Attila KinaliMar 21, 2025

We live in interesting times. Friend of mine is a scientist in France. He just got briefing on what to do when traveling to the US. He was told to use an empty, freshly installed laptop with nothing but his presentation on it. Uninstall all messengers and social media. If he has to surrender any of his devices even for a minute, he shall get it checked by the French secret service for back-doors and Trojans.

I guess I rather stay home than going to a conference in the US.
#science #usa

Show threadegal

@attilakinali why do you limit it?

At least I'll not travel to the paranoid states of America ...

Mar 22, 2025 at 6:16amWeb
Show threadAttila KinaliMar 22, 2025
@_egal_ Well, somewhere between a third and half of the scientific conferences are held in the US. If you are a scientist, then traveling to the US is part of the job.
Show thread1000millimeterMar 24, 2025
@attilakinali @_egal_ Maybe this will shift and Conferences are going elsewhere?
Show threadAttila KinaliMar 25, 2025
@1000millimeter @_egal_ Where scientific conferences end up is a bit more complicated. It is more often a function of who is willing to host a conference than anything else. So, if we don't have scientists who are willing to put in serious effort to host a conference outside the US, we will not have conferences outside the US. And yes, organizing a conference, even a small one with 100 participants, becomes quickly a multi-man-year effort.
Show thread1000millimeterMar 25, 2025
@attilakinali @_egal_ Yes. But when more people won't come. And the US scientists have budget cuts...Maybe something changes.