Deductible Junkets
If You're Headed to Cannes for MILIA
Thanks to its annual film festival, Cannes has become a household word, albeit an often mispronounced one. But the festival is just one of many events held in this fashionable French resort, including this year's MILIA conference. It seems the planners discovered what movie stars and rich Europeans have known for years - the sun shines and the francs flow in this Riviera wonderland. You can see it all along La Croisette, the elegant seaside boulevard lined with grand hotels and even grander restaurants. But don't just walk - promenade.
The pages of Vogue come alive on the rue d'Antibes and the other streets of Cannes. But fashionable boutiques aside, head straight to Duquesne Telecom, on 39 boulevard Carnot, and pick up the prise gigogne that you will need to log on at your hotel. You may also need a pair of alligator clips, depending on the phone jacksin your room.
At any of the hundreds of restaurants in town, you'll find sumptuous seafood and fabulous foie gras, at prices ranging from just plain expensive to ridiculously chers. Tétou boasts the best bouillabaisse in the world and celebrities, apparently, love bouillabaisse. You'll find less expensive eateries along the small winding streets of Le Suquet, the vieux quartier of Cannes. Undiscovered by Chanel and Armani, Le Suquet is a haven of curious shops, quiet cafés, and tasty treats - try the grilled delights at Mashou.
The Iles de Lérins, owned and inhabited by monks since 410 AD, are islands of serenity 15 minutes away from the self-conscious fanfare of Cannes. Buy picnic supplies at the open markets on rue Forville and ferry out to St. Honorat, the smaller island covered with eucalyptus and wild honeysuckle.
After the islands, rent a Renault and explore the more subtle charm of the Riviera's country towns. No more than an hour northeast you'll find Eze-Bord-de-Mer, a picture postcard town clinging precariously to a hilltop above the ocean. If you like post-impressionist art, visit the Maect Foundation in St-Paul-de-Vence. If you don't, then buy a pastis and watch the old men play boules nearby. When the game is over, find the restaurant-cum-gallery Colombe d'Or, where Picasso, Matisse, and others paid their bills with the brush.
Only 20 minutes from Cannes, Mougins is a must for gearheads and gourmands alike. The Musée de Motos worships the history of cars. And Moulin de Mougins is run by one of the most famous chefs in France.
A night in Nice is well spent at the Bông Laï on rue d'Alsace-Lorraine. At this brilliant Vietnamese restaurant the old chef will tell you not only what to eat but how to eat it.
Cannes has been called both "the pearl of the Riviera," and "a grotesquely over-hyped urban blight." Personal opinions aside, there are some general truths about Cannes (kän): you can't find a bad cup of coffee, you can never be overdressed, and the locals will sneer no matter how you pronounce it.
Jessie Scanlon
MVA '94: IAPR Workshop on Machine Vision Applications; Kawasaki, Japan
(December 13-15)
Now you see it, now your computer does. The International Association for Pattern Recognition brings together academics and industrialists for discussions ranging from machine vision algorithms and technical research to industrial applications, including mobile robots, factory automation, and security and navigation systems. Registration: ¥38,000 (US$380) before November 30; ¥45,000 (US$450) after. Contact: Mikio Takagi, +81 (3) 3479 0289, fax +81 (3) 3402 6226, e-mail takagi@tkl.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
NAFIPS/IFIS/NASA '94; San Antonio, Texas (December 18-21)
This joint event will combine the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society Biannual Conference, the Industrial Fuzzy Control and Intelligent Systems Conference, and the NASA Joint Technology Workshop on Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic. Papers, panels, and tutorials will consider possible applications of fuzzy logic (the National Information Infrastructure, financial networks, and other complex systems). Ah, yes - and the latest fuzzy products will be on display. Professor Emeritus Lotfi A. Zadeh, the father of fuzzy logic, will give the keynote address. Registration: US$350. Contact: Uthra Venkatraman, +1 (409) 845 1870, fax +1 (409) 847 8578, e-mail nafips94@cs.tamu.edu.
MACWORLD Expo; San Francisco (January 4-7)
While the rest of the world kicks back to recuperate from a hectic holiday season, Mac users will celebrate the New (computing) Year at MACWORLD. Tens of thousands of them are expected to race from booth to booth, viewing new product demos and clamoring for free buttons. And then, of course, there are the 200-plus conference sessions covering multimedia, design, connectivity, and more. Registration: US$120, $25 for exhibit hall only, before December 1; $150, $40 after. Contact: (800) 945 3313, +1 (617) 361 8000, fax +1 (617) 361 3389.
The 1995 International Winter Consumer Electronics Show; Las Vegas
(January 6-9)
How to Make the Consumer Electronics Show: The Recipe. Start with 90,000 frenzied manufacturers and buyers, stir in one of every kind of new audio, video, multimedia, and mobile electronics product, sprinkle in a few big-name industry executives like Michael Schulhof of the Sony Corporation of America (the keynote) and Microsoft bigwig Bill Gates. Blend all ingredients well. And don't forget to preregister. Registration: US$10 before December 12; $50 on site. Contact: +1 (202) 457 8700, fax +1 (708) 344 9018.
MILIA '95; Cannes (January 12-16)
Last year's sellout début made MILIA, the International Publishing and New Media Market, the talk of the multimedia conference circuit. General sessions, workshops, and panels will cover specific issues of creative content, production, and distribution. With delegates from the creative and business sides of the industry, as well as from both sides of the Atlantic, MILIA is also an opportunity to negotiate licensing rights and international distribution deals. Registration: f2,965 (US$550) per person, f2,195 (US$400) each additional person, before November 30; and f3,498 (US$647), f2,312 (US$428) after. Contact: Diana Butler, +1 (212) 689 4220, fax +1 (212) 689 4348.
Tip of the chapeau to John Cummins, Ian Stewart, and my well-traveled America Online sources.
