Speaking at NAB in Las Vegas

posted at 11:01 am
on Apr. 7, 2002

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I’m at a press event for Avid at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas.

It’s the first event I’ve been to in several years that feels like an the Internet events of a few years ago.  There are people from all over the world and they all have interesting stories to tell and the drinks are free and the appetizers are shrimp, not cheese.

The people at this event are not the glitterati.  They’re not the coolest of the cool that could be seen in 1999-2000 at every networking party for a new Web site portal concept that has since sunk back into the ground like a zombie in a heavy rain.

The guy on stage is dressed in a small collared green shirt and docker pants.  He has a stubble verging on a beard and Steve Jobsian glasses.

He’s talking about a new video processing system. Apparently Avid Unity product offers 2 terabytes of storage for $40,000.  What a deal.  That would hold a copy of every CD I’ve ever listened to.

The conference I’m at is NAB, the National Association of Broadcasters. The booths are enormous, and fill the Las Vegas convention center.  I’m just in town for the day, not covering the convention but speaking at a related event held in the same halls.  I was on a panel for the Broadcast Educators Association.  The three editors on the panel talked to educators about how to get their articles published in trade publications. As always, when I get out of the office and talk to an actual user of Variety.com, I immediately start getting ideas about how to improve our site.  It’s good to actually talk to the people who use your product.

All in all, when I’m in Vegas I spend all my time worrying about why I’m not gambling recklessly, and if I do happen do drop $0.25 in a slot machine I then worry that I’m wasting money and wouldn’t it be better tossed in a wishing well.

I’m pooped, and my head is fully of too many things to say, so I’m going to wait for things to settle down a bit before I write any more.

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