Stephen Mejias

While compiling the data for Recommended Components, I came across High Water Sound's new website. Stark, black backgrounds are broken by quiet images of strength and beauty, New York City's Brooklyn Bridge taken from so many lovely angles, presenting all of its long lines and promises. Brick walls, cold air, and hard work. 2-channel with attitude. It's always a nice surprise to find a good-looking audio website, so I congratulated High Water's Jeffrey Catalano on a job well-done.

On the 29th floor of the Venetian, I stop for a moment to look through the dirty glass:

Way, way up on the Venetian Tower's 35th floor, I chatted for a bit with Ayre's Brent Hefley about the traffic at this year's show.

I made a small noise.

Well, folks, the week's made it to a close, and my plan — Did I mention my plan to post a daily entry about some product that I'd be reporting on during CES, or were you able to discern what I meant to do without my having to say it? — failed. Yeah, that plan, like so many other 2006 plans, came to an abrupt end soon after it began. I'm beginning to think that some people just aren't made to make plans. And I might be one of those people. Though a plan can be symbolic of so many wonderful things, and I think it's those things that I'm really attracted to — the act of making a plan, to my mind, holds no special charm — the things which have brought the most joy to my life came with no clever plan. They were big, beautiful surprises.