By now if you’re reading this post, you’ve already heard about the stunt that the tech gizmo blogging site, Gizmodo, pulled at CES this week. A doodad called TV-B-Gone had fallen into the dolt’s hands, and they had the bright idea to wander around turning off every TV in sight. Now at CES, that’s about every few inches (literally).

Now there’s no debate that CES is a big assed event, with bells and whistles all over the place, rather like the Oscars but for the high tech industry. It’s snobbish, and thinks very highly of itself. What shocks the hell out of me is how many people think that intentionally ruining presentations is a good idea (and in fact rather funny). I would have thought more of the tech community, but obviously perhaps the bloggers aren’t as mature as a community as they’d like to think themselves.

A number of postings all commented that it’s obviously not like pouring a drink over a keyboard, since there’s no physical damage that came from the act. However what they’re failing to see is that the point isn’t that a TV was simply turned off; the point is that people who’s jobs are on the lines (if not the presenters, then the techs who are already frazzled of keeping things running in that environment having system failures). The Motorola attack (yes, boys and girls, it was an attack) was during a press conference - which can directly impact revenues by reporters writing about the ineptitude of the presentation; that gets taken up by partners and clients, and decisions are made. Don’t they get that at it’s core, CES is about those kinds of impressions and deals.

The same people would [probably] have some pause at firing off an air horn at a wedding or a funeral, and this is hardly any different. So we’ve heard that CES will deny them access next year. I truly hope that legal action is also taken by one or more of the companies. This is exactly the kind of thing that needs to have a prescedent set for - Brian Lam should lose a good deal of money, and hopefully a house or two. Something that teaches him that he doesn’t get to pick when vandalism is ok, or endangering other people’s jobs is a good idea.

What would he even think if anyone does or did lose their jobs over this? Would he even lose a wink of sleep? If he’s got something against the CES brass, then have the balls to step up and be honest about it - stand out front and Picket the event, hand out flyers, whatever seems prudent to get his point across. Not hurting those people who’s very livelyhoods may hang in the balance with his stunt.