Tony Brown, DST Correspondent

The easiest way to find the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center is to simply follow your ears. The low rumble of hundreds of subwoofers bumping to different beats creates a cacophony of sound so low it's almost impossible to hear. Nevertheless, once you finally make your way through the sea of people in the Grand Lobby and take your first step into the North Hall, it's easy to understand how most journalists get caught up here.

Ferraris, Lamborghinis, lifted Ford trucks, lowered Escalades, rare Shelbys, Toyotas glowing with neon underneath, and a few normal looking Ford Explorers. What they have in common isn't apparent on the outside, but once you take a look inside, you know. Subwoofers, amps, speakers, tweeters, TV monitors, in-dash DVD navigation, GPS receivers–all crammed into every available space. Back seats become amp racks, trunks become mobile theaters with 20-inch screens and a full range of speakers in a molded plastic shell. If it makes noise or has a display, these manufacturers have found a way to squeeze it into a car.

This hall is the most marketed toward the coveted 18 to 35 demographic. Shiny, fast cars; beautiful, scantily dressed women; and of course, noise. Lots of it. It’s hard to find a winner or a standout in this crowd because it all looks (and sounds) the same once you get past the paint and the model of the car. The fact that I have very little to no knowledge of car audio also impairs my judgment there.

I said I would keep an eye on celebrities and their use in marketing at the CES, here’s an update: actor Tom Hanks, film director Ron Howard, and author Dan Brown joined Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman and CEO of Sony Corp. for his keynote speech to highlight Sony’s upcoming motion picture The DaVinci Code. Tom Cruise was sighted at the Intel booth. Honestly, I have no idea what he was doing, but he was there.

Eventually, and much too soon, Friday night rolled around, signaling the end of my CES 2006 experience. Two and a half days of wandering the show floor, eyes wide and mouth agape, ended anti-climactically as I stood in yet another line to get a cab to the airport. The size of CES can’t be put into words, and neither can most of the sights. Breathtaking is one word, awesome is another. My only hope is to come back next year. Goodbye Las Vegas!

Tony Brown lives in Centennial, Colorado and attends Arapahoe High School. He is a senior and Editorial Editor of the Arapahoe Herald, the school newspaper. The National Scholastic Press Association has recognized his work nationally, and he recently won a 3rd place national award for News Photo of the Year (sponsored by the NPPA). The Arapahoe Herald was named a National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker, which has been called “the high school equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.” It is only the second high school newspaper in Colorado to win in the award’s 15-year history. Tony has been accepted into the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has received a scholarship for entrance in the fall of 2006.