Preston Smith is the Emerging Technologies Chair for the 2010 (and 2011) Siggraph/ACM conferences. Previously he was the Volunteer On-Site Manager of Emerging Technologies Venue since 1998. What makes Smith so passionate about Siggraph? In this interview we learn why the Emerging Technologies area is so much fun as well as showcasing the true state-of-the-art! Long before a hip new technology ends up in your home, on the shelves at your local store, or is the subject of news reports, it probably started its life in a lab, and when someone wants to strut their stuff, they submit it to Siggraph for consideration to be demonstrated at the annual conference. In this interview Smith discusses how he came to chair the annual Emerging Technologies program of the conference, and his favorite demonstrations from 2010. Siggraph is one of the world’s most prestigious conferences for the intersection of art, science, and technology. With the upcoming 2011 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, this is a great preview of things to come. Recorded at the Siggraph/ACM Conference in Los Angeles.  (12:40)

Harris Fogel, Posted 5/10/11

Photographs by Harris Fogel ©2011

For more information on the 2011 Siggraph Conference visit: www.siggraph.org