In speaking with some of my fellow Twits, we all agreed that it would have been great to get to Black Hat this year (as well as some of the other security conferences that have passed). We all have reasons for not being able to attend these premier events but the general consensus is that the lack money remains the primary reason.

For me it is both a lack of money and a geographic location issue. Living in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada does not provide me with an easy route to Las Vegas, San Francisco, or Boston where most of the conferences are located. The airfare in Canada is ridiculous and for me to hop to a major US city I must first go through Toronto or Montreal. For example, to get to Las Vegas, I’m looking at roughly 4 flights and a round trip price tag of ~$2000. That doesn’t include the price of the conference that I would be attending, hotel, food, and so on. If any of my readers are married, you know that justifying a nearly $6000 price tag to your spouse for you to head to Las Vegas for a week without them, is about as easy as pulling your bottom lip over your head.

To that end, I have decided to found the Poor Bastards/Babes Who Can’t Afford Security Conferences (PBWCASC) (pronounced Peb-Wah-Cask). I have not yet decided if a website will be created or who will be hosting the telethon – Sally Struthers has a good track record…maybe I’ll reach out to her.

So join me, brothers and sisters, rise up against the cost of security conferences and join PBWCASC today!

(P.S. – scientists have not yet determined a way to join an “idea” at this time…please check back later when technology has caught up to my imagination.)