31–40 of 107 posts
This sucks, sure, but there's always another way.
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It was actually submitted at least twice yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6562394 On HN, gaining interest depends on many factors. Great to see the story finally in the pole position! :)
How much you can relate to the title is very important -- even on HN. Look at the 3 submission titles on HN: (1) Cryptographer Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending NSA History Conference (2) How The Government Blocked An Expert From Attending Its Own Cryptology Symposium (3) Adi Shamir--the "S" in RSA encryption--Prevented from Attending US Crypto Talks Number 3 (this submission) is getting the exposure the story dese…
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Scientists specifically are targeted for extra scrutiny. In my visa interview I was asked if my research is in cryptography and waved through when I said it isn't.
Really? Could you elaborate on this?
'DISSECTION: A NEW PARADIGM FOR SOLVING BICOMPOSITE SEARCH PROBLEMS'
Adi Shamir wrote that the president of his institute says: "It is clear that scientists have been singled out, since I hear that other ‘simple citizen’, do get their visa in a short time." Scientists get more scrutiny? What in the world is going on there?
From the visa guidelines of the embassy where I applied for my visa [1]: The visa applications of applicants involved in technical or scientific fields may require additional administrative processing. Therefore, applicants who believe they may be affected by this requirement should apply as early as possible. [1] http://karachi.usconsulate.gov/technology_visas.html
I guess it shows what the priorities are. Science? Dangerous! Skinny girls with weird clothing? Come on in!
Why not attend by telepresence? Let him present by video and hook him up with a Double or similar internet-controllable robot to talk to people around the conference. Or go full-on Bluth and pair up with an American proxy wearing a headset. This sucks, sure, but there's always another way.
The coolest part would be bumping into other Roombas that represent colleagues from elsewhere (you'd need a way to distinguish from an ordinary, autonomous Roomba). There could even be a Roomba room just for them!
I think if the US must continue to have such draconian and onerous entry requirements they should offer a fast track or simplified program for persons of note to attend a specific event in their field. To not do so simply hinders the progress of human knowledge, or at least, it hinders the United States.
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How much you can relate to the title is very important -- even on HN. Look at the 3 submission titles on HN: (1) Cryptographer Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending NSA History Conference (2) How The Government Blocked An Expert From Attending Its Own Cryptology Symposium (3) Adi Shamir--the "S" in RSA encryption--Prevented from Attending US Crypto Talks Number 3 (this submission) is getting the exposure the story dese…
I find it difficult to believe that there are people who know about RSA, but not about Adi Shamir.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How much you can relate to the title is very important -- even on HN. Look at the 3 submission titles on HN: (1) Cryptographer Adi Shamir Prevented from Attending NSA History Conference (2) How The Government Blocked An Expert From Attending Its Own Cryptology Symposium (3) Adi Shamir--the "S" in RSA encryption--Prevented from Attending US Crypto Talks Number 3 (this submission) is getting the exposure the story dese…
I find it difficult to believe that there are people who know about RSA, but not about Adi Shamir.
You might not know the names but they invented some important technologies that HN people use and respect (the original Apache server and the Python programming language, respectively).
It would be hard to relate to a story that said "Robert McCool denied US visa" or "Guido van Rossum endured US visa hassles".
It's not that they didn't give him a J1 visa, it's just that they took way too long to process it. It sucks, but I wouldn't attribute to malice what I could attribute to inefficiency :)
It should not take four months and pulling a lot of strings to get a visa, in particular if you have been to the US for many times, have invitations from renowned institutions etc. I am not a scientist and I can usually enter the US on the visa waiver program but I always wonder if the latest visit was also the last, you never know. And while you get used to the usual 1- or 2-hour wait at immigration, you never know…