Deductible Junkets
If You're Headed to Linz for Ars Electronica
Straddling the shores of the Danube river, Linz has served as a fortified base camp of the Roman Empire, as well as the home of astronomer Johannes Kepler and composer Anton Bruckner. (It was also a favored vacation spot of Adolph Hitler.) Despite its history, Linz has never made its reputation as a tourist destination. Yet Linz offers many charming reminders of the Old World, with all the accoutrements of the New.
Austria's third largest city and the capital of Upper Austria, Linz will again host the prestigious Ars Electronica festival. The primary venue for the event is the architecturally enticing Brucknerhaus. The best place to stay is next door at the Trend Hotel, an establishment that is convenient and well appointed - try to get one of the rooms with a view of the river. Linz offers lovely Baroque architecture and much historic charm, juxtaposed with an abundant supply of restaurants, beer gardens, delis, bakeries, fruit stands, and markets. Speaking of bakeries, you must indulge in a Linzer torte when in town - the best of which can be found at the Wrann cafe. Be sure to partake of a cup of Austrian coffee: It's quite possibly the best you will ever taste. Linger at Cafe Traxlmayr, a kaffeehaus offering gentle sophistication, cheese omelets, and reading material. Pizza and Pasta Franzesca offers outdoor tables, while Napolitana Da Alfredo is Linz's oldest pizzeria.
Although most restaurants close by 10 p.m., the bars remain open. The Asphalt is a must-visit. Warmth, music, and conversation will embrace you as you enter this hangout for actors and artists. (You never know who'll be sitting at the next table!) See international bands at the Stadtwerkstatt, an artists' center with a bar and cafe, which also hosts the occasional rave. Other good nighttime haunts include Vanilli and Landgraf. For a picnic, hop aboard the Poestlingbergbahn, an old-fashioned trolley car that will take you to the apex of the Poestlingberg, a vantage point about 537 meters up. If the weather is clear, you'll be rewarded with a panorama sweeping the red-roofed city to the distant Alps. Discover the Grotto Railway, a rail trip into the mountain's realm of the dwarves!
If you enjoy museums, don't miss the Schlossmuseum, housed in the 15th-century residence of Emperor Frederick II. Be sure to check out the static electricity laboratory exhibit, as well as the complete medieval rooms upstairs. The Neue Galerie boasts one of Austria's best modern art collections, displaying the works of Klimt, Kokoschka, and others. Also, the Landesmuseum, sitting atop a hill overlooking the Hauptplatz, chronicles the province's Roman, medieval, Renaissance, imperial, and recent past.
Kristin Spence
Tausend Dank to Ken and Lucia Karakotsios, Katharina Gsoellpointner, and our own awesome gestalter, Thomas Schneider.
Rural Datafication II; Minneapolis (May 23-24)
The Second Annual Conference on Rural Datafication will focus on rural networking. CICNet, along with the National Science Foundation, hopes to bring together people from higher education, library science, business, government, and agriculture, as well as network access providers, to discuss the wiring of rural locations, and those institutions still on the Internet "fringe." Proposed topics include: distance learning, funding rural networks, tools for education, rural networking success stories, Freenets, and other low-cost access options, as well as the use of Muses and MOOs in education, research, and elsewhere. US$125. Send your name, address, and e-mail coordinates to ruraldata-info-request@cic.net for more information.
Digital World; Los Angeles (June 6-8)
Seybold's Digital World, now in its fifth year, is the original and most successful cross-industry event focusing on digital media. Here is where the digital vanguard meets and schmoozes. Digital World '94 will overtake the Los Angeles Convention Center this year to showcase 150 exhibitors and cater to an expected 20,000 elite attendees. The content-rich Expo will also include an array of galleries, workshops, and special exhibits. The Interactive Media Festival will be launched at this year's event; it is the product of a yearlong search for great works of interactive media by a prestigious international body of nominators and judges. US$995 for the conference, US$50 for the exhibits. Contact: (800) 488 2883, or +1 (415) 578 6900, fax +1 (415) 525 0194.
Environmental Technology '94; Washington, DC (June 7-10)
The subtitle of this conference is "Visualizing the Future of Environmental Information Management." The first annual Environmental Technology conference will provide a forum for high-level exchange between leaders in the industrial, governmental, and academic sectors involved in measuring, managing, monitoring, and predicting impacts on our environment. The conference will also address technology vis-a-vis human and environmental risks, public policy, and risk communication. US$150-$575. In the United States, contact: +1 (703) 578 0301, fax +1 (703) 578 3386. In Europe, contact: + 49 (30) 882 6656, fax + 49 (30) 883 8811.
Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities; San Francisco (June
8-10)
This marks the second annual international conference co-sponsored by California State University, Northridge's Center on Disabilities and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The conference's primary objective is to encourage the sharing of results in research, development, and commercialization. Its secondary objective is to create a collaborative archive, meant for broad dissemination. Tutorials (three-hour presentations), technical sessions, panels, demonstrations, and exhibits are designed to achieve these objectives. This year's keynote speaker will be award-winning science fiction author Ray Bradbury. Topics covered will include technical concerns, policy issues, current and future access, applications, and employment opportunities. US$295. Contact Jodi Johnson or Dee Heller at +1 (818) 885 2578, fax +1 (818) 885 4929.
Ars Electronica; Linz, Austria (June 21-25)
This venerable meeting of art and science will feature the provocative theme of "Intelligent Ambience." Ars Electronica will delve into issues of computer-aided environments as well as intelligent, interactive, real surroundings - environments based on machine intelligence. In addition to exhibits highlighting architecture, transportation, and communication, the festival again sponsors the prestigious international Prix Ars Electronica (US$103,750), awarded for the most dazzling computer graphics and interactive art. Price unavailable at press time. Contact Ars Electronica: + 43 (732) 7612 271, fax + 43 (732) 7612 350.
