 9 countries still met and continued the tradition of “Congress Everywhere“.

Despite the fact that we have enough space for everyone at the 30c3 and will be selling tickets at the door, we still encourage you to have your “Congress Everywhere” if you can’t make it to Hamburg. To get started, just add your Congress Everywhere to the wiki, along with some information regarding location, timeframe, a link or contact information for people interested in joining you.

Questions to the speakers can be forwarded by Signal Angels via IRC and Twitter. Also VPN access to the congress network will be available, so you don’t have to worry about your network.

In addition to the Signal Angels, see C.H.A.O.S. for another way to connect from anywhere to the 30C3!

TL;DR: Please get to the CCH by 25th/26th with your assembly setup if possible

Beat the crowds and start building your assembly on the 25th! (Day -1). It makes loading so much easier for all of us and gives you time to make sure you have everything you need. Why get stuck in traffic around and inside the building? If you arrive early enough on the 25th, you may even be able to drive right into the unloading hall!

If you’re unloading a vehicle with equipment or other stuff you plan to use at the 30C3, put <a href=http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=53.563085&lon=9.985237&zoom=18&layers=M">Tiergartenstraße 2, 20355 Hamburg in your GPS.

Once you’ve arrived, have someone in your group head to the infodesk, who will let you know how to find your assembly. You can reach the infodesk via Eingang C, check there with the Angel or Security Guard inside for further instructions. Please use this entry only for loading and unloading.

Of course, please be sure to bring enough power strips and lamps for your assembly. Be extra neighborly and bring some for others to borrow as well!

This place is already waiting for you.

English translation below

Die Funkamateure im Umfeld des Chaos Computer Clubs, genannt Chaoswelle (Assembly) bringen ein ganz besonderes Stück Hardware mit: einen Radom. Den wollen wir auf dem Dach aufbauen – was da drunter versteckt wird, verraten wir nicht!

Aufgebaut ist das Radom etwa vier Meter im Durchmesser, und es gehörte früher den USA und stand im Bayrischen Wald, um dort gewisse “feindliche Nachbarländer” abzuhören. Zwischenzeitlich gehört es einer Sternwarte, die es uns gerne zur Verfügung stellt.

English Translation:

We of the “Chaoswelle“, the Amateur Radio operators of the Chaos Computer Club and our 30C3 assembly are bringing a very special piece of hardware: A Radome!  We plan to place it on the roof of the CCH. But we won’t tell you what’s hidden underneath.

The radome is about 4 Meters (13 ft.) in diameter and was formerly used by the US to listen to “hostile neighboring countries”. Today, it belongs to the Stakenburg Observatory who is graciously loaning it to us for the 30C3.

Did you think that the thrill of sharing your ideas in front of a huge audience at a C3 was something you’d never do? Was your talk one of the hundreds that got rejected? Did you come up with an awesome hack today that you need to share? Well, you’re in luck because the Lightning Talks are back for the 30c3!

Taking place at 12:45 on Days 2, 3 and 4, these fast paced sessions are perfect for pitching new software or hardware projects, exploits, creative pranks or strange ideas you need to get out to a global audience. Even if you don’t have an awesome idea or project to share, a Lightning Talk is perfect for pitching your self organized session, assembly, or even a longer talk you’ll give at the speakers corner.

There’s even a special 180 second express round on Day 4 for those of you who don’t need fancy slides or a full five minutes to share your ideas.

Registration is now open for the Lightning Talk sessions at the 30c3. Act fast to reserve your slot. Day 2 is full and Day 3 is almost full. (Update: Day 3 is full, there are only spots left on Day 4)

The Lightning Talks filled up on Day 1 last congress and at the current pace of submissions, they will likely fill up before the 30C3 begins!

PS: Natürlich könnt ihr euren Lightning Talk auch in Deutsch halten!

Dear Congress Visitors!

You’re tired of running around the Congress on the Schnitzeljagd (sounds like it’s fun!) or didn’t get a place? You’re like knocking your head on problems? Then we might offer something interesting for you!

Grab a few friends and join our capture the flag competition. These so called CTFs are hacking competitions in which participants solve various challenges – all based around gaining access to remote machines by exploiting vulnerable binaries, solving mathematical problems and completing various other tasks. This CTF will be run in “Jeopardy” style, i.e. challenges can be solved independently and are divided into categories. Each solved challenge gains your team points based on its difficulty. You will be able to track your and other team’s progress on a publicly visible scoreboard.

The CTF will start on day 1 (December 27th) at 20:00 CET (that’s 19:00 UTC) and lasts for 48 hours. The registration will be open before and during the competition, so anyone can join in late. In line with the usual motto Congress Everywhere, teams are able to participate remotely. Even if you never played in a CTF before, don’t hesitate to take part!

If you still have any questions, you can meet the CTF organizers at their Assembly.

Good luck and have fun!

Chaos Communication Congress mal anders – Hilf mit!

English version below

Die Kohlenstoffeinheiten, die den Congress erst möglich machen, werden gemeinhin auch Engel genannt. Sie kümmern sich um alles, angefangen vom Aufbau, Audio-Aufzeichnungen der Vorträge über die Einlasskontrolle, Pressebetreuung, Simultanübersetzung bis hin zum Abbau.

Aber was ist das Besondere daran ein Engel zu sein? Eine Frage, die man jedes Jahr neu beantworten muss. Denn der Congress lebt von seinen Besuchern und den freiwilligen Helfern, die ihn jedes Jahr neu erschaffen und mit ihrer Kreativität jedes Jahr anderes werden lassen als die Jahre zuvor. Willst Du, dass Deine Kreativität und Dein Engagement ein Teil dieses Erlebnisses werden?

Bring Dich ein und werde als Engel Teil einer Gemeinschaft, die so alt ist, wie der Congress selbst. Seit dem ersten Congress 1984 wird alles durch Freiwillige – genannt “Engel” – erledigt. Als Gegenleistung erhalten die Engel einen ruhigen Platz im berühmten “Himmel” inklusive Essens- und Getränkeversorgung, sowie das gute Gefühl mitzuhelfen und ein wichtiger Teil des Congresses zu sein.

Um selbst ein Engel zu werden, musst Du Dich nur im Engelsystem registrieren. Dort kannst Du Dich dann selbst für Schichten eintragen, die Dir zusagen. Für viele Aufgaben sind keine besonderen Kenntnisse erforderlich, andere erfordern eine Einführung, welche aber auf den 30C3 angeboten wird. Weitere Informationen findest Du auf der Engelseite im Wiki.

Wenn Du Dir noch unsicher bist, kannst Du auch jederzeit im Himmel vorbei schauen. Die dortigen SchichtkoordinatorInnen können Deine Fragen sicherlich beantworten. Du wirst auch immer auf andere Engel treffen die Dich bei Deinen Schichten unterstützen.

Wenn Du also zwei Stunden oder mehr Leerlauf hast, trage Dich bitte für eine Schicht ein! Wir freuen uns auf Dich im Himmel!

Wenn Du Dich nicht daran beteiligen möchtest, den Congress am Laufen zu halten, nimm Dir bitte zumindest die Zeit und zeige pro Tag mindestens drei Engeln Deine Dankbarkeit. :)

---

[ENG]

Experience the Congress at its best – join the angels!

Angels are the voluntary auxiliary carbon compounds making the whole congress possible. They run everything: introduction of speakers, audio/video streams and recordings, data, electricity and phone networks, bars, and even emergency services.

What makes being an angel so special, you may wonder. Let us answer this with a question: Are you able to run an event with thousands of visitors, creative minds, eager to discuss, explore and most of all: create?

Join the angels and find out! Doing so, you will join a community as old as the Congress itself. Since the very first Congress in 1984, everything is done by volunteers called ‘Angels’. In return, the angels get some quiet space in the famous ‘Heaven’ including food and drink supply, and the good feeling of helping out and being part of the Congress experience.

To become an angel, all you have to do is to register in the engelsystem where you can sign up for your favourite shifts, times and tasks. Many of the tasks do not need any knowledge besides showing up on time but are nonetheless vital for the Congress. Other tasks may need an introduction with which you will be provided in time at the 30C3. Please read the angel wiki page for basic information.

If you do not yet know, how to start, you can also visit the heaven and ask, how you could help. There you can also receive information about shortages and important tasks.

So if you have two or more hours to spare, sign up for a shift! We will be waiting for you in Heaven!

If you don’t want to participate in making the congress work, at least take your time and thank at least 3 angels every day to show your gratitude. :)

For the 30C3 we have designed a scavenger hunt for hackers and geeks. You will be challenged with puzzles and tasks including writing code, printing 3D objects, solving riddles and much, much more… The hunt will take place on the second day of the congress (28th of December) from 2pm to around 8pm and is made for about 10 teams competing with each other. A team should consist of 3 to 6 members. All you need is a computer, a twitter and email account and a blog of your choice (soup, tumblr, etc.) for documentation purposes.

If you like challenging riddles and games, write to info (at) turnonthatobject.de to get you invitation token. All additional information will then be provided by email. Also please check https://turnonthatobject.de/ and follow @play_toto on twitter for updates.