ATTRACTIONS & RESOURCES
2600 Store
In addition to the efforts and talents of our many awesome volunteers, HOPE conferences are made possible through the continued support of 2600 Magazine. Please show your support and keep 2600 alive, which will also help keep HOPE alive. The 2600 store is on the 18th floor in the main corridor between the upstairs speaking areas and is stocked with back issues, T-shirts, caps, hoodies, books, calendars, DVDs, and much more.
Friday through Sunday - 18th Floor
Amateur Radio Special Event Station W2H and 70cm Repeater
If you’re an amateur “ham” radio operator, you’re part of a hacker community that goes back over a century. Bring your handie-talkie to QSO with the many hams at HOPE to keep up with what’s happening. Visit Special Event Station W2H and operate on several HF/VHF/UHF bands in various voice and data modes to freely communicate with hams around the globe - sans telecom infrastructure! Our 70cm repeater input is 442.875 MHz (PL 167.9) and the output is 447.875 MHz which W2H operators will be monitoring. We also encourage simplex ops on 147.545 MHz and 433.545 MHz (PL 77.0).
More details at http://ham.hope.net.
Friday through Sunday - 18th Floor (next to the 2600 store)
Art
The bleeding edge of art and the bleeding edge of technology are often one and the same. Simultaneously, art allows us to process the darker aspects of tech, such as corporations, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies surveilling our movements and actions. Art at The Circle of HOPE covers these extremes, and more.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
Club-Mate
The hacker community in Germany became thoroughly addicted to this unique, carbonated, caffeinated beverage made from genuine yerba mate leaves. It gives you lots of energy, is lower in sugar than sodas, and doesn’t hit you with that “energy drink crash” when you stop drinking it. Club-Mate was first introduced in the U.S. in 2008 at The Last HOPE, where it was met with great enthusiasm by the American hacker community. Since then, we’ve supplied hackerspaces and rock stars with many pallets of the stuff. Get yourself a cold half-liter bottle of Club-Mate, or pick up an entire case and stay up and energized throughout The Circle of HOPE.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine and 18th Floor
Demopalooza!
Immediately after the Demoscene talk (Saturday 2300 in Vaughan), Inverse Phase will commandeer the big screen for two hours of the most mind-bending demoscene productions ever created by hackers from around the globe. Take a trip through the evolution of demos (an underground art scene born out of software piracy) from the scene’s early beginnings in the mid 1980s, to the golden era of demos in the 1990s, and the modern era where we ended up! Expect a chill vibe with brief introductions of each demo as they play on the big screen. If you’ve never seen this stuff, you really owe it to yourself to check it out.
Saturday 2359 (Midnight) - Vaughan (18th Floor)
DIY Music Concert
Friday night, grab a Club-Mate, go underground, and party while eight musicians and three visualists mix, spin, bend, mod, synth, sample, and twiddle bits, beats, and waveforms from Game Boys, theremins, radios, modular synths, and more! Open to the general public for $20 but FREE for HOPE attendees. A list of who’s playing when will be on posters around the conference and on http://music.hope.net.
Friday 2000 - Ritchie (Lower Lobby) (6 hours)
Fourth Track for Speakers
In the HOPE tradition of free speech, there’s a forum for unscheduled speakers to present on any topic they wish. The Nez room on the 18th floor is available starting Friday morning. It accommodates about 60 people, and will have access to our Wi-Fi network. There are AC power outlets but no video projector unless you bring one. Each speaker is allocated 50 minutes (allowing for a break and next speaker setup.) You, yes, you! can sign up for a Fourth Track speaking slot outside the Nez room. Come speak your mind at HOPE and hear others!
Friday through Sunday - Nez (18th Floor)
Hackers Got Talent
Do you have a cool talent or hack? Here’s your chance to present it onstage to a large audience of enthusiastic hackers, hosted once more by hacker archivist Jason Scott. Onstage hacks will be judged by a combination of panelists and audience. First place wins a valuable prize! Sign up for your 15 minutes of fame at the InfoDesk.
Saturday 2359 (Midnight) - Ritchie (Lower Lobby)
Hackerspace Village
It’s like an outdoor hacker camp village, but inside the HOtel PEnnsylvania. The Hackerspace Village has an electronics workshop, project space, and social area. Members of hackerspaces and the DIY community from around the world will host informal classes, workshops, demos, giveaways, and other events throughout The Circle of HOPE. Stop by and meet interesting people who hack around the world. Countless projects are conceived and started here.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
Hammock Lounge
Hammocks with Wi-Fi. Yes, HOPE sets up a bunch of freestanding hammocks where you can relax and unwind after many hours of hacking and geeking out. Warning: these are set to auto-flip after one hour to prevent lingering for too long.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
InfoDesk
Got a question about anything at The Circle of HOPE? Stop by the InfoDesk, where helpful and knowledgeable radio-equipped staff can instantly reach dozens of other HOPE staffers to provide snappy answers to your questions. You can even get info about local NYC eating and drinking establishments, parties, and other nearby stuff in NYC worth checking out. If you buy them a drink, you’ll get extra good answers.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
Learn to Solder
Lots of way cool kits are available, all designed for total beginners to complete successfully - and intriguing enough for total hardware geeks. Materials cost $10 to $30, depending on the kit. (No need to register, just come by when you like.)
Friday through Sunday - Hardware Hacking Area (Mezzanine)
Lockpick Village
Want to tinker with locks and tools the likes of which you’ve only seen in movies featuring cat burglars, spies, and secret agents? Then come to the Lockpick Village to learn hands-on how the fundamental hardware of physical security operates and how it can be compromised. Experts are on hand to demonstrate - and plenty of locks, picks, shims, and other devices are available to try out. Lockpicks and other cool lock tools can also be purchased.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
Midnight Movie
Glossary of Broken Dreams. Johannes Grenzfurthner gives an ideotaining cinematic revue about important political concepts. Everyone is talking about freedom! Privacy! Identity! Resistance! The Market! The Left! But, yikes, Johannes can’t tolerate ignorant and topically abusive comments on the “Internet” anymore! Supported by writer Ishan Raval, in this film Johannes explains, reevaluates, and sometimes sacrifices political golden calves of discourse. A must-see for politically interested hackers. (98 minutes followed by audience Q&A.)
Friday 2359 (Midnight) - Vaughan (18th Floor)
Network
The Circle of HOPE is one of the most Internet-connected events in North America. There’s ample connectivity throughout the conference. And when we say it’s fast, we mean it! 10 Gbps and potentially up to 100 Gbps. Use “CircleofHOPE-WPA” for best security. Any user/password combo will work - but no spaces! The certificate is legitimately signed by Let’s Encrypt. Windows has issues with the “CircleofHOPE-WPA” network. Use “CircleofHOPE-PSK” if necessary. The password is “hopehope”. The NOCNOC is where you can check in server equipment to be securely locked in our server cage. More details and updates at http://noc.hope.net.
Friday through Sunday - Everywhere
Press Room
The Circle of HOPE is pleased to host journalists from around the world to report noteworthy stories from this event. Large and small news media outlets, radio and TV stations and networks, newspapers, magazines, and numerous online publications will all be covering this event. Journalists can use the quiet Press Room space on the 6th floor with good Internet connectivity. Conduct one-on-one interviews with HOPE speakers, panelists, workshop presenters, exhibitors, organizers, volunteers, and others. Journalists - get your scoops here!
Friday through Sunday - London (6th Floor)
QueerconNYC
QueerconNYC is a community of LGBTQ+ hackers and allies in the New York metro area centered around social events and volunteer opportunities. They’ll be gathering for the first of many events for HOPE Friday at 1700 near the registration desk, but be sure to follow along at https://queercon.nyc and @QueerconNYC on Twitter for updates on activities throughout the conference.
Friday 1700 - Registration Area (1st Floor)
Radio Statler
Do you have something to say? Want to help bring HOPE to the world? Stop by the studio of Radio Statler on the Mezzanine and join them as they stream original programming and expanded conference content to the wide reaches of the Internet. Radio Statler is HOPE’s 24-hour live streaming audio station. (The name is a reference to the New York Statler, one of the hotel’s previous names from 1949 to 1983.) Radio Statler features original content: interviews with HOPE speakers, panelists, workshop presenters, artists, musicians, exhibitors, organizers, staff, volunteers, and attendees. Sign up to do your own show, help out with someone else’s, or just sit in on some in-depth interviews and roundtable discussions.
Know someone who can’t make it to HOPE? Tell them to listen to the Radio Statler audio stream at http://radio.hope.net - The Voice of HOPE!
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
Retrocomputing
The best old-school computer hacks creatively used the latest technology at the time and pushed it to extremes. The Vintage Computer Federation is back and will demonstrate several vintage microcomputers that have been hot-rodded far beyond the original designers’ dreams to do truly amazing things. An amazing ENIAC emulator (complete with realistic 3D-printed controls) will be nearby for you to go back in time and try out the reprogrammable digital computer that started it all in 1946!
Saturday, Sunday - Mezzanine
Security and First Aid
Lose your mobile phone or wallet? It’s way more likely to be turned in at The Circle of HOPE Security Desk than outside on the street! HOPE has no security goons. Our excellent security staff are all hackers, and are very professional with impressive security and medical training backgrounds. They do a great job keeping you safe in a crowd of thousands while keeping a friendly, low profile.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
Segway Human Transporters
Back in 2001, inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen unveiled the long-secret project some visionaries speculated could change the world. While it didn’t turn out that way, the Segway Human Transporter (codename:Ginger) is an impressive feat of engineering that still fascinates many hackers. Phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries, bi-directional servo drive motors, multiple microcontrollers, tilt sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and an inertial navigation control system that seems to read your mind make this unique transportation machine worth trying out. The Circle of HOPE indoor Segway track and keys to the machines are yours to exploit!
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
SpellCheck
The Hacker Spelling Bee: Witness 20 of your hacker peers bravely seek the redemption they’ve hoped for since elementary school as they battle through increasingly difficult security terms for fun and valuable prizes! Twenty spellers can participate on a first-come basis. Hosted by Brianne Hughes. Sign up at the InfoDesk starting at 1000 Friday morning. Please read the SpellCheck Spelling Bee Instructions at http://bit.ly/spellhope.
Friday 2359 - Booth (18th Floor)
Vendor Area
A nice bunch of vendors will be offering items of interest to attendees. Hacker books, electronic kits, hacker t-shirts and stickers, lockpick sets and tools, and other stuff you may not find anywhere else (or want to leave a paper trail buying online). Please support these vendors who help make HOPE possible. (We donate vendor tables to select nonprofits who support our community, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Free Software Foundation (FSF), Freedom of the Press Foundation, The Calyx Institute, and others. They deserve your support for the vitally important work they do for our community and for everyone else.)
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine
WiFi Data Safari art installation
WiFi Data Safari is a critical software art project that aims to educate the public about the wireless network da a that constantly surrounds them. We developed software that captures WiFi data from passersby devices that are s lently exposing personal information about their owner’s previously connected WiFi networks and the physical loca ions where they may work, live, and play. Through a metaphor of butterfly collection, this data is presented as a wireless habitat, where nearby WiFi devices appear as unique butterflies with "migration patterns" derived from p blicly accessible geotagged WiFi data. Flowers in the scene represent nearby WiFi networks and clouds represent n twork traffic made from devices connected to the "WiFi Data Safari" access point created by the installation.
Friday through Sunday - Mezzanine (Art & Holograms!)
Workshops
There will be over 30 hands-on workshops on very diverse and fascinating topics at The Circle of HOPE, happening from Friday morning through Sunday evening. For a complete schedule, along with descriptions, prerequisites (if any), and times/dates/locations, check the “Workshops” section.
Friday through Sunday - Paris (6th Floor), Budapest (6th Floor), Mezzanine