That sounds like really good idea. How much can you record onto the pen before you need to offload stuff?

I still prefer pen and paper.... I indicate the session numbers then download them later. I'm not a big blogger, and I like the freedom of not having to carry my bag around.  For those who attended VMworld 2006 in LA, remember the bag check at Hollywood Highlands??  5,000+ identical VMworld bags in a big pile outside the venue...

As for audio, a lot of vendors are no longer recording sessions due to overhead and difficulty with getting the 'right' audio -- do you really need to know how late the presenters were up the night before, and how many drinks they had? 

As a past presenter, I know it was often unclear when the recording was happening and when it wasn't -- no 'ON AIR' signs or anything.  Not that I ever ran to the restroom w/o turning off my mic or anything... but it could happen.

Bottom line: whatever works for you and makes you happy... enjoy the conference!

You can download the PDF of the presentation as well as the MP3 that goes with it , or you can view the presentation as a video on the website.  Goto the vmworld website and login.  Click on VMWorld Sessions and Labs under resources on the right.  All of the past sessions are now under Free Sessions & Labs with the video, PDF, and MP3.  The new sessions should be posted shortly after the conference under the Attendee Only Sessions & Labs for a period of time before they are made free to everyone

Problem last year was wireless airwaves were jammed with everyone getting IPs and hogging bandwidth.  I could never get reliable connection from the floor.

Maybe Vegas infrastructure will be better, but my laptop was just dead weight.  Amazing how many things you can't do without the internet.

Yes, a good question indeed. I'll bring it with me and lock it up in the hotel. Mine has a safe in the closet. A few blocks walk to retrieve it sure beats 3k miles.