Rob Pegoraro
@robpegoraro.com
D.C.-based freelance technology journalist covering, and often vexed by, computers, gadgets, and other things that beep. May or may not be notable. He/him. Read: PCMag, Fast Company, etc. Write: [email protected]
Update: A Zoox robotaxi finally did show up and then shuttled me to my hotel, at no charge as per my first use of the service. No complaints about the ride!
January 8, 2026 at 8:19 AM
Update: A Zoox robotaxi finally did show up and then shuttled me to my hotel, at no charge as per my first use of the service. No complaints about the ride!
The robotaxi revolution seems to require some waiting in Vegas.
January 8, 2026 at 6:13 AM
The robotaxi revolution seems to require some waiting in Vegas.
Whoever programmed this "gesture tracking" demo at the CES exhibit of a Shenzhen-based firm named Zhaowei clearly hasn't watched enough Star Trek. 🖖🏻
January 7, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Whoever programmed this "gesture tracking" demo at the CES exhibit of a Shenzhen-based firm named Zhaowei clearly hasn't watched enough Star Trek. 🖖🏻
The Vegas Loop's recently opened tunnel from the LVCC Central Plaza to Encore saves some serious time--as in, a trip time of 1:57 in the Model X I just took, at a reasonable fare of $4.25.
(I do feel a little dirty about the transaction, if you were about to ask.)
(I do feel a little dirty about the transaction, if you were about to ask.)
January 7, 2026 at 2:39 AM
The Vegas Loop's recently opened tunnel from the LVCC Central Plaza to Encore saves some serious time--as in, a trip time of 1:57 in the Model X I just took, at a reasonable fare of $4.25.
(I do feel a little dirty about the transaction, if you were about to ask.)
(I do feel a little dirty about the transaction, if you were about to ask.)
Can any of y'all using the Obsidian Android app tell me what would make this weird and non-responsive keyboard mode surface in the middle of a note? It usually goes away in a minute, but it's annoying anyway. And I've never seen Gboard do that before; am running Android 16 on a Pixel 9 Pro.
January 6, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Can any of y'all using the Obsidian Android app tell me what would make this weird and non-responsive keyboard mode surface in the middle of a note? It usually goes away in a minute, but it's annoying anyway. And I've never seen Gboard do that before; am running Android 16 on a Pixel 9 Pro.
Las Vegas Convention Center WiFi pricing continues to make 6-to-5 blackjack, the $3 surcharge to pay for a taxi here with a credit card, and the "CNF" junk fee on bar and restaurant tabs all look like consumer-friendly bargains in comparison.
January 6, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Las Vegas Convention Center WiFi pricing continues to make 6-to-5 blackjack, the $3 surcharge to pay for a taxi here with a credit card, and the "CNF" junk fee on bar and restaurant tabs all look like consumer-friendly bargains in comparison.
Hyundai Motor Group's CES presentation featured robots instead of cars, courtesy of HMG's Boston Dynamics subsidiary. Truth-in-advertising credit: They disclosed that the prototype Atlas humanoid robot showing off its 360-degree joints onstage was remotely controlled, not operating autonomously.
January 5, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Hyundai Motor Group's CES presentation featured robots instead of cars, courtesy of HMG's Boston Dynamics subsidiary. Truth-in-advertising credit: They disclosed that the prototype Atlas humanoid robot showing off its 360-degree joints onstage was remotely controlled, not operating autonomously.
Dear Allbirds: I bought the shoes a week and a half ago, so can you please stop showing me ads for them?
(There isn't an "I already purchased this product" button in Google's stop-seeing-this-ad dialog.)
(There isn't an "I already purchased this product" button in Google's stop-seeing-this-ad dialog.)
January 5, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Dear Allbirds: I bought the shoes a week and a half ago, so can you please stop showing me ads for them?
(There isn't an "I already purchased this product" button in Google's stop-seeing-this-ad dialog.)
(There isn't an "I already purchased this product" button in Google's stop-seeing-this-ad dialog.)
Quantified self meets CES product-launch hype.
January 5, 2026 at 4:23 PM
Quantified self meets CES product-launch hype.
In case any baseball fans were wondering how far along the A's ballpark in Vegas is: They're about halfway to outlining the field with the first course of concrete.
January 4, 2026 at 10:14 PM
In case any baseball fans were wondering how far along the A's ballpark in Vegas is: They're about halfway to outlining the field with the first course of concrete.
Inoperative WiFi on my flight meant I spent more time than usual looking out the window. The views of our country were as fascinating as ever, even if some weren't as pretty as others.
January 4, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Inoperative WiFi on my flight meant I spent more time than usual looking out the window. The views of our country were as fascinating as ever, even if some weren't as pretty as others.
If you happen to mention to one of the baristas at the IAD Capital One lounge that you already miss your cat (in my case, because the person before me in line was traveling with two kittens), this may happen to your cappuccino.
January 4, 2026 at 1:08 PM
If you happen to mention to one of the baristas at the IAD Capital One lounge that you already miss your cat (in my case, because the person before me in line was traveling with two kittens), this may happen to your cappuccino.
Many people I know going to CES are already in Vegas, but I'm not flying out until Sunday morning. One reason why: My old Post pal Eric Brace's band Last Train Home played the Birchmere tonight. I may be an uncultured heathen sometimes, but I still know how to set priorities.
January 4, 2026 at 3:22 AM
Many people I know going to CES are already in Vegas, but I'm not flying out until Sunday morning. One reason why: My old Post pal Eric Brace's band Last Train Home played the Birchmere tonight. I may be an uncultured heathen sometimes, but I still know how to set priorities.
Canceling Evernote in advance of what would be a 92% rate increase for me yielded an offer to keep my price at the current level for a year. Haven't gotten any more would-be winback offers after declining this one.
![Screengrab of a dialog shown on Evernote's cancel-account screen:
"Get 40% off Evernote Advanced!
Keep everything you love-your notes, your devices, your
content-while saving 40% on Evernote Advanced.
40% discount
[strikethrough]$249.99[strikethrough] $149.99
Starting from Jan 1, 2026 until Jan 1, 2027.
Your plan will renew automatically with 40% off on Jan 1, 2026 at
$149.99. You can cancel auto-renewal any time.
Get 40% off Evernote Advanced"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:drsuvxemjgu367n6xn4brx4h/bafkreigflbjuxw2olylo5nrzkxnmowvvjgwxyomu7m3novhahiixjtnesi@jpeg)
December 30, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Canceling Evernote in advance of what would be a 92% rate increase for me yielded an offer to keep my price at the current level for a year. Haven't gotten any more would-be winback offers after declining this one.
The results, in case anybody was wondering.
December 26, 2025 at 5:19 AM
The results, in case anybody was wondering.
A damp bread dough left to rise 18 hours (as per Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman's "no-work bread" recipe) will develop so many bubbles from the rising and fermenting yeast that it can look like the surface of an alien planet. A particularly delicious planet.
December 25, 2025 at 7:09 PM
A damp bread dough left to rise 18 hours (as per Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman's "no-work bread" recipe) will develop so many bubbles from the rising and fermenting yeast that it can look like the surface of an alien planet. A particularly delicious planet.
Finally, a major airline has set up a real account here--using its domain name for its handle, with a complete profile. (Southwest has a blank account.) Welcome aboard, @united.com!
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
December 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Finally, a major airline has set up a real account here--using its domain name for its handle, with a complete profile. (Southwest has a blank account.) Welcome aboard, @united.com!
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
FYI, no need to DM United on X; the chat function in UA's app has worked well enough in my experience.
The real-time boarding count in United's updated app is very much my data jam.
December 20, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The real-time boarding count in United's updated app is very much my data jam.
Reddit at its finest with this incident: www.reddit.com/r/aviation/c...
December 13, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Reddit at its finest with this incident: www.reddit.com/r/aviation/c...
The food, as ever, was worth the wait.
November 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
The food, as ever, was worth the wait.
Pumpkin pie--from scratch--is all set for Friendsgiving.
November 23, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Pumpkin pie--from scratch--is all set for Friendsgiving.
Assignment accepted: You spend weeks researching a TV purchase, and then this becomes one of the set's primary use cases.
November 22, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Assignment accepted: You spend weeks researching a TV purchase, and then this becomes one of the set's primary use cases.