Deductible Junkets
If you're headed to DC for Supercomputing '94
Like Hollywood and Detroit, Washington, DC, is a one-industry city. In DC's case, that industry's politics. Time is measured in congressional sessions and election years. But as Supercomputing '94 attendees will discover, beneath the dry political crust entertainment abounds. For every member of the bar, there is a bartender.
For starters, cruise the once-dilapidated, now-hip U Street Corridor in the NW quarter. For a surreal supper, go to the Andalusian Dog, a tapas place straight from Salvador Dali: eyeballs dangle and loaves of bread fly above your head. Wash the flame-roasted peppers down with Andalusian ale.
A few blocks away, in the older neighborhood of Adams Morgan, restaurants of every cuisine line 18th Street NW like dominoes. If you like Ethiopian eats - cheap, hot, no forks - both Red Sea and Meskerem come highly recommended. The Caribbeanesque Cafe Atlantico offers sumptuous seafood and vegetarian selections. And if you feel like indulging that expense account, try Nora's - Al took Tipper there for her birthday.
Come nighttime, jazz junkies should walk on over to One Step Down, the best jazz club in the city. Live-music lovers can also check out Nightclub 9:30, a DC classic – REM and 10,000 Maniacs played there way back when. Stop by even if you haven't heard of the band, and in a few years you'll be saying, "I saw Velocity Girl back when.... "
Abraham Lincoln's mantra notwithstanding, Washington has developed as much for the Tourists as for the People. It is a city of museums, memorials, and monuments. Unless you have a penchant for long lines and painful decorating, skip the White House tour. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a black granite wall of names, and the new US Holocaust Memorial Museum, however, are required stops around the Mall. But reserve your tickets for the Holocaust Museum well in advance. You can stargaze between conference sessions in the Albert Einstein Planetarium at the National Air and Space Museum, or feast your eyes on the current IMAX film in the museum's theater. Other Mall mentionables are the angular East Building of the National Gallery of Art, designed by I.M. Pei, and James McNeill Whistler's marvelous Peacock Room in the Freer Gallery of Art. The often forgotten Phillips Collection includes some superb art - look for the whimsical works of Paul Klee.
Now, for the monuments: I know, you went to the Lincoln Memorial when you were a kid and thought it was a yawn. Mom made you pose on the steps, and Dad talked about the Civil War. This time, visit the Mall after your former bedtime - the white marble monuments loom eloquently in the darkness.
Sick of supercomputing? Disappear into the formal gardens of Dumbarton Oaks, an 18th-century estate bordering Georgetown. This is the best-kept secret in Washington. Well, the best-kept nonpolitical secret, at least. To hear the real Washington secrets you'll have to hang out in the locker room of the Washington Sports Club, the favorite of politicians and pundits alike.
Jessie Scanlon
Capitol thank-yous to Kana Singisser, Pat Kowalzzyc, and restaurant maven Dennis Thompson. Pints of appreciation to Jantje Boichel.
If you're headed to DC for Supercomputing '94
Hill, North Carolina (October 22-26) CSCW '94 sessions will mull over "Transcending Boundaries - People, Places and Times" and consider how computer-supported environments enable us to transcend boundaries through efficient office information systems and collaborative networks. Noteworthy CSCW systems will be highlighted at an evening of special demonstrations. Registration fee is US$475 (students $150) before September 6, $565 thereafter. Tutorials not included. Contact: CSCW '94 office, phone +1 (919) 962 1869, fax +1 (919) 962 1799, e-mail cscw94@cs.unc.edu, World Wide Web.
UIST '94; Marina Del Rey, California (November 2-4)
The Seventh Annual Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology will be a small, focused gathering of user-interface researchers and practitioners. UIST '94 will feature informal demos at which attendees can "test drive" various systems. Registration fee is US$490, students $165. Contact: Pedro Szekely, phone +1 (310) 822 1511, fax +1 (310) 823 6714, e-mail szekely@quark.isi.edu, World Wide Web.
Doors of Perception; Amsterdam (November 4-6)
Home is where you hang your hat. Or is it? The second Doors of Perception conference, sponsored by the Dutch Design Institute and Mediamatic magazine, will explore the idea of "home" in the context of our ever-more-computerized and networked world. Sessions will cover everything from psycho ergonomics to virtual real estate. But there are only 1,200 seats, so register early or you won't only be thinking about home, you'll be there. Amsterdam is lovely in November (bring a raincoat). Registration fee around US$400. Contact: phone +31 (20) 61 70 390, fax +31 (20) 61 74 679, e-mail home@mediamatic.hacktic.nl.
Supercomputing '94; Washington, DC (November 14-18)
"Are supercomputers dead?" These guys don't think so. SC '94 will focus on supercomputing research, with plenary sessions devoted to its applications in biology and medicine, environmental work, and manufacturing and design. Highlights include the keynote address by Ed McCracken, chair and CEO of Silicon Graphics Inc., and a speech by NASA researcher Michael George on the important work being done with experimental wind tunnels. Registration for the technical program is US$495, students $90. Fee for the tutorial is $490, students $105, but prices are lower if you register before October 14. Contact: +1 (515) 294 0673, fax +1 (515) 294 0888, e-mail info@sc94.ameslab.gov.
Comdex/Fall '94; Las Vegas (November 14-18)
If you've been to Comdex then there's nothing more to say. If you haven't, well ... Comdex is a Dionysian fest of information technology products and people. Nearly 200,000 people, actually. The conference will be broken down into 27 programs grouped into five topic areas: desktop computing, connectivity, new media, development, and the marketplace. Registration is US$550 for full conference, one- and two-day passes available. Contact: phone +1 (617) 449 8938, fax +1 (617) 449-2674.
