David Pogue is the Tech Columnist for NY Times.

Wait, let me try that again… David Pogue is a Broadway-talented-piano-playing-ludicrously-singing-technology columnist. Caught your attention yet?

He makes technology fun.

“We’ll be telling our grandchildren, when I was a young man and I wanted Wireless Internet, I used to drive around town looking for a coffee shop!”

He makes sure we’re up on the coolest trends.

David not only shared with us useful tips like 800 2CHA CHA, the FREE service you can call to ask ANY question in the world, or the free 411 service 800 GOOG 411, but several fun tips as well, like:

Popularity Dialer. You can have this service call you at any time of the day, pretending to be your girlfriend or boss, etc. I’m sure you’ll come up with a reason to use this one day…

Midomi. Ever get a song caught in your head? But can’t remember the artist or title? With this iPhone app, you can now hum it to your phone and Midomi will pull it off the tip of your tongue!

Etch-A-Sketch. One of the coolest apps on the iPhone.. And guess how you erase your work of art? Yep! You shake it!

BUT, he makes sure they’re worth it first.

In a world where no one knows what is true and what isn’t, I think we should all admire how Pogue embraces his corky personality to teach the American people about new, useful technology.

Only about 17% of American consumers consider themselves “tech-savvy” (on the leading edge of technology). (ABIResearch.com)

So the OTHER 83% of consumers (of which I consider myself included) need the Patient Pogue to filter out all the crazy stuff ([tinyurl.com]) and confirm for us which technology will in fact dramatically impact our lives for the better.

Ironically, this quote from Gizmodo’s Joel Johnson sums up WHY Pogue is brilliant for writing to the 83% who aren’t Geoffrey Moore’s…

“The average Joe that makes up the market IS smarter than you saps. The market-at-large waits until a clear leader emerges, then takes a modest plunge. You may think you’re making up the “bleeding edge” of “gadget pimpatude” but you’re really just a loose confederation of marks the consumer electronics industry uses as free market research and easy money. “Give me the latest version,” you coo, hiking up your skirt another inch over your exposed wallet. “Point Oh One upgrades make me so hot.”" ([tinyurl.com])

The rash, ridiculous speed that the typical tech blogger dives in to the newest gadget-widget-thing is rather reflective of our country’s irresponsible consumer behaviors. Don’t you think?

So again, America needs the Patient Pogue… Lucky for us, he’s enlightening in a comically-entertaining easy-to-relate-to geek-humor kind of way. Whew!

Want to see for yourself?

After watching, I’m sure you’ll agree there’s not enough of the Pogueman to go around! ACTUALLY, there is! Check out the Pogue O’Matic, your own personal tech trends expert with a sense of humor, of course.

*Tip: Wait a couple minutes before choosing any of the buttons on the Pogue O’Matic and watch what happens …

In terms of CES, I gave you the WHY but what about the HOW?

Your 10-STEP-to-CES Guidebook, while it’s fresh in my memory:

1. Recession? Normally = Bad, but Recession in Las Vegas during CES = Advantages (i.e. the hotel I stayed in - The Palazzo - should have cost 300+ per night during CES week. The damage? Only 130 / night. In addition, car rental was only 7 BUCKS / DAY! Did my whole blog just become unbelievable? Awesome!)

2. Stay near the conference. The “stress-saved” is worth a little extra cash. All of the keynotes are held in the Venetian meeting rooms. The Venetian is joined with 1) the Palazzo, 2) The Wynn, and 3) The Encore. The “Show Floor” (where all the companies display) is in the Sans Expo. A shuttle bus runs between the Venetian and the Sans all day long.

3. Ladies - skip the high heels. I speak from experience. 1.7 million net square feet of demo space. Enough said.

4. The “Lake of Dreams” is a MUST. Every 30 minutes, there is a (for lack of a better word) “dreamy” show put on in the lake outside the Wynn. See the famous “Singing Frog” show below… too funny!

5. Walk around the hotels. Think - actually think - about the effort and amount of detail that went into the design of these buildings. FYI - Encore cost 1.3 billion to build, with an overwhelming $50 million just for landscaping! Its brand new club, XS, is the largest club in North America. Why the name “XS”? Well, it’s excessive. Really!

6. Look out for celebrities and never forget your camera. You never know who might be around you. Paul Allen (Microsoft) was sitting a few rows ahead of me. Guess who forget her camera that day?

7. Bring your business cards! But don’t use PrintsMadeEasy.com. In a hurry to get a new shipment of cards for CES, I ordered 100 more and asked for them to be delivered to my hotel in Las Vegas. Instead, they sent them to my HOUSE In Connecticut!

8. Definitely take a walk down the strip. Definitely bring a friend.

9. Try the calamari @ the Woo in the Palazzo. You haven’t had calamari til you’ve tasted these. Yum.

10. Repeat after me. “MY. CELLPHONE. CAN. NEVER. BE. CHARGED. TOO. MUCH. AT. CES.” (IF. I. HAVE. AN. IPHONE. I. AM. S-O-L.)

So you know where to find me next January. Hope to see you all there, at the heart of the newest trends, technology, and event-extraordinaire!