Theory used to be Fun (by guest blogger Rahul Santhanam)

Was leafing through some old copies of SIGACT News from the 80s. Once the forests of facial hair had ceased to distract me, I was intrigued by glimpses of a mysterious event known as the FOCS Follies. I have no information about the provenance and history of this event, but I amused myself by imagining such an event taking place in the hectic and efficient world of the contemporary FOCS... Of course, the globalization of theory is a good thing, and talks still provide a medium for the expression of individuality.