SME, Salt Lake City, and escaped, retired miners make good

Salt Lake City and a savage storm bearing down black on the city.   We are safely (we presume) esconced in the Salt Palace, another of those endless conference centers where at five pm the Society of Mining Engineers Annual Conference kicks off. 

Around me are half decorated booths and scurrying people rolling out the paraphenalia that make for a conference exhibition booth.  I have already done the rounds of those booths already set up.  I have gathered the March copy of all InfoMine’s competitors; we will comment on the best and worst in the days to come.  I have picked up brochures on technologies that interest me and that I turn into serious pieces for TechnoMine.  And  have gorged on candies stolen from unattended booths–nobody sees those calories, no impact?

I have tired unsuccessfully to read the CD of the proceedings.  Seems my computer is too old to read it.  So the excitement of the papers will have to wait return to Vancouver and catch up with modern technology.  At least the CD reader on my computer still plays the movies I lifted from the kids in Huntington Beach when I packed last night.  Chicago and the 300 will be far more entertaining after drinks tonight. 

At least I should remain sober to enjoy the best of tomorrow’s presentations.  I will not miss the keynote speaker whose blurb reads: “Billions of dollars of new new investments into this sector [mining] has lead to skyrocketing share prices and led to major new mineral discoveries and the development of new mines.  The opportunity for vast rewards are so high that the St. Barbara Retirement Home for Miners was recently closed due to late night escapes.”

If Douglas B. Silver’s keynote address is similarly humored, it will be worth hearing–even if we are surrounded by escaped retired miners.  I will do an infomal demographic survey of the SME conference attendees and report back.