| I went to Defcon 9 and while I was there I was talking to an English reporter. While we talked, she was invited back to this room of a guy. She turned to me and invited me to come. I joined her and we met these guys that were just partying. We really had a great time.
A bald man was sitting with us and just talking about stuff, not talk about computers or anything specific, just about political issues, and stuff along those lines. They enjoyed company and had a good time explaining what was going on and what they felt. They sat on the floor while I sat in a chair, they were hanging out looking at cool stuff they found. One guy had a "demon possessed cow" which mooed then hopped around. There was a bunch of jokes told and a little alcohol given out, though they were all obviously old enough to drink.
Later the girl left and I left with her. As I walked out I asked who who was that? She turned to me and said "CDC". Now I had not been too interested in tools of hacking, as I am more into the actual work of it so when I asked who they were she had to explain it. "Cult of the Dead Cow, The guys who created Back Orifice." Then it i hit me.
I actually was sitting in the same room as CULT OF THE DEAD COW at Defcon 9.
I then realized that at one point I thought "What an stupid thing he just said". The bald man was Count Zero, one of the leaders of CDC. I was a virtual nobody and these guys were extremely friendly to me. They were nice and they were just having a good time. They didn't care that I hadn't written anything ground breaking. They didn't care that I didn't know them.
I then realized that this is what hacking is. This is what I need to find to learn. Guys who just like to have fun and work with computers, all these "pissing matches" that is heard about and seen are so fake. These guys are so great they don't even need to show it. That one experience changed my life. The CULT OF THE DEAD COW was there for the whole convention and every time I saw them they were just having a good time.
My bottom line is that they were normal guys. They were quite a twisted group and enjoyed some sick jokes, but they were true hackers. They liked to write software; They like to find new stuff; They like to be normal guys when they are resting. Every time their name comes up I always mention who they really are and how "nice" they really are. | 
