Deductible Junkets
Headed to DC?
Washington, DC. It's a city of "southern efficiency and northern charm," quipped Jack Kennedy - and national politics, as Networked Economy Conference attendees will discover. Pundits, policy wonks, and politicians abound in this city founded on the spirit of '76. But beyond the hallowed ground of the Hill thrives the spirit of '95.
From the steps of the US Capitol, look westward across the National Mall for an autumn view of the memorials and the Smithsonian museums. OK, now for a tour of Washington - not as it is, but as it might have been - at the National Building Museum. The permanent "Washington: Symbol and City" exhibit relives the history of how DC was built - and wasn't. Browse the losing designs for the Washington Monument.
Another monument - this one to the printed word - the Library of Congress is an impressive structure, housing more than 108 million items on 532 miles of shelves. One of three existing perfect copies on vellum of the Gutenberg Bible is on permanent display in the Madison Gallery.
Then book it over to the lively Jaleo, meaning "commotion" in Spanish. Is it the sangria, the sherry, or just the sizzling atmosphere that draws the crowds to this tapas joint?
Next, knock about Adams-Morgan in the NW quadrant. Chief Ike's Mambo Room, once a lair of Democrats, is now all the rage with Republicans, too. Quirky wall murals depict President Eisenhower wearing an Indian headdress and Sigmund Freud saying, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Speaking of which, don't miss the spicy Cigars de Picadillo at Cities nearby. This trendy restaurant and bar celebrates a different city every year - the current flavor is Havana, Cuba. ¡Buen provecho!
Then andalé to Dupont Circle, a lively neighborhood of tree-lined streets, coffee houses, and crowded restaurants. At Il Radicchio nearly every dish is under US$10. And for $6, the all-you-can-eat spaghetti is a capital deal. If there is a wait, disappear into the nooks of books (or find a table in the cafe) at the voluminous Kramerbooks & afterwords, A café, open until one. Another late-night delight, the Pop Stop is a fun house of funky furniture and colossal mugs of coffee that will keep you awake into the next congressional session.
Washington is no Garden of Eden, but you will find U-topia in the once-dilapidated, now vogue, U Street corridor. Hipness drips out of the exposed brick walls while stylish patrons listen to Brazilian music or, on the weekends, live jazz.
Networkaholics can wind down at the Brickskeller, a favorite Washington watering hole serving more than 600 brews from around the world. Or take a drop at the Old Ebbitt Grill. The oldest saloon in the city, the Ebbitt is popular with the powers that be. But if you strike up a conversation, go easy on the tech talk - politicians may network better than a T-1 line, but mention bandwidth, and chances are they're counting trombones.
Jessie Scanlon
Headed to DC?
August 16-20 One BBSCON; Tampa, Florida. September 3-7 International Computer Music Conference; Banff, Canada.
September 4 Advanced Surveillance Technologies; Copenhagen, Denmark.
September 6-8 International Workshop on Information Processing in Cells and Tissues; Liverpool, England.
September 7-8 InfoWarCon '95; Arlington, Virginia.
September 12-13 Networked Economy Conference; Washington, DC
Now in its third year, the CommunicationsWeek International conference is still one of the hottest events around. The program covers the three Cs of the digital highway: communications, content, and commerce. Round table speakers include Bill Gates, Reed Hundt, and Jim Clark. Registration: US$1,200, students $750. Contact: +1 (516) 733 6770, fax +1 (516) 733 6730, e-mail shawkes@cmp.com.
September 17-24 ISEA'95; Montreal
The annual International Symposium on Electronic Art explores the overlapping realms of art and technology. Festival fun includes a dazzling computer animation show, an experimental interactive television project, and other multimedia installations. Registration: US$294 (CAN$400), students $147 (CAN$200). Contact: +1 (514) 990 0229, fax +1 (514) 842 7459, e-mail isea95@er.uqam.ca.
September 23-October 1 Practice and Future of Autonomous Agents; Ticino, Switzerland
This robotics rendezvous was inspired by the 1993 NATO Advanced Study Institute session on "The Biology and Technology of Intelligent Autonomous Agents." In lectures, workshops, and panel discussions, attendees will review the current state of autonomous-agent research and outline an agenda for the future. Rodney Brooks, Daniel Dennett, and other speakers will cover the Cog project, evolutionary versus behavioral economics approaches, and many questions of theory and design. Registration: academics US$351, business $527. Contact: +41 (1) 257 43 20/31, fax +41 (1) 363 00 35, e-mail info@ifi.unizh.ch, on the Web at .
October 4-6 Internet 95; Norfolk, Virginia
Such digital trailblazers as Marc Andreessen (co-founder of Netscape Communications), Tim O'Reilly (president of O'Reilly and Associates) and David Pool (president of Spry Inc.) have signed on for this first-time event on "Future Technology, Business and the Web." Topics include technical, commercial, and regulatory issues. Registration: US$425 before August 15th, $475 after. Contact: +1 (804) 533 5134, fax +1 (804) 623 5649, e-mail markt35854@aol.com.
October 11-14 MEDICAL; Charleston, South Carolina
This is TED: The Next Generation, and it will explore the media in medical information. The conference examines the business and culture of our health care system, focusing on communications (among patients, doctors, and drug and insurance companies), new medical technologies, and the economics of health policy. The eclectic mix of speakers includes C. Everett Koop, David Macaulay, and Stephen Jay Gould. Registration: US$2,000. Contact: +1 (401) 848 2299, fax +1 (401) 848 2599.
Out on the Range
October 19-21 Bionomics in Action: Economy as Ecosystem in Business and Public Policy; San Francisco. Contact: +1 (415) 454 1000, e-mail conference95@bionomics.org.
October 22-25 1995 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics; Vancouver, Canada. Contact: +1 (604) 681 5226, fax +1 (604) 681 2503.
October 25-27 Defining the Electronic Consumer IV; New York. Contact: +1 (212) 941 9252, fax +1 (212) 941 7376.
Got a good junket? E-mail junkets@wired.com.
