I’m off to Las Vegas on Tuesday to attend the annual Consumer Electronics Show. It’s the largest convention in America, attracting more than 140,000 people to gawk at the new toys: computers, cameras, car stereos–all those things we can no longer afford. Me, I’m especially interested in seeing if we’re getting close to the day when big-screen TVs and streaming video will put movie theaters out of business. I’ll let you know what I find out. (For the record, I don’t gamble. But I do love spectacle, in all its forms. I’m especially fond of seedy, downtown Vegas–even with that silly video trellis overhead–because it’s where some of the great neon signs of yesteryear are set on pedestal and left alone.)

If you see George Clooney in town this week–my best guesses would be at Lambert, the Lumiere Place Casino and the Four Seasons Hotel–tell him thanks. He’ll understand.