OK, there's probably more stuff that I could say about SIGGRAPH last week...in fact, I know there's lots more I could say, but I think I'll just encourage you to go peruse the exhibitor's list (visit their websites to see some very cool technology) and the SIGGRAPH Wiki for more info on the conference and on SIGGRAPH in general.The last thing I'd like to comment on though is that there will be no Web Program at the 2006 convention in Boston. I'm really not sure what to think about that. From my personal observations, the Web Program has grown in popularity over the last couple of years (I want to give props to the program chair, Nishant Kothary of Amazon.com for shepherding the program of late). I'm really not sure what the SIGGRAPH folks are thinking cutting this program out.
SIGGRAPH has always had a schizophrenic personality between academia and Hollywood (but its been a good kind of duality for the most part). Maybe they just can't stand having that third personality(?). What do you guys think? After all, SIGGRAPH serves the "computer graphics and interactive techniques community," so I'm not sure why web graphics and web interactivity now seem to be disposable.
1. I attended Siggraph for the first time this year, and was surprised by the web program. The topics were very much niche topics, and wasn't at all what I expected. I really felt they were of little value.
After a couple of days at Siggraph, it was clear that very few people there were involved with the web, and when I started to attend the web talks, I realized that the web was really the bastard child of Siggraph. I almost got the impression web designers weren't wanted.
If Siggraph intends to keep treating the web that way, I'd rather they got rid of the web program. If they will embrace the web as a valid medium alongside video and 3D, then sure, keep it going.
Posted at 8:31AM on Aug 11th 2005 by Richard