ACM Multimedia 2003
November 2-8, 2003
Berkeley, CA, USA 
http://www.acm.org/sigs/sigmm/mm2003/
by Lloyd Rutledge

We often describe this conference as high in importance and low in
inspiration for our group.  This year's conference, however, has
started in a direction of more inspiration, interest and applicability
for us.  The paper content was not dramatically more interesting.  The
increased interest came more from group decisions to set an philosophy
and direction for the conference series, which showed in various
general-purpose talks and in the CFP
(http://www.acm.org/sigs/sigmm/mm2003/04cfp.pdf) for next year
distributed at the conference.  Specifically stated goals for the
future include increasing focus on authoring and on quality of (user)
*experience* rather than just server.

This direction was set primarily during a "retreat" before the
conference, whose attendees were invited as those with strong,
long-lasting (even if long ago) interest and importance to the
conference as a series.  Our very own Dick Bulterman was such an
invitee.  Dick mentioned to me that the retreat mentioned SMIL as an
important contribution of the committee.  Larry Rowe presented the
results of the retreat at a special session at the conference.  These
include the aforementioned focusses on authoring and experience.
Larry also gently clarified that we are no longer that interested in
fully non-human techniques for retrieving single components of media.
In general, we want to put the "multi" back in multimedia.

The SMIL tutorial had six registrants but only three attendees and a
student volunteer.  If followed the usual progression of decreasing
quantity of participants with increase quality of their interaction,
perhaps due to conference attendees with general interest in SMIL
having already attended, but local professionals now having their
first opportunity.

I met up with familiar old faces at the conference such as Brian
Bailey, Larry Rowe and Susanne Boll, with her partner in papers and
life, Utz.  It was fun to catch up with Joost and Frank in their new
Berkeley environment.  The three of us had dinner with Patrick will in
town.