I just returned from SIGGRAPH, which was being held in San Diego this year. In contrast to the madness that was the San Diego Comic-Con, SIGGRAPH was incredibly mellow. This might have had to do with it being the last day of the convention, but it was still surprisingly quiet. The highlight of the trip was a stroll through the upstairs gallery, where a bunch of scientists were displaying various digital media experiments- things like force-feedback drawing tablets and virtual candles that you could extinguish by blowing on an LCD screen. Most of these projects had no practical applications whatsoever, but to hear the researchers talk excitedly about their wacky interactive painting programs while young and old alike played with them like giant toys put a big ol' smile on my face. I also took nearly a dozen inflatable beach balls from the Intel booth.

On the way home, I also saw at least 7 Pontiac Azteks on the road. In my not-so-humble opinion, that's 7 Pontiac Azteks too many. It is quite possibly the ugliest vehicle ever put into production, resembling a giant breadbox rolling along on a set of spare tires. They also seem to have a set of spare headlights up front, in case you felt having two just wasn't enough.

Getting back on track...

You may have noticed the recent activity in the box above me here. I'm just going to plug stuff in there for a while- probably two or three times a week - and see how long I can keep that up. I'm also going to fill this box with random musings, in a manner much like a weblog (at least until I decide to hide behind my cartoons again). So feel free to check back and see what the day has to offer. The new Copper comic will also be up in about a week.

Have a great weekend!

-Kazu