Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!apple!sun-barr!newstop!sun!dogwalk!herzog From: herzog@dogwalk.Sun.COM (Brian Herzog, Sun Microsystems, GPD) Newsgroups: comp.graphics Subject: Re: minor Siggraph question Message-ID: <116179@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> Date: 18 Jul 89 02:11:16 GMT References: <1840@ucsd.EDU> <116023@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <60881@uunet.UU.NET> Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM Lines: 82 In article <60881@uunet.UU.NET>, rick@uunet.UU.NET (Rick Adams) writes: > The siggraph badge system is a joke. They give you a badge that's valid > for technical sessions and then they check the magstripe on the back to > make sure that its valid for techincal sessions. > Rather than being a joke, it was a prudent move to provide backup for an experimental system. The whole point was that it was an experiment to test feasibility; if and when the system is permanently adopted, the redundant info (inserts, tickets, etc.) will be removed. > There were always lines to get in the sessions. It was extremely > annoying if you wandered in and out several times (things do run in > parallel you know) > Yes, this was a big problem; and when we could not find a workable solution we did the reasonable thing and abandoned the readers in favor of the backup inserts. > The seating at the filmshow rationalizaion is insane. The badge readers > weren't used for the filmshow! > We deliberately and prudently chose to use the readers only at sufficent events to perform a meaningful experiment. In a permanent system, the readers will be used at all events. > The badge readers should be discontinued for the simple reason they > they are rude and an annoyance. (If you have a siggraph tech sessions > badge, then the only reason to use the readers is if you think its > forged. fat chance. As a matter of fact, forgery attempts *have* been made. Do you really think the experiment was tried just to annoy you? > If the reader rejects the badge, they let you in anyway) Only because there were recognized problems with the experimental system. > If I pay several hundered dollars to attend a "professional" conference > I dont want to be treated like a gate crasher. SIGGRAPH treated me > like a theif. I resent it. > Do you also resent the fact that every major credit card and ATM card you own also has a mag stripe? Do you feel your bank treats you like a thief? Do you resent the fact that many people must wear a badge at work? Or use a keycard to get into their building? Do you resent the fact that you must wear a badge at the conference at all? > [...] This really strikes me as an organization getting big and successful > and arrogant. I have header no adequate justification for it. The arguments > are always "its not so bad" or "why does it bother you". Never why its > important. > I don't know of anyone in conference management who used those arguments. If you're really interested, send email and I'll return a long, long email listing all the reasons why it's important, the main reason being to keep registration fees as low as possible (yes, I can back that up). > SIGGRAPH is sticking an inventory control label on their attendees. > Its rude and insulting. > > Everyone attending siggraph this year make sure to take along a nice > strong magnet. Wipe out the mag strip on the badge. Share the magnet with > your friends. The other option is to be treated like a commodity. > > --rick Sorry you feel this way. The whole point is to minimize lines, and to limit expenses in some areas so that money can be spent where it will best help to prevent treating you like a commodity. Yes, there were problems that must be eliminated before any such system can become permanent. That's why experiments are performed. For what it's worth, I spent many hours talking with people who were upset about the system, and they fell pretty evenly into three camps: folks who, like you, pointed out and criticized system failures; folks who, like you, resented the alleged "big brother" aspects of the system; and folks whose gate-crashing plans were no longer even worth attempting! Brian Herzog herzog@sun.com "Badge? I don't need no stinking badge!" (the above comments, of course, do not represent Sun)