CES 2026: camcorders are still not coming back :(

CES used to be such a big deal for me.

As a bit of an video enthusiast, it was also exciting to see how makers like Panasonic, Sony, and Canon would refresh their camcorder lineups.

Consumer camcorders have not been popular for awhile now. It could be the most people find phone cameras perfectly acceptable (they still don’t have lovely zoom optics!).

I still use a camcorder to capture long events. Having a device dedicated to video is just so practical for things like recording performances or situations where I just need flexible zoom.

Makers like Snap have tried to come out with products like the CS-8, but the specs leave so much to be desired.

Why not make something similar but throw in a 1” sensor. I would gladly pay the difference. It doesn’t even need a ton of manual controls. I just want optical zoom plus super crisp 4K video.

Don’t even get me started on what CES offers now: tons of AI slop products.

ICE

It’s been frustrating trying to stay informed but also digest all the horrific stories of ICE disappearing / killing people. 

I never could have imagined I would be living in the same gestapo threatened world as the people in the 40’s experienced. 

It has also been so encouraging to see people much braver than me facing the enemy up close and personal, risking bodily harm or worst.

I will never skip a video where ICE gets humiliated somehow and has to turn away. 

These thugs are trying to rob us of peace. They don’t deserve an ounce of dignity should peril come there way.

I tried revolving sushi and loved it

I learned that Kura Sushi was adding a location closer to me and was hoping to give it a shot to better understand the significance of a business expanding and the appeal of revolving sushi.

Unfortunately, a casual walk-in experience was not meant to be at the Sherman Oaks location. As I was circling the busy mall parking during a holiday season, I called the location to check if my patience of finding a spot was worth it. I was told I'd have to wait at least an hour. I changed my mind that day and opted for a quicker, more convenient lunch.

I discovered that Kura Sushi had recently opened up in Bakersfield and wagered that it would be easier to get a seat at that location. I was right!

The food itself was perfectly fine. I was amazed at the revolving system itself. There isn't much human interaction when ordering food. You can take what looks good off the conveyor or manually order items as desired.

The ordered items show up on a separate conveyor in a haste. The zip along quickly and stop abruptly at your seat. It feels like the future that was promised in the Jetsons.

If you need to use the bathroom, the restaurant even offers another nice thing that's very normal in Japan: bidets!

Its okay to repair things

​I recently spent $2500 on repairs to my van. While this seems like a lot of money, it turns out a brand new Honda Odyssey is about $45000!

Our van has over 200,000 miles and I am optimistic that it has plenty of life ahead to serve my family in making memorable trips.

While looking for something in a storage shed yesterday, I snagged my jacked on some wire fencing. I created a few unsightly holes. 

Like my car, I figured a relatively small inconvenience was worth the price to avoid saying goodbye. Is it seamless? Absolutely not. Was it even necessary? No. 

 

Needless to say, no one has ever suggested I audition for Project Runway.

Hen or roo

https://www.reddit.com/r/BackYardChickens/s/2YyGoJlywS

Have you ever gotten caught up in the moment and abandon good judgment? I’m so embarrassed about a recent incident that is still going on.

We wanted to give our surviving hen an egg laying friend but accidentally brought home a rooster.

There’s a selfish part of me that doesn’t want to own this problem. How did the previous owners not learn to distinguish a hen or rooster? Why didn’t I inspect and consult Reddit first? We even named the chicken “Goldy”!

I spent about 100 miles driving home wishfully thinking that the chicken that was inside a box in my trunk was a hen.

After putting the box in my chicken run and letting the chicken out, I immediately started snapping pictures in order to confirm if this chicken was a hen or rooster.

It turns out, to the trained eye, that this chicken was obviously a rooster.

Minutes into trying to inspect him closer, the clarity became to sink. Of course the tail feathers looked so flamboyant. Of course the loud clucking was that of a male chicken.

What a mistake.

As the sun began to set, my concerns started to grow. Is this thing going to be a bomb in the morning?

Things only got worse. I was unable to wrangle Goldy into the chicken coop. He’s basically defenseless against the various predators that roam around my yard.

Perhaps a raccoon will rid me of this self inflicted burden before some random person from Craigslist decides to take him.