When solving difficult problems that require unorthodox thinking, it’s crucial that you remember APATHY: Acronyms Probably Aren’t That Helpful, Yo.  Instead, we’ll dig into the practical side of creative problem solving by reflecting on Terminal Cornucopia — my year of building improvised weapons out of materials and items available in what is touted as one of the most “sanitized” environments designed for everyday citizens: the airport.

This talk will serve as a primer on building lethal improvised melee, projectile, explosive, and incendiary weapons.  More importantly, I will share lessons learned about creativity, passion, and human potential during my year with Angus MacGyver.

Dust off your leather jacket and roll up those tube socks; we’re going to hit the ground running!

Bio:

Growing up, it was a safe bet that if an object around the house was held together with screws or contained any number of wires, Evan “treefort” Booth took it apart at some point to see what made it tick. In 4th grade, with the help of strategically placed pens, erasers, and a Pop-Tarts wrapper, Evan’s pencil box could quickly be converted into a model rocket launchpad. His Liquid Drano purchases to toilets cleaned ratio is absolutely abysmal. This never-ending supply of curiosity eventually translated into a passion for understanding computers and programming.

Having earned a degree in Digital Media — a nerdy union of design fundamentals and computer programming — from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Evan founded his company, Recursive Squirrel, where he has served a wide variety of clients in need of application development and consulting for nearly a decade. When he isn’t organizing 1′s and 0′s, Evan is likely off picking locks with the FALE Association of Locksport Enthusiasts, a lock picking group he co-founded in 2010.

In his most recent project, Terminal Cornucopia, Evan set out to demonstrate how difficult it would be for an attacker to construct lethal weapons in a typical airport terminal after the security screening. After successfully building an arsenal consisting of everything from simple melee weapons to reloadable firearms to a remotely-triggered incendiary suitcase, Terminal Cornucopia garnered international media attention and attracted viewers from nearly every country on the planet.

Make no mistake: the best part about buying a bulky item is, in fact, the huge cardboard box.

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