S2002 News

SIGGRAPH 2002 concluded it's tenure as the "N" conference with an absolutely fabulous wrap-up weekend on a Melbourne, FL beach. Despite the call of the sand and the surf, we spent the majority of our time discussing the issues that SIGGRAPH now faces. I'd like to personally thank the committee for taking the time to brainstorm, discuss, theorize, and formulate ideas that we hope will be useful as future committees take up the mantle of staging this wonderful event.

Just the other day, a director of a government directorate and one of his contractors came into our lab for a demo on one of our products. As we were talking, he noticed my stylish S2002 polo shirt and asked if I had attended this year's conference. I replied I had (without going any further). His government counterpart was new to his position and said he had heard of SIGGRAPH but wasn't sure what exactly it was. His associate then informed him that "SIGGRAPH is the Holy Grail of computer conferences." I didn't dispute him although upon reflection, the Holy Grail is something for which many search and it always seems to be just out of reach (just ask Indiana Jones). SIGGRAPH is not; it is there for the taking and while it may not have divine powers, it does seem to have rejuvenative powers (go figure).

As this is my last newsletter entry, I'd like to publicly thank everyone who has helped me along over the past 3 years. It has been an amazing journey and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

See you at the next "Fast Forward!"

Tom appolloni@siggraph.org