I just got back from spending the week in Vegas shooting two two-hour specials for G4. One was on the Consumer Electronic Show and the other was the Adult Entertainment Expo. It was my first time at both conventions, and I think you can guess which was the most... um, how do I say this... educational?
But I did have a lot of fun at CES, even if it wasn't as "exciting." The theme of this year's CES was TVs. I saw inflatable, waterproof, wireless, 1080p, HD, 109-inch, 112-inch... basically every kind of TV you can imagine. Even though the inflatable TV was a creative idea, it wasn't so impressive. The screen was crap, and it's kinda pointless. Most of the companies were competing for the largest flat-screens, though. There would be a sign that read, "Largest Flat-Screen: 109 inches!" Then you would turn the corner and see another sign that said, "Largest Flat-Screen: 110 inches!" But I have to say, I don't care who has the biggest — at that size, they're all so beautiful. It makes my 36-inch Sony Trinitron look very pitiful. And the best part of the TV craze this year is the wireless invention. Imagine being able to hang a 100-inch flat screen on your wall without having to drill any holes into the wall to hide all the wires. It definitely made my heart skip a beat.
MAC was not in attendance at this year's CES. Instead they had their own convention in San Francisco called MacWorld. That's where they introduced the new iPhone. When that news came out, it basically trumped anything that was announced in Vegas. MAC has been talking about this for quite some time, but to actually see it was amazing. The phone is slim and small. It has touch-screen and landscape mode. And of course it has all of the functions that you would expect of something starting with "i." As soon as I get mine, I'll let you all know what it's really like.
So, that was all on one side of the Las Vegas Convention Center. And on the other was a completely different world. AEE is a show that spotlights the adult-film industry and all of its stars, products and movies. This is a world that is completely foreign to me. It's safe to say that I had one look on my face the entire time: I think it can be summed up with two words, "What the...?!" Since this is TV Guide, I'll keep it PG. There were things and people and video there that I basically had to tell people, "I'm sorry. I have a staring problem. It's medical." But to really grasp the entirety of it, you should watch the special. Both have already aired, but I'm sure they'll be rerunning them. So you can TIVO or go online to find them.
So, as you can guess, I'm very tired. It's been an event-filled week and I learned so much, but now I need to go to bed. Before I do, I should probably shower... thoroughly.
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