Deductible Junkets
If You're Headed to Boston for CHI '94
Historic site of tea parties and witch hunts, Boston is also "the attitude capital of the world," according to T-shirts and hearsay. This town of Irish-Americans and Ivy-Leaguers has also been described by non-natives as a vortex of ghostly presences and unsettling spiritual energy. This year, it is also the host of CHI '94. To get in the mood, visit The Boston Computer Museum and walk through a two-story working model of a desktop computer - 50 times larger than life!
When you tire of human-computer relationship studies and begin to long for the human-human experience, Boston offers a wide array of destinations and diversions. Hammersley's Bistro in the South End serves some of the city's best food in a close, cozy atmosphere. The Blue Room (not to be confused with The Blue Diner near Chinatown) in Kendall Square also offers phenomenal food in an eclectic setting. If it's down-home barbecue you're craving, lick your fingers at Red Bones near Davis Square (in Somer-ville). The combination of excellent ribs served family style and great blues music makes for a satisfying meal. For a soothing detour, stroll by the fountain at Copley Plaza, a great place for people-watching!
For less eclectic eats, head for The Hilltop Steakhouse, just outside of Beantown on Route 1. This is one of the largest grossing restaurants in the world, serving from 2,000 to 5,000 dinners a night - 80 percent of them steak! Just look for the big Vegas cactus and the huge ceramic cows on the front lawn.... If you find yourself wanting a frothy, frozen treat for dessert, remember to order a frappe (pronounced "frap"). If you order a milkshake, you'll get a glass of milk, flavoring, and a few ice shavings.
Want to tie one on or take in a good show? The Boston area offers countless places in which to claim a bar-stool (hey, it is a college town). The Miracle of Science near MIT is a techno-hip bar for engineers with designs on liberating the libido via technol-ogy. The Cactus Club is great for Jell-O shots. And The Rattlesnake Bar boasts the best margaritas in town. Gren-del's Den on Winthrop has an English pub feel, and good Boston beer on tap. For the club/bar scene, The Western Front vaunts reggae and world beat, while The Causeway stages alternative, techno, and industrial bands. Wally's jazz club, however, is a must-go. This matchbox of a place is a melting pot of revelers, the more talented of whom sometimes wind up on stage in collective jam sessions with the booked bands.
Finally, if you find yourself in the express line at Star Market, behind that person with seventeen items in-stead of twelve, chances are he or she is either from MIT and can't read, or from Harvard and can't count. - Kristin Spence
Colonial thank-yous to the right-coast, WIRED staphers; steamy-bowl-of-chowder thank-yous to Amy Howorth and Brad Fauvre, B-School Survivor.
Sumeria
San Francisco, California
(March 30-April 1)
Sumeria, or more specifically "The International QuickTime & Multimedia Conference and International Film Festival," will bring together all multimedia technologies and products available for the desktop. Registration fee includes technology tutorials, how-to sessions, product sessions, and an international film festival - open to the public Friday, April 1. More than 100 multimedia products will be exhibited and sold on the floor. US$249. Call: +1 (415) 904 0808, fax +1 (415) 904 0888, e-mail sumeria@applelink.apple.com.
New Media Expo
Los Angeles, California
(April 12-14)
April marks the maiden voyage of this event, sponsored by the same folks who bring you Comdex. The crowd will consist of business and technical executives, interactive information providers, distributors, and professional users. On the floor will be a kaleidoscope of hardware platforms, communications gear, consumer electronics, and infotainment software. US$75-$495. The Interface Group: +1 (617) 449 6600, fax +1 (617) 444 4806.
Toward a Scientific Basis for Consciousness
Tucson, Arizona
(April 12-17)
Invited to this interdisciplinary event are representatives from fields such as psychology, computer science, physics, neuroscience, and philosophy. The conference, sponsored by the departments of psychology and anesthesiology at the University of Arizona, will feature a host of speakers covering issues of quantum coherence, dendritic microprocessing, pharmacology, and Jungian synchronicity and consciousness. Contact Jim Laukes: +1 (602) 624 8632, fax +1 (602) 621 3269, e-mail jlaukes@ccit.arizona.edu.
INDC '94
Funchal, Madera Island, Portugal
(April 18-21)
Dedicated to bringing together individuals involved in the research and development of Information Networks and Data Communications, INDC '94 marks the fifth in this series of gatherings. This year's event will focus on recent research and development in the field. Speakers will address topics such as network security, multimedia protocols, high- speed networking, and end-user applications. An international committee with representatives from Sweden, Tunisia, Poland, and Japan, among others, promises another thought-provoking conference. 35,000 to 100,000 escudos (US$200- $570. Contact Professor Pedro Veiga: +351 1 3100253, fax +351 1 525843, e-mail pedro.veiga@inesc.pt.
DIAC-94
Cambridge, Massachusetts
(April 23-24)
DIAC, or Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing, is a biannual symposium sponsored by CPSR - Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility - and others. DIAC-94 raises critical issues regarding the use of the National Information Infrastructure to increase public participation. The symposium will take place over the course of two days, offering presentations the first day, workshops the second. Topics will include: Electronic Democracy - Directions and Implications, Virtual Communities, and Policy. US$75. Contact Coralee Whitcomb: e-mail cwhitcom@bentley.edu.
CHI '94
Boston, Massachusetts
(April 24-28)
The Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM/ SIGCHI) announces this year's theme, "Celebrating Interdependence." Opening CHI (pronounced "kie") '94 will be Mitchell Kapor, chair of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Take in tutorials, interactive experiences, workshops, research symposia, exhibits, and special events. (Be sure to catch the panel discussion on "Approaches to Managing Deviant Behavior in Virtual Communities," moderated by Brenda Laurel.) Joy Mountford of Apple will give the closing presentation. US$500-$2,125. Contact Debbie Compere: +1 (410) 269 6801, fax +1 (410) 267 0332, e-mail chi94 office.chi@xerox.com.
