ShmooCon: Moose You Already

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast

On January 12th, 2025, the ShmooCon hacker conference held it’s 20th and final gathering. I was lucky enough to be able to not only attend the final show but also to interview the founders, Heidi and Bruce Potter. We talk about how it all got started, what made this hacker con so special and beloved, and hear some hilarious stories from the past twenty years of hacker shenanigans in Washington D.C.

Interview Notes

• ShmooCon: https://www.shmoocon.org/
• ShmooCon 2025 sessions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnKSfJ5rXw95HSPVl5L7dqhKpVAx3q_j0
• Turngate: https://www.turngate.io/
• HOPE conference: https://www.hope.net/
• BSides: https://bsides.org/
• Cackalackycon: https://cackalackycon.org/
• Thotcon: https://www.thotcon.org/
• SummerCon: https://www.summercon.org/
• PancakesCon: https://pancakescon.com/

Further Info

• My book: https://fdsd.me/book
• My newsletter: https://fdsd.me/newsletter
• Support the mission: https://fdsd.me/support
• Give the gift of privacy and security: https://fdsd.me/coupons
• Recommend news stories: send to news [at] firewallsdontstopdragons.com
• Send me your questions! https://fdsd.me/qna
• Get your Firewalls Don’t Stop Dragons Merch! https://fdsd.me/merch

Table of Contents

• 0:00:00: Intro
• 0:03:43: How and why did you start ShmooCon?
• 0:11:05: Why are hacker conferences so different from regular trade shows?
• 0:17:19: Why limit attendence and how did this give rise to LobbyCon?
• 0:21:52: What makes a good con? What’s your post-con recovery like?
• 0:27:26: Why did you decide to end the con?
• 0:29:54: How have other cons influenced ShmooCon?
• 0:33:16: Why is it important to be so transparent about your con?
• 0:37:38: What are your favorite ShmooCon stories?
• 0:44:54: What’s it like running a conference as a married couple?
• 0:49:39: What are you most proud of with ShmooCon?
• 0:52:13: Was there anything you wish you had done but didn’t?
• 0:56:07: Did you ever consider handing ShmooCon off to someone else?
• 0:58:13: So what now?
• 1:00:58: What are some ShmooCon alternatives?
• 1:06:36: Wrap-up
• 1:08:07: Attend a hacker con!
• 1:09:35: Patron bonus preview
• 1:10:24: Looking ahead