Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE
As my readers know every year each of my sons and I go away, separately, for weekend. We love to hang out, catch up with each other and eat plenty of chocolate ice cream.
Brad, my older son, is venture capitalist involved in startup technology companies. I am a retired endocrinologist who is a nerd. I love computer technology.
My wife, Cecelia, insists that I would have gone into compute science rather than medicine if I understood its potential when I was in college.
In my day the computer was a pencil, pencil sharpener and eraser.
My goal has always been to understand how everything works. I love to figure out trends and what will develop in the future.
This was the fifth year that Brad and I went to CES for 5 plus year. We walk the floor together and get a good feel for what is happening.
Brad made a mistake thinking that the exhibition started January 4,2017. The only flight I could get on when I got my ticket to get in to La Vegas at a reasonable time from Dallas was a 7 am flight. It got me to Las Vegas at 8 am. However, he exhibition started at 10 am January 5th not January 4th.
It was no problem for me. I walked the entire Venetian Hotel and the Paris Hotel. My lunch was chocolate gelato.
Brad got to the Venetian with his partners Lindel Eakman and Ryan McIntyre at 2.30 pm.
Brad then negotiated a 3,000 square foot suite for the both of us. He gave up our two rooms for one.
We were happy and the hotel was happy because they were out of rooms. Now the Venetian Hotel had an extra room to sell.
We then walked from the Venetian to the Sands to get Brad’s registration badge.
On the way back to the Venetian for our afternoon nap stopped for my second chocolate ice cream of the day,
Brad, Ryan, Lindel, Morris Wheeler (a venture capitalist friend of Brad’s) and I had great dinner at the Lake Side in the Wynn Hotel.
My problem was that no one would share a salad or entrée with me. I am a clean plate guy and had much too much food.
I became sleepy after the large dinner that ended at 9 pm Las Vegas time since I had been up since 4.30 am Dallas time.
However, walking back to the hotel I was ready for another chocolate ice cream.
At 8.45 am Thursday we were on the bus to get to LVCC from the Venetian. Las Vegas transportation authority did not create a bus lane. The one and one quarter mile drive took one hour.
I was starving at 9.45 am. I had no breakfast. I found a Nathan’s Hot Dog stand. I bought a hot dog and a coffee. All I needed was the coffee. The hot dog was great. The coffee was undrinkable. I threw it away.
CES seems to grow each year. This year it covered 2.5 million square feet of showroom space. It is a formidable challenge to walk 2.5 million square feet and see all the products of all the vendors.
I covered 9 miles a day for 3 days according to my Fit Bit.
The largest venue is the (LVCC) Las Vegas Convention Center. The Sands Convention Center was the second largest venue.
LVCC was where the big guys hang out. This year the automated automobile dominated.
For the first three hours we went from exhibit to exhibit quickly.
Brad was forever looking for patterns of innovation. Every few feet someone stopped Brad to ask him a question.
Many wanted to take a picture of Brad with them. Many wanted to take a picture of Brad and me.
The autos in the exhibits were phenomenal. Some of the sensor technology was otherworldly.
I was most impressed with the 3 D printed motorcycle.
A splendid exhibit at LVCC was a small exhibit by Sphero the creator of DB 8 and other Spheros one can control with a smart phone.
Brad is a major investor in Sphero, which originated as a TechStars start-up company.
We were led into the inner sanctum exhibit by Paul Berberian`, the CEO, to see the new products coming out in 2017.
There will be several new products that I believe will be big hits for both kids and adults in the next nine months.
The Sands Convention Center was the exhibit hall for all the start-ups and near start-ups exhibiting.
Eureka Park was where all the action and excitement was for me at CES.
Eureka Park was start-up heaven. This year CES outsourced Eureka Park’s development to TechStars. There were bout 600 vendors this year. Next year TechStars anticipates doubling the exhibitors in Eureka Park.
Brad was scheduled to interview James Park co-founder of Fit Bit at 1 p.m. After the interview I had my lunch in the TechStars green room. It was strawberry yogurt with a bunch of green and white TechStars M&M in the yogurt.
So far it has been a terrible eating day.
After lunch we continued in Eureka Park until 4 pm.
Was anyone tired yet?
We were scheduled to go to the YPO meeting in the LYNKS Hotel after Eureka Park.
Brad met a couple of people as a favor to YPO’s CEO.
The hotel was advertised as being only 1 hotel away from the Venetian. The problem was it was over a mile away from the Sands in the bitter cold. I was done when we got there.
The next get together was a Foundry Group get together in a Mexican restaurant at the Venetian. It was a lot of fun. I spoke to lots of people and met lots of new people.
I was on running on empty. The wonderful people at TechStars begged me to come to their dinner that I was invited to. I tried but had to bale out for a good night’s sleep.
After a great night’s sleep I was determined to have a mellow day. It just did not happen. There were too many things to see and absorb.
I went to Brad’s panel on Diversity.
I spent a lot of time in the area of micro-sensors and their use. We have not seen anything yet folks.
The use in clothing and exercise clothing made my head spin
I also spent a lot of time in the Smart Home and Smart Lighting area.
The night before I left Dallas Cecelia and I watched a Netflix movie entitled IT with Peirce Brosnan. https://dvd.netflix.com/RoleDisplay/Pierce-Brosnan/11699.
It is about the building of a Smart Home and its consequences.
My wife will never let us have a Smart Home after that movie.
I have news for everyone. Singularity is here. We do not have to wait for an Artificial Intelligent world.
It is here and we are living it.
The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” is, mine and mine alone.
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