brian@sdcsvax.UCSD.EDU (Brian Kantor) (08/07/87)
A fantastic conference [as usual!], and highly educational, but: This year there didn't seem to be any screening rooms showing computer-generated films, slides, and videotapes - none in the program, nor did anyone seem to know about any. In past years, the screening room has been one of the more relaxing parts of the conference, and a really nice way to spend time during breaks, before/after lunch, and during papers and panel sessions which aren't relevant to your particular interests, and, most importantly, provide those of us on the outskirts of the industry a chance to see what other people are doing and have already done. I missed the viewing/screening room. Looking at the advance programs, I don't see one for 1988 either, but one is promised for 1989. I wish they had been there in 1987. I hope they'll be back in 1988. They can't be very expensive to run. Perhaps we should write to the future Siggraph chairmen and encourage the return of the screening room(s). Perhaps they read this newsgroup. Brian Kantor UCSD Computer Graphics Lab c/o B-028, La Jolla, CA 92093
trainor@CS.UCLA.EDU (08/07/87)
>Perhaps we should write to the future Siggraph chairmen and encourage >the return of the screening room(s). Perhaps they read this newsgroup. I would like to see more work from universities and less of the flying logo variety. The screening rooms usually carry the overflow that can't be fit into the film night--some really good stuff gets bumped because it's too long, or someone decides that flying logos en masse is somehow better. There is also independent stuff that may not be technically slick, due to lack of funds and equipment, that displays real creative breadth. [][] Douglas J. Trainor [][] trainor@cs.ucla.edu
jon@oddhack.caltech.edu (Jon Leech) (08/07/87)
Summary: Expires: Sender: Followup-To: Distribution: Keywords: In article <7646@shemp.UCLA.EDU> trainor@CS.UCLA.EDU (Vulture of Light) writes: >I would like to see more work from universities and less of the >flying logo variety. Simple solution: leave the stuff that most people go to SIGGRAPH for - equipment show, film show, parties, courses - intact. Remove the technical sessions and make a real technical conference out of them at a completely different time of year in some obscure place (like San Francisco). I suspect there are too many $$$ involved for the ACM and SIGGRAPH to ever allow this to happen, unfortunately. SIGGRAPH can make $millions$. -- Jon Leech (jon@csvax.caltech.edu || ...seismo!cit-vax!jon) Caltech Computer Science Graphics Group __@/ Down with Mars! Back to the Moon first.
ksbooth@watcgl.UUCP (08/10/87)
The lack of a screening room this year was a decision of the SIGGRAPH '87 committee. In past years the screening room has often been available, but not at every conference. Part of what the conference committees try to accomplish is a balanced conference with new activities each year. In order to have the resources (people, money, time, and space) to try out new ideas, some of the old ones have to be dropped (or at least temporarily dropped). Comments regarding activities that people think are valuable at the SIGGRAPH conferences are always welcome. E-mail or a letter is the preferred way to make these communications (casual suggestions at the conference often get lost somewhere between the conference site and the planning meetings).
ksbooth@watcgl.UUCP (08/10/87)
The suggestion of cutting out the technical program and keeping the rest has already been done. It's called NCGA.
richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) (08/10/87)
In article <7646@shemp.UCLA.EDU> trainor@CS.UCLA.EDU (Vulture of Light) writes: >>Perhaps we should write to the future Siggraph chairmen and encourage >>the return of the screening room(s). Perhaps they read this newsgroup. > >I would like to see more work from universities and less of the >flying logo variety. The screening rooms usually carry the overflow >that can't be fit into the film night--some really good stuff gets >bumped because it's too long, or someone decides that flying logos en >masse is somehow better. There is also independent stuff that may >not be technically slick, due to lack of funds and equipment, that >displays real creative breadth. > >[][] Douglas J. Trainor >[][] trainor@cs.ucla.edu Oh, I dont know, some of the blatently commercial stuff (desenex, prudential) is SOOO good. Bigger budgets I guess. I guess I don't understand what you mean by screening room. The 'blacked off' area in the art show had videos and slideshows, lasers and dancers. I spent quite a while there, camped out on the floor, soaking in this eye candy. Quite a relief for the old, tired, hurt, blistered feet. -- Richard Sexton INTERNET: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM UUCP: {akgua, hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!richard "It's too dark to put the key in my ignition..."
kent@xanth.UUCP (Kent Paul Dolan) (08/12/87)
In article <1569@watcgl.waterloo.edu> ksbooth@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Kelly Booth) writes: >The suggestion of cutting out the technical program and keeping the rest has >already been done. It's called NCGA. Be nice. When Caby Smith and a bunch of the rest of us got together to found the NCGA, we did it to meet a perceived need for a conference devoted to products rather than theory, a place where the business community could come to "kick the tires" on a lot of equipment. Technical presentations were supposed to cover how to implement successful systems using available hardware, software, and methods. The demand was from the pinstripe suit set who couldn't understand a word said at most of the SIGGRAPH presentations. There was a large part of the computer graphics community (mainly the ones with the checkbooks, who make the whole thing go) that felt that SIGGRAPH had nothing to offer to them. SIGGRAPH serves as a necessary focus for cutting edge research and development, and NCGA serves as a good place for Jill or Joe Manager to get together with some folks who are making computer graphics help them make a profit, and find out how to get in on the benefits. Peace. Kent, the man from xanth.