UBL TC Meeting 3-7 November 2003

[jon.bosak@sun.com]

[Third time's the charm.  Sorry for the duplicates. -- Jon]

The next meeting of the OASIS UBL TC will take place 3-7 November
2003 on the fourth floor of the Sun Microsystems drop-in center at
631 Howard Street in downtown San Francisco, about one block from
the Moscone Convention Center.

AGENDA

   A full agenda will be published a week or two prior to the
   meeting.  Topics will include:

    - UBL 1.0 Beta publicity

    - Preparation for UBL 1.0 Beta implementation review

    - Formation of a UBL Interoperability Subcommittee

    - Formation of a UBL Japanese Localization Subcommittee

    - Formation of UBL mapping initiatives in cooperation with
      industry data exchange organizations

    - Transition of the Context Methodology Subcommittee to work
      on the automation of context-specific UBL extensions

    - Relationships with standards bodies

    - Relationships with B2B consortia

    - Relationships with other OASIS TCs

   UBL TC meetings typically begin at 9 a.m., break for lunch from
   noon to 1 or 1:30 p.m., and end at 5 or 5:30 p.m., except on
   the last day (Friday), when the TC plenary ends at 1 p.m. to
   allow participants to catch Friday evening flights home.
   Participation by telephone will be available for the opening
   and closing plenaries and for the joint and separate meetings
   of the Library Content Subcommittee and the Naming and Design
   Rules subcommittee.  This means that, in general, phones will
   be open at the following times:

      09h00-12h00 PST (17h00-20h00 GMT/London, 02h00-05h00 Tokyo)
      13h30-17h30 PST (21h30-01h30 GMT/London, 06h30-10h30 Tokyo)

   Note that some plenary meetings and many subcommittee meetings
   activate the phone five to fifteen minutes later than the
   scheduled time due to unforeseen problems in setting up, so if
   you don't connect right away, hang up and try a few minutes
   later.  Also note that subcommittees occasionally begin midweek
   meetings an hour earlier than originally scheduled to catch up
   on extra business, so remote participants should carefully
   monitor the subcommittee mail lists for updates to the
   schedules posted at day's end.

   The standing conference bridges for UBL TC meetings are as
   follows:

      UBL CONFERENCE BRIDGE NUMBER ONE (DEFAULT)
      U.S. domestic toll-free number: (866)839-8145
      Int. access/caller paid number: (865)524-6352
      Access code: 5705229#

      UBL CONFERENCE BRIDGE NUMBER TWO (ALTERNATE)
      U.S. domestic toll-free number: (866)839-8189
      Int. access/caller paid number: (865)525-0625
      Access code: 5819636#

   *** Please remember to mute your phone when not speaking.
       Please DO NOT put your phone on "hold," as this generally
       places music on the line. ***

ONTOLOG FORUM COLOCATION

   The Ontolog Forum (not part of the UBL TC but working in
   parallel on a formal model of the UBL semantics) will hold a
   joint session with the UBL TC Wednesday 5 November from
   15h00-17h00 California time in order to report on its work and
   solicit feedback from the TC.  From 17h30 to 19h00 that
   evening, the Ontolog Forum will present a tutorial for UBL
   meeting participants wishing to learn more.  The Ontolog Forum
   will hold its own two-day meeting in another room in the
   drop-in center on Thursday and Friday, 6 and 7 November.

REGISTRATION

   To register for the meeting, send mail to the UBL chair
   (jon.bosak@sun.com) and vice chair (mcrawford@lmi.org)
   stating your intention to participate.  Due to limited space,
   first preference will be given to voting members of the UBL TC.
   Observers and guests are welcome to apply, but seating of
   non-members will be on a space-available basis.

   ##########################################################
             REMINDER: POWER CORDS AT UBL MEETINGS
   Every participant using a device that consumes AC power is
   reminded to bring an extension cord and a three-way tap to
   the meeting room in which he or she intends to participate.
   ##########################################################

ACCESS

   Due to the drop-in center's proximity to the Moscone, parking
   is relatively plentiful but also expensive.  Except for the
   Mayor's Breakfast Monday 3 November, there are no big events
   scheduled for the Moscone that week, so parking should be easy
   if you can afford it.  Participants should also consider using
   public transit to get to the drop-in center, which is located
   three blocks from the Montgomery Street BART (subway) station.
   Connections between BART and CalTrain have recently been
   established at the Millbrae BART/CalTrain station, extending
   the reach of public transit as far south as San Jose and as far
   north as Sacramento.  Combined BART/CalTrain trips take longer
   than driving, but they allow working use of most of the time
   spent and are quite comfortable.  BART now also runs directly
   from the International Terminal at San Francisco Airport (SFO).

   For a BART map, see

      http://www.bart.gov/stations/map/systemMap.asp

   A guide to BART fares and schedules can be downloaded from

      http://www.bart.gov/docs/BART062203.pdf

   CalTrain schedules can be downloaded from

      http://www.caltrain.com/schedule_pdf.html

HOTELS

   Hotel reservations are the responsibility of individual
   participants.  Due to the depressed state of the local economy,
   hotel space in downtown San Francisco is readily available,
   though of course it is always advisable to make reservations
   well in advance.  People who intend to use BART should ask
   about proximity of the hotel to a BART station before
   confirming reservations.  The stations nearest Montgomery
   Street are Embarcadero, Powell Street, and Civic Center.  There
   are also Muni lines (buses) that run near the meeting location.

MEALS

   Meals are the responsibility of the participants.  There are a
   number of cafes and restaurants within easy walking distance of
   the drop-in center.  Participants approaching from Montgomery
   Street BART in the morning will find several establishments
   selling coffee on the streets leading to Howard; for optimum
   caffeination, it is suggested that participants purchase a
   suitable espresso drink on their way to the opening session
   each day.  There is also a break area near the meeting rooms
   that has a refrigerator and microwave oven and stocks ordinary
   office-grade coffee, water, tea, and soft drinks.

WINE AND CHEESE

   Our traditional wine-and-cheese party will be held Thursday
   evening right after the Library Content Subcommittee meeting.
   Participants are encouraged to bring a bottle of wine from
   their country or state to demonstrated the quality of their
   local vines.

DEFAULT UBL BAR

   The default after-meeting bar is an excellent microbrewery
   called the Thirsty Bear at 661 Howard, just a few doors down
   from the drop-in center.

DEFAULT UBL FANCY RESTAURANT

   Hawthorne Lane, just around the corner from the drop-in center,
   is one of the best restaurants in California, and priced
   accordingly.

DEFAULT UBL BUDGET RESTAURANT

   Chevy's Mexican Restaurant, 3rd Street at Howard (across the
   street from the Moscone Center and about a block from the
   drop-in center) is a good choice for convenient, relatively
   inexpensive lunches and dinners.

MUST-SEE CULTURAL OPPORTUNITY NEARBY

   The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, located about a block
   and a half from the meeting, will be showing the largest
   collection of works by Diane Arbus ever assembled and the first
   serious retrospective in 25 years.  Arbus (1923-1971), sister
   of the poet Howard Nemerov, was a powerfully perceptive and
   influential photographer of the disturbingly mundane with a
   special ability to collaborate actively with her subjects and a
   real affection for (as the MOMA site puts it) "subcultures,
   codes, and rituals."  She brought to bear on her subjects a
   sophisticated technical approach derived from a career in
   fashion photography, giving her photos a distinctive look, at
   the same time glossy and brooding, that combines with the
   subject matter to lend the images tremendous impact.  Opinions
   of Arbus vary, but no one comes away from her pictures
   unaffected.  This is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime show.

   If you don't get a chance to see the photos in the original
   silver, the SFMOMA gift shop is probably worth a quick visit 
   to pick up a copy of the Arbus catalogue, a fresh duotone
   printing of 200 of her best images.

   Another interesting place to visit in the immediate area is the
   Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco at 655 Mission Street.

Jon Bosak
Chair, OASIS UBL TC