Post AVQG19Xw5Lau85QS0G by joshuagrochow@mathstodon.xyz
 (DIR) More posts by joshuagrochow@mathstodon.xyz
 (DIR) Post #AVQFxwHOxD7s7B9w6S by johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz
       2023-05-06T23:08:13Z
       
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       In computer science it's *against the rules* to publish your work in many prestigious venues unless you physically travel to present that work at a conference!   They seem to be forgetting that there's a thing called the "internet" that makes this unnecessary.  Pretty weird for computer scientists.Here's the famous computer scientist Moshe Vardi on how this needs to change:"As I argued in January 2020, in view of the worsening climate crisis, our discipline's practice that every publication requires travel, often trans-oceanic, is inconsistent with the public good. A report released in March 2023 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints an even bleaker picture of the worsening climate crisis. The world is on brink of catastrophic warming, the report warned. A dangerous climate threshold is near, but 'it does not mean we are doomed' if swift action is taken, the scientists said.""Going back to the pre-pandemic conference-travel culture is simply not morally acceptable, I believe. Yet many conferences have gone back to a full in-person model, and authors are required to present in person. This requirement is drawing criticism. A recent article by Theoretical Computer Scientists for Future (TCS4F) concluded, 'Coupling formal publications with an in-person gathering no longer makes sense for everyone.'"https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2023/5/272297-acm-for-the-public-good/fulltext
       
 (DIR) Post #AVQFxx8DmpNQkzs7Qu by zleap@qoto.org
       2023-05-07T20:19:16Z
       
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       @johncarlosbaez You would think computer science conferences would be hybrid in person / virtual like many of the FLOSS conferences are, e.g LibrePlanet from the @fsf   or perhaps FOSDEM, EmacsConf, DebConf
       
 (DIR) Post #AVQG18kf2YB9fGN6CO by JorgeStolfi@mas.to
       2023-05-06T23:22:32Z
       
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       @johncarlosbaez That observation makes sense... but isn't it an argument to abolish conferences altogether?    What is the point of having a zoom conference on X, rather than a "letters" type electronic journal on X?
       
 (DIR) Post #AVQG19Xw5Lau85QS0G by joshuagrochow@mathstodon.xyz
       2023-05-06T23:30:34Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @JorgeStolfi @johncarlosbaez A well-done online conference offers more than just reading the papers aloud. Sure, it doesn't offer meals and coffee and drinks. But it can offer many of the other scientific and networking benefits of an in-person conference. (Key word here being "well-done"! Just because many online conferences are done poorly doesn't mean they all have to be.)For a fraction of the cost, fraction of the CO2 budget. And more accessible to people who cannot attend in-person, see: disabled, immunocompromised, less $ personally, university, or nationally, unable to take time off of work or family obligations to travel, visa issues, etc.
       
 (DIR) Post #AVQI1MCFFh2jGtVMrQ by johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz
       2023-05-07T20:42:12Z
       
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       @zleap - you might think so, but no.  By the way, I believe @vardi was mainly talking about academic computer science conferences, not industry-run meetings.