New in Vegas

Although things were pretty dead in Vegas when I showed up for "work week" on the Artistry Demos this year, the city came to life over the weekend. And although a bit less crowded this year, throughout the week it was the good old Vegas we've come to know and love.

As always, there were a few surprises. Walking along the strip one evening I had a disorienting moment or two as I followed a bobbing, illuminated mini-billboard down the sidewalk. It turns out some of those folks who wear the day-glow yellow "girls! girls! girls!" tee shirts and slap the little playing cards before they try to hand you one have a new attention-getting device. Many of them now are sporting backpacks that support and power an illuminated two-foot-wide by four-foot-high image (generally showing the same subject matter as the cards). They do get your attention! Viewed from the front, only a one-foot section above the head is lit up, but even that is an eyecatcher.

I didn't think I could inconspiciously snap a photo of those particular examples, but I did get a shot of the same device promoting monorail rides.

One other new thing I came across this year was the iPod vending machine near the elevator bank on the Hilton's first floor. It just seems a little odd to be swiping a credit card and spending $200 or more in a vending machine, but who am I to judge? It was interesting, to say the least. On closer inspection, a lot of the offerings were accessories - cases, earphones, and so on - but the full-size, full-power, full-price items were there, too. There's nothing quite like Las Vegas!