Bike Hugger 

A few of us attendees are on bikes.

More from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Finding random stuff is the fun of CES, especially items like underwater text messaging devices, assuming you wanted to text underwater. I guess I could text from my rain bike that I was cold and wet …

from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Here we are in Vegas for the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show. Now I’m in a very stressful episode in my life, so for once I am in this town completely sober…as in straight-edged, clean, living pure, high on life, etc etc…. which made it all the more disturbing last night to watch Bill Gates play Welcome to the Jungle with Slash.

Today I was watching the Microsoft squad demo the new “Surface”, which uses “Touch” technology similar to the iPhone and other products.

The demo they keep using is buying a custom graphics snowboard. After you put the graphics on the board, you can spin the board about in the screen using the touch of your finger tips. So what? Now if they could load all the small parts from bicycle drivetrain components into a “Surface” unit and mount it on the bike shop floor, I could very simply save time and make greater sales by having the customers look for the parts.

Damn it … we should’ve got that domain first!

from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Mark the photog at CES – with me waiting for the Gates Keynote. Posts to follow …

from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

Next week, Bike Hugger is back in Vegas to blog the Consumer Electronics Show. We’re there on the cycling tip and looking for relevant technology from Intel and others. Mobile Internet Devices are expected to dominate the show, like we talked about in the Ultra Mobile Bike Devices and Bicycle Hi Fi posts.

Any bike-related technologies that you readers are interested in seeing? Like messengers monitoring air pollution with cellphones and cargo bikes … .

I managed to get away from sick-kid-care just long enough to get stated on this years Opening Day Cargo Bike Ride. Great day for a ride, the weather was pleasant enough for very light clothing, and the xtracycle made it possible to haul almost all the extras. Despite a very social pace, my cargo (6 yr old daughter) veto’d the ride just a few blocks in. Note to self: Dressing pedal people and cargo people are two very different tasks. After the ride I’m wondering when cargo bikes will start designing a cargo-people experience in from the get-go.

My girlfriend and I went for a ride today. Nothing too stressful, just playing around on the bikes. I’m trying to build her up so that we can get around town together via cycling.

Starting the new year out right, with a sunny winter day, I test rode the Batavus Flying D – D could stand for Dutchman, but definitely not dainty!

This bike is big, sturdy, heavy (not in a bad heavy way, but good), and rolls – just like you’d expect a Dutch bike to do. At one point, I just rode right over speed bumps and let the big wheels, tires, and sprung seat take the abuse.