On-The-Spot: Zap Andersson: Mental Images
An On-The-Spot e-mail conversation with SIGGRAPH 2005 Attendee Zap Andersson, pictured right, a Shader Wizard for Mental Images, the developers of the Mental Ray rendering system.

How long have you been attending the SIGGRAPH conferences?
Believe it or not, it's my first time.
What is the primary reason you came to the conference?
Actually, to meet people face to face, talk IRL with them and pick up the "vibes". And yeah, to follow the "latest and greatest" development, but that, to me, is secondary. One can always read the papers later.
Clay McGovern