From 30 July to 3 August 2001, I attended the annual SPIE conference in San Diego, California. SPIE is the International Society for Optical Engineering, i.e. a professional society for physicists and engineers working in optics (anything to do with light, lasers and lenses). I am an electrical engineer working in radar rather than optics, but the SPIE conference is broad enough to include radar as well. Besides, there is a lot of physics and signal processing at this conference, both of which interest me very much. There are many distinguished academics presenting papers, but it is also a great opportunity for less distinguished researchers such as myself to present their ideas. I presented a paper here this time, as well as in 1998 and 2000.

The SPIE conference is also an occasion to enjoy San Diego. The standard joke about San Diego is that there are two kinds of weather: nice and nicer. San Diego is one of the world's great natural ports; so it is home to some of the most important bases for the U.S. Navy. There are also a great many private sailboats as well as many fine restaurants. It is very popular for both conferences (thanks to the nice, modern Convention Center) and as a place to retire (if you can afford it). There is also a lot of high-tech industry, such as Qualcomm (which makes the Eudora mailer). Balboa Park is a very large and beautiful park, which contains the picturesque Spanish Village as well as an Art Village. The drive along the Pacific Ocean is quite scenic, and Sea World is a big attraction. In fact, almost every place in San Diego is pleasant, and it has been voted one of America's best places to live. On this page, we will visit some of the nicest parts of San Diego.