Deductible Junkets – Meetings of the minds.
December 12-17 International Non-Renewable Energy Sources Congress and Exhibition '98 Tehran What more appropriate place to hold a conference that discusses energy ethics, processing and storage, and global warming than Iran – a heart of black gold that holds 93 billion barrels of oil reserves? Against the backdrop of a city whose population has grown from 200,000 to 12 million in the last 70 years, more than 600 scientists, engineers, and scholars will gather to address environmental concerns generated by the overwhelming demand for nonrenewable energy sources. Among the speakers is Rafiq Islam of the United Arab Emirates University, who will lecture about "Oil & Gas Production in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century." A summary of the proceedings will be available online for those inclined to heed the US Department of State warning against travel to Iran.
| Tête à Tête Potential | ******
| Geek Factor | *****
| Idea Takeaway | ******
| Star Power | ******
Registration: Rl100,000 (US$350). Contact: email hmodares@cic.aku.ac.ir, on the Web at www.uic.edu/labs/trl/INRESC.98.html.
January 13-15 Global Meeting of Generations 1999 Washington, DC The opening decades of the 21st century offer an unprecedented opportunity to end poverty and achieve a better quality life for all," proclaims program coordinator Lauren Lasher, describing the premise of this conference that seeks to improve living standards in developing countries. Six "Knowledge and Technology" sessions will explore ways to reduce technology gaps and discuss issues of social justice – giving even the most apathetic attendee a healthy dose of altruistic inspiration. Engage in dialog with futurist Hazel Henderson or lounge in the cybercafé with United Nations officials and leaders from grassroots development organizations.
| Tête à Tête Potential | ******
| Geek Factor | *****
| Idea Takeaway | *****
| Star Power | *******
Registration: US$70-275. Contact: +1 (202) 884 8580, fax +1 (202) 884 8499, on the Web at www.idc.org/gmg/.
January 7-10 1999 International Consumer Electronics Show Las Vegas CES, as Fetish fans well know, is the ultimate showcase showdown for purveyors of electronic gadgets. Sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, this annual orgy of material indulgence attracts more than 90,000 eager conferencegoers (2,900 of whom are press junketeers) from more than 100 countries. They flock to Las Vegas to either exhibit or ogle the latest technologies to hit the retail market. CEOs and analysts attend seminars and panel discussions to study economic trends, while distributors and retailers compare innovations in hot markets such as home entertainment and mobile communications. The bells and whistles of the more than 1,600 exhibits, combined with the buzzing and whirring of nearby slot machines, will make your ears ring and your head spin all the way home.
| Tête à Tête Potential | *****
| Geek Factor | *******
| Idea Takeaway | ******
| Star Power | *****
Registration: free through January 6, US$75 after. Contact: +1 (703) 907 7605, email cesinfo@eia.org, on the Web at www.cesweb.org/1999/prospect.htm.
January 13-16 The Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society's San Antonio, Texas "Geometry is often considered dead and fixed and boring. We aim to convince people otherwise," explains Colm Mulcahy of Spelman College's Department of Mathematics. Being surrounded by 3,500 mathematicians and statisticians may be intimidating, but sessions like "Ethical, Humanistic, and Artistic Mathematics" make a daunting subject more accessible to those less numerically inclined. "Geometry in the Next Millennium," for example, will highlight popular applications such as computer animation. Discover the real stars of Pixar's A Bug's Life – you know, scalar and vector fields on subdivision surfaces.
| Tête à Tête Potential | ******
| Geek Factor | *******
| Idea Takeaway | *******
| Star Power | *****
Registration: US$20-208. Contact: on the Web at www.ams.org/amsmtgs/2031_intro.html.
January 18-20 Virtual Worlds and Simulation San Francisco Held under the auspices of the Society for Computer Simulation's Western Multi-Conference, VWsim '99 unites researchers from fields as diverse as anthropology and health care. "We define a virtual world as being a lot more than an interface," says conference co-chair and Aerospace Corporation spokesperson Kirstie Bellman. "The setting is not just a picture of a place." Learn about the objects and agents that cohabitate in virtual spaces by checking out "Avatar Development" and "Tool Integration Inside of VWs." Sim enthusiasts from the Getty Museum and the Smithsonian Institution will mingle with the mostly military and governmental attendees.
| Tête à Tête Potential | ******
| Geek Factor | ******
| Idea Takeaway | ******
| Star Power | *****
Registration: US$380-525. Contact: +1 (619) 277 3888, fax +1 (619) 277 3930, on the Web at www.cs.umd.edu/~cal/VWsim/VWsim-schedule.html.
Send event information to junkets@wired.com.
