Thanks for the list. I think you've missed a good one:

Fundamentals Of Geophysical Interpretation, 2004. By Laurence R.. Lines, Rachel Therese Newrick.

Best wishes

Diego T.

The issue with the standard model of posters and powerpoints, is that they can be predictable, regimented even. Which is great if your goal is organize a conference with ease and profit, but it is not aligned well-aligned with conversation. Conferences, for me are becoming more about the interaction; to confer. For it is easy enough to read or watch videos or think back in my office alone.

Oh, and that participant's comment (of course), was written on green!

Thanks for teaching me a new word (abrasive). I have no idea how you behaved at that conference, but I hope it was well received.

Having said that, I would like to comment on your comment:

I have attended my share of conferences, and I quite early got the feeling that at oral sessions the same people grab the mike every time. Some of them because they want to be helpful, but I have the impression that a fair share do it because they want to show off/make themselves seen. I see this as a battle for attention. Some communities are more prone to this than others. Apparently I have a less altruistic view on the audience at conferences than you have...

Poster workshops are more open to comments from genuinely interested people, I think, but these (the sessions) are often fighting a loosing battle of time with the oral sessions. It would have been interesting to participate at your Unsession. I trust that you will come back with a more thorough summary. Btw, did your participant use a red or a green note for his/her comment?

If you are interested in picking up the needlework - inspiration can be found here

At our Unsession on Tuesday we asked participants to write one thing they liked on a green sticky note, and one thing they didn't like on a red one and slap it on the wall on their way out the door. One wrote, "Sometimes I fall asleep in sessions, that didn't happen here". Losing consciousness, is the passive form of protest. But needle-work is more deliberate. Love it!

Now, I am a quite humble person in such settings, and I would never stand up with a critical question/comment like you do in your text (neither at the conference nor afterwards). However, I very often long for my knitting when attending conferences because it helps me concentrating. Until now I have managed to keep away from it, but I might change politics. And a very subtle way of protesting would be to bring embroidery, then we're talking serious boredom ... So beware, future presenters: if you see me embroidering, you have definitely lost me ;)

As for why people present talks with ... ah ... limited content, I would like to remind you of this briliant observation:
http://www.tleonline.org/theleadingedge/201102?pg=112#pg112

@Ragnar,
You've made some great observations! For the next conference I go to, I think you have convinced me to record some statistics. 1) This talk has been given previous times before, and 2) this is a "here's what I did last summer".

Fewer talks! Let's make some cuts. It's not about hurting feelings, it's about members of the community taking charge and demanding excellence from each other.

Cheers, Mauricio