One other addition to this year's CCDC were two guest speakers that help to break the stress and provide a little humor to the event. The first speak was the well known Johnny Long (Johnny.ihackstuff.com). Although he had the flu, Johnny came out and gave a humor filled talk on Hacking, Hollywood Style. This presentation is just downright funny, but at the same time provides an insight into the ways that Hollywood portrays the hacker community. After this talk, I truly believe Hollywood is "LEET."
The second guest speaker was Mark Hardy, who provided an inspiring and funny talk on technology. In summary, the success of a person in the computer field is not based on what hardware they have. New ideas are what makes this a great field to be in, and it also is what creates IT icons like Bill Gates.
The speakers were a valuable asset to the event. Since the CCDC is designed to connect the students with real world examples and people, bringing guests is an excellent way to form these connections.