Good morning.

Markets are closed today in honor of Jimmy Carter, so I’ll probably ramble more than usual … if that is at all possible.

As a heads-up, I might not be writing tomorrow as I am on a “red eye” flight tonight … and this usually wipes me out for a day or two when I get back to “normalcy,” but I’ll try.

Anyway, I am still at the Consumer Electronics Show and it is as wild as ever. While there are a lot of products that one analyst from Emerald states are “solutions in search of a problem,” many are quite interesting.

New TVs are always a highlight, and the clarity of even a much-needed 163” television is extraordinary. My, oh my … I remember the day when I first saw a plasma TV and was impressed. Compared to the new items, plasma televisions appear blurry … and the 55” tv in my home suddenly appears small and ancient.

Driverless cars are coming on strong … and we are seeing constant improvements here … leading me to move up my own timeline by a few years as to when these will be more widely used.  And flying cars?  Well … due to safety concerns common use is years away … if ever … although they already exist … but for personal transportation over unpopulated areas, this is already here.

All this aside … and I am putting more concrete opinions together when I have more time and focus … the biggest area I see improvement in is with personal health items

Sure …there are rings a-plenty, which connect with your smart phone, that many will be owning by the end of 2025 … but I am visiting booths today where a robotic dog is used to help people with dementia and a “smart cane” has been invented to help the blind.  And there are also a few companies that have “eyeglasses” that show words spoken … a fantastic creation to help the deaf and those hard of hearing.

My view is people … finding doctor appointments harder to get and insurance companies more difficult to deal with … are increasingly realizing it best to be their own doctors … and many of the products being created and promoted right now will help them do exactly that.

Of course, there is plenty more … but I am stopping for the moment as I have the event to attend to in a few minutes and want to take it all in.

And for those interested in seeing what lies in store for the future …you should make plans to attend CES just once if you can.

There are certainly exciting times ahead.

Have a great day,

Joseph G. Witthohn, CFA

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