PRASA 2008

So, this year PRASA was in Cape Town, and, riding on the work of my loyal minion (i.e. my M. student), I was once represented. Notes from this year:

• I should never, ever, ever get a job which involves commuting in on the N2 - taking around 90 minutes to get from my flat to the conference venue each morning was not a good way to start the day.
• I should be more forceful when chairing sessions - I left the long talk to go on embarrassingly long.
• Ideally, I should duck out of chairing sessions more often. It's easier to catnap in the back during the boring bits that way.
• Two bottles of wine per table (1 white, 1 red) just doesn't cut it for the conference dinner
• I'm very glad I wasn't driving after the conference dinner (see previous point).
• Ordering off the menu a week in advance didn't work well, and hopefully that won't be repeated for some time.
• I came away with fewer things that struck me as really interesting this time - I think the first point played a role in that, though.
• The meeting footage database does sound like a fun dataset to have on hand. I'll hopefully remember to follow up on that.
  
  

PRASA 2007

So, I went to PRASA in Pietermartizburg, and successfully returned. Overall, good conference.

An unsorted list of thingies.

• The N3 to Pietermartizburg sucks. It would suck less, but probably still suck if they weren't doing construction
• Where do all the lorries on the N3 come from?
• Durban drivers are impolite and insane. I'm not quite sure how I managed to avoid getting the rent-a-car dinged.
• Natal thunderstorms are impressive.
• This is true even when the second storm of the conference is delaying takeoff
• Photographing birds in lush vegetation is really hard
  
• I'm no longer anonymous enough to avoid being roped into chairing sessions. This is both kinda cool, and really annoying
• I failed my 'avoid involvement' roll, so I'm not going to be able to avoid being involved in the organisation of PRASA 2008
• Both my students spoke well. I'm more relieved about this than I expected.
• Students have a bad influence on my drinking habits
• I'm not really complaining about the above
• 'Did an engine fall off' as become a over-used standard joke
  
• Durban airport is pleasant, but doesn't have enough through the security checkpoint