Well here I sit... What am I doing you might ask... Well I am clearing all the data off a few hard drives by replacing it with zeros. It is a lot like watching paint dry or waiting for the dryer to finish your socks...

After a morning of Geocaching we decided we weren't hot enough yet and decided to tackle another challenge. We had put it off long enough! The grass was winning the battle and several of our plants were on their last leg. So today we ripped out the old and put in some new. We added three new plants, relocated one, and removed three. We also added new mulch and a metal edging. Now if we can just get the temperature to come down a bit, we will be set. We are on a good path as it is raining right now and it hasn't really rained here in months...

Ash and I went out Geocaching again this morning. Man what great places this hobby (sport) takes you. We went to a great park (Arbor Hills Nature Preserve) that we had never been to and will definitely go back. After that we hit a few more that were a bit closer to our house. GCPB4X took us to a very old cemetery that is right by a retail shopping area. We have seen it tons of time but never went over to check it out, after all it is a cemetery. I am not sure if this person was the oldest in there but this is pretty old. As you might be able to see they were born in 1793...

The end is drawing near - our friend and classmate, rhonda is the first in our class to graduate today!

Well I finally found a TreeGator for my tree. This device basically waters my trees like the pros according to the label...

Google Maps are a great thing! I have been up to my eyeballs trying to figure out the API in preparation for the upcoming Wasatch 100. I have finally got a working map of the entire course with all 15 aid stations and a 1001 waypoint trail (seen in purple). This map will be linked to from the runners time page which we will be updating about ever 5 minutes for the duration of the run.



In working with the Google Map API, I decided to recode the Where's Brett page. I was able accomplish something I wanted to for quite some time and that is the consolidation of the former "Brett's Locations" and the "Where's Brett" page into one. Now when you see my location on the Where's Brett page, you will also see things nearby that I like, enjoy or frequently visit...

It is funny when you are talking about something and have a great idea, and then a company comes along and makes it. After one of my card numbers was compromised due to a database security breach, I thought why dont credit cards require two factor authentication and use one of those RSA tokens link I have for network and VPN access.



Well In Card Technologies has done just that. This is a picture of one of their new cards that has a built in display for the numbers. With the push of a button on the back, numbers are generated. Say good bye to database breaches and hello to a life of secure spending.

Hot hot and more hot! So far we have had 30 days that were over 100 this year. We typically only have about 15. As you can see, we will probably be having at least 5 more... Man I love Taxas!

So here I am sitting on the datacenter floor working away when I realize my bottom is cold. I moved aproune a bit and that seemed to help...

Yea, its hot today. I think I am melting...

So every year at Defcon we try and take a gear picture of all the stuff we have with us. This is what we had for Defcon 14. The sad part is that we actually tried to bring less stuff with us this year...

Computer and Networking
1 - Dell Laptop
1 - IBM Laptop
1 - HP Laptop
2 - MAC Laptop
1 - Sprint EVOD wireless card
1 - Linksys Access Point
2 - Dual band (VHF/UHF) Antennas
1 - Dell Desktop
1 - Custom Built Desktop

Communications
1 - Kenwood TM-D700 (2nd one mounted in a car)
1 - Kenwood TH-79A
1 - Kenwood TH-G71
4 - Kenwood TH-F6
3 - Uniden BR330T Scanners
2 - Uniden BC250D Scanners
2 - Garmin GPS V
1 - Garman GPS II Plus
2 - BlackBerry 7200 series
1 - Plam Treo cell phone
1 - Windows Mobile cell phone
? - Sevral other misc. phones with various providers

Robots
1 - Computer Controlled Weapons System (Contest Winner)

MISC
5 - iPods
1 - Cannon Digital Camera (many more on hand including a Nikon D50)
1 - Fluke Multi Meter
1 - Level
1 - Crown Royal (?oz left)
1 - Peerless Handcuffs (Additional set not pictured)
1 - Biohazard containment device (just in case)
1 - Master Lock Pick Set
2 - Streamlight Scorpion Flashlights (we had 4 with us)

Items Not Pictured
2 - Soldering irons
1 - Second CRT Monitor
? - Many locks of various variety for practice
? - Lots of cables and chargers
1 - Well stocked professional first aid kit
4 - Multi Tools (Leatherman & Gerber)
? - Knives (mostly Kershaw)

Today we were so caught up in the robot competition we didn't go to any talks all day long. Of course it was really noon before we really got moving so...



Anyway, the team did win the competition by a landslide. We were the only team that knocked down all targets for a perfect score and did it in 37.7 seconds! Oh and one of our guys also took second place in the lock picking speed challenge. The big joke was that he could slow down his picking as the robot would guard him....



After the competition, a quick interview with Tom's Hardware and cleanup, it was off to the Paris hotel for a buffet dinner to celebrate. Upon returning to the hotel, so of us decided to go hang at the B&W ball for a bit.



All in all this has been the best con yet!

This is one of the applications that control the robot. This one mainly works with he visual aspect. You can see that is identifying potential targets on the back of Tays shirt.



We wrapped up testing about 3:30am. The competition is Saturday at 16:00.

One of the greatest things about Defcon is getting to meet and hang with people that have done some amazing stuff. John Draper is a very famous phone system hacker and he spent some time with us yesterday while we were working on the robot.



CLICK HERE to get more information about John.

This is what makes Defcon fun! This is Brandon picking a lock on his bead. Meanwhile a robot is pointing its gun right at him and could fire its 6mm pellets at any moment. Ok, so the robot wasn't actually turned on, but where else would you see such a thing? Only in Vegas at Defcon baby!

Well we made it to Defcon and just got registered. This years badge has blinking eyes. How cool is that...