Nearly 150,000 people swarmed the Las Vegas Convention Center for their annual pilgrimage to one of the largest electronics showcases on earth, The Consumer Electronics Show. CES features all of the latest and greatest innovations in the industry and is where the major, and not so major, players come to display their goods. I am the least tech-savvy of the Sinner team. I don’t tweet, I don’t have cable, I ride my bike, and even though I’m typing this on a fancy Mac, I do everything in my sketch book. I may not be an expert on advances in the digital world, but I can recognize trends and how they relate to basic human sensibilities.

The massive amount of poorly designed junk available can be overwhelming, especially to a first timer. Among the clutter and noise, however, there were a few things that stood out and a couple of trends that seemed to dominate the atmosphere. User accessibility and interactivity is the future, at least for 2012.

The Intel Booth featured floating bubble creatures, made by hand movements across a touch surface which float across a giant screen.

Interactivity in technology has become paramount to the user experience. We use our smart phones to tweet about our day, to check the weather outside or simply to play a game to pass the time. Our personal devices are becoming extensions of ourselves. It was interesting to see how interactivity was used to differentiate brands on the convention floor and how it was used to bring the human aspect back into technology.

The Nikon Booth Babes try not to look bored as they pose for hours on end.

The huge convention floor was abuzz and full of stimulation; every booth was competing for attention. They all had some new concept to display or sell. So how does a company stand out in this ocean of consumer goods? Through years of experience, the major players have learned how to do it big. Intel brought interactive sensor stations that projected an abstract array of shapes and colors on their overhead awning based on the position and movement of observers’ hands. LG had a giant 3D wall that put participants in the middle of a projected scene. At Nikon, consumers could become fashion photographers as two models posed with the featured camera. These were all great examples of impactful and interactive displays, but that’s easy with a hefty budget.

Smaller companies on the floor can easily get lost among all the commotion, but a few of them managed to catch our attention. Speck, a phone case business, found a way to differentiate themselves with an old gimmick. In an industry with fierce competition and small profit margins, sometimes all you need to stand out is a good, old-fashioned Zoltar machine. The classic, turban clad fortune teller was free standing in the North Hall of the convention. Maybe it was nostalgia or perhaps just human curiosity, but my colleague and I rushed over to receive our fortune. The card instructed us to go all the way to the South Hall and find the main booth in order to receive a free phone case. We diligently followed his instructions. It doesn’t matter what level it’s at, interactivity plays a vital role in standing out from the herd.

The masturbation chair and Zoltar.

Flashy 3D screens and nostalgic gimmicks are fun, but what was more interesting was how machines reciprocated human interaction. Some of the best examples of this were in the field of gaming. Kinetic gaming has been around for a bit and it’s playing a vital role in redefining what the game experience should be. However, it only goes so far. The user is still confined to a screen. A fresh take on gaming was the presence of flying robots that were controlled from a user’s mobile device. This felt like an instance of a physical manifestation of the gaming experience because the gamer is able to digitally control something that reacts in the real world.

The levels of interaction are definitely being pushed and some of this can be a bit scary. We came upon a booth that sold computer chairs, well more like Darth Vader’s workstation. The piece of furniture resembled something that came straight from “The Matrix.” As the participants sat into the chair, a keyboard came down to strap them in. The chair reclined and three large monitors were lowered into eyesight. It was a bit eerie to see people eagerly jump in and sink into an electro euphoria. I kept imagining a cord coming out and plugging directly into the user’s spinal column.

The second theme present at the convention was accessibility. It’s great to see technology become available to the average consumer, particularly advances that weren’t available ten years ago. Examples of this range from 3D television to professional quality hand held cameras. The technology world has been striving to get the fastest and newest gadgets into as many hands as possible. What is changing is the variety of goods becoming available.

One of the more unique items was a personal sleep-monitoring device created by Zoe. The user wears the headband to sleep and the device records readings of brain activity throughout the night. In the morning the user can see their sleep patterns. Although this is a novelty item, it speaks to technology’s growing accessibility. What once had to be done in a hospital sleep lab can now be done at your nightstand.

With the end of this year’s CES, the same questions come up. What’s next? What will the future bring? Perhaps it will be full of home EEG machines, or flying cars controlled by your phone, or TVs you can talk to, or human docking stations disguised as recliners. Who knows? One thing is for certain; there is an overall emphasis on the interaction of human and machine, and that is a beautiful thing.

The grand opening of Fancy Sauce took place on Tuesday, January 17^th inside Moon Nightclub located on The Palms property. The featured DJ was Moguai (like the gremlin). Moguai is a Mau5trap recording artist and protégé to Deadmau5. At Midnight the DJ stepped into the booth and took the crowd on a electro roller coaster that lasted until 3AM. Moguai served up a set  of multiple eargasms , taking you to the point of climax over and over. He broke down the beats just enough to keep you moving and set up those perfect moments of anticipation for the beats to come back in and have you jumping with your hands in the air.

Confetti cannons fired all over the crowd as they danced the night away with oversized foam glowsticks and LED sunglasses. Cryo guns cooled down the danced out peeps but that was just a tease. Occasionally the retractable roof opened and allowed Sin City’s fresh air to kiss your sweat covered body. Moon was made for these kinds of parties.

Thank you to Daniel Wayne the host with the most for inviting us to sample Fancy Sauce, and Congratulations to the team at N9NE Group for identifying the flaws of the club monotony and taking things to the next level. Fancy Sauce is proof that the entire scene is changing and even though you can only go to EDC once a year, you can experience Fancy Sauce every Tuesday. Get there.

Photography is property of Erik Kabik.

Friday the 13th Tats – A Modern Tradition

Longtime readers will remember this graphic from our August 13, 2010 post ”Ink Yourself“. @GinahSinner created it for that post which was a follow-up of our original story “Friday the 13th Tattoo Specials” from November 2009.

As you’ll see in that story, @MischiefInVegas and I caught the ’13′ bug on November 13, 2009, the 13th Anniversary of our first date. We got matching 13′s on the left side of our necks to commemorate the occasion.

@MischiefInVegas 2011 tattoo

Fast-forward to 2011 and the sole Friday the 13th in May. By the time we got to Massive they were closed. After culling twitter, we ended up at Voodoo Tattoo #2 on Valley View. We were bored with the flash poster that we’d had to choose from and this offered us a banging alternative.

Once in Voodoo, we met artist Steve Rieck, who designed a bunch of custom flash for the occasion. Elaine found what is probably the coolest Friday the 13th tat yet. –>

Rieck was born in Cali but raised in Vegas and has been tattooing for about 5 years. He specializes in American Traditional and nerd tattoos. Check out his portfolio and contact him via facebook at facebook.com/tattoosbysteverieck.

Steve just posted this pic to instagram for you to browse and decide what you might want to get.

And take note, the tats are $13+$7 tip for $20 total. So grab that dub and make it down to Voodoo with 2 convenient locations in the Valley to serve you. And remember 2012 has 3 such Fridays; one more in April and the last in July!

**Special Note** The graphic above is for Voodoo 2 ONLY. Voodoo 1 will have their own flash sheet!

Voodoo Tattoo

Voodoo Tattoo 2

daQRi

Super-Powered QR codes

This Summer I began beta-testing a new QR code service that is like nothing else.

It’s been said that the key to a good QR campaign is a mobile landing page that is simple, easy to navigate and optimized for mobile phones. daQRi is your one-stop-solution at affordable prices. The first one is free to allow you to test it out and see how it works. If you like it, order the basic package 10 codes for $20/mth.

10 codes can cover most businesses, for example, I created a daQRi for an event held at a restaurant in a Strip hotel. We put that QR code on every poster, flyer and piece of literature for the event. We had 300 scans in the first 2 weeks alone. Those scans took them to a daQRi page with links to the blog about the event, a direct link to purchase tickets, a link to mapquest with the address preloaded, and a direct dial to the venue. All from this mobile daQRi page.

Check out the daQRi I created for SINNER. You can see it for yourself here sinr.us/SINdaq. This is what you’ll see when you get there:

The mobile website builder allows you to fully customize your landing page like we did. The SINNER cover, which we update with each new issue is a direct link to SINNER’s mobile site.

The spread below that is a direct link to our newest video.

Page 2 is a bunch of direct links to our social sites and a PDF of our media kit as well as a direct dial to SINNER to place that ad you so desperately need.

Everything you need in one spot.

Download daQRi for your phone here:

• daQRi for iPhone
• daQRi for Android

“Dreams and Love” from AJ Ovio on Vimeo.

Captain’s Log: Sin-Date: O-twelve. O-twenty-three. O-O-eleven. Today, we happened upon a race that seem to be uncharacteristically HAPPY. They call themselves Zapponians and are led by a bright, charismatic leader, Tony Hsieh, a man with vision and more importantly forethought.

We made our presence known and made contact with a @MigPascual. A leader himself within the Zapponian culture teaching it and living it as the culture itself grew and evolved much like a tree as it stretches its branches and leaves towards the sky. He seemed to be aglow and entrenched in the phenomena. Is this condition contagious? We hope so.

I think you got some Happiness on me.

Sinner Magazine sent in an away-team of 3 of our top people to check-out life on Planet Zappos. We had a few questions to answer. Do they really fly on luxury jets? Are they really that happy? And what are they’re plans to take over the known universe?

We met with Mig, whose official title is Odd Job. Yes, like the Bond henchman. His role at Zappos Insights, like many at Zappos was created organically to fill a need. The need in this case was to spread Zapponian culture to other businesses, teams, and anyone willing to listen. Some glimpses into the magic are free and some cost a bit of scratch but the knowledge that they offer is worth much more than the pittance you’ll pay.

The Zapponians and their Core Values

There are 10 Core Values that help to guide and inspire the Zapponians to achieve any goal they can imagine.

1. Deliver WOW through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun And A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative And Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth And Learning
6. Build Open And Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build A Positive Team And Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate And Determined
10. Be Humble

The list starts off simply and straight forward with 1. Deliver WOW through Service. This simple statement can be said to be the secret behind Zappos excellent customer service. That WOW is evident in the current record for the longest customer service call set at 8 hours and 23 minutes… without a potty break or lunch for that matter. The call itself did not result in a sale but management wasn’t worried about that. You see life on Planet Zappos isn’t about making sales, but providing EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. If you can do that, the sales will come.

The rest of the list can be looked at as a guide on how each employee can make the best situation for themselves and in turn for the company. In fact, the list resembles a list of the ideal traits of an entrepreneur. 2. Embrace and Drive Change. 4. Be creative and open-minded. And the one that particularly stands out as a mantra of a small business owner: 8. Do More With Less. This struck an eerily familiar chord with the three investigators from SINNER. As well as the next line: 9. Be Passionate and Determined.

Then it hit them! The ideal employee is one who would treat the business as if it were his own. Fully invested in every decision that he or she makes, because no matter how small it may seem at the time, compounded, they result in the Greater Good.

The Myths and The Realities

Now to tackle a couple rumors that had arisen. First, is it true they get to fly in luxury jets?

Yes, it seems. This past September Tony had invested $7 million in JetSuite, a private jet rental company that provides luxury jet rentals to customers. This move put him on the board and in turn allowed him to offer the services to his family, the team at Zappos.

Mig himself had used the service, which allows employees to fly the empty jet to an airport where it was requested by a client. He was afforded all the luxury of a “paying” customer; luxury robe, spirits and bubbles and a snack or meal if the need arose. He and a group of friends flew from Vegas to Southern Cal where they disembarked rented a car and enjoyed the SoCal weather.

They then drove that rented car back to Vegas to complete their adventure. Spirits must’ve been high, as I could sense how thrilling it all was as Mig recounted the tale. His excitement contagious. Aha! Maybe that is the elusive missing link. We investigated further.

Mig began to explain the other “benefits” afforded employees; free soup, salad, sandwiches and soft-drinks for lunch, free coffee and hot chocolate, 100% covered healthcare, a nap room (because a well-rested Zapponian is a productive Zapponian), the freedom to express yourself however you like in your work area, your attire, your hair. And that’s just the beginning.

They have monthly team building exercises, off-sight, at which they don’t talk about or focus on work, just being together. These have ranged from shooting guns, to hiking, to a group baking class.

Zappos also offers every employee a Life Coach for those times they need a little guidance, or help planning for a goal, or just someone to stand-by with words of encouragement. Anything a Zapponian could want or dream can be achieved with a Life Coach; saving for a car, gaining extra skills, losing 20 pounds, anything.

The Trickle Down Effect

Now, you’re probably asking yourself, “Why?” Why offer ALL OF THIS? What’s the rub? The rub is… there isn’t one.

This is all done in the vein of Spreading Happiness, just as Hsieh’s book of the same name implies. A Happy World with peaceful loving inhabitants CAN BE ACHIEVED. How? By making sure that your employees are happy. If they are happy at work and enjoy and take pride in what they do, they will take that happiness home and share it with their families. Happy families then spread that same happiness when they co-mingle with the community; at the grocery store, at school, in parks and walking down the street. That happiness trickles down to those you may never see.

The Movement Heads Downtown

The Henderson offices that saw them grow from a sprout into a majestic tree has now become to small. Zappos needs a bigger pot and more sky to help insure its further growth. The Zapponians are not done. Their adventure has just barely begun. This move downtown has them looking for digs closer to their new offices. Again Mig lights up, speaking of house and apartment hunting and how ideally he’d like to live at The Ogden, home to Hsieh and many other execs and leaders in the team.

The lease was signed this week to make the move into City Hall official. But Tony and his team aren’t waiting for 2015 to start planning. It’s been in the works for a while now. Planning and plotting. Bringing in business owners and collaborators and encouraging tech companies to take a gamble on Vegas. And it’s working. In a few short years, Downtown may be the oasis it was in its heyday. That beacon of light and promise in the middle of a bleak and barren desert. With the help of Tony and people like Mig and the rest of the Zappos family, the idyllic city of the future we’ve only seen in Sci Fi movies may be a reality. Dream big. Remember Core Value number 9? Be Passionate and Determined.

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21 BlackJack!

How Old Blue Eyes Picked a Winner

In life or on the tables, Blackjack is hard to come by. The prolific words of Frank Sinatra “Luck be a Lady” could be heard playing on the streets of Las Vegas in 1965. His love for the city was legendary and was encapsulated by the lyrics of that song. The lights and glamour of the streets were still gritty and the ideas were poignant. A place where political consciousness could be heard over a glass of scotch.  It was in that environment, on the Blackjack tables that an idea was born.

What makes the perfect mate? – A broad concept that was broken down in an ingenious way by a master of seduction, Old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra himself.

Intelligence:  The core to any card game is knowing what cards you hold. Intellect is the basis beyond physical that allows you to connect.  When the lights come on, the style fades, the conversation is the only thing that’s left.

When do you cash your chips in? The answer is personal, based on your particular values. Your ranking of Beauty compared to Intelligence is rooted within how you determine a masterpiece. The concept of Blackjack is simple in logic, with many ways to find a winner. Numbers don’t lie, but matters of the heart are never black or white.  Remember, Love will always be a gamble with the highest stakes, and going All In is the only way to win.

Story by Robear Alcantar and Adnoris Geovanni Torres

We’ve all heard the term 86’d, most of us associate it with being banned from a bar. Well legend has it that the term originated right here in the City of Sin. The meaning derives from the times where the mafia was king, and to be 86’d meant to be removed, taken 8 miles out of the city, and buried six feet under.

Life in the early days of Las Vegas was rough and not for the meek. If you were risky enough to play with your fate, all you had to do was get involved with the wrong crowd and owe money on a bet. You would then be finding yourself on a slow ride, deep into the desert on a one-way trip to where no one would know of your demise.

The 20’s

Prohibition and speakeasies during this decade were not just hip but a necessity. The establishment of speakeasies brought lots of booze, gambling and organized crime-exactly what people craved in a depressed economy! So naturally, Las Vegas quickly became known as a great party getaway for tourists, traveling businessmen, and anyone belonging to a mob who wanted to control the city. The Irish, Italian, and Jewish Mafia made their presence known and anyone who stood in their way risked their lives. Mormons also teamed up with the mafias and as you can only imagine, they made one hell of a gang. Business intelligence and a fearless nature served up one deadly mix.

The 40’s

Fast forward to the 40′s, The crime bosses in New York City recruited Benjamain “Bugsy” Siegel to mark their territory in Las Vegas. One of Bugsy’s main missions was to make sure that Las Vegas would be a prime location for gamblers in the west. The recon mission proved to be a success  for the crime team as Las Vegas proved to be a gambling haven. Bugsy and his associates ran the town. Gambling and betting was popular and the money started to pour in. Vigilante justice kept the checks and balances, but Las Vegas was becoming the premiere destination for those looking for a debauchery outlet. (Much like today.) He continued to build downtown and then making his way south down Las Vegas Boulevard with establishing “the Strip” with properties like The Flamingo.

Unfortunately, it all came crashing down when Bugsy Siegel of the Jewish Mafia died in a blast of gunfire in Beverly Hills. His actions and death caused a trickle down effect for all the associated casinos. Lots of money was lost, but  the Mormons stepped in and aided Vegas. From 1952-1957, the Mormons financed many of the casinos in Las Vegas. Some of the casinos were The Sahara, Sands, New Frontier, Royal Nevada, Showboat, The Riviera, The Fremont, Binion’s Horseshoe  and The Tropicana.

New Eras

As we hop into a new era, the 60′s, casinos in Las Vegas got a lot more sophisticated and much more organized. The Sands Casino became a major hangout for the Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra owned part of The Sands and was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1967.

By time the 70′s rolled around, organized crime really came to a diminishing point. This was due to the Nevada Legislature allowing the public to own casinos. The crime lords did profit, however, as they were able to sell off their casinos for millions of dollars.

Sadly, many of the historical casinos in Las Vegas no longer exist today. They were demolished to make room for casinos that are more sophisticated and glitzy. Out with the old and in with the new has always been the motto for many cities across America.

Even though many of these casinos are gone they are still around in spirit and are not to be forgotten. Unraveling the secrets and mysteries of the past gives us a stronger appreciation of our city, Las Vegas! A city built on passion, crimes, dreams, and violence.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of the mob’s existence in Las Vegas then you will want to check out the following links:

http://www.themobmuseum.org/ – A museum dedicated to the mob. Opening in February 2012!

http://www.lvme.com - The Museum at the Las Vegas Mob Experience, at The Tropicana of course!

What’s old is new again. We pay homage to the classic couture in old Las Vegas, when people would dress to the nines to go out for a night out on the town. These vintage looks have a modern day twist. All the women’s clothing was designed by Tennille Ilea Rogers. Men’s clothing was provided by Jacobi Couture. Women’s shoes provided by Patty’s Closet.

Photography by Kris Mayeshiro
Fashion Designer: Tennille Ilea Rogers
Stylist: Dee Rubio
Makeup: Stacey Kerby Torres
Hair: Amanda Martinez, Beauty Extrordinaire

Models: Allie Finley, Desi Ianconnetti, Nathan Ferrier and David Lander

So you went and got yourself arrested…

Nice job knucklehead! What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… especially if you get caught breaking a law or two. But don’t fret my simple-minded friend, that’s what SINNER’s here for. We’ve been there. Literally.

Listen up!

1. Make friends with a Bail Bondsman. A quick Google search for “Vegas Bail Bonds” will come back with 607,000 results. Pick one. If you’re coming in from out-of-town and feel you might be partaking in illegal activities, find one and take him a 12 pack of beer while you’re still sober to do so.  Think of your Bondsman as insurance. You’re not going to need him until you need him and then you’ll be glad you have him. NO ONE WILL GET YOU OUT OF JAIL QUICKER and back into the smothering mammarrific embrace of that blonde at The Palamino.

2. When you first arrive, you’ll be taken to booking. Don’t make an ass of yourself here. The wheelchairs aren’t just for the crippled. Sit still. Eyes forward. Don’t stare at that hookers short skirt 2 rows down.

3. After an hour or so, you’ll be moved to pre-holding. GET YOUR PHONE NUMBERS from your cellphone. No. You won’t remember them and you won’t know who you can reach at 3:33am back home. Of course, if you followed Lesson #1 you only have one number to remember and they WILL answer your call.

4. Ladies listen here! If you’re arrested in your trampy club clothes because that stupid bitch with the bad weave stepped on your new Manolos, here’s a bit of advice that may come in handy. Tell the guards that you’re cold. They’ll bring you a county-issued shirt to cover up. This can quickly be turned into a pillow if you wrap it around those county-issued sandals you got in booking.

5. If you value your privacy while using the bathroom, USE IT IN PRE-HOLDING. Ummm no that door doesn’t lock but at least you have one.

6. USE THE PHONE in pre-holding and holding! These calls are FREE!!! You’ll need to take out a small loan to cover your calls in the towers.

7. Hungry? Say you have diabetes and need snacks to control your blood-sugar. They won’t be able to verify if you do or not and are required by law to provide snacks to you.

Think of these rules as “Break In Case of an Emergency” If you REALLY want to enjoy Vegas, DON’T GET ARRESTED. Handle your SIN.

**Let me know if you have something to add. Together we can create the World’s first, crowd-sourced, jail manual on how to survive the system.**

Who doesn’t enjoy the wonderful taste of guilty pleasure? The taste of deep fried treats! The nostalgic smell of carnival style desserts and powdered sugar in the air. Chef Steve took the  downtown street sweets to a do it yourself fry party.

We simply used a fryer and depending on your preference a belgian waffle mix or a tempura mix.

The snacks pictured:
Strawberries
Twinkies
Oreos

All were most definitely delicious and can be found on DTF.

Some of the other fun things that we fried up were:

Snickers
Cookie dough
Marshmallows
PB&J

Whatever you should choose to sizzle up, I think you’ll be your own critic. You may be pleasantly surprised or disgusted.  These treats should really be in moderation. But if your going balls out make sure their fried.

Dr. Sketchy’s Anti Art School is more than just a life drawing session. It features burlesque models, contests with ridiculous prizes and the occasional burlesque act between sessions (since they’re there). It was started in Brooklyn by artist, author and burlesque model Molly Crabapple. Over the few short years, It’s made its way, city by city and sketch by sketch across the globe. Local Burlesque legend Cha Cha Velour introduced the concept to the Aruba Lounge in June of 2008, where it subsequently crossed the Las Vegas Blvd to Dino’s and just recently in September of 2011 mozzy’d its way to the Arts Disctrict’s swankiest venue, the Artifice.

Since the move, Lead Art Monkey Michele Hengeveld has seen a few changes. “It has been a VERY positive move. I feel some artists returning due to the new night of the month (Thursdays rather than Tuesdays) and some I haven’t seen due to the move.” Having outgrown the cozy confines of Dino’s, the move also offered a bit more visibility for the still somewhat underground event. “The move was also prompted in the hopes to make Dr. Sketchy’s Las Vegas even bigger and have more artists able to come and let their skills loose, and I felt downtown in the ever growing Art District was key,” said Hengeveld.

The quality of popularity of Sketchy’s has been steadily growing ever since it started, “When I first came out here I didn’t see the enthusiasm or diversity of different venues, it wasn’t as it is now. I’ve actually watched it grow within the last 2 years, perhaps I just didn’t know where to look but it is growing and I truly am excited to be able to be a part of it, to be involved and help out wherever and whenever I can,” Hengeveld said. In fact Hengeveld plans to add a second Saturday session each month starting in January. The first session will see the return of Cha Cha Velour as a model.

As more and more people learn about Dr. Sketchy’s we expect it to become even more of a staple for the local arts community to gather, socialize and connect with one another. According to Hengeveld “it draws a lot of diversity. Artists from all blocks. It is an outlet for them to get their creativity out in a friendly setting, a hang out if you will, and networking too, finding new friends while doing what they love and are passionate about doing and have a few ounces of booze too.”