Conference Urges - What’s in the Box

Conference Urges - What’s in the Box?
15 Jul 2003

I don't know what it is, but at IT exhibition I can get a one track mind, and it ain't the technical track. I've learned to control my urges by getting them out of the way first, then I can get on with the useful stuff. I am of course, talking about the give-aways, or 'gizzitts' (as in, “Go on, gizzitt!”)

Last night, on the opening night of the conference I exceeded myself, I really did, in my blatant disregard for what people were saying at their stands and in my direct approach to what really mattered. “What's in the box,” I said, along with: “Can I have one?” I also tried, “I don't work on Sundays,”which seemed to hit the spot.

So, here, goes. In a style reminiscent of the children's travel game, I went to the expo and I blagged:

Five mini-penknives
One squidgy penguin
Three climbing clips (marked 'not for climbing', two with a compass on the strap)
Various sweets and candies
One pink fluorescent Frisbee ring
One water pistol ' loaded (I overheard someone say, 'we need to find someone we know to fire this at.' I wasn't so discriminating!)
One cap ' blue
Two monoculars (does that make a binocular?)
One fridge magnet clip
One inflatable neck cushion
A paperclip tray
A pocket radio ' with built in torch (flashlight) and compass
One squidgy chair (fits the penguin)
Three notebooks
Five gold rings
One cable clip
A plastic egg containing silly putty
Two digital dice - bang it down and it displays a number with its six LED's
One calculator/ruler
A number of pens
A handy clip with extending string for conference badges or ski passes
One bar of chocolate that looks like a gold AmEx card
One metal torch
One metric conversion card
Two auto-rewind modem cables
One drinking bottle
A map of Las Vegas
One multipurpose survival card (with built in tools and ' you guessed it ' compass)
Ten chocolate $100 gaming chips
Two t-shirts

I think that's about it (I was joking about the gold rings). The winner of the prize for the most worthwhile gizzitt has to be the survival card. Now I must remember to pack it in my suitcase for the way home, otherwise it won’t make it past the checks!