Many Festivals In One

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If you're still undecided about your summer vacation plans, you might think about visiting sunny California, next month. The city of San Jose will be overflowing with creativity and innovation from August 7-13, during the biennial ISEA symposium. The international group known as the Inter-Society for Electronic Arts (ISEA) picks different host cities to present the event, every two years, and this year belongs to the Silicon Valley. ISEA2006 will also coincide with the inauguration of the biennial ZeroOne San Jose festival, subtitled 'A Global Festival of Art on the Edge.' Jointly, they will present art exhibitions, performances, and events by leading and emerging new media artists from the local community and around the world. As is tradition, the ISEA symposium will also consist of academic talks by leaders in the field, centered mostly on the themes of Transvergence, Interactive Cities, Community Domains, and the Pacific Rim -- the latter of which is also the theme of a major summit preceding the festival. Speakers' papers will be posted online prior to the conference, to eliminate the need for stodgy paper-reading and to encourage pre-loaded engagement. Book your tickets now and be prepared for a city as wild as it is warm. - Angela Moreno