Better Offline

CES 2026: Part Eight (Friday)

Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Palazzo Hotel with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor. In Friday’s first episode, Ed is joined by author, activist and journalist Cory Doctorow, YouTuber and CEO of Clicks Michael Fisher, Cherlynn Low of Engadget, Edward Ongweso of the Tech Bubble Newsletter and Garrison Davis of It Could Happen Here to talk about the Clicks Communicator, Amazon’s surveillance tech, the advances in tech in eyeglasses, engadget’s best tech of CES and why we’re worried about the future. EXCLUSIVE CES SALE! Get a *permanent* $10 off an annual subscription to my newsletter through January 13 2025: https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc [https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc]  Ed Ongweso Jr.: https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social]  Cory Doctorow http://pluralistic.net/ https://www.eff.org/ [https://www.eff.org/]  Michael Fisher - https://www.clicks.tech/ [https://www.clicks.tech/] Cherlynn Low - https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/cherlynn-low/ [https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/cherlynn-low/] https://bsky.app/profile/cherlynn.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/cherlynn.bsky.social] Garrison Davis: https://bsky.app/profile/bishonentype.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/bishonentype.bsky.social] The Tech Bubble Newsletter: https://thetechbubble.substack.com/ [https://thetechbubble.substack.com/] Donate in Sean-Paul’s honor: https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/ [https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/] https://bookmaniac.org/ [https://bookmaniac.org/] https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/09/quantity-break/#so-many-chips [https://pluralistic.net/2026/01/09/quantity-break/#so-many-chips] Cyber Fidget: https://youtube.com/shorts/JEEmhcTscP8?si=7_1O-GARnnBeSGuK [https://youtube.com/shorts/JEEmhcTscP8?si=7_1O-GARnnBeSGuK] https://petewarden.com/2025/10/16/why-does-a-local-ai-voice-agent-running-on-a-super-cheap-soc-matter/ [https://petewarden.com/2025/10/16/why-does-a-local-ai-voice-agent-running-on-a-super-cheap-soc-matter/] https://petewarden.com/2025/11/29/i-know-were-in-an-ai-bubble-because-nobody-wants-me-%f0%9f%98%ad/ [https://petewarden.com/2025/11/29/i-know-were-in-an-ai-bubble-because-nobody-wants-me-%f0%9f%98%ad/] --- LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks [https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks] Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/ [https://www.wheresyoured.at/] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/]  Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at [https://discord.com/invite/QUUQUP9szv] Ed's Socials: https://twitter.com/edzitron [https://twitter.com/edzitron] https://www.instagram.com/edzitron [https://www.instagram.com/edzitron] https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com [https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com] https://www.threads.net/@edzitron [https://www.threads.net/@edzitron] Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com [ez@betteroffline.com] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

CES 2026: Part Seven (Thursday)

Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Palazzo Hotel with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor.  In Thursday’s second episode, Ed is joined by actress and standup comedian Chloe Radlciffe, Garrison Davis of It Could Happen Here, writer Westin Lee, Robert Evans of Behind The Bastards, Ed Ongweso of the Tech Bubble Newsletter, and tech writer Rob Pegoraro to talk about how this CES feels like something is missing, building things for actual people, how everybody is talking about “incremental” improvements in AI, OpenAI’s similarities to Theranos, and the problematic nature of mass-automation. EXCLUSIVE CES SALE! Get a *permanent* $10 off an annual subscription to my newsletter through January 13 2025:  https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc [https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc] Ed Ongweso Jr.: https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social] Rob Pegoraro: https://bsky.app/profile/robpegoraro.com [https://bsky.app/profile/robpegoraro.com] Westin Lee: https://bsky.app/profile/westinlee.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/westinlee.bsky.social] The Tech Bubble Newsletter: https://thetechbubble.substack.com/ [https://thetechbubble.substack.com/]  Chloe Radcliffe: https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en] https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe [https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe] Donate in Sean-Paul’s honor: https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/ [https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/] Here’s the robot we talked about: https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky.social/post/3mbwvlat7dc23 [https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky.social/post/3mbwvlat7dc23] --- LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks [https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks] Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/ [https://www.wheresyoured.at/] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/]  Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at [https://discord.com/invite/QUUQUP9szv] Ed's Socials: https://twitter.com/edzitron [https://twitter.com/edzitron] https://www.instagram.com/edzitron [https://www.instagram.com/edzitron] https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com [https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com] https://www.threads.net/@edzitron [https://www.threads.net/@edzitron] Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com [ez@betteroffline.com] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

CES 2026: Part Six (Thursday)

Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Palazzo Hotel with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor. In Thursday’s first episode, Ed is joined by Devindra Hardawar of Engadget, actress and standup comedian Chloe Radlciffe, Edward Ongweso of the Tech Bubble Newsletter and Matt Binder of Mashable to talk about the anti-consumer electronics show, how AI buying up all the RAM is going to make computing unaffordable, Dell’s quasi-reversal on AI, why you should be buying all your tech used, and why it’s time to use tech to tell people you love their stuff. EXCLUSIVE CES SALE! Get a *permanent* $10 off an annual subscription to my newsletter through January 13 2025: https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc [https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc]  Ed Ongweso Jr.: https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social]  The Tech Bubble Newsletter: https://thetechbubble.substack.com/ [https://thetechbubble.substack.com/]  Devindra Hardawar: https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/devindra-hardawar/ [https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/devindra-hardawar/] http://thefilmcast.com/ [http://thefilmcast.com/] Matt Binder: https://mashable.com/author/matt-binder [https://mashable.com/author/matt-binder] Chloe Radcliffe:  https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en] https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe [https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe] Donate in Sean-Paul’s honor: https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/ [https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/] --- LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks [https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks] Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/ [https://www.wheresyoured.at/] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/]  Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at [https://discord.com/invite/QUUQUP9szv] Ed's Socials: https://twitter.com/edzitron [https://twitter.com/edzitron] https://www.instagram.com/edzitron [https://www.instagram.com/edzitron] https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com [https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com] https://www.threads.net/@edzitron [https://www.threads.net/@edzitron] Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com [ez@betteroffline.com] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

CES 2026: Part Five (Wednesday)

Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Palazzo Hotel with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor. In Wednesday’s second episode, Ed Zitron is joined by Karissa Bell of Engadget, Jared Newman of the Advisorator newsletter, standup comedian and host of the Factually Podcast Adam Conover, Ed Ongweso Jr. of the Tech Bubble Newsletter, Robert Evans of Behind The Bastards and standup comedian and actor Chloe Radcliffe to talk about very slow laundry robots, the return of the pebble watch (and their new ring), robotic assistive technology products, the sloppification of CES, and asking “who cares?” to every single booth. EXCLUSIVE CES SALE! Get a *permanent* $10 off an annual subscription to my newsletter through January 13 2025: https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc [https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc]  Ed Ongweso Jr.: https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social]  The Tech Bubble Newsletter: https://thetechbubble.substack.com/ [https://thetechbubble.substack.com/]  Karissa Bell https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/karissa-bell/ [https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/karissa-bell/] Jared Newman: https://advisorator.com/members/signup/ [https://advisorator.com/members/signup/] https://cordcutterweekly.com/ [https://cordcutterweekly.com/]  Chloe Radcliffe: https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en] https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe [https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe] Robert Evans:  https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky.social]  https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?l=en-GB [https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/behind-the-bastards/id1373812661?l=en-GB]  Adam Conover: https://www.instagram.com/adamconover/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/adamconover/?hl=en]  www.adamconover.net/tourdates [https://www.adamconover.net/tourdates] Donate in Sean-Paul’s honor: https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/  [https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/] --- LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks [https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks] Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/ [https://www.wheresyoured.at/] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/]  Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at [https://discord.com/invite/QUUQUP9szv] Ed's Socials: https://twitter.com/edzitron [https://twitter.com/edzitron] https://www.instagram.com/edzitron [https://www.instagram.com/edzitron] https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com [https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com] https://www.threads.net/@edzitron [https://www.threads.net/@edzitron] Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com [ez@betteroffline.com] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

CES 2026: Part Four (Wednesday)

Welcome to Better Offline’s coverage of the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show - a standup radio station in the Palazzo Hotel with an attached open bar where reporters, experts and various other characters bring you the stories from the floor. In Wednesday's first episode, Ed is joined by Garrison Davis of It Could Happen Here, Matt Binder of Mashable, Ben Rudolph of Cartographiq, standup comedian and host of the Factually Podcast Adam Conover, Ed Ongweso Jr. of the Tech Bubble Newsletter, and standup comedian and actor Chloe Radcliffe to talk about an “agent-powered” BBQ, showstoppers, the multiple wife cubes being shown on the floor, how solving male loneliness comes from male introspection, empathy and kindness, and how CES perpetuates a culture of trying to make women the solution instead. EXCLUSIVE CES SALE! Get a *permanent* $10 off an annual subscription to my newsletter through January 13 2025: https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc [https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/cue848p5sc] Ed Ongweso Jr.: https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social]  The Tech Bubble Newsletter: https://thetechbubble.substack.com/ [https://thetechbubble.substack.com/]  Matt Binder: https://mashable.com/author/matt-binder [https://mashable.com/author/matt-binder] Gare Davis: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jm6ufvsw3hg5zgdpnd3zb4tv [https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jm6ufvsw3hg5zgdpnd3zb4tv] Chloe Radcliffe: https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/chloebadcliffe/?hl=en] https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe [https://punchup.live/chloeradcliffe] Adam Conover:  https://www.instagram.com/adamconover/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/adamconover/?hl=en]  www.adamconover.net/tourdates [https://www.adamconover.net/tourdates] Ben Rudolph: https://www.cartografiq.com/ [https://www.cartografiq.com/] https://x.com/benthepcguy [https://x.com/benthepcguy] Donate in Sean-Paul’s honor: https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/ [https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/] --- LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks [https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks] Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/ [https://www.wheresyoured.at/] Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/ [https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/]  Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at [https://discord.com/invite/QUUQUP9szv] Ed's Socials: https://twitter.com/edzitron [https://twitter.com/edzitron] https://www.instagram.com/edzitron [https://www.instagram.com/edzitron] https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com [https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com] https://www.threads.net/@edzitron [https://www.threads.net/@edzitron] Email Me: ez@betteroffline.com [ez@betteroffline.com] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.