Hi all,

I enjoyed HPWORLD '98, or what I was able to see of it!  The vendor
area in particular seemed quite large.  I know I never got through
it all.

Random notes/comments/gripes:

   1) the vendor setup was much more smoke-free than ever before...
      thanks, Interex!  (And, particularly, Chuck Piercey!)

   2) noise #1: hey...how about enforcing some rational (and perhaps
      legal!) noise limits on the big party?  I left after several minutes
      of inability to hear anyone/anything other than the OVERLY LOUD band.
      (That their music was good is irrelevant, of course.)

   3) noise #2:  maybe we can finally ban amplifiers for HPWORLD '99?
      (and other loud noises)   (If not, I may resort to #4 below)

      Hearing the amplified pitches of various vendors vociferously
      vouching for their products was annoying.  The infrequent but
      loud motorcycle noise from Nobix wasn't any better.

   4) I think there's a market for a boombox/DB-meter, which a vendor can
      park on the edge of their booth, pointed out at another booth.
      It would produce music (or other sound) at precisely the same volume
      level as whatever annoying booth its pointed at!

   5) curmudgeon #1 (ok, ok...*I* don't count legitmate concerns about
      hearing damaging noise (see #2) as being a curmudgeon):
         I forgot (the hazard of typing a long parenthetical comment)

   6) curmudgeon #2: $$$ spent for guest speakers.  Somehow, I doubt that
      Dave Barry was speaking for free.  I raise this issue every year or
      two, but no one seems to care in the Interex hierarchy.

      A guest speaker like Dave Barry had darned well better pay off.
      Do they?  Where's the numbers?  There are three kinds of payoff that
      I can see happening...only one of which is directly beneficial
      to the members:

         1) increased *paid* attendance and/or membership in Interex
            (to the tune, of course, of more than paying for the cost of the
            speaker).

         2) increased free attendance, resulting in increased sales to the
            vendors.   ... not a direct member benefit, and an indirect one
            only by stretching the imagination.

         3) increased "ego-boo" for the Interex board and conference chair.
            ... not a member benefit in any way (unless, I suppose, you're
            a board member :)

      Why is this a concern?  We have money to throw around, don't we?
      Nope.  Each year, we hear that IPROF is on the ropes and may not
      be held the following year because it loses money.  How much money?
      About the cost of a guest speaker, as far as I can tell!

   7) Oddest speaker gift: this year's.  I still don't know what it is...
      a soft sided hat box with a fish net on top?

   8) Best giveaway: Maker's Mark BBQ sauce (sorry, forgot who gave it out)

   9) Worst giveaway: Bourbon soaked cigars (same vendor!)

   10) Fastest disappearing giveaway: Mike Onofre's booth, giving away
       Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animals.

   11) Second best giveaway:
         (tie) Softwork's gym bag (although you were supposed to listen to
               a presentation for it)
         and   HP's orange teddy bear (with a ribbon saying "HP 3000 = trustworthy")

   12) Stalest giveaway:
         (tie)   Stale hard candy
         and     Squeeze globes of the earth (multiple vendors!)

   13) Most clueless giveaway: the foam football without a company name on it!

   14) Most immediately useful item learned at vendor show:
          You can put 1.5 GB of RAM on a 9x7!  (info from Strategic Memory Solutions)

   15) Hardest hidden worker: Chuck Shimada (no change from last year!)

   16) Best subtle news: the HP booth person who said: for the first time in 5 years,
       I had people come up and ask for a product list and a price guide
       for the HP 3000 line! (She was asked by four different attendees!)

   17) Best old hardware: Advant, for their HP 3000 Series I.

   18) Second hardest person to find: Gavin Scott (on Thursday), who claims
       "he was in the logical place, if you read the schedule";

   19) Hardest person to find: me (particularly if you ask the people in the
       ORBiT booth, who kept saying "oh, so-and-so came by to see you")

   20) Best Y2K date/time simulation tool: <plug> HourGlass 2000, info
       at www.allegro.com/hourglass2000/ </plug>
       (Hey, it's my list :)

I'm looking forward to HPWORLD '99, in San Francisco!

--
Stan Sieler                                          [log in to unmask]
                                     http://www.allegro.com/sieler.html