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Home, sweet, home. As much fun as I have during the CES week, there’s nothing quite like coming home again. I am unpacked and settling into a normal routine, at least normal for me. During my trip home yesterday I had ample time to reflect on the week-long activities of the CES, and kept coming back to what worked well and what didn’t work. My thoughts were from the viewpoint of someone covering the show, not a standard attendee. What worked and didn’t work for me may not be the experience of someone else in a similar position; this is my unique perspective. Note that this covers both the tech I used, and the show itself. It is a compendium of the entire week from the view of someone covering the CES. Read on to see what I found to be the major wins and fails during CES week.

WIN- Verizon MiFi. The major win for me at CES was having the MiFi in my bag and available at all times. This insured I had good connectivity no matter where I was working, and no matter how bad other connections were. I ended up using the MiFi the entire time I was working in my hotel room, due to the first FAIL on my list.

FAIL- Venetian Hotel room connectivity. On the surface it appeared that connectivity in the Venetian hotel room would be the least of my worries. They had both wired and wireless connectivity in every room, and “free” as part of a mandatory $15/day resort fee. Unfortunately, it seems the hotel was not up to the influx of geek guests who were obviously saturating the network. The wired connection in my room didn’t work at all, and I didn’t have a few hours to work with hotel techs to get it working. The wireless was spotty, if it worked at all. I found that often my PC would immediately connect up to the “SuiteWiFi” hotspot, only to have no access to the web. Other times I could get straight to the web, only to have the connection drop off every few minutes. When I opened up the ThinkPad Access Manager to get a graphical look at the hotspots present, I could see at least 10 other rooms with the same SSID. I suspect the problem was exacerbated by not knowing which room’s hotspot I was connecting to. Big FAIL!

WIN- ThinkPad x200. The ThinkPad worked wonderfully for me during the CES, and I would estimate I spent almost half the entire time in slate mode working by touch. It was a common site to see me in some uncomfortable setting with the x200 in my hands allowing me to get solid work done. I was approached by a lot of people during the week, given that slates were on everyone’s mind, and was repeatedly amused to tell them that this ThinkPad was nothing new at the show. The lack of Tablet PC marketing was obvious over and over during the week (mini-FAIL for that).

FAIL- AT&T. I won’t say much about the total failure of AT&T during the CES week as it has been shouted from every corner. I’ll just say that my iPhone 3G was basically useless the entire week, until late Saturday when it was obvious many iPhone owners had departed. The coverage came back at that point, and worked in the same exact locations it had failed all week. ‘Nuff said.

WIN- Venetian Express Shuttle. The organizers of the CES provided a shuttle service that was an express route between the Venetian Hotel and the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). These buses left both locations every 10 minutes, and the service was wonderful. Kudos for this, as it made getting back and forth very simple.

FAIL- Press facilities at the Venetian. In years past, the CES has provided separate blogger and press rooms at both the LVCC and the Sands/ Venetian. This year, due to the size of the show being smaller, they only provided one small room at the Venetian. While I liked having both press and bloggers in the same space, the facility was smaller than either one last year. This often made it difficult to find a space to work, especially given that half the allotted space was taken up by CES functions. The Wi-Fi was spotty in the press room too, making a wired connection (provided) almost mandatory, when you could find one.

Sources have told AllThingsD that Vudu is in “meaningful” acquisition discussions, with Walmart being the most likely analog moneybags candidate. Given that Vudu is making its way to most new TVs, acquisition sounds like a good plan for Walmart. [AllThingsD]

Halloween’s over but Adriana still wants to show us her Ikea shopping bag costume. And hear this, she teaches a course on Ikea! Wow. I hope I get an A on that course.

Tote dress recipe:
Take 1 IKEA bag
Make it into a halter dress

She says, “I fashioned the top of the bag and one handle as the neckline and halter for the top of the dress. Then I cut open the seams of the rest of the bag to make a backless, A-Line outfit. I sewed darts in the front and back to be shapely for my bust and back. I cut the long handles off of two more bags to create ties for the back of the dress. Waterproof and ready to tote!

But really the dress is achievable with just one 59-cent bag and by jacking the handles from two more!

Oh, and I also attach a mini-Ikea purse I made with just yellow duct tape and staples from a larger Ikea bag. It is the purse for my nephew’s toy robot to carry his baby robot around town.

I am a professor at the Parsons School of Design and I am teaching a course in the spring called IKEA-ology: Ikea as global urban home.”

via mostlywater, 9 January 2010: “The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in Vancouver & Whistler, on unceded Indigenous land, from February 12-28, 2010. We call on all anti-capitalist, Indigenous, housing rights, labour, migrant justice, environmental, anti-war, community-loving, anti-poverty, civil libertarian, and anti colonial activists to come together to confront this two-week circus and the oppression it represents. We are organizing towards a global anti-capitalist and anti-colonial convergence against the 2010 Olympic Games…” more

Are black, silver, pink and blue the most popular iPod Nano colors? According to JVC, yes, yes they are. The SP-A130 speaker not only matches those Nanos in size, but also shade.

Whilst I have a blue Nano knocking around somewhere, I do wish they’d used the same metallic paint that Apple uses. To blast music out you just slide the cover out to reveal the dual 30mm drivers on the portable speaker, with the back containing a 3.5mm input and area for inserting two AAA batteries.

The speakers also have an active/passive mode, giving you the choice of using the device’s amplifier or the iPod Nano to power it. Out in March, it’ll be $29.95—a pretty fair price if you ask me, unless you own a red, purple, green, yellow or orange Nano. [Far East Gizmos]

Hair loss (Androgenetic alopecia) refers to the reason of hair loss that is influenced by the androgen hormone, the genetic tendency for balding and aging. Because hair loss is caused by these hormones, treatment is available to immediately and dramatically prevent the loss of hair.

Androgenic Hormones

In general, normal men including women make male hormones. Testosterone, underestimation, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), are the most common that they produce. Androgens are manufactured by the men’s adrenals and testicles, and in women, by their adrenal glands and ovaries. In both sexes, these hormones are important but take place in different concentrations and amounts.

When hair follicles are exposed to DHT, a genetically prone individual, over time, leads to androgenetic alopecia, or female and male pattern baldness.

In particular cells of the hair follicle, as with in the sebaceous glands, there are enzymes called 5-alpha-reductase that are in high levels, converting testosterone which is then carried to these areas by the blood, and into DHT.

Hair loss myths:

Myth #1: Hair loss of an individual is inherited from the mother side.

Not true. Genetics is one factor of hair loss, it can be inherited from either the father’s or the mother’s side.

Myth #2. Frequent cutting of hair will make it grow thicker.

Not true. Although when the hair is cut, it would appear thicker at first, after three days or so, your hair would drop off and new hair would grow, having the same diameter as the pre cut hair.

Myth #3. Wearing a Hat Can Cause Hair Loss.

Not true. The hat can help by blocking off the sun’s harmful rays. Although wearing a hat for a very long period of time may cause sebum accumulation due to temperature changes and can react with cholesterol creating a hardened sebum plug that will cut off oxygen circulation causing the hair to fall out.

Myth #4. DHT is the reason for hair loss.

Not true. Although an over production of DHT is a significant reason for hair loss, it is not the only cause.

Myth #5. Frequent shampooing and blow drying lead to hair loss.

Not true. Heat can damage the hair, reason for brittle hair; it does not harm the roots of the hair.

Even worse, some perscription drugs are known to cause hair loss. Avoid if at all possible the following drugs:

– Cholesterol-lowering drugs:
– clofibrate (Atromis-S)
– gemfibrozil (Lopid)

– Antidepressants:
– tricyclics, amphetamines

– High blood pressure:
– atenolol (Tenormin)
– metoprolol (Lopressor)
– nadolol (Corgard)
– propranolol (Inderal)
– timolol (Blocadren)

– Antithyroid:
– carbimazole
– Iodine
– thiocyanate
– thiouracil

– Ulcer drugs:
– cimetidine (Tagamet)
– ranitidine (Zantac)
– famotidine (Pepcid)

– Anticoagulents:
– Coumarin
– Heparin

Actions you can take to prevent hair loss:

– Stop coloring or perming your hair very often for it can damage it
– Limit exposure of your hair to chlorine
– Avoid exaggerated brushing or combing wet hair
– Use a conditioner every after shampoo to make grooming manageable and easier
– Regulate heat exposure. Blow-drying, hot-curling and exposure to straightening irons may damage your hair over time
– Avoid medications that can lead hair loss such as Vitamin A, testosterone products, beta blockers, certain antidepressants and certain cholesterol-lowering agents
– Too much alcohol should be avoided. Be careful in choosing your hair care products as some contain alcohol and can contribute to hair dryness, brittle and hair that is prone to breakage.
– Tight ponytails and braids can lead to hair damage
– Maintain a healthy diet, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and drinking enough water
– Birth control pills can contribute to hair loss
– Consult your doctor if should you notice abnormal hair loss, as certain medical conditions such as lupus or having polycystic ovaries, or hyperthyroidism can cause hair loss

Vitamins you can take to prevent hair loss:

– Thiamin ( B1)
Containing the mineral sulfur, this is the essential element of the hair that gives gloss and shine.

– Riboflavin (B2)
This vitamin is vital for body cell breathing, ensuring efficient oxygen utilization for cell repair and production.

– Niacin (B3)
Helps to widen capillaries and vessels thereby increasing the blood circulation to the scalp to help stimulate hair growth. It also may reduce the cholesterol build up which is essential since cholesterol on the scalp will convert to the enzyme 5 alpha reductase.

– Pahtothenic Acid (B5)
This vitamin helps in restoring hair color and brightness. It works with the amino acid Tyrosine Folic Acid, PABA and Copper in the deterrence white and gray hair.

– Biotin (B7)
Biotin is a widely used ingredient in hair products due to its hair promoting properties. Biotin increases hair cortex elasticity , prevents breakage, and thickens hair cuticle.

– Cobalamin (B12)
Regenerates red blood cells for healthy hair.

– Pyridoxine (B6). Responsible for protein intake balance, it helps in transporting amino acids to the proper tissues. This is also essential in the conversion of one amino acid to another like the conversion of Methionine to Cysteine. With Inositol, they regulate oil flow to the scalp and the skin.

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You will not believe this remarkable story, by Brian Stelter in the New York Times.

Brandon Neely, a former Guantanamo Bay prison guard, was new to Facebook and looking up names of old Army acquaintances when he came across the profile of freed Gitmo detainee Shafiq Rasul. Neely sent a message to his former prisoner. Rasul replied and after a few exchanges they reunited in a BBC special that will air tonight.

Just when you start to wonder about Facebook’s seedy business strategy, a story like this reminds you of the awesome and unique power of social media sites to help people connect, re-connect and come together in ways that simply have never been possible, ever.

Just look at this picture from the Times of Neely with two former prisoners.

Ok, this is a little weird — what was the photog prompt, “Enhanced interrogation role play reversal!” — but it’s also sort of mind-blowing. This is kind of the best Facebook story I’ve ever read. Mark Zuckerbeg, I almost forgive your wrong-headed, self-serving rant about the death of privacy!

Nelson Piquet Jr. will not be returning to Formula One next year. In addition, if we are to trust his latest statement on his official website, F1 will unlikely become a possibility for him in the long future, as he plans to start a brand new career in NASCAR racing.

While yet to reveal the racing programme he will begin in the North-American stock car racing series – he’ll likely begin in the Truck Series, following his two tests in late 2009 – Piquet let his fans know that his f… (read more)

French macarons are a little bit more difficult to make than your average chocolate chip cookie. They’re not by any means impossible, but the light meringue cookies take a bit of time and patience to bake and sandwich together. The finished cookies are well-worth the wait because of their lovely texture, with a crisp shell and creamy center, and how flavorful they are. Another thing about these cookies is that they’re difficult to find in the US, where they’re not too popular at bakeries or restaurants. I found them recenetly, however, in the freezer at Trader Joe’s.

The Trader Joe’s Macarons à la Parisienne come 12 to a box, with six each of chocolate and vanilla macarons. There is a lot of packaging with these little cookies to keep them separated and their shells perfectly intact. It works: the cookies looked flawless coming out of the box. To serve, you simply need to defrost these for about 30 minutes. I have to say that, while they’re not going to top homemade or fresh macarons, these did hit the spot. They had good flavor and really got that balance of crisp shell and creamy filling. The chocolate had a ganache center, while the vanilla was more along the lines of a pudding or custard center. It didn’t take long to go through th box and I’d definitely go back for another – even if I was feeling inspired to make another homemade batch before getting in the car to go back to the store!

Feel free to print it out and post it prominently in your kitchen

USA Today just ran its annual week-long Weight-Loss Challenge, with different articles on the subject each day. One feature article was a list of dieting tips from the paper’s health reporter, Nanci Hellmich. There’s nothing groundbreaking on the list, but it’s an excellent encapsulation of the consensus wisdom of a number of experts in the field of health, nutrition and fitness. Here is a summary.

1. As much as you can, clear all the bad, sugary, fat-laden food items out of your kitchen, pantry and fridge. If you need to indulge yourself, make a special trip to purchase your treats.
2. The fewer sugary beverages you drink, the better. The ideal number is zero.
3. Increase your physical activity as much as possible, not so much to lose weight as to keep it off once lost.
4. When dining out, split or share entrees or consume just half and take the remainder home, and ask for the salad dressing on the side and apply it sparingly.
5. Limit the size of portions at home; for example, 3-ounce servings of meat, poultry or fish as entrees, and at breakfast, pancakes no larger than CDs.
6. Emphasize protein; it seems to keep the body feeling full longer.
7. Buy some clothing one size smaller than you presently wear and make it your goal to fit into it.
8. Manage your hunger attacks by not going more than five or six hours between meals and by keeping low-calorie snack items on hand.
9. Get your zzzs; sleep deprivation triggers hunger hormones.
10. Whenever you get a craving for a treat, wait 10 minutes before acting on the impulse; often, it will have passed.
11. Try to pal up with a weight-loss partner and/or supporter for morale boosting and encouragement, ideally a member of your household.
12. Keep a weight-losers journal and write down everything, repeat everything, that you eat, including fluids. Statistically, you’ll lose twice as much weight as you would with no journal.
13. Weigh yourself regularly, several times a week, to monitor how you’re doing and minimize backsliding.

(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

From the RSS feed of CalorieLab News (REF3076322B7)

Annual refresher course: Basic success tips for weight-losers

Hey, criminals: what’s the first thing you do after breaking and entering? Take a picture of yourself with the victim’s phone, right? Well, not when that phone has Lookout, an app that automatically backs up all photos to a server.

A 15-year old male in Wilsonville, OR was arrested last week and charged with first degree burglary after breaking into a home and stealing electronics and personal items. While he was there, though, he took some time out to photograph himself and his accomplice with one of the two Motorola Android phones the owners had left out on the kitchen table. Whoops!

The pictures taken by the phone were sent to the home owner’s server that night, giving police enough visual evidence to charge one of the two thieves. His accomplice is still at large, but justice is just one call to Xbox support away. [Wilsonville Spokesman via Engadget]

from email, 9 January 2010: “MEETING POINT – We will announce the meeting point for the demo closer to the time, please watch this space to find out details – Alternatively you can sign up to receive a text when the location is announced – email your phone number to [email protected] or text your number to 07538093930

For three weeks in January 2009, the bombs rained down on Gaza. At the end of Israel’s brutal bombing campaign and ground offensive over 1400 Palestinians had been murdered, including 314 children.

Here in Brighton EDO MBM/ITT manufacture some of the weapons components that devastated so many lives. All over the world thousands of people watched appalled at the carnage on the streets of Gaza. Thousands marched and raged at the destruction of peoples’ homes and lives.

On January 18th 2010, the anniversary of the final day of Operation Cast Lead, we will come together to remember the people of Gaza. more

Raven-haired Megan Fox shows us why she was voted 2009’s Sexiest Actress (albeit also it’s worst) in her debut campaign as the face and body of high-end Italian fashion house Armani.

Megan succeeds muse predecessor Victoria Beckham in a series of black-and-white ads for the Spring 2010 Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans collections.

“Megan is young and sexy and has a lot of spirit. Both Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans are all about a youthful attitude, making her the perfect choice for the collections….”

On Wednesday, fashion fans can browse through more images from the Megan Fox for Armani campaign exclusively on Emporio Armani’s Facebook page. The campaign — snapped by acclaimed fashion photogs Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott in Los Angeles last month — breaks in major lifestyle publications next month.

Cervical Cancer is the Second Leading Cause of Cancer Death among Young Women in the U.S.

In recognition of Cervical Health Awareness Month, singer-songwriter and actress Mandy Moore, The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation (GCF) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are teaming up to encourage young women to do their part to help reduce their risk of cervical cancer.

The goal of the “Reality Check: What Young Women Don’t Know About Cervical Cancer” campaign is to raise awareness of cervical cancer and motivate young women to talk to their healthcare professional about how to protect their cervical health now and for the future.

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States in women in their twenties and thirties.

However, a recent survey of more than 1,000 women 19 to 25 years old revealed that the vast majority (85 percent) do not believe they are at risk for cervical cancer now.

Women surveyed felt more informed about diet and nutrition than they did about reproductive healthcare.
In fact, approximately 1 out of 5 young women surveyed had “no clue” what the cervix does, and only half said they could identify their cervix on a picture of the reproductive organs.

“There’s a lot I didn’t know about cervical cancer and how to protect my cervical health, which inspired me to take action and rally other young women to join the cause,” said Moore.

“As young women, we should feel empowered to take care of our cervical health. Women shouldn’t have to suffer from cervical cancer when there are things we can do to prevent this disease.”

A Pap test is an important screening tool that can detect abnormal cells in the cervix before they turn into cervical cancer. In the U.S., every year, 3.5 million women receive an abnormal Pap test result, and of those, more than half a million are diagnosed with cervical pre-cancers that may need treatment.

If left untreated, pre-cancers can grow into cervical cancer and may require more invasive procedures.

Approximately 9 out of 10 women surveyed did not realize that cervical procedures to treat abnormal Pap test results (pre-cancers) can impact a woman’s ability to carry a pregnancy to term. These procedures are sometimes needed to treat high grade Pap test results.

In addition to Pap tests, young women also have the power to help protect themselves against cervical cancer by getting vaccinated. However, of the young women surveyed who believe they are at risk for cervical cancer now, only one quarter have been vaccinated against the disease.

“Many young women don’t recognize the importance of protecting their cervical health,” said Yvonne Collins, M.D., gynecologic oncologist with Advocate Christ Medical Center and a member of GCF.

“Our goal is to educate young women about the steps they can proactively take to help prevent cervical cancer and pre-cancers. Getting Pap tests, talking to their healthcare professional about vaccination against cervical cancer and making lifestyle modifications can all make a difference in the fight against this disease.”

To learn more about how to join the fight against cervical cancer, visit the GCF Web site at cervicalcancercampaign.org/realitycheck.

The Reality Check campaign is sponsored by the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation, with funding and editorial support by GlaxoSmithKline.

About Cervical Cancer – Cervical cancer and pre-cancers are caused by certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is transmitted by direct contact, usually sexual, with an infected person. The abnormal cells (or pre-cancers) are usually found by a Pap test, but some aggressive forms of cervical cancer may be hard to detect.

Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women in their twenties and thirties. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009, in the United States, approximately 11,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 4,000 women will die from the disease, regardless of age.

About the Survey – One thousand and six (1,006) U.S. women between 19 and 25 years old participated in the survey in August and September 2009. This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the GCF with funding and other support from GSK.

Additional survey highlights are available at cervicalcancercampaign.org/realitycheck.

About the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation – The GCF is a not-for-profit organization established by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists in 1991. Its mission is to develop and present educational programs for women who have or are at risk of developing a gynecologic cancer.

Its programs are designed to raise public awareness of ways to prevent, detect and treat gynecologic cancers, and support promising, innovative gynecologic cancer research.

GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals – GSK Biologicals, GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccines business, is one of the world’s leading vaccine companies and a leader in innovation. The company is active in the fields of vaccine research, development and production with over 30 vaccines approved for marketing and 20 more in development.

Headquartered in Belgium, GSK Biologicals has 13 manufacturing sites strategically positioned around the globe. In 2008 GSK Biologicals distributed 1.1 billion doses of vaccines to 176 countries in both the developed and the developing world – an average of 3 million doses a day.

Through its accomplished and dedicated workforce, GSK Biologicals applies its expertise to discover innovative vaccines that contribute to the health and well-being of people of all generations around the world.

GlaxoSmithKline – One of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

For further information please visit gsk.com.

Justin Fox at Time considers the possibility. He believes that the government’s decision to increase its issuance of inflation-protected Treasuries could prevent it from inflating away its debt, though he has some doubts. So do I.

On one hand, Fox’s logic can’t really be disputed:

With the total U.S. government debt held by the public at $7.8 trillion as of last week, $600 billion is still small beans. But if the TIPS share grows, it will get harder and harder for our U.S. government to inflate its way out of its burgeoning debt burden. That is, if all a country debt is in fixed rate bonds (as was the case for the U.S. before 1997), inflation shrinks the size of that debt relative to the overall economy and, more to the point, tax revenue. If all the debt were in inflation-linked bonds, inflation wouldn’t reduce the debt load at all.

But, as Fox notes, there’s a big “if” in there. Right now TIPS are still a relatively minor portion of total outstanding debt. It would likely take quite a few years and a significant change in the portion of inflation-protected debt issued for this point to matter. Unless the TIPS portion of outstanding debt grows much larger, then the government would still benefit from allowing inflation to devalue the rest of its unprotected debt. So, in the near-term (read: next 3-5 years) I don’t really see TIPS acting as a major barrier to inflation, if that’s really what the government has in mind.

And as Fox also touches on, the TIPS obstacle could be an easy one to get past for the government anyway. After all, it defines the inflation rate that TIPS’ yield depends on. If Washington was really motivated to use inflation as a tool, it would make sure that whoever was running the Bureau of Labor Statistics provided a consumer price index calculation that skewed the official inflation reading in its favor.

With that said, I don’t think a conspiracy of such proportions is likely. The best way for the U.S. to get itself into a whole lot of trouble would be for it to render its debt worthless with extreme tactics like this. Surely, policymakers realize that. So the real fear — that of hyperinflation — is probably exaggerated, with or without TIPS. If policymakers are willing to alienate investors to that extent, they’ll just stop buying U.S. debt. And the prospect of the U.S. going into default would be far worse than feeling forced to actually keep up with its debt obligations.

The Federal Reserve had its biggest bottom line ever in 2009, generating record profits as its holdings of Treasury, mortgaged-backed securities and agency debt grew.

The Fed last year generated a net income of $52.1 billion, of which it paid $46.1 billion to the U.S. Treasury, the Fed said Tuesday. The windfall came as the Fed’s balance sheet ballooned to more than $2.2 trillion and the Fed acquired billions in securities through unusual asset-purchase programs aimed at spurring economic growth.

The Fed last year purchased $300 billion in US government debt and is on track to buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage-backed securities plus $175 billion in debt from government-backed mortgage agencies. The larger holdings more than offset the historically low interest rates that bring the Fed its income.

The Fed’s 2009 earnings were up 47% from 2008 when it generated a net income of $35.5 billion and transferred $31.7 billion to the Treasury.

The 2009 earnings reflect an estimated $3.7 billion in losses on holdings the Fed acquired when it helped J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. buy Bear Stearns and when it rescued American International Group.

Of the 2009 earnings, $46.1 billion was generated through open market operations and $5.5 billion was generated by companies it created as part of the Bear Stearns, AIG and other rescue operations. The Fed earned $2.9 billion in 2009 on interest on loans it made to banks and other institutions.