Festivus 2008 --The Masonic Edition

Festivus 2008 was held at the Sydeny Masonic Lodge on 17th September, with Rao Kambhampati presiding, and Shlomo Zilberstein playing the part of the great Panjandrum keeping time. The following are the presentations made (in order):

• Rao's Introduction and his too many complaints (about the too many competitions)
• Carmel Domshlak riles at the perceived slights to optimal planning
• Robert Goldman dares to take the heretical position that PDDL domains may not occur naturally in the wild.
• Steve Smith suggests that Scheduling is no longer the Rodney Dangerfield of ICAPS.
• Malik Ghallab, using hand-written notes, wonders why automated planning technology is not being used even when Monster Blocks (aka shipping containers) are stacked..
• Brian Williams suggests that we should all do planning with continuous quantities to extend our reach (even to Willow Garage)
• Derek Long uses seances and other occult practices to channel Maria Fox who proposes the radical idea of virtualizing the conference
• Craig Knoblock exercises his presidential farewell to offer words of wisdom on balancing theoretical and applied work in planning.