With CES back in Las Vegas, I thought it was a good time to revisit my trip there in 2016. It was my first employer-funded conference, and I was completely in my element. The Jacksonville Public Library was exploring new technologies to offer customers in a Makerspace, and I was one of two ambassadors sent to CES. It was fantastic. 

First of all, I was overwhelmed by the gadgets. Also, everyone says the products shown at CES never turn into real things. Well… that is only somewhat true. 

A recurring theme for me: backing exciting tech… and promptly crashing it. 

I had already supported the ONAGOfly drone on Indiegogo. I got not only one but two in the mail. Sadly, it did not fly for long. It crashed and broke. Lesson learned.  

After the show, I purchased a Theta 360 camera. It worked great until I dropped it at a Jacksonville Jaguars game and scratched one of the lenses.

I was an initial backer of the POWERUP paper airplane on Kickstarter. I got that too, and I promptly crashed it.

There were also wild concepts like drone taxis that haven’t become a thing, but they were still cool to see. At the time, it never occurred to me that a few years later I’d be working for the Academy of Model Aeronautics—but looking back, CES 2016 was probably the first hint.

My knack for buying things featured at CES has not waned though. I recently purchased a GE Profile washer/dryer combo machine. It won a CES Innovation Award in 2024. Mine is slightly different because it came with pet hair removal. Cocker Spaniels have a lot of hair, and even though Anakin doesn’t shed much, I still use that cycle all the time.  

At any rate, the machine is remarkable. The pet hair cycle runs a vacuum to suck up hair before even starting the wash. Then when it’s finished washing it automatically switches over to a drying cycle. It does take longer than running separate loads in parallel, but that’s made up for by the “push the button and forget it” nature of the device. 

As a bonus, my house is small. I’ve got one machine where two used to be. It is a fantastic space saver. As bonus number two, the water shutoff valve for the house is behind where the dryer was. When I needed to turn it off, I had to move the dryer. Now I have clean access! 

At any rate, CES 2016 was a great time. I do love gadgets. I also got to visit with my long-lost Uncle/Cousin Joe, who at the time worked at the Bellagio. 

And Hoover Dam!

Looking back, the trip was overwhelming, inspiring, occasionally expensive, and absolutely worth it—and it quietly shaped more of my life than I realized at the time.