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The world outside of CES in Las Vegas (photos)

CES is one of the biggest conferences of the year for Las Vegas. But there are some people in the city that week for another reason: Just because it's Vegas. What's their take on technology?

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Richard_Nieva.jpg
Richard Nieva
Richard Nieva was a senior reporter for CNET News, focusing on Google and Yahoo. He previously worked for PandoDaily and Fortune Magazine, and his writing has appeared in The New York Times, on CNNMoney.com and on CJR.org.
Richard Nieva
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1 of 5 James Martin/CNET

After the mob

Not everyone in Las Vegas in early January is here for CES. Some are here for the gambling, taking in shows, partying, standing up in their limos as they take a ride down the famous strip.

Keeping them company is a hint of Vegas from yesteryear. Frank Cullotta, a former mafia hitman, said if he were younger and still in the mob, he'd be a master of tech.

"How do you think guys like us learned how to shut off alarms?" he said. "It was all done by computers."


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2 of 5 Richard Nieva/CNET

That famous chapel

While most CES attendees flock to the Las Vegas Convention Center, a smaller number of Vegas visitors come to the famous Little White Wedding Chapel to get hitched. Celebrities that have gotten married there include Elvis, Michael Jordan and Britney Spears.

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3 of 5 Richard Nieva/CNET

A Vegas wedding

Pierrette Burton and David Hayes came from Australia to get married.

What does Pierrette think the Facebook-owned virtual reality headset maker Oculus is? "Sounds like something used for ghost hunting."

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4 of 5 Richard Nieva/CNET

The queen of weddings

Charolette Richards, owner of the Little White Wedding Chapel, said the number of marriages per day at her chapel drops during CES week.

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5 of 5 Richard Nieva/CNET

Casino Cardboard

For some people in Vegas, it was their first time seeing a virtual reality headset.

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