about us
dc585 is the defcon group for the rochester, ny area.
to quote the defcon group faq:
the defcon groups were spawned from the annual defcon security conference in las vegas. the defcon groups (dcgs or dc-groups) are a gathering point for folks interested in the alternate applications of modern technology, referred to properly as 'hacking'. dcgs are not intended to compete with any other computer groups, such as 2600, but rather to provide yet another gathering place for the discussion of technology and security topics. dcg meetings are open to anyone, regardless of their skill, age, job, gender, etc. dcgs are designed to help you learn new things, meet new people, mentor others in areas you may be strong in, and provide some cohesion within the hacker culture and its members.
put another way (by the folks over at dc949):
our mission is simple; teach people about technology. by people, we mean anyone who wants to learn about computers, electronics, or even just science in general. our teachers are anyone who knows anything; in other words, everybody can be a teacher. even if you know nothing about technology, if you have an internet connection (and lets face it, who doesn't these days?) you can do research on a topic and tell the rest of the group about what you learned. as long as you want to learn, you're ok with us; if you're willing to teach, even better.
in other words: we like the old school definition of hacker.