
Speaking of SIGGRAPH, I just went through the ordeal of my annual registration
for SIGGRAPH and re-upping of membership in the ACM last night, and was I ever
grossed out!  The new prices for membership are almost highway robbery!

For example:

	SIGGRAPH basic fee went from $26 last year to $59 this year for the same
	thing, a 127% increase.  Those facile enough to arrange a trip to the
	annual conference could reduce this to $27 by selecting SIGGRAPH Lite,
	which means SIGGRAPH is charging an additional $32 (or so) for the
	proceedings and the art show catalog, essentially.

	TOPLAS went up 40% in cost, way outstripping the current inflation rate.

	Basic SIGCHI fees remainded the same, but whereas before SIGCHI
	membership included UIST and Human Factors conferences proceedings,
	these are now an extra cost option.  Bundling that back into the basic
	rate, equivalent services have gone up 100% in cost.

	SIGOIS membership cost has up 33%, but they've also split out the
	Computer Supported Cooperative Work conference proceedings that used to
	be included with membership.  Adding that cost back in means this SIG
	also has doubled its membership fee.

What really galls me is that the ACM sent out brochures a couple months ago
touting their new approach to providing member services, and tried to make it
sound like they were offering NEW services.  But with the exception of a couple,
like SIGGRAPH, all the "plus" services appear to be just splitting the costs
into smaller piles so that they don't look so big.  But their recommended
changes to my membership would have me paying 90% more than last year for a 31%
increase in services (measured by cost, not by value), and, curiously, a 31%
inflation rate on the publications I got last year.

Is anyone out there as galled by this extortion as I am?
________________________________________________________________________________
Robert Reed			Home Animation Ltd.		503-656-8414
robert@slipknot.rain.com	5686 First Court, West Linn, OR 97068

SHOOTING YOURSELF IN THE FOOT IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES AND SYSTEMS