Yesterday morning, I was a bit downcast by Vegas.  I have to say that things started to really pick up as the day progressed.  First off, I was actually fairly impressed by the Venetian (even though I did get lost again).  I was absolutely disoriented when I got to the fake plaza in the Venetian, which is an ‘open’ area in the Venetian that comes complete with a fake blue and white sky.  The strange thing about the plaza is that although you cognitively are aware that you are still inside a hotel, your senses are not completely sure.  I wish Jean Baudrillard would blog about the Venetian. 

Secondly, it was great to participate in the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) advisory board meeting.  There are some really sharp minds in this group and SNCR has really exploded in the past year.  I would attribute a large part of their success to their executive director, Jen McClure.  In addition to the great conference work they are doing, they also have a couple of great publications: New Communications Review, which is an online publication that carries some really sharp commentary on the new media landscape, and the Journal of New Communications Research, a hard journal that contains some really great, academically-oriented insight into new media.

After the board meeting, we adjourned to a bar in the Venetian and enjoyed a few glasses of wine.  I got a chance to chat with some really interesting folks, including Tom Abate from the San Francisco Chronicle and Steve King from the Institute for the Future. 

I also bumped into Chris Heuer from Social Media Club, another group that is really taking off.  Incidentally, SMC has a meeting towards the end of March in DC so if you are interested check out the events section of their Web site and sign up.

Anyhow, after the reception disbanded, I headed to a CVS to find myself some Airborne because I was definitely starting to feel the effects of traveling.  On my way home, I was delighted to stumble upon Ginseng Korean BBQ, a very authentic place with great kalbi.