I’m not the gambler in my family but I’ve already won one roll of the dice: checking for rate changes a few times brought me an affordable (for CES) room at the Venetian. The late easy availability of rooms at one of the headquarter hotels is worth noting for another reason: it’s strictly the law of supply and demand. One hotel does not a trend make but I’ve noticed availability at a lot of them for all but a couple of nights. A few factors are at work: this is a weekday CES for most attendees, it’s competing with MacWorld, etc. I’m not suggesting a huge drop in attendance but I’m getting the sense that some people see it as more discretionary this time around.
The other aspect I’m wondering about during the traditional last-minute rush is the overarching theme this year. Despite many of my colleagues’ curtain-raisers, I’m not sure I see one yet. Content/traditional media? Portability? HD (again)? Broadband? The panels aren’t very different from any of last year’s conferences. In a way, the variety of the keynotes (in addition to the perennial Bill Gates) speaks to the fragmentation: Ed Zander, chairman and CEO, Motorola; Michael Dell, chairman, Dell; Les Moonves, CEO, CBS; Bob Iger, CEO, Disney. Not in the spotlight this year: Google or Yahoo. 
And yet, along with the chance to gadget gaze and connect with people, in a sense it’s that uncertainty and mix that makes CES a must for me. If you’re not going, I’ll take you along for as much of the ride as I can. If you are, please use the comments to tell us why. My schedule is filling up but you can try me at staci AT paidcontent.org—actual breaking news and party invites always welcome. I’ll be there Saturday through Wednesday.