Fabricating, circumventing, forging, partying, milling, crafting, building breaking - Defcon Groups have risen, fallen, and endured the last 8 years as decentralized and smoldering embers of the local hacker think-tank. This year Defcon sets out to stoke that fire and unite our groups, at and outside of the conference. The talk will consist of a panel of Defcon Groups leaders, uncovering the secrets and follies of several groups: what makes them work, when do they fail, and ultimately .. WTF have these people been doing all this time? Come hear how hackerspaces have influenced these local groups and the cool ways that these groups are propping the hackerspace. What can you break? Anch (DC503) - currently rebooting DC503 after it's near death experience, is a part of the unique hacking scene that is Portland. blakdayz (DC225) - can pwn sh1t from space, master of a harem, original gangster @ Defcon Voicebridge Anarchy Angel & ngharo (DC414) - Brew city nerds coming together under the dc414 flag to hack the planet Itzik Kotler (DC9723) - is killing time till the feds arrive. Meanwhile, he is the CTO of Security Art and co-founder of DC9723. In his former life, he was a Software Engineer. People change. Now, I'm a lamp. Jake "GenericSuperhero" - Representing Black Lodge Research. Hardware, Software, Wetware, Anywhere, Everywhere. converge DCG Coordinator, hermit champion of email harassment and slayer of dead hacker groups; you'll probably see his beard wandering the Defcon landscape in search of booze and fun