The conference was officially opened on Wednesday (Tuesday was Tutorial Day). The committee decided that they wanted us to realize that we were in Australia (rather than just being in an anonymous convention center), and so they arranged for two musical numbers and two politicians to start things off.
We began with an aboriginal group welcoming us with music on the dirigidu, song, and dance. Then a group called the ShowStoppers serenaded us with traditional Australian songs (including Waltzing Matilda). Then a Member of the Queensland Parliament spoke for a few minutes (he returned at lunch on Friday, to a much cooler welcome), and finally, the Governor-General of Australia officially opened the conference.
After that, the day degenerated into strictly technical discussions, so I shall draw a veil over the remainder of the proceedings.
Tomorrow: A Brief Escape
| Getting There is Much Less than Half the Fun | Saturday/Monday, April 11/13 | Airplanes and Airports |
| Brisbane, as seen through a haze of jetlag | Monday, April 13 | Brisbane |
| The Conference Begins | Tuesday, April 14 | Brisbane |
| An Opening Ceremony | Wednesday, April 15 | Brisbane |
| A Brief Escape | Thursday, April 16 | Brisbane |
| The Conference Ends | Friday, April 17 | Brisbane |
| Koalas and Kangaroos and Wallabies, Oh My! | Saturday, April 18 | Brisbane |
| To Melbourne | Sunday, April 19 | Brisbane/Melbourne |
| A Day of Meetings | Monday, April 20 | Melbourne |
| DOM, Day 2 | Tuesday, April 21 | Melbourne/Sydney |
| A Rainy Day in Old Sydney | Wednesday, April 22 | Sydney |
| Another Rainy Day in Old Sydney | Thursday, April 23 | Sydney |
| It can't be Sydney -- it's not raining! | Friday, April 24 | Sydney |
| The Longest Day | Saturday, April 25 | Sydney/Los Gatos |
