CES 2026: Part Nine (Friday)

January 10, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Voices & The Context

The Format: Casual live podcast banter from CES 2025 coverage, structured in quarters with rotating guests, ads, and off-the-cuff riffs on gadgets and Vegas life.
The Key Players:
- Host: Ed Zitron, tech critic with sharp cynicism; guests include Corey Doctorow (author of Enshittification, activist exposing tech flaws), Edward Ongweso Jr. (Tech Bubble Newsletter writer), Carl Shannard (Las Vegas Sun reporter on local economy), plus Garrison Davis and Robert Evans (podcasters from It Could Happen Here/Behind the Bastards) for chaotic chemistry.
The Vibe: Fun, irreverent, and intensely cynical—equal parts hilarious shit-talking CES mediocrity and sharp takedowns of AI hype, laced with Vegas nostalgia.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: Corey Doctorow, Edward Ongweso Jr., Carl Shonard**
2 (03:53) **Pre-CES Korean Investor Event & Nevada Tech Push**
3 (06:20) **CES Floor Impressions: Repetition & Lack of Novelty**
4 (12:30) **Weird Gadgets: Hand Massagers & Chargers**
5 (15:11) **AI Overload: Repackaged ChatGPT Everywhere**
6 (16:16) **Evil AI Kids Toys & Broader Laziness**
7 (23:55) **Las Vegas Tourism Decline & Economy**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

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 second episode, Ed is joined by author, activist and journalist Cory Doctorow, the Las Vegas Sun’s Kyle Chouinard, Ed Ongweso Jr. of the Tech Bubble Newsletter, Garrison Davis of It Could Happen Here, and Robert Evans of Behind The Bastards to talk about Vegas’ reaction to CES, the useful stuff getting pushed to the fringes, the hollow nature of this year’s CES, and an acoustic version of the Better Offline theme.

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

Ed Ongweso Jr.: https://bsky.app/profile/bigblackjacobin.bsky.social

Cory Doctorow: http://pluralistic.net/ https://www.eff.org/

Garrison Davis: https://bsky.app/profile/bishonentype.bsky.social

The Tech Bubble Newsletter: https://thetechbubble.substack.com/

Robert Evans: https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky.social

Kyle Chouinard: https://lasvegassun.com/staff/kyle-chouinard/

Donate in Sean-Paul’s honor: https://www.perc-epilepsy.org/

---

LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks

Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/

Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at

Ed's Socials:

https://twitter.com/edzitron

https://www.instagram.com/edzitron

https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com

https://www.threads.net/@edzitron

Email Me: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.