[comp.graphics] SIGGRAPH calendar complaint

tomt@polygen.uucp (Thomas Tulinsky) (01/10/90)

I know this is late, but I paid quite a bit for a Siggraph calendar ($15 or $20)
only to find that it has  several problems and should really be
considered a "second".  The whole thing seems to be  printed "backwards".
Does anyone else agree?

herzog@dogwalk.Sun.COM (Brian Herzog) (01/11/90)

In article <664@calvin.UUCP>, tomt@polygen.uucp (Thomas Tulinsky) writes:
> I know this is late, but I paid quite a bit for a Siggraph calendar ($15 or $20)
> only to find that it has  several problems and should really be
> considered a "second".  The whole thing seems to be  printed "backwards".
> Does anyone else agree?

Thomas,

I was producer of the first SIGGRAPH calendar in '88, and I know there 
was widespread praise for the much-improved quality of the '89 version, 
and hardly any complaints.  However, it's certainly possible that some
bad copies slipped through, and you were unlucky enough to get one.
Please email me directly and I'll arrange to replace your copy.  Also,
if you include more detail about the calendar's "several problems," I'll
be happy to pass the information on to the appropriate people.

By the way, the price for the 17-month calendar was $10.  If you check
your local bookstore, you'll see that was a pretty good deal (in fact,
SIGGRAPH merchandise is sold on a break-even basis, and the calendar 
was sold at a slight loss).

Brian Herzog
SIGGRAPH '89 registration chair
herzog@sun.com
...!sun!herzog

herzog@dogwalk.Sun.COM (Brian Herzog) (01/13/90)

In article <130080@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>, herzog@Sun.COM (Brian Herzog) writes:
> 
> [...]
> 
> By the way, the price for the 17-month calendar was $10.  If you check
> your local bookstore, you'll see that was a pretty good deal [...]

Before you, too, send me email asking where you can buy the calendar,
please note the usage above of past tense!  

The only items available after the SIGGRAPH conference are technical 
material, such as proceedings, slide sets and video reviews.  Souvenir 
items, such as mugs, t-shirts and calendars, are not sold after the 
conference.  Each year's conference has its own organization and 
lifetime; there is no mechanism (or volunteer energy :-) at the 
conference level to run a post-conference mail-order operation.  

Post-conference sales of technical material are arranged under the
auspices of the parent SIGGRAPH organization and its parent, ACM.
My guess is that ACM is not interested in selling SIGGRAPH (or any
other conference's) souvenir merchandise on the assumption that there
would be insufficient demand to make the effort worthwhile:  how many
people would really want to buy a SIGGRAPH '89 mug in 1990? 

My opinion is that it would indeed not be worth the effort.  If you
feel otherwise, I suggest you convey your thoughts to the SIGGRAPH
executive committee at <EC.SIGGRAPH@Xerox.com>.

BTW, since someone will ask, no, course notes are not available after
the conference, either.  They are notes, not published material which
can be referenced.  However, this means that if you can find a copy
of the notes you want (at your company, university, etc.), you are
free to photocopy them, within the limits of copyrights that may be
be held by the individual authors.

For further information on the material which *is* available, contact:

ACM Order Department
PO Box 64145
Baltimore, MD  21264
(800) 342-6626 (continental U.S. except Maryland)
(301) 528-4261 (outside the continental U.S., and Maryland)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brian Herzog                         "Badges?  We ain't got no badges! I don't
herzog@sun.com                        have to show you any stinking badges!"
...!sun!herzog                                  - Treasure of the Sierra Madre