... from my usual name-dropping, as Boneist pointed out so acutely

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Oracle ACE Director, President and Commander-in-Chief Obama!
How do I
know that Barak Obama is an ACE Director?
Because we're staying in the same hotel! Sorry, but I find the whole thing quite exciting for some bizarre reason.
It's a monumental pain in the neck, too, of course as Tim Hall, Chris Muir and I were unable to get back to our hotel last night because all of the surrounding street had been blocked off (that warning letter the hotel left in the room makes sense now). Which was a killer and I'm using as my excuse for drinking at least 3 drinks too many. How embarassing, I could barely keep my eyes open by the time I got back last night.
When I went outside for a cigarette this morning, the place was awash with armed and armoured Secret Service, Police everywhere, dogs, army reservists, etc, etc, etc and more hotel staff hanging around than usual, too, presumably hoping to meet him

Ear-pieces *everywhere*. (Oh, and I should take this opportunity to say hello to a short, speccy, balding ear-piece-wearer back home in Edinburgh who I know is following these posts and suggest that he asks his missus to put a sock in it. I'm running very quickly in the other direction, though!)
I've just been down again and everything has quietened down now so he must have gone.
P.S. I didn't tell The Boys who are here. All of the Cuddly Toys are
big Obama fans, to say the least, and a) they would have wanted to meet him and probably died of shock if they actually did; b) There would have been a
riot when we got home and the other Cuddly Toys found out!!!
Disclosure: I'm attending this year's Openworld Conference at the
invitation of the Oracle ACE Director program, which is paying my
travel and accommodation expenses. But next year, I'll be expecting the Obama Suite!