Hello kitty

Tonight was the night for our spies to get the latest and greatest gossip from veteran PC Week lurker Spencer the Katt.

1,547K 1,523K Billy Breckenridge, Microsoft

We heard that our friends at PC Week were prepared to throw us out, but they changed their minds as long as CNET's editor in chief and our executive news editor stayed clear. We're guessing that the Katt heard about our plans to plant a mole. And as cats will do, he decided to make our coverage look like his idea all along.

But the only scoop we got from the party was a few complaints about the bash going from a tell-all pajama party to a corporate fiasco of smoke and sweat.

1,039K 1,062K John Gentry, Borland

For the record, a few people wearing Spencer hats said the Spence was worth the heat and sardine-like dance floor. Others said they would die to find out Spencer's identity. (For the curious: Spencer probably gave you your ticket, as the column is written by a rotating set of PC Week staffers and is never the same. For the faithful: We're lying.)

Despite the smoke and the crowds, the club, called The Drink, was very happening. Locals said that Tuesday night is reserved for "foam dancing," when the central dance floor is flooded with suds, but the fastidious Katt steered clear of any moussing. Partygoers had the privilege of taking their pictures with a cardboard version of the feisty guy. Meow.

518K 539K W. James Roberson, "A major corporation"

A few mewled that Spence didn't break into Dad's liquor cabinet: beer and wine only. But as the night wore on, we found that most everyone had plenty to drink.

The Katt party ain't what it used to be. Gone are the days when the select few gathered in a secret suite to see and be seen. Gone are the martinis, Manhattans, and outlandish tales of Comdex derring-do. We miss the days when the reigning news editor personally guarded the door, throwing out enemies and competitors and admitting those crashers on the short list of the Computer Cool. But all in all, we see why the tickets were so hard to come by.

Photos by Rose Aguilar, CNET

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