Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!deimos.cis.ksu.edu!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!m.cs.uiuc.edu!shirley
From: shirley@m.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: SIGGRAPH pet peeves
Message-ID: <4400038@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 24 Aug 89 23:17:23 GMT
Lines: 48
Nf-ID: #N:m.cs.uiuc.edu:4400038:000:2198
Nf-From: m.cs.uiuc.edu!shirley    Aug 23 23:07:00 1989




I have some peeves with some minor points of the (generally excellent) 
SIGGRAPH conferences.  They follow in random order.  Am I being unreasonable?

1. The reception costs are bundled with the technical and course 
   registration fees.  This way people who are already having their way
   paid can get the receptions covered too.  Those paying their own way
   are forced to pay for possibly unwanted services. 

2. In my experience, The course meals are consistently abominable.  This too
   should be unbundled.  If we must pay for lunch, I have a cheap
   alternative that would be better than anything I've been offered: Have
   buffet tables with loaves of bread and jars of peanut butter.  Give each
   course attendant a hershey bar for dessert.  This would cost about a buck
   per person, and would certainly be no worse than the status quo.

3. The courses too often include material being presented verbatim from the
   technical session.  This is a waste of time and money for the course 
   attendants.  How about having half day courses?  I'd
   say most of the courses I've taken have a half day of 'non-filler'.
   I'd much rather take four of these than two full day courses, though
   it could lead to an organizational nightmare.

4. The conference proceedings has had a fairly constant number of papers
   and pages for all the years I've seen ('78-'89).  Is graphics
   really not growing?  SIGGRAPH attendance says otherwise.  Why not have
   parallel conference sessions?  If cost is the problem why not break the
   proceedings into volumes and unbundle their cost as well?

5. How about REAL poster sessions, like many conferences have?  This would
   help combat the trend away from technical interaction the conference
   is now experiencing.

6. Does the tee shirt have to be ugly as sin?

7. Do we really have to wait in line for the film show?  Why can't they
   just open the autitorium 2 hours early?


On the good side the are several improvements under way: the film show is
getting better and better, survey and short papers are being accepted (short
as of ninety), and the AV support amazingly continues to get better.


Peter Shirley
shirley@cs.uiuc.edu