I began this talk fully expecting that we would meet face-to-face in June, that we would shake hands and embrace, sit side by side in tight-packed rooms; ride elevators together, and maybe poke around the city at odd hours, jostling with the crowds of tourists who had come to New Orleans strictly for fun. I did not know this talk would end up as a requiem for the conference we lost; the words never spoken, the colleagues never applauded, and those we will never see again.

中文翻译：

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帝国要塞

我开始谈话的时候，完全希望我们在6月面对面见面，我们会握手，拥抱，在紧凑的房间里并排坐着。一起乘电梯，也许在奇怪的时间在城市四处逛逛，与一群来新奥尔良纯粹是为了娱乐的游客争吵不休。我不知道这次演讲会最终成为我们输掉的会议的必需品；这些话从来没有说过，同事们从未鼓掌过，而我们再也看不到了。