The Conference Ends

Friday was the last day of the formal conference. I spent much of it in meeting rooms, watching presentations and chairing a session; lunch was more interesting, as we used the time to decide on the prizes for Best Paper, Best Poster, and Best Java Idea (I was on the prize committee this year). There were a number of excellent papers, but possibly the most challenging aspect of the process was keeping our table private so that we could have our discussion without having one of the nominees listening in.

The conference started with a bang, but it ended with a whimper, just petering out at the end of the last session -- no great ceremony.

After the conference, there was a "Thank You" party at the Customs House; I wandered there via the Queen Street Mall (see the picture above), which is quite an active place -- not just on Friday night, but around the clock (or at least at all the times I've been there).

At the party, I kept the camera busy taking pictures of my colleagues:

• Simon Phipps, Ted Nelson, and Paul Saffo
• Rohit Kahre
• Sally Khudairi and Lauren Wood
• Helen Ashman (program chair), glad it's over!

Tomorrow: Koalas and Kangaroos and Wallabies, Oh My!

The trip, day-by-day: