The theme of this year's conference is Connected Futures, which expresses both hope and concerns regarding a future that is shaped by increasing connectivity in our daily lives, and resonates strongly with Tasmania being an island state. It is important to keep in mind that being connected is not good or bad per se. It is the way we connect as human beings that is what matters, and as HCI researchers and/or professionals we know just too well that the design of technology can influence such processes in very different ways.