Today was Press Day at CES, a day where before the show starts there’s all sorts of meetings, press conferences and demonstrations for members of the press. While I was there I went to DL.TV’s first taping. Here I got to catch up with some old friends like Jim Louderback, Robert Heron, Patrick Norton and Roger Chang and watch them tape their first show at this year’s CES.

To view my photo-essay saunter on over to my CES 2007 photo album. Enjoy!

Well fellow geeks and gadget freaks it’s that time again; The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) invades the lovely quiet little hamlet the locals call Las Vegas for four days (Jan 8th-11th) of all things tech. It’s a huge trade show that introduced the VCR, CD, DVD (and if you haven’t fallen asleep yet) the Commodore 64, Nintendo NES and the Xbox!

CES is huge (as Patrick Norton would say, big honkin’) covering the Las Vegas Convention Center, Sands Expo Center and quite a few hotels. To walk CES is to have walked many, many miles. It is a grueling, arduous meat-grinder of a task that very few complete in its entirety. While no one has been reported to have died in the attempt of completing CES, I can personally tell you that that the papers and media here push such news (as well as the bodies) under the literal and figuritive rug so as not to discourage tourism. In other words, it’s possible there is a CES body count but no one’s talking… even the cleanup crew.

Like climbing Mt. Himalaya, Madonna or Rosanne, attempting CES is an effort that should not be taken lightly and requires proper planning. Herein lies The Ultimate CES Survival Guide:

The offical CES website: Here you can find almost everything from who is going to CES, which location they’ll be, parking, free shuttle bus schedules (save time, money and effort traveling from location to location), floor plans and times/dates for special events, keynotes and meeting places. I strongly recommend going through all the floor plans to make sure you see what you want to see with the least effort as well as taking advantage of all the free transportation shuttles.

Vegas: the weather. At this time of year you’ll need a medium and a light jacket. It gets colder in the morning and evening (a thing called dark, aka lack of sun is the surprise culprit here) and heats up in early afternoon.

Vegas Dry Mouth and Chapped Lips Syndrome: due to the dry air here (Vegas = desert), peoples lips and mouth dry out. Proper use of chapstick or lip balm will help keep your lips moist and undamaged while improper use of chapstick can get you arrested depending where you stick it… to help ease Vegas Dry Mouth, drink a sugar-laced beverage first then follow up with plenty of water. The sugar seems to help your mouth absorb the water and retain moisture better. Follow up tip: only drink alcohol at night after you’re done with the show for the day and remember dancing on tabletops is only recommended if you’re a hottie.

Wear comfy shoes/sneakers: this tip cannot be emphasized more. You will be on your feet for DAYS walking longer distances than many of you have ever walked before (save for you health nuts.) Don’t buy new shoes or sneakers while here for CES, bring a pair of broken-in but still comfy footwear and your feet will thank you. People who buy/bring new footwear to walk the show wind up with bloody blisters and limp around like zombies during the first day. *shudder* Not a pretty sight! *shudder*

Go to the show with only the essentials: You’ll be walking a great deal (notice the repeated emphasis, I’m trying to tell you something) so try not to overburden yourself. Travel light. A backpack or decently sturdy bag (empty or near empty) is recommended for swag/material you’ll acquire during the show but remember to be careful what swag or stuff you grab because you’ll be carrying that around all day. While backpacks are great, don’t use those bags w/a shoulder strap. Near the end of the fist day you’ll be in agony, leaning to the left with your neck out and looking for a good chiropractor (chances are you’ll only find bad ones.) There is a free euthanasia service for putting conventioners out of their misery… just walk your pain-wracked limping carcass to the nearest dark alley and you’ll find someone eager and ready to help end your pain.

Recharge at night: make it a point to recharge that cell phone, PDA or other annoying gadget overnight before your head hits that pillow (or floor if you drank too much). Make sure you have at least 2 fully charged changes of batteries for that digital camera at all times so you don’t miss a shot during a full day of show-gazing. I can’t tell you how many desperate people I see at the show whose batteries or cell phone gave out mid-show because they didn’t bring enough spares or forgot to charge their much-needed devices overnight. Although it is funny as long as it isn’t you.

Dump those Pics: if you use a digital camera, always remember to either dump those pics to your laptop or carry around enough removable media for plenty of shots. And if you want an excuse to buy a new camera, just ask the unshaven guy w/no teeth on the street corner to take your picture and as soon as he runs away, dial the Mrs and tell her all about your near brush with death (from the dude’s breath) and suddenly you’ll be allowed to get that 9 megapixel beauty you had your eyes on even before your 8mp camera arrived in the mail.

Deodorant: you can’t use too little. Please be kind to your fellow convention goers and use as much of this stuff as you can. And hey, Frenchy - if you don’t start using soap and water instead of that skunky perfume we promise a mime will be sent to beat you, fold your body into an invisible box and dumped in a local landfill. We live in a desert, it’s all landfill baby. And to those that prefer their natural musk over Irish Spring, you will be trampled by enraged oxen we keep just for these kind of BO emergencies…

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas: bullshit. We have tons of video cameras and if you do something stupid you can bank your ass on appearing on a local edition of COPS, Good Businessmen Gone Wild or being the latest idiot plastered all over Youtube.