Conference in Detroit: Day 1

I'm sitting in the temporary "iMac Bar" at the Detroit Marriot, taking a break from the talks at ISMB 2005. So far, this city hasn't lived up to its reputation of being a dump; but the day is still young and the sun is still up--check in for tomorrow's installment to see if I have spoken too soon.

The ride over was uneventful--and very quick, thanks to my supervisor's 140km/h driving. In fact, we cleared Windsor in just over 3 hours. Unfortunately, being in a van with 2 Canadians, an American, a Spaniard, and a British citizen meant that we had to spend an hour at US customs going through "immigration formalities". To make a long story short, the customs agents weren't the most friendly, but no one was subjected to full-orifice searches--great success!

Like every other conference, this one has a full complimentary beverage and snack bar. I've already overindulged, and as I type this, I'm finishing off my second can of Pepsi. I wasn't anticipating the availability of internet access before I came, but the presence of an entire wing of the hotel lined with 21" LCD iMacs has made me very selective of the talks I will choose to go to. Talks that appeared to have been must-sees when I saw the program an hour ago, have now been downgraded to optional.

The Marriot is actually right across the river from Windsor, ON and I can still get cellphone reception from the Rogers towers situated on the Canadian side :) So, if you want to keep me company during the next 3 days of mind-numbing talks, please do feel free to SMS (or mobile MSN) me! I hear they've just brought out more snacks. Toodles!


Your Favorite Jerk