I finally got to hug Dr. E-Sharp: he was helping his company set up its booth for Siggraph, and it was just crazy. So while Professor Fractal complained that Scanmaster clearly wasn't attending Siggraph this year, Dr. E-Sharp was only a vague rumor to me. (I did see Scanmaster, and he showed me around like he always does. If you want to meet people it's a plus to hang out with eccentric, gregarious businessmen.)

E-Sharp and I trade voice mails, but can't seem to synch up. He's available, he tells me at one point. Of course, this is during the time I'm at the Siggraph Chapter party in the basement of that cool club on 6th and Broadway, chatting up people I haven't seen in 16 years—not since I stopped living with Martin G. Naturally, there's no cell phone reception in the basement.

So it goes. I start to open my voice mails with "this is your stalker. I'll be at thus-and-such around 3:00."

I stop by his company's booth and ask after him. "He's not working right now," the receptionist tells me. "Would you like to leave a business card?"

"That's okay," I reply. "Just let him know that his stalker dropped by."

She smiles. "Are you his wife?"

"Heavens, no," I tell her. "I don't have her class. Or her height."

Fifteen minutes later I run into Martin G., and we take another stroll by the good doctor's booth. Sure enough, the jinx has run its course. The E-Sharps are just standing there. We greet them, and escort 'em to the sandwich shop. Then they head out to the Electronic Theater while Marty and I take a turkey sandwich to Professor Fractal.

This is the most fun I've ever had at Siggraph: I knew I was there for social reasons, but I'd started to get an idea of what things were the most fun, and I no longer needed a tourguide to pick out the most interactive or interesting exhibits, or the coolest technology. So other than scoring a few hugs from the E-Sharps—and catching the Electronic Theatre—I went to San Diego without much of an agenda at all.

Just a hippie girl taking in the sights.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 07:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 373 words, total size 2 kb.

one of the featured filmettes was the U2/Green Day "The Saints Are Coming" video.

It's stunning on every level: in its use of computer graphics (check out that water), the sound, the hittability of the lead singers (both generations, but of course Billy Joe Armstrong in particular—mascara notwithstanding), and as a piece of propaganda.

Those who are familiar with the U.S. Constitution will now start discussing posse comitatus, giving Bono a pass because he's Irish, and wondering why on earth leftists are now advocating a return to martial law based on Presidential whim.

But, please: the video was beautiful. It was an artistic/technological achievement, and it tugged at my heartstrings. It made me want to put up one of those posters about how the Navy doesn't need to hold bake sales to buy aircraft carriers. In short, it did exactly what good propaganda does: it made me feel, rather than think.

And it was a privilege to see it on a big screen, without the loss of resolution one always experiences with You Tube.

(Professor Fractal: "I hate You Tube. What about all those people who are posting their videos to You Tube, and deleting the originals? When better quality is available, where will they be?"

Martin G.: "If they are deleting the originals, it serves them right a few years down the line if they are stuck with horrendous-quality clips.")

Anyway, if you're in San Diego for Siggraph, be sure to get a ticket to the Electronic Theatre (or the Computer Animation Festival—whatever they're calling it these days).

It's longish (even grueling, as one nears the two-hour mark), but always—always—worth it.

Posted by: Attila Girl at 06:02 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 288 words, total size 2 kb.

Unfortunately, today will be my last day at Siggraph; I'll have to make it count.

My very favorite exhibit in Emerging Technologies was "Globe 4D," put together by some whip-smart Netherlanders at the Universitat Leiden. In the middle of the display is a an ordinary globe atlas; surrounding it is a lazy Susan sort of device that allows one to track changes the occur, or occurred, or might occur, over a matter of time. (That is, one can historically track what has happened with continental drift, and which tectonic plates will be crashing against each other in the future—and therefore what continents will be merging in the next few million years. Or one can simply look at the effects of light on Earth, by tracking the days and seasons. Or one can look at what could happen if water levels rise. [Hint: Florida and Holland could be in trouble.)

Posted by: Attila Girl at 10:22 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 153 words, total size 1 kb.