[comp.org.usenix] Attendance in Dallas to be way down?

taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor) (01/17/91)

During lunch yesterday with a couple of people from Visix Corporation,
the subject of how the gulf crisis is affecting air travel, and travel
in general, arose.  They noted how their flight out from Boston had
been exceptionally empty, and that they had even heard a loose
recommendation from the gov't that air travel be avoided where possible
due to possible terrorist interruptions and activities.

Which leads me to wonder just how many people are going to cancel their
Usenix/UniForum attendance plans due to the impending war?  I plan on
being there myself, but if war actually breaks out, I might well end up
reconsidering...

Anyone else?  What's the take on this in the community?

		still hoping for a peaceful solution...

						-- Dave Taylor
Intuitive Systems
Mountain View, California

taylor@limbo.intuitive.com    or   {uunet!}{decwrl,apple}!limbo!taylor

rick@uunet.uu.net (Rick Adams) (01/17/91)

If one was really concerned about impending war affecting their
travel plans, they would probably:

1) take any trip that they had already gotten approval for. Future
trips might be effected, but not current ones.

2) Love the excuse to get out of high profile places (E.g. Washington, DC)
for low profile places. I'm rather confident that USENIX/UNIFORUM in
Dallas is rather low on your favorite terrorists list of targets.

If anything, I would expect an increase in attendence from the
"travel while you can crowd".

I can't see events 5,000 miles away affecting travel plans. A depressed
economy and expensive airfares are whats contributing to empty
airplanes more than fear of terrorists.

While current events might makme me think twice about visiting the
Pentagon, its not a consideration for going to Dallas.

My big fear for Dallas is that there's an ice storm and some Texan who
doens't know how to drive on ice runs me down.

-rick

amanda@visix.com (Amanda Walker) (01/17/91)

In article <1633@limbo.Intuitive.Com>, taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor)
writes:
> I plan on being there myself, but if war actually breaks out, I might well
> end up reconsidering...

Well, I must admit to some nervousness, since I'll be flying out of (and
back into) Washington Dulles.  Then again, just living close to DC has me
a little nervous these days :).  Luckily, my house and Visix's offices
are far enough away from the city that I probably won't be personally
affected by any terrorism that does happen in DC unless it involves nukes,
which seems pretty unlikely.

It's certainly on my mind, though...

--
Amanda Walker
Visix Software Inc.

warner@arrayb.uucp (Dave Warner) (01/17/91)

Well the stupid bastards did it.  We are "kicking Saddam Hussein's ass"
as I type (I wish we were still wondering where George was). As for
attendance - "Live Free or Die", right?
-- 
_____________________________________________________________________
| Dave Warner             | e-mail address: warner@intellistor.com  |
| Intellistor, Inc.       |                                         |
| 2402 Clover Basin Dr.   |                                         |

jrm@stegosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (John R. Mudd) (01/17/91)

In article <1633@limbo.Intuitive.Com> taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor) writes:
>Which leads me to wonder just how many people are going to cancel their
>Usenix/UniForum attendance plans due to the impending war?

I'm not canceling, but it's something I hadn't thought of back in December
when I made plans, and it is something that I have thought of now.

>		still hoping for a peaceful solution...

Well, not any more--we're bombing Iraq/Kuawit as I type.

... John

cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill) (01/17/91)

In article <1633@limbo.Intuitive.Com> taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor) writes:
>Which leads me to wonder just how many people are going to cancel their
>Usenix/UniForum attendance plans due to the impending war?  I plan on
>being there myself, but if war actually breaks out, I might well end up
>reconsidering...

The war has started and it isn't going to change my travel plans (unless I
wanted to go to the middle ease, or I get called up to active duty).

Even with a hightened threat of terrorism, you are probably much safer 
flying to dallas than driving to work in the morning.


-- 
Conor P. Cahill            (703)430-9247        Virtual Technologies, Inc.
uunet!virtech!cpcahil                           46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160
                                                Sterling, VA 22170 

doug@letni.lonestar.org (Doug Davis) (01/18/91)

In article <118726@uunet.UU.NET> rick@uunet.uu.net (Rick Adams) writes:
>2) Love the excuse to get out of high profile places (E.g. Washington, DC)
>for low profile places. I'm rather confident that USENIX/UNIFORUM in
>Dallas is rather low on your favorite terrorists list of targets.

Perhaps, but Carswell Air Force base in Fort Worth is probably
rather high.. Not to mention all the Nuke power and weapon plants in this area.

Just duck under your terminal when you see the bright flash from the west.



doug
__
Doug Davis/4409 Sarazen/Mesquite Texas, 75150/214-270-9226
{texsun|lawnet|smu}!letni!doug     doug@letni.lonestar.org

                                                              "Be seeing you..."

monte@unixprt.UUCP (Monte Pickard) (01/18/91)

I am still going.  If your number is up, it's up.  I also still drive
during heightened DUI traffic during the holidays, but I'm so daring :-).

scalera@bnr.ca (Eric Scalera) (01/19/91)

In article <405@unixprt.UUCP> monte@unixprt.UUCP (Monte Pickard) writes:
>I am still going.  If your number is up, it's up.  I also still drive
>during heightened DUI traffic during the holidays, but I'm so daring :-).



You must be some kind of super hero!  The biggest risk I take is wearing	
daily wear contacts more than 8 hours.  		

In all sincerity, the US can't stop because of something we can't control
Of course I'll be their and for those who don't go, it's more food for me.





-- 
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*
| Eric Scalera                     |    BITNET/Internet: scalera@bnr.ca     |
| Information Technologies         |                                        |
| #include <disclaimer.h>          |                                        |
|    "BNR does not share my opinions. I wouldn't be an MSS if it did"       |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------*

jason@cs.utexas.edu (Jason Martin Levitt) (01/22/91)

In article <118726@uunet.UU.NET>, rick@uunet.uu.net (Rick Adams) writes:
> [lotsa stuff deleted]
> 
> My big fear for Dallas is that there's an ice storm and some Texan who
> doens't know how to drive on ice runs me down.
> 
> -rick

  This is also my concern. It so rarely snows in Dallas, Austin, San
Antonio, and Houston, and when it does, you can be sure that people will
be sliding through the intersections. 
  Terrorist attacks seem unlikely in this neck of the woods though I know
people who were planning air strikes on some Texas oil fields if
Clayton Williams was elected. 
  In any case, I may lob some hand grenades into Waco on my way to Dallas.

-----
   Jason Martin Levitt                          email: jason@cs.utexas.edu
  "Since there are virtually no rules, the catalog of information includes
   voluminous pornography, along with advice on recreational drugs,
   satanism, paganism, and sex slaves."
   --the Houston Chronicle describing the "internet" to its readers.
                                            Sunday, June 10th, 1990

ses@techunix.BITNET (Simon E Spero) (01/24/91)

>
>Which leads me to wonder just how many people are going to cancel their
>Usenix/UniForum attendance plans due to the impending war?  I plan on
>being there myself, but if war actually breaks out, I might well end up
>reconsidering...
>
>Anyone else?  What's the take on this in the community?
>

I've definitely dropped all plans to go to Dallas. Dammit- it's
*dangerous* over there.

        :-)

Simon


--
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henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) (01/25/91)

>>Which leads me to wonder just how many people are going to cancel their
>>Usenix/UniForum attendance plans due to the impending war?  I plan on
>>being there myself, but if war actually breaks out, I might well end up
>>reconsidering...

In the end, even if some people did reconsider, apparently the attendance
was almost spot-on Usenix's pre-war predictions (which had been scaled
down a little bit this autumn due to the recession).
-- 
If the Space Shuttle was the answer,   | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
what was the question?                 |  henry@zoo.toronto.edu   utzoo!henry