eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya) (04/03/89)
Second posting of two (I can't believe I'm doing this). For about two years, we (Bay Area ACM/SIGGRAPH) have tried to think of ways of combining our craft with fun. How else do you expect us to generate realistic images unless we see lots of reality. Well, at first the staff (we the Core) did several sailing trips (we might do more), so we learned a little about fluid dynamics, and we did have a Core skiing trip. But efforts were weak, its a real pain trying to coordinate people. We decided to cancel, but then certain prominant members of computer graphics community said, "What gives?" So we will go ahead with Gomez's approval: The first annual Bay Area ACM/SIGGRAPH ski and rendering lark, I mean, conference. The plan is to base it on the informal conferences like the Hacker's Conference, the Usenix Graphics Workshop, or the Salishan Conference on High Speed Computing, except lower key (I mean cost). Like graduate school costs. If you don't like talking about computers while skiing, this meeting isn't for you. Sorry. The reality we have selected is the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. As with all of our events, you have to be a member of Bay Area ACM/SIGGRAPH. ($10). The attendence will be limited to between 12-16 people depending how many we can fit in. Many people would certainly like to go. Hope you can make it Kaplan, this is it. Now the real question is how to get quality people (who can interact), who are serious about both skiing and computer graphics. Imagery does not have to be about skiing. But discussion can take place during skiing. Attendence is by invitation only. All attendees must participate. Send me an abstract of what you are working on, what you want to talk about, what developments you want to hear about. I will in turn forward to the members of the program committee (see below). Topics should fall into one (or more of three basic areas): Hardware (graphics) [priority will probably be given here] Software (development) End-user applications: art, science, education, etc. State the topic area where you want consideration. Send email and US mail addresses to me. I hope we can get it all sorted out in two weeks. Leo, we are also interested in having you come, too. Now this IS an attempt at a half serious conference. The idea being to mingle people with different background together. The conference will be mid-week, so you must take vacation. We are thinking W-F of the last week in April. (Mid-WEEK) See serious. Cost: $20 per day for 3 days. You must provide your own linen and sleeping bag. Facilities are basically graduate student accomodations (what faculty would want to attend ;-). Attendees will share cooking and the like. We are going to do this at 1 or 2 houses on the West Shore of LAKE TAHOE. The plan is to talk graphics in the morning, spring ski in the afternoons, and talk graphics at night. Transportation: 1) you are either your own or 2) we can try to make carpools (more time to talk about computers on the drive up). State preference. Reno is about 40 minutes away so we can pick you up. We will make a serious effort to provide quality audio-visual and computing. No one stays in a separate hotel. Paul Heckbert will lead the Alpine contingent (ph@miro.berkeley.edu). Jules Bloomenthal will lead the Nordic contingent (bloomenthal.pa@xerox.com). Dessert (SIGGRAPH'88) will be provided by Heckbert (of course). Time is short so we will have to make things up as we go. Maybe next year we can provide a slightly larger conference in some real facilities. Another gross generalization from --eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers: "Mailers?! HA!", "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology." Live free or die.
eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya) (04/04/89)
As one of the people who is not going, but announcing, permit me to explain a couple of things. 1) We Bay Area ACM/SIGGRAPH are specifically asked to post world-wide because there is a lot of development in the Bay Area. 2) we actually have members in places like New York, Los Angeles, etc. Hopefully, you will see results of some of our monthly meetings in an upcoming Computer Graphics [the quarterly, if Rick Beach will still talk to me ;) I've been busy with supercomputers more than graphics]. Turns out, that the letter preceding your TIGSV came from MCC in Austin, and I accepted that fellow's work (H/W) and he is thus invited to ski and talk graphics. If something useful comes out of this lark (generally, not this example specifically), more than simple discussion and fun, the rest of the world will know about it. Just one of the nice advantages of being in Santa Clara (especially if people are really nerdy 8) by enjoy skiing as well). Remember that Jell-O is a trademark of General Foods. Sorry, in joke for graphics people who went to Anaheim for relevance to comp.graphics: gratuitous reference: Computer Graphics, v 21, n4, page 73. ;) Lastly, I would never go spring skiing. 8) Another gross generalization from --eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers: "Mailers?! HA!", "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology." Live free or die. Actually Erik Fair, Sol Wold, and I rented a condo on the weekends before and after Usenix in Denver and had a great time skiing, matching faces to network address, and the Association should have more larks like that (unofficial). I've actually thought about doing it again as a Usenet ski trip (Everybody get plane tickets, etc.) But this is getting away from graphics and more to computers and unix specifically. And skiing. Some day.