If you were looking for Legos, VMworld 2017 in Las Vegas this week was the place to be.

I spent four days in Las Vegas for VMware's annual customer event, probably because I learned nothing from going to CiscoLive there two months earlier. I braved 100-plus degree temperatures outside, excessive air conditioning inside and bad coffee to bring you the latest news.

As always when I travel for Enterprise Cloud News, I took photos of weird and interesting sites, and peppered my social media friends with observations (when I wasn't doing serious work or stuffing my face-hole with food). Here's some of what I saw and said.

Figure 1: Prior to the first day's keynote, an entertainer warms up the crowd creating art in virtual reality in real time, accompanied by jazzy music.

Figure 2: The view from my hotel window.

Figure 3: Obligatory "holy cow it's so hot out!" screenshot of my iPhone weather app. The temperature hit 113 degrees earlier this week.

Figure 4: A contest at the Densify booth: Guess the number of workloads in the block and win a prize. I guessed "more than two" but did not win. What a ripoff! Densify provides cloud tools for workload placement.

Figure 5: Recruits get indoctrinated for a digital mind-control cult. Either that or VMworld attendees get a virtual reality VSAN demo at the Intel booth.

Figure 6: The Spectrum Navisite booth displayed a Lego model of the Mandalay Bay hotel, with a contest for folks to guess the number of bricks in the model.

Figure 7: Breakfast. I like to start the day eating healthy when I travel. By the end of the day I'm shoveling lard into my mouth with a spoon.

Next Page: More Lego Insanity!

More Lego Insanity!

Figure 8: Samsung displayed the DeX Station, a dock to convert your phone into a fully functional desktop PC by attaching keyboard, mouse and display. Impressive!

Figure 9: VMworld Vans shoes. Vans always make me think of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Figure 10: Detail of an impressive Lego mashup of VMworld and Vegas.

Figure 11: Another detail of the same Lego assembly.

Figure 14: LRS Output Management had an actual ice sculpture at its booth. LRS's Lee Martin (in photo) told me they had one sculpture for each day of the conference, made by a local Las Vegas company.

Figure 12: 'Murica. For sale at an airport shop.

Figure 13: Homeward bound.

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— Mitch Wagner Editor, Enterprise Cloud News