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May 25, 2004
Update in Edinburgh
From 05/23:
Things that have popped into my mind since I have arrived in Scotland:
1. People who need to use the restroom 6 times in 6 hrs need to get an aisle seat.
2. All babies should be drugged and comatose before boarding a plane
3. People who don't realize how large whatever they are carrying annoy the shit out of me. ESPECIALLY if the bag they are carrying is NOT on their back but rather their front. Don't they realize they are smacking people all the damn time?
4. Whoever said all Europeans were skinny obviously has not been to Edinburgh. There are JUST as many fat people here, and they like to show it all off just like Americans do.
So here I am sitting at my B&B feeling a little bit loser like. I went to the ICSE registration but everybody was already in their little cliques (or maybe they had just come together) that I felt a little stupid and out of place. It's always hard to go up to a group of people and start talking to them, I think. So I went back to my B&B instead and decided that tomorrow would have to be the day that I start socializing.
Which brings me to my next point. I think that DEBS is SO poorly planned out I'm not even sure what to think anymore. So I went through the Proceedings and what did I see but that 1/10th of the fonts in my paper were MISSING. They were just blanks. It worked when I sent the pdf version of it to the PC
chair, but apparently the fonts/words have disappeared since I last saw them. Hadn't the stupid chair even BOTHERED to make sure that not half of the fonts were friggin' missing? I know it's not only mine as others apparently were missing fonts too. But better yet, at registration, there was no schedule. Apparently we were supposed to all print out a copy and BRING IT TO THE WORKSHOP, since nobody (and I don't blame the ICSE people) at the registration desk knew anything. No one even really knew when the workshops started since they were dependent per workshop. It's totally ridiculous. This whole workshop feels like a joke. Plus, I found out there is another paper in the workshop that is basically the same as my work. THEY got the 30 minute presentation. I am so annoyed.
I don't even want to go anymore. The best part is that I don't even remember when I present, as I hadn't thought it was necessary to print out a copy of the schedule, but apparently it is.
Side note after 10 minutes: I love IE and its usage of caching. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
However, still feeling blue. Can't wait until this workshop is over. Annoyed and mad. I need a huge HUGE hug right now. :(
From today:
Sitting here in the middle of the workshop, slightly bored. Guy presenting right now is droning ON AND ON about scopes in pub/sub which doesn't really make any sense. Feel like I am about to die of boredom. Apparently Europeans do NOT adhere to their time limits. And since our PC is too nice (ie chicken) to cut them off, this guy has been talking for about 45 minutes or something. Man, I spent most of my time trimming my presentation down to the appropriate time. However, everybody else didn't feel inclined as much. The girl before me who was supposed to have a 5 minute presentation went on for 45 minutes! Then I felt really stupid for trying so hard to make it short. I think people were actually surprised at how short my presentation went. So stupid.
But the workshop is almost over. I guess this is good. Met some prof that I thought was really cool at first, but then he started presenting and he became an uber dick. How does it happen that the presenter attacks EVERY person who asks a question?
Posted by szujin at May 25, 2004 11:00 AM