CES 2009- so far it’s just more of the same

I’m incredibly grateful to be in Las Vegas right now. I may have been here twice before (both cheap n cheerful holidays) but this is my first experience of actually working here, and it’s fantastic. Always a sucker for tech toys and gadgets, the fact that there are three huge arenas filled with all types of gizmos’s fills me with inescapable delight. This properly kicks off tomorrow though, so I’ve been doing the rounds of press conferences today. Initially excited at the words of wisdom the likes of Sharp/HP/Samsung would impart, my enthusiasm has peaked and waned with every meeting and left me feeling flatter than Paris Hilton’s chest.

Yes, netbooks are all well and good, but essentially they’re just teeny weeny laptops aren’t they? Despite the fact that they have three acronyms (UMPC, netbook, sub-computer) they’re really NOT that exciting, so the fact that companies are still touting their new ones as the hottest thing EVER is rather sucky. The race to be super slim, super light and super small seems never ending, and I’d really like it if they could change their tune. Read more…

Tags: ces 2009

2009 Resolutions I almost definitely won’t break

Every year I make about a million resolutions and every year without fail I falter in the first week. This year I’ve decided to make some realistically achievable life goals and hope to have fulfilled most of these by the end of the year. As I’ve now committed these to print online, I’ll have people nag/laugh/encourage me to achieve these, and I think they’re all plausible activities.

1.Read  all the Booker Prize winning novels this year. Just checked their website and this year is their 40^th anniversary, so bearing in mind I’ve probably read about eight of them it seems fairly feasible. Annoyingly I seem to have read more of the runner ups than the actual winners, but that makes it more of a challenge right?

2. Write the novel I keep putting off. I know, I know, it’s hard deciding between something dark and beautiful, a sci-fi epic and a rom com, but they’re not going to write themselves are they?

3. See if I can create a workable relationship with my mother. Bunny hugs and air kisses may never happen but a phone conversation that doesn’t involve silently mouthing swearwords to the phone whilst holding it away from my ear would be a great start.

4.Learn a new skill. I’m thinking a new language (always fancied Japanese), karate/kick boxing or perhaps that thing where you can remember everything you’ve ever glanced at. Or perhaps it would be easier just to learn silver soldering? Hey, I have a year to do this OK?

Read more…