I spent most of today at the Amphitheater (1) of the Reagan Conference Center on Pennsylvania Avenue at our annual product provider summit. They are collectively responsible for the $8 billion in sales that generates $800 million in management fees, 95% of which our organization plows back into its social mission. Our subsidiary is delivering presentations (2) today and tomorrow as are the product partners. This year is different because we have three new senior vice presidents who are networking up a storm with execs from places like The Hartford, Travelocity, Avis and United Healthcare.

But also, big business events at our company mean decent swag. The event bag contained the usual notebook and literature plus a copy of our new sex book (3) and a submersible digital camera (4)! At the lunch of filet mignon and shrimp with fancy desert (5), I was one of the people who had a gold ribbon on a chair leg and won the New Orleans-themed table setting (6).

In the afternoon, I gave a short presentation on my activities at MIT and Stanford, after which I got a bunch of business cards on my offer to give a tour of the Media Lab to anyone who could make it to Cambridge, MA. No surprise there.

- mike lee - washington, dc