"Sent from the cyberdeck of: Geoff White"

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Hmm... the problem is I don't think a majority of the people at raves are focused enough to concentrate on something as technical as that (I KNOW it isn't technical to you and me, but the average raver doesn't even know what the word encryption means). HOWEVER, raves ARE the ideal place to hand out info about what's going on, something the raver can cling onto

Our company, FringeWare, has been out doing brain machine demos at raves for a while.. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep from last weekend's rave construction & show :-) The raves started as socio/politial but in many places have become yet-another-club-hop-for-kids-with-time-to-kill. Even so, sentiments are in the right place, guaranteed. Especially among the *RAVE PROMOTERS* .. The promoters are already sensitive to issues in common with cypherpunks since they tend to be underground operations in the cash economy, etc. Plus, they're HEAVILY networked. As a techno/gonzo journalist, I've found it EASIER to get in with hacker cliques than with rave promoter cliques; granted the real stakes are higher so they take security more seriously :-) Also, I'm intrigued to see the overlap (at least in this area) between ravers and people at EFF-Austin mtgs.. Some of the main u/g promoters even showed up to EFF-A's CopCon a couple weeks back, so the overlap in our agendas is valid. I'd tend to go with the argument that actually signing keys or passing out pamphlets during a rave would be weird and blow the mood. Maybe you'd say "So what?" but to an entertainment promoter, mood means everything and only a few cypherphuckups would spread a terrible image for us. I'm generally the most hi-tech part of these raves, what with the sound/light brain gizmos and even that's too left-brained some ravers.. Most want to experience, not engage in discourse. With pheromones and alkaloids being some of the dominant attractions for people attending, I could agree more :-) Which is why I'd suggest we tag along with the VRrave project, based on IRC connex between concurrent raves. That'd present a hi-tech set & setting and allow for some demo/experience of secure comm. Do what you can to introduce/instruct the local promoters -- but generally they're busy people with better things to worry about, like liability and overhead not somebody else's political agenda. pxn. pacoid@wixer.bga.com