BlogWorld Las Vegas Photowalk @ 7:30 pm Friday Oct 15, 2010

Hey folks, it’s that time again! BlogWorld is just a couple of weeks away, so I’m organizing another Photo Walk in Las Vegas for those of you who would like to join in.

This year, we’re going to do something a little different than last year. Since BlogWorld is being held at the Mandalay Bay, we are going to start our walk there, and head on down towards the new City Center. This means we’ll end up at Aria for those who want to go to the MashBash party at Haze.

We’ll meet at the front entrance of Mandalay Bay near the registration desk at 7:30pm and then begin our leisurely walk down the strip, stopping to capture all sorts of interesting photos! Heck, maybe we’ll even reenact the photos that got me banned from Excalibur just for fun!
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Photos from the BlogWorld/WordCamp LV 2009 Photowalk

For those of you who didn’t get to join us on the BlogWorld 2009 Photowalk in Las Vegas, I’m embedding a photo slideshow here so that you can see all the pictures from the group that accompanied me on the walk.

We had a great time, and thanks to all who joined in!


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BlogWorld & WordCamp Las Vegas Photowalk – 7pm Saturday Oct 17, 2009

Fremont-East-Las-Vegas-Sign-300x225Well, since I’ll be attending and speaking at BlogWorld / WordCamp in a couple of weeks in Las Vegas I thought it might be fun to organize a photowalk if anyone is interested in a get together and an evening of exploration and fun. You see, I’m a semi-professional photographer, and an amateur tattoo artist… (think Talledega Nights people.)

If you’ve never been on a photowalk before, essentially what we are going to do is all meet at one place and then walk around Las Vegas seeing the sights, talking, taking photos, and perhaps grabbing a beer here or there. Also, I’m going to take you off the strip, so you’ll see things that most people never do when they come to Vegas.

Now, there are a few good reasons to participate in an event like this:

  • I have been to Vegas more times than I can count. I’ve taken hundreds and hundreds of photos of the city, and I’ll take you right to where you can get some great ones.
  • Wandering around after dark by yourself might be a little scary for some people, so a group event is safer and more fun.
  • If you love taking photos, then you’ll love Vegas at night. There is simply not a better spot for night photography.
  • And finally, if you would like some tips and tricks, I’ll be happy to provide some instruction for anyone who needs it along the way.

As far as the details are concerned, here is what I’m thinking…
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The Photos That Got Me Banned From Excalibur Las Vegas (You Know, ‘Homeland Security’!)

ExcaliburAs I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, this week is the Photoshop World convention in Las Vegas and I’m here for a week of fun and learning! But after only a few hours in town, I’ve already got a whopper of a story to tell! Screw the whole “what happens in Vegas…” crap.

So Photoshop World is at the Mandalay Bay and thousands of photographers will be converging there from all over the world. In fact they’re sold out. So I had to stay next door at Luxor.

Well, I checked in and dropped off my stuff in my room, then grabbed my camera to go walk and take some photos on the strip. Of course, the Excalibur is the first hotel on the way down the strip, and I’ve taken photos of it literally every time I’ve been in Las Vegas. But this time I took some photos OUTSIDE the hotel, and as I was going to walk through the hotel to get something to eat, a security guard stopped me before I could enter.

He wanted to know my name, where I was staying, and my room number! He told me it was because I was taking photos of the outside of the building! And claimed it was for “homeland security”.
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The Luxor’s “High Speed Internet” is a JOKE!

Unbelievable as it may seem, the Luxor in Las Vegas offers high-speed internet access – but there’s a catch! In order to get it, you need to stretch a wire all the way across the room, and it won’t even reach the desk for you to actually work at it.

The cost for this little act of fire-hazard creation? $15 per day. FML.

Chad Vader Hits on Cali Lewis in the Blog World Commercial

Chad-Vader-and-Cali-LewisThis is the greatest commercial that anyone has ever done for an event that I’ve seen. You’ve got Guy Kawasaki, Chris Brogen, and Cali Lewis… oh, and Chad Vader. :-)

Incidentally, I’ll be attending Blog World in Las Vegas as well, and I’ll be lecturing at the WordCamp Las Vegas event that will be happening right smack dab in the middle of Blog World! Yee Haw! It should be a blast.

I’ll be teaching you everything you ever needed to know to grow rich, powerful and sexy from your blog! Well, either that or I’ll give you some WordPress tips and tricks, as well as an overview of how to use your stats to improve the online experience.
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87 Photos From My Las Vegas Vacation

As anyone who has been following me on Twitter knows, I’ve been in Vegas for the last 4 days on vacation. I’m heading back home this morning, but figured that I would share a few of my photos from the trip in case anyone cares to gaze upon them. Hopefully at least a few are amusing.

The Bellagio from the Eiffel Tower

The interesting thing about this trip is that I did not take my big Canon 5D. Instead, I took only my Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3. Its a 10.1 MP Digital Camera with an amazing f2.0-2.8 2.5x wide angle, Optical Image Stabilized Leica lens. The lens is the equivalent of a 24-60mm in a full sensor SLR.

This little camera is pricey, but I remain extremely, extremely impressed. I almost never used the flash, but the camera handled the very low light, high contrast scenes better than I ever dreamed a camera that could fit in a pocket would! I highly recommend it for those with the means. There is also a full Leica branded twin of this camera (the Leica D-Lux 4) which will cost a little more for the Leica badge, but render essentially the exact same imagery. Get either camera. You won’t regret it.

Now, on to the pictures!
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John P. Makes an Appearance on WHIR tv

Here is a little interview snippet with Larissa, from The Web Host Industry Review, which we did while at the Parallels conference in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. Enjoy…

A Visit to the KLAS Channel 8 News With Dave Courvoisier

Dave CourvoisierOk folks. For those of you who missed it, last week I was in Las Vegas at the Parallel’s convention. I posted some pics and some video, but the highlight of the trip was when I got to go to the Channel 8 studios with my friend Dave Courvoisier and watch him film the nightly news!

As you guys know, at Layered Tech we have some bad ass data centers. So, I’m very used to seeing a lot of technology. But when Dave gave me the tour of the KLAS TV station it was a whole other treat! I’ve never seen so much video recording, editing and broadcasting equipment in my life!
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