The conclusion of PLDI'14

As many attendees, I return right after the main conference, regretting a bit for not staying one or two days more to explore UK. Nonetheless, the conference experience is great for me. I enjoy the city of Edinburgh a lot. It's such a nice and pretty city! And for that, I'm grateful for NSF's and ACM's support in this trip. I would have never thought of visiting Edinburgh even in my wildest dream.

I have to admit that I do not talk to as many professors as I should/am expected to. Most of the time I find myself talking to other students more. This needs to be changed in the future. But on the bright side, both students and professors whom I talk to are genuinely interested in my Big Data-related projects. That simply gives me much-needed encouragement.

This is also my first time to present a poster. Even though I had some practice at home, I still find it difficult to present my work in the event. Because of the loudness, the crowd or just me being over-nervous? I'm not sure. Luckily the later talk (even though is short - 9 mins) goes well.

The walking tour is absolutely awesome for knowing the history of the city a little bit (despite the main theme is all about horrible and creepy things. On a side note: I still find it amusing to see a tent while walking in the cemetery :) )

I also learn a lot from attending the talks: things to do and not to do when giving a talk. 

This trip is great and I really want to attend the next one (here in Portland, OR)

Best,

Khanh Nguyen

P/S: I do hope that the next conference will not serve us lunch with such small portions :D