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Well I have been waiting for this trip for the longest time! Each January I go to Las Vegas for CES. This year Ashley and I decided to go a few days earlier to get in a little mini-vacation. Last we year decided to stay an extra day, but we were so exhausted it was not even worth it. Coming in early will make things more relaxed as we do not have anything important to go to once we get in. This year packing was a snap, I guess I am used to packing now since I have done it quite a few times now, but I still could have forgot something as I am writing this while I am on the plane!

It just so happened that the day we were leaving there was a huge snow storm in Pittsburgh so it was fun driving through that to get to the airport. Also when we were taxiing out to the runway the plane had to get de-iced so that was interesting. The flight was not that bad, just long (around 5 hours). To cut down on time Ashley and I watched a movie and I wrote a few blog posts. Does anyone know if Southwest serves meals on any flights because I would have thought a 5 hour flight would get a meal, all we got was something to drink and a snack box that had some crackers and other stuff in it.

This year we are again staying at Treasure Island. Originally we had booked at the Flamingo because the CES rate was sold out at Treasure Island, but it is always good to check hotels a few weeks before you go away because that is when people will cancel and the hotel will drop rates in order to fill those rooms. Well that was the case and we were able to get a room at Treasure Island for much cheaper that we were quoted months ago. Once we got all checked in we went out shopping and picked up a few things for the room. On our way back we ate at a place called Cheese Burger, which if you guessed serves cheeseburgers, but they had a Hawaiian theme to them. The burgers were great and it was not that expensive at all.

It was a great first day to the trip even though we were jet-lagged and didn’t get much sleep the night before. Although I will be updating this blog you can also follow my Vegas trip on twitter and flickr.

With 2007 coming to an end it is time to set some goals for 2008. Before I get into my goals for 2008 let’s see how I did on my 2007 goals…

Keep Up With ThinkComputers – I think I did a good job with this. ThinkComputers puts out at least 3 or more reviews a week if not more. Because of this we have got a lot of great sponsors and have been able to get some good ad deals.

Really get ThinkGaming going – Well I don’t think I did a good job at this. Because I have been so busy with ThinkComputers, ThinkGaming took a back seat. After CES I hope to get it going again.

Learn more about photography – I have learned a lot more about photography over the past year. Take a look at my review photos from earlier in the year compared to the latest ones, there is a big difference.

Meet more contacts in the industry – I have met some really cool people over this past year, who have helped me out a lot.

Manage my time better – This was my biggest goal and I did it at times, but was not 100% on it. Sometimes I would manage my time then I would be lazy and not manage my time well at all!

Now for the 2008 Goals…

Learn about affiliate marketing – affiliate marketing is a great way to earn passive income, but it does take work and research. This past month I have been reading up on it a lot and I hope to do some tests soon.

Take ThinkComputers to the next level – ThinkComputers is my main source of income and I need to realize that. Over this past year I neglected it a bit and it has hurt the site. Lately I have been working on it a lot and I have seen good things come from that. In 2008 I really want to push ThinkComputers to the next level so I don’t have to worry about making a certain amount of money off of it, I will know that it will make more than enough.

Keep up with the blog – Lately I have been lazy with this blog. I really want to go back to the regular 1 post a day if not more. This can be easily accomplished if I just manage my time better.

Work more – As I have said before I can be very lazy and that is not a good thing. I need to realize that most other people have a normal 9-5 job that they usually don’t like and that they HAVE to go to. They also have to deal with someone telling them what to do. I am lucky enough to work for myself and be my own boss so I need to step it up and work more. Also if I work more I will be able to accomplish all of the goals listed above.

Wish me luck in 2008!

If you haven’t noticed when Google does something they usually keep it the same for a long time. Mainly because they usually do things so well they do not need changed. Adsense has been the same for a long time, there have been some minor updates but that’s about it. Well Adsense has rolled out a new ad management system, which I’m sure a lot of people will like. Also they have added a new feature to their adsense units, which we will talk about a bit later.

The manage ads feature is something people have been wanting for quite some time now. It will keep track of your ad units and allow you to change colors etc. without having to edit the ad yourself. Many people resorted to using a include file which had the adsense code in it, then they could call the include where they wanted in the page. If they ever needed to change the code they could just edit that one include file instead of editing every page of their site. Other people used ad serving systems like OpenAds, which basically does the same thing, but in a more advanced way.

To get to the manage ads section login to Adsense and click on the adsense setup tab at the top. You will now see the manage ads option. If you click on it, it will show you all of the manageable ads you have. Now only new ads that you have created are manageable, so all of your old ones need redone if you want to be able to manage them. Once you create a new ad it will appear in the manage ads section. In the manage ads section it will tell you the name of the ad, the last time you edited it, what type of content it is, the size, if it is active or not, and what channels it is on. You also get the option to edit the ad settings, get the code, and preview the ad.

I really like that Google has done this, before I would have to go into Google make a new ad unit, copy that code into my include file and re-upload it to my site. Or I would have to go into OpenAds and edit the ad. Now all I have to do is edit the ad in Adsense and it will automatically change.

The second change to Adsense is actually on the ad units themselves. I started to notice this last week. On each ad unit there would either be 2 arrows at the bottom or something that says “Show more Ads”. The up and down arrows will scroll down more ads and the Show more Ads will bring you to a page that has all ads related to your site. The arrows are not that bad of an idea, but the show more ads is just hilarious! What do you guys think about the new manage ads feature and the show more ads features on the adsense units?

Wow this year has gone fast! I wanted to take the time to tell everyone who reads my blog to have a very Merry Christmas! Last night Ashley and I went to my parents where they have Christmas Eve dinner with all of my family and we exchange gifts. I love the food my parents cook this time of year, they have fresh cooked ham, German Sausage, scalloped potatoes and much more! Also I usually never see any of my relatives that much so it is nice seeing them. All of my cousins are really going up, makes me think that I am really old! For Christmas I got mostly clothes and money, pretty much what I would expect to get. If you were wondering what I might have wanted to Christmas you can check out my Christmas wish list on ThinkComputers, my list is the first page.

I also put together a “Price is no Object” gift guide for those people who are made of money! It’s quite interesting to see what you can get when price is no object! You definitely want to check that out!

Tonight Ashley and I will be going over her grandma’s for dinner. You got to love the free home cooked meals this time of year! Merry Christmas Everyone!

As most of you know CES is right around the corner! It is January 7-10th in Las Vegas. CES is one of the largest trade shows in the United Stats that means the show floor is packed! That is why I am really glad there are press events. Press events are smaller and held at hotels close to the convention center. At these press events companies get a small booth (table really) where they can show off some of their products. What’s great about the press events is that they are press only, which means they are less crowded and you actually get a chance to talk to the reps. Also the free food and open bar are nice. There are 4 main press events during CES.

CES Unveiled

CES Unveiled is CES’s official press event. It takes place on January 5th and is sort of like a sneak peak of what to expect during CES. The free food and drinks are great, but there really is not much to report there as the 60 companies there not really what we cover. Last year I was really disappointed with CES Unveiled, it was super cramped and not done well at all. It usually gets really packed because most people know about it because you are asked if you want to go to it when you signup for CES.

Lunch @ Piero’s

Lunch @ Piero’s is held at Piero’s restaurant which is right across the street from the Las Vegas Convention Center. At this event half of the restaurant is for dining and the other half is for booths. I really like this event because press are treated to a nice meal and it sort of gives you the feel for asking questions to company reps. Lunch @ Piero’s is held on both Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th.

Digital Experience

Digital Experience is hosted by Pepcom and they really do a good job. The event is half press event / half party and always has a theme. Last year it was pirates, this year it is tailgating / football. This is my favorite press event out of them all because Pepcom really brings in some good companies and it is a more relaxed environment. Also they always pick a great place to have it at so you are not crowded. I look forward to going to Digital Experience this year.

ShowStoppers

ShowStoppers is the final press event and it is held on Monday the 8th, but at night not during trade show hours. This event is much like Digital Experience, ShowStoppers usually is able to bring out some great companies and the food and drinks are good. ShowStoppers has to be one of the toughest events to get into. My first year at CES I was not invited but last year I was and of course this year I will be there. This event is held at the Wynn, which if you haven’t been there is amazing!

So you are going to CES, but you are not invited to these press events, how do you get in? Well first off you have to be press, most of these events will not accept bloggers. Here is what ShowStoppers says about bloggers, “Anyone can post to a blog. That does not make you a reporter. Just like driving fast does not make you a professional driver of race cars.” Most of the press events are invite only so if you are not invited you are not getting in. If you are qualified press you can e-mail the companies that are putting on the events and they might let you in or you can pull a John Chow and takes someone else’s name tag and just walk in!