Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site seismo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!gatech!seismo!rick
From: rick@seismo.UUCP (Rick Adams)
Newsgroups: net.graphics
Subject: Re: Dvorak and SIGGRAPH (rather long)
Message-ID: <2981@seismo.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 18:36:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: seismo.2981
Posted: Wed Aug 14 18:36:56 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 15-Aug-85 22:23:46 EDT
References: <1063@dual.UUCP> <1723@saber.UUCP>
Organization: Center for Seismic Studies, Arlington, VA
Lines: 46
Summary: why the film show was $25

The real reason the film show was $25 is union bullshit.

SIGGRAPH wanted to charge $3 or $4 and heavily promote the film shows
to the general public (obviously showing it on more nights.)

However, the unions, in their infinite wisdom said that if you
charge $3 admission, that was entertainment. If you charge $25 it
is a professional exhibition. I think you can imagine how different
their rate scale is between technical conferences and entertainment.

Anyway, SIGGRAPH said what the hell, we can make up the loss out
of the rest of the budget. Surprise! The unions wanted to change the
rates for the ENTIRE conference, not just the filmshow. Suddenly,
there was no question of selling $3 tickets and the price stayed at $25.

As to the technical conference pricing, it really isn't THAT unreasonable.
I only paid $225 ($75 more than the Usenix conference), of course I
preregistered.  Many organizations tack on a large premium for registering
on site to encourage you to preregister so they can attempt to figure out
how many are coming. The prices for the courses were a bit high, but
allegedly much of that price had to do with the astronomical cost
of renting hotel ballrooms in downtown San Francisco.

I really don't understand the acusations of arrogance and eliteism.
Consider the course in image rendering tricks. Jim Blinn (He does the
Jupiter/Saturn simulations for JPL and NASA) stood up in front for
1000 people and started his talk by saying "You've heard the
others talk about hacks and tricks; now we're going to talk about
real sleeze". He then went on to describe some of the things he
did to get to the final product, including taking a pair of
scissors and cutting an offending frame out of the final film because
he couldn't get an algorithm quite right for all cases. That didn't
strike me as particularly arrogant... (I don't think I would have had
the nerve to admit to that.)

The attendees were dressed and acted about the same as every other
computer conference I've attended: basically 3-piece suits or
jeans&teeshirts (Or, as I like to think of it, those who are judged
on their appearance and those who are judged by their ability...).
I did hear MANY more comments that usual along the lines of
"That's what So-and-so looks like? How can whatever-large-organization tolerate
someone who looks like that." I was amused at the Cal Tech professor
with the waist length ponytail and suit. It struck me as a bit incongruous.
Not, bad or good, just a little unusual.

---rick