There's a computer show in town. I used to really love going to these computer shows. Not only were there lots of new gadgets that I'd heard about but never seen, sometimes they had brand new product announcments. Vendors would do everything they could think of to bring in the crowds to their booths. Of course, the best were live presentations of their new software or hardware that really was going to make a difference in your life but magic shows, puppet shows, even the occasional celebrity signing were also fun.
And the giveaways! I could pick up enough toys and gadgets to keep the kids busy for days. There were frisbees, yoyos, balls, hats, t-shirts, playing cards, toy animals, things that went pop or whirrr or wizz or lit up but had no other real purpose in life. The biggest problem I had coming back from shows like that was getting enough toys to distribute to all the kids at home and a bag large enough to hold all the loot and the computer literature as well.
At the Government Technology Conference going on at the Sacramento Convention Center right now, the demonstrations were modest, there weren't any shows that I could see, and the giveaways consisted of Halloween-sized candy and ball point pens. Insight, the vendor pictured above had about a 20 minute line waiting for a turn at spinning the wheel to get a hat, pen, or flashdrive, none of which were enticing enough to get me to listen to their sales spiel.
Let's hear it for the good ol' days.
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