REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

Out on the convention center floor, the rule for grabbing attention is simple: Different is better. Bay Networks, a Santa Clara-based networking firm, hired a salesman who teetered on a mini seesaw while juggling swords and eating an apple.

Then there was Toshiba Corp. and its dozen saltwater fish tanks. Scattered throughout the hardware manufacturer’s booth, dozens of tiny and exotic creatures quietly swam in glass enclosures that softly glowed in violet and blue tones.

It was a soothing touch to the chaos on the convention center floor--except when the fish started attacking each another, and several sea horses unexpectedly gave birth.

“Hey, we’re talking about fish, OK? When you have to transport 50 sea horses, and they’re packed in close for a day, things happen,” a company spokesman said. “At least the power hasn’t gone out so far [at the convention center], like it did last year. It cost us a fortune, because we had to bring in separate generators during the night, so the fish wouldn’t die.”