Hmm, maybe I've missed the bigger picture here
A few days ago I went off the deep end and psycho-analyzed Gizmodo's prank at CES 2008, and its philosophical grounds for doing so.
All that went out the window this morning when I read an article about a Polish teen who used an IR remote to derail a few trams at a local depot.
It's probably not likely that this kid knew of the Gizmodo prank at the time, or that he even intended to hurt anyone, but it brought me to the larger conclusion that the next kid who wants to do this sort of thing doesn't need to look very far to know he can get away with it.
Taking away someone's CES press badge is not punishment. I still think that's lip service.
Fortunately nobody was killed in the event, and my condolences go out to anyone who was hurt in the ordeal.
As a personal message to Brian Lam: I respect your decision to do what you did. I personally think you were even entitled to do so from a legal and moral standpoint. However, I do think you should be very clear to those who look up to Gizmodo that such actions won't land Gizmodo in trouble, but it could have deep consequences for people with less clout.
Update 1/14/2008: As forecasted, CEA gave the offending owner of the IR nuker a lifetime ban of CES. Gizmodo, as a publication, faced no consequences. I asked a CEA liaison how the organization intends to prevent this individual from entering the show next year. The CEA official claimed the organization has banned other people before. As long as he attempts to sign up under the same name, he will not be allowed back into the show.
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