Siggraph 2008

I haven't been to Siggraph in years (probably since 2001). I only went this time because it was the first time my book was being sold publicly. But it was a great chance to see how the conference has changed -- and really, it hasn't changed much! I mean, everything is much more smooth and professional than it used to be, and there is so much more content now. All the old favorites were there (techy papers, goofy art projects, crazy experiments) but so much more refined than in the past! It's the "new tech demos" which I am always most interested in -- and there were some cool ones, with clever projection tricks and thoughtful new ways to combine print and projection, but by far what captivated me the most were experiments that played with the flow of time, specifically through the time tunnel, and Wonderland. I must have sat and stared at Wonderland for half an hour -- for some reason the idea of a world that runs backwards has always fascinated me, and I have often thought about making a film where time runs backwards, except for when people talk, we would use CG to make their mouths and dialog run forwards -- it would be a fascinating universe.