May 2006 Archives
« April 2006 | Main | August 2006 »
May 12, 2006
Noooo! Not The Booth Babes!
This year's E3 entertainment eonference, taking place in LA this week, has had a few changes from past years, but it hasn't really changed the overall experience.
When the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the show's promoter, first announced they were instituting a booth babe dress code back in January, one had to wonder what effect that had on conference registration. No specific reasons were given for this change, although it's pretty safe to say that as the cutting edge video cards get faster year after year, the booth babe outfits have gotten skimpier at about the same rate.
LOS ANGELES - The video game industry’s 2006 E3 trade show in Los Angeles is getting a make-over — banned are the swarms of sexy, semi-clad “booth babes” that in years past took the unveiling of new games and technology to titillating new levels.
Rules prohibiting the use of scantily clad young women to peddle video games are nothing new, but the handbook for this year’s show in May outlines tough new penalties, including a $5,000 fine on the spot for the booth owner if the “booth babe” is semi-clad.
More At: E3 bans scantily clad ‘booth babes’
On the spot five grand fines? Ouch. Does that mean robbers will be holding up E3 booths next? (I can see it now, Grand Theft Auto: Booth Babe Heist)
As a geek girl who's been to a variety of tech conferences, games and otherwise, I'm no stranger to the booth babe phenomenon. Even general shows like COMDEX had scores of the hired actresses about and at times, it was certainly disconcerting. It also didn't help that AdultDex, the adult entertainment conference, was usually held at the same time and this was not coincidental. Did I mention this all took place in Vegas?
Why the ESA put limits on the booth babe wardrobe doesn't require much conjecture - they are hoping to avoid lawsuits and appease the complainers. But it really isn't the scantily clad part that has bothered me occassionally in the past.
My problem with booth babes and hired help in booths in general, is that they disrupt from the reasons for going to the expo in the first place (the business reasons, people, not the gamers who get expo tickets).
I've seen aggressive booth babes turn otherwise interesting exhibits into crowds of rowdy pushing men more quickly than a free Xbox 360 drawing. Although the conference goodies aren't nearly as nice nowadays as they were during the Dot.com era, booth babes will almost always favor the guys in the crowd when handing them out.
And while I'm perfectly happy to see the babes prancing around on stages with their cute little wireless mics so as not to get in the way of their pole dancing, or handing out logo'd pencils, I don't really want to have to converse with them in order to conduct business.
This is especially troubling when you cannot tell if someone is a booth babe or a female employee of a company you wish to converse with. I like to think there are good looking female engineers out there and so I try not to assume they're a placeholder booth babe dressed in the staid logo'd polo outfit. Weeding out the drones is a waste of my time and I find it very annoying.
Pauline K, who declined to give her last name, wore a white shredded tank top with an exposed midriff, short mini skirt and knee-high leggings as she handed out fliers for a company that makes custom face plates for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 game machine.
She said another of the models received a warning from show organizers for showing too much skin. "Apparently her cleavage was a little too distracting," she said.
...
Despite the new rules, there was no shortage of exposed skin, patent leather and knee-high boots. Many exhibitors dressed women like video game heroines and there was a group of women wearing sexy nurses' outfits.
"They're wearing slightly more clothes this year," said Gail Salamanica, an exhibitor at the show, "But not much."
More At: No sex, please, we're gamers
Forcing booth babes to wear slightly more than beachwear seems somewhat silly to me. Maybe it makes the conservatives happier, but it really doesn't help me at all.
May 9, 2006
Wi-Fi In The Wild
Although wi-fi was first installed in 85 California State Parks last year, many people,myself included, may first take advantage of of the new infrastructure this year. I was surfing the ReserveAmerica website to reserve a camping spot this summer and noticed that many of the California parks have little Wifi icons next to them. Ooh, gotta check out one of those.
Park visitors who are not currently SBC Wi-Fi customers can purchase a 24-hour SBC Wi-Fi session for $7.95 or a monthly SBC membership for $19.95 and receive unlimited access to SBC hot spots nationwide.
...
Consumers increasingly are using the Internet to make their vacation and recreation planning easier, safer, and more enjoyable. While at the park, visitors with Wi-Fi enabled laptops can send e-mail and instant messages to communicate with family and friends, share digital pictures of their vacation, obtain driving directions or locate hiking trails or nearby restaurants.
"I'm also very pleased that visitors to our Wi-Fi enabled parks will have free access to state operated web sites, including our award-winning site, www.parks.ca.gov," Coleman said. "Through our web sites, visitors can do an electronic exploration of our park system to obtain ideas for their vacation."
Coleman noted that park visitors will benefit from free Wi-Fi access to state web sites such as www.reserveamerica.com where they can make campground reservations, www.dot.ca.gov which provides updates on road conditions and www.gocalif.ca.gov, the state's tourism site.
More At: SBC Communications Announces Wireless Internet Access to be Available in 85 California State Parks
