Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!apple!ames!sun-barr!newstop!sun!dogwalk!herzog
From: herzog@dogwalk.Sun.COM (Brian Herzog, Sun Microsystems, GPD)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: minor Siggraph question
Summary: here's an answer (sort of ;-)
Message-ID: <116023@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 17 Jul 89 18:07:12 GMT
References: <1840@ucsd.EDU>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Lines: 37

In article <1840@ucsd.EDU>, brian@ucsd.EDU (Brian Kantor) writes:
> Has Siggraph abandoned the use of the &*%^^&*%^&* card readers for
> admission to portions of the conference?  The person I spoke to at the
> conference management place didn't know.
> 	- Brian

Although it was not my decision to use the mag stripe badges and card
readers, I was a strong supporter of the decision, and in hindsight,
would still support it.  Atlanta was a perfect conference, in terms of
logistics and size of the conference, to experiment with the system and
learn what it takes to make the system work (or not) at a conference held
in say, Boston.

This is not the forum to discuss the (de-)merits of the mag-stripe system
(I intend to submit a piece on the '88 adventures to comp.risks one of
these days), but I will overgeneralize and say that the experiment was
tried for two reasons:

1) Primarily to collect data that will aid in planning of future
   conferences, and will provide knowledge that will help control expenses
   (and thereby help limit fee increases!);

2) Secondarily to keep people out of events they haven't paid for.
   There is a significant minority of attendees who consider it their
   mission to crash events.  Big deal?  Consider that the good seat the 
   crasher takes at a course or the film show, and the food the crasher 
   eats at receptions, may be your own!  There is real money involved,
   too; as crashers are controlled so are expenses.

We gained valuable information in '88 that will help ensure that a mag
stripe system can be successfully used in Boston and future conferences.
As to the $64k question, will the mag stripe system be used this year:
due to reason (2) above I say, come to the conference and find out! 

Brian Herzog
herzog@sun.com
"Badge?  I don't need no stinking badge!"