Undefeated on the Show Floor

Cedric, his girlfriend Rebecca, and I went to the IFA today—Berlin’s big consumer electronics fair, the one that turns the Messe into a cathedral of things you didn’t know you didn’t need. Digital photo frames nobody asked for. 3D TVs that gave you a headache at close range. One actual iPhone behind glass, surrounded by people treating it like a relic.

Also a constant stream of booth workers trying to force flyers into your hands, and a parade of Asian businessmen who moved through the crowds with serene efficiency—smiling at everything, accepting nothing that came within two meters. I respected that energy deeply and took notes.

My personal highlight was the games section. Against Cedric I went two for two at Wii boxing and Wii tennis. Perfect record. One hundred percent. Complete dominance. This is the kind of triumph that means nothing outside the room and everything inside it. We also watched a few matches from the German StarCraft and Warcraft III finals of the World Cyber Games, which was being broadcast live. The booth commentators were too nerdy in the wrong way—not funny about it, just intense. There’s a real craft to covering competitive gaming without making everyone around you feel like they need fresh air.

I’m fairly sure I spotted some TV presenter I’ve never liked talking on his phone near one of the exits. And at the Intel booth I almost won a laptop. Almost. Rebecca also almost won it—in her imagination, even faster than me. The laptop went to someone else entirely.