How was my experience at ASPLOS 2014? In a word: great. This was my first time attending ASPLOS and I really enjoyed myself. I really liked the fact that this conference attracts people from a wide array of fields. I got a change to meet many interesting people I probably would not have met at a more targeted conference.  This also allowed to me learn about interesting research in areas I don't actively follow.

 I also got a chance to meet many people working in the same field as me. I was a little star struck meeting two of the professors who's work my thesis was based on. I have recently left academia for industry, but attending this conference had me really excited about research again. There was lots of interesting work in my area of interest and plenty of people as excited as me about current developments. 

There was also a vibrant social life at the conference. For me, the biggest highlight was visiting the Olympic Oval. Having grown up in Canada, I'm a little ashamed to say that it was my first time curling. It was really fun and I am seriously considering taking up the sport. I also got a chance to try long track speed skating. While I have done plenty of skating in the past, hockey skates did not leave me well prepared for speed skates. I had a few falls and my ankles were a little worse for wear, but I have no regrets. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I also won't soon forget spending a night at the bar with a group of profs. 

I had lots of interesting discussions at ASPLOS. Some technical: What will be next big thing in computers? As processors get more heterogeneous, will programming them become easier or more challenging? What are the merits of approximate computing? Can you trust any hardware component or piece of software? Some less so: how do we get more women interested in Engineering, and how early do we have to get to them? Should students help review papers? What is the best kind of beer? How bad was this winter in your part of the country?

Thanks to all chairs for putting together a great conference.