Kooji does Boston - Day Two

I woke up at about 5am with a feeling of impatient anticipation I can only compare to the feeling you get on Christmas Eve as a small child. Two hours later Johnny woke up and after a hurried shower we sprinted down to our continental breakfast in the hotel bar and restaurant: ‘Spuds’ and proceeded to sample the entire menu. We then spent the day familiarising ourselves with the public transportation by first heading straight to the ’Boston Convention and Exhibition Center,’ which is this years host to SIGGRAPH (after a swift pit-stop at Burger King and several drink ‘re-fills’).

On the Silver Line underground tunnel bus we overheard a group of people say they were going to the convention centre. ‘So are we!’ I squeaked. The man to our left smiled. Johnny noticed as we walked out of the station that two of them were wearing SIGGRAPH t-shirts. I looked over and commented on how similar one of them looked to Stephen Wroble (Coordinator, Interactive Media Category, SIGGRAPH Education Committee Space/Time Competition) who had first emailed me with the news that our pipeline project had been awarded second place. I had found a photo of Steve shaking hands with my tutor Duncan Folley after searching on the net for previous visits by Leeds Met to SIGGRAPH. I dismissed it as too much of a coincidence since so many people would be attending.

We were walking towards the main entrance when the man who’d smiled at me on the bus asked us where we were from (England) and why we were here (because of the award), ‘Oh, you’ll want to speak to Stephen Wroble!’ he said as he shouted after Steve. After introducing ourselves and enthusiastically shaking hands we met several members of the Education Committee including Scott Dunham (founding chair for SEMAFX and CGI Producer for Evox Productions), Jacob Pollak (also with SEMAFX and the Detroit Creative Group), Colleen Case (ACM SIGGRAPH Director for Education and who is also from Schoolcraft College along with Steve Wroble and Michael Mehall). We exchanged business cards, enthused over the week ahead, arranged to meet the following day then they rushed off to prepare the Education Booth.

We stayed to explore the convention centre for a while.

The exhibitors were still setting up when we were looking around.

‘Design, Create and Inspire,’ that’s us!

I’m no stranger to milking cows. I used to work on a farm years ago. Strange breed though, this one.

Watch your step!

Unusual surface texture this…planet Boston.

Heading towards the Seaport Hotel, World Trade Center, Boston.

After a stroll along Boston harbour we headed back to the subway (also known as the ‘T’)

...then on to the hotel, for our evening meal at Spuds. (Cheap shrimp on Saturdays!)

>>> Kooji does Boston - Day Three