CES 2022 will be a rebuilding year

In sports, when a team is trying to come back from adversity and isn’t expected to have a good season, they call it “a rebuilding year.” That what I’d say CES 2022 will be like.
So far, the annual consumer electronics show has signed up more than 1,300 exhibitors for the conference set for Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas. That compares with 4,419 exhibitors for the last in-person show, CES 2020. This year’s show, CES 2021, was held online because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
I get the sense that many companies are still reluctant to travel because of the lingering pandemic. They also might be seeing whether they can live without the expense of attending CES.
The chief executive of one large consumer electronics firm told me this week that his firm is skipping CES 2022.
“I don’t think CES will be really busy,” he said.
CES 2022 likely will be a sleepy show as the industry starts to come back from the pandemic. The upcoming show also will offer an online version for those who can’t or don’t want to travel to the physical event.
“We never miss it, but we didn’t go last year and we’re not going this year,” he said. “We’ll probably come back the next year.”
The next official update on CES 2022 will come Nov. 10 at a preview event in New York City called CES Unveiled.

Related articles:

CES 2022 preview: Crowds set to return to Las Vegas, but digital element remains (ZDNet; Oct. 22, 2021)

CES will be back in January, both in physical and digital form (CNet; Oct. 26, 2021)

Photo: The anchor desk from the all-digital CES 2021. (Consumer Technology Association)

Could U.S. Postal Service changes speed the demise of Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service?

The U.S. Postal Service has raised rates and slowed delivery times for mail as part of an effort to improve the agency’s financial viability. But those changes could have a big impact on major customer Netflix, which still operates a U.S.-only DVD-by-mail business.
Could these changes be another nail in Netflix’s legacy DVD business as it focuses on streaming video? For many thousands of movie fans across the country that love the Netflix DVD service, that would be an unwelcome development.
The U.S. Postal Service enacted the changes on Oct. 1. Among the changes, the USPS has extended the service standard for some first-class mail from three days to five days. It also raised shipping fees.
Netflix addressed the impact of the changes in a blog post on Oct. 14.
Netflix said the recent USPS postage rate increase raised the cost of shipping a Netflix DVD by 16%. But Netflix decided to absorb the added cost to keep its service affordable.
Netflix also has made changes to speed shipping times. For instance, it doesn’t wait to receive a disc before sending a customer the next DVD in their queue. With its advanced return system, Netflix DVD mailers are scanned at the nearest USPS processing center and Netflix is alerted to their arrival.
“It is unlikely that USPS’s recent changes to service will affect DVD Netflix deliveries since we are not shipping coast to coast (which is USPS’s most impacted service),” the company said. “USPS First-Class Mail can take 1-3 business days each way.”
But with the USPS struggling financially, you can expect more changes to come.
Netflix’s DVD-by-mail business generated $44 million in revenue in the third quarter, down 25% year over year. In the second quarter, the service generated $46 million in revenue, down 25%. In the first quarter, the DVD service brought in $50 million, down 23%.

Photo: Netflix DVD mailers. (Netflix)

Halls of fame for boating, lighting, space technology and female songwriters

Continuing my quest to chronicle the many halls of fame for professions, industries and other pursuits, here are my latest discoveries in the virtual category.
These are halls that have an online presence, but no physical museum or shrine you can visit.

National Marine Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame

The National Marine Manufacturers Association established the NMMA Hall of Fame in 1988 to recognize and honor individuals who have made or continue to make substantial contributions toward the advancement of the marine industry.

Boating Safety Hall of Fame

The National Safe Boating Council began the Boating Safety Hall of Fame in 1995. It honors individuals who have demonstrated vital leadership and support through many years of service to make the nation’s waterways safer for all to enjoy.

Lighting Hall of Fame

The American Lighting Association, a trade association representing the residential lighting industry, created the ALA Lighting Hall of Fame in 2000 to honor industry professionals.

Space Technology Hall of Fame

The Space Foundation founded the Space Technology Hall of Fame to recognize the life-changing technologies emerging from global space programs and honor the scientists, engineers, and innovators responsible for them.

Women Songwriters Hall of Fame

The mission of the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame is to honor the contributions of women to the world’s music songbook. Inductees in 2021 included the Go-Go’s, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Naomi Judd and Roberta Flack.

Related articles on virtual halls of fame:

Halls of fame for optometrists, plastics, trivia and more (Aug. 8, 2020)

Halls of fame for fiddlers, visual effects artists, government and more (Feb. 27, 2020)

Halls of fame for Clydesdale breeders, pork producers and cattle feeders (July 15, 2019)

Halls of fame for comic-book characters, dermatology and sports betting (July 14, 2019)

Halls of fame for adoption, clogging, consumer electronics and surfboard builders (Dec. 9, 2018)

Halls of fame for interior design, affordable housing and hydroelectric plants (Sept. 15, 2018)

Halls of fame for hot sauce, Kentucky bourbon, foosball and wakeboarding (Sept. 9, 2018)

Halls of fame for curling, Jacuzzis, heavy metal, intellectual property law (March 28, 2018)

Halls of fame for caddies, baseball park groundskeepers, Christmas tree growers (Feb. 4, 2018)

Halls of fame for barbecue, advertising and immigrant entrepreneurs (July 15, 2017)

10 more unusual virtual halls of fame, including pizza, hamburgers and die-cast cars (Feb. 25, 2016)

12 unusual virtual halls of fame, including Hooters girls, White Castle cravers and porn (Feb. 20, 2016)

Will Covid-19 pandemic loom over CES 2022?

After canceling its in-person CES convention for 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Consumer Technology Association is barreling ahead with plans for an in-person CES 2022 show in Las Vegas in January. But will the lingering pandemic be a factor at the annual consumer electronics show?
The upcoming CES, scheduled for Jan. 5-8, also will be available digitally for those unwilling or unable to attend the show in person. That includes people concerned about the spread of Covid. Las Vegas has been a hot spot for transmission of the disease after all.
The recent Paparazzi Accessories conference Celebrate 2021 in Las Vegas turned out to be a deadly super-spreader event for Covid. At least 11 people who attended the event Aug. 2-6 in Las Vegas died of Covid they likely caught while attending the show, according to media reports. Many more were sickened by the disease after attending the Paparazzi conference. (See articles by Inside Edition and Vox.)
In September, the National Association of Broadcasters canceled its annual in-person NAB conference for the second year in a row because of Covid. It had been scheduled for Oct. 9-13 in Las Vegas. (See articles by Media Play News, Deadline and the Wrap.)
The Consumer Technology Association is requiring in-person attendees at CES 2022 to provide proof of Covid-19 vaccination. It will use the Clear smartphone app to manage proof of vaccination for U.S.-based attendees. International attendees will use a similar, third-party platform to submit proof of vaccination.
CES 2022 organizers said they will follow state and local guidelines and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That likely means requiring attendees to wear masks.
In its information for attendees, CES organizers said attendees come to CES 2022 at their own risk. As part of the registration process, attendees must agree to the following terms:

“I understand that participation in events and travel to and around Las Vegas may increase the risk of exposure and contraction to communicable diseases and viruses. I agree to release and hold harmless the Consumer Technology Association, the facilities and their employees and representatives from and against damages, liability, claims and expenses arising from the contraction or spread of diseases and viruses, including but not limited to Coronavirus (COVID-19), due to my travel to or participation in any aspects of CES. This agreement is binding on me and my successors and heirs.”

One of the keynote speakers at CES 2022 will be Abbott Chief Executive Robert Ford. Among other things, Abbott makes a rapid antigen self-test to detect Covid-19.
Ford’s presentation will mark the first time in CES history that a health-care company has taken the mainstage for a keynote.
Other speakers scheduled for CES 2022 include General Motors CEO Mary Barra and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert.

Photo: Covid-19 artwork by artist Prachatai (via Creative Commons)

Related articles:

From 200,000 attendees to just one: Here’s what Vegas looks like during CES 2021 (Digital Trends; Jan. 12, 2021)

U.S. COVID-19 map (Mayo Clinic)

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count (The New York Times)

Map: Track the Covid hot spots across the U.S. (NBC News)

Halloween 2021 costumes include lots of sexy nurses for Covid vaccine shots

This year’s adult Halloween dress-up season will see lots of sexy nurses giving Covid-19 vaccinations. To which I say, anything that helps spread the positive health benefits of vaccinations is a good thing.
The Covid-19 pandemic largely shut down last year’s Halloween parties. But this year could see a resurgence thanks to the availability of vaccines.
A cursory review of online stores for Halloween costumes points to sexy nurses leading the “sexy” category of women’s costumes this year. Other trendy costumes include pop culture riffs on hit movie “Cruella” and Netflix TV series “Squid Game.”
Lingerie retailer Yandy has several sexy nurse costumes to choose from including the Big Shot Nurse Costume. (See photo above.)
HalloweenCostumes.com and Spirit Halloween have even larger selections of sexy nurse outfits. (See sample photos below.)
Yandy has the best 2021-specific costume with its Mystery Gala Guest Costume. It’s a play on Kim Kardashian’s head-to-toe black cover-up dress from the 2021 Met Gala, only “sexy.” (See article by Cosmopolitan.)
Online boutique Dolls Kill gave socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders the Halloween treatment with a costume that plays off his meme-worthy appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. (See article by New York Post.)

Netflix ‘My List’ video queue is a mess

Last month, Netflix officially took away the ability for subscribers to reorder their queue of saved movies and TV series. I say “officially” because that function had been partially broken for at least a year.
Now Netflix orders programs automatically in the My List queue. It isn’t very helpful for someone like me who has 140 titles in his saved queue. I’m not going to watch all those videos. Very few are “must see” programs, most are “maybes,” as in I might watch them if I’m in the mood for a dumb action movie or middling horror movie.
The very least Netflix should do is organize the programs that people have saved into categories. I would recommend separate categories for movies and TV series (Amazon Prime Video already does that with its user queue). Another category of non-fiction would be nice for documentaries, competition shows and reality TV.
Right now, the Netflix My List queue is a jumbled mess. I’d love to be able to sort it, so the things I’m more likely to watch show up first. But Netflix thinks algorithms could do a better job.