Hello, Everyone, I hope you are enjoying the warm summer. We're due to hit 115 (that's 46 for those of you in normal countries) this week in Phoenix, which means that I'm probably hotter than you are. But you knew that. Some points below that should be of interest to all attendees, including information about submissions and hotel reservations. 1. The deadline for the T-shirt Design Competition is coming up on JUNE 30. Looking forward to what folks come up with. Details: http://aoir.org/announcing-the-very-official-ir16-design-competition/ 2. AUGUST 1 is a deadline for two other things. First, you must register by this date if you are a presenter. I would recommend registering earlier, however, if you are planning to attend a workshop on workshop day. There are limited seats in these, and when they fill up, you are out of luck. 3. The second thing that is due by AUGUST 1 is an updated submission for publication in SPIR. This doesn't apply to you if you proposed a Roundtable, Fishbowl, or Experimental session, though you are welcome to update your abstract based on comments from reviewers. For papers and panels, an updated version of the paper, which minimally (re)includes the names of the authors and follows SPIR formatting, MUST be uploaded by that date for inclusion in SPIR. If it is not, the submission cannot be included in the program. I've received a number of questions about the nature of the revisions. At this point, submissions have been peer-reviewed and accepted. Its presentation is contingent on submission of an updated version, in the SPIR format, with names included. You are welcome and encouraged to revise your submission to respond to reviewers comments. You are not limited to 1,200 words. Indeed, a number of people each year submit a full paper, and you are welcome to do so. 4. The program will be made available after the August 1 earlybird deadline. Inevitably, some presenters will be unable to attend, and rather than provide a version of the program that is unlikely to be stable, we will present a schedule in (nearly) finalized form after the August 1 earlybird deadline. Please note that you may be scheduled on any of the presentation days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) of the conference, and so you should plan to attend all three days. 5. I've received a couple of requests regarding finding roommates at the Embassy Suites. Please note that the rooms generally have pull-out sofas in addition to the bed or beds, though there may be an extra charge for a third occupant. I've put up an open Google Doc here: https://goo.gl/PDUZNb Where you can post if you are looking for a roommate. 6. I've received a number of emails from folks who are having trouble getting the conference rate at the hotel. I have a request in to the hotel to update us on our caps, and a request to extend the number of rooms at the conference rate. If you are having difficulty with the evening of the 20th or the 25th, you may want to make a reservation for the evenings of the 21st through the 24th at the conference rate. The allocation at the beginning and end of the conference are not as high as during the main nights. I will update you with the status of the hotel as soon as I have more information. Until IR 16 Update #5, Alex -- // Alexander Halavais, Sociologist, Semiologist, and Saboteur Extraordinaire // Associate Professor of Social Technologies, Arizona State University // http://alex.halavais.net/bio @halavais