ImmersaDesks are a dime a dozen now at SuperComputing conferences. I counted about 8 idesks allowing Alliance98 to hold onto the record of 10 in one conference. Collaborative virtual environments are now the current rage as everyone is getting their data on the idesk. SGI featuired a CAVE in their booth showing NCSA's Virtual Director. SGI also announced an agreement with EVL and Pyramid Systems to market the name CAVE. Artworld continued with their presence in collaborative virtual environments. The GRID booth had some very interesting applications from Japan which is heavily focusing on passing video over high speed networks throught he STAR-TAP initiative.

The CAVERNUS BoF was very well attended. Gert Svensson, Associate Director, from the The Center for Parallel Computers at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm Sweden, gave a presentation a brief overview of their new VR-CUBE. The VR-CUBE is the worlds first 6 walled CAVE.

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Tom Coffin .......................... tcoffin@ncsa.uiuc.edu