POLL: favourite releases of December 2025
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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paradisedinerWe'll leave the monthly polls open for a couple more weeks then do a run-off poll.
What are your favourite releases of December 2025?
Allday Project - Look At Me
0 (0.0%)
Alpha Drive One - Formula
0 (0.0%)
ASC2NT - Replay
1 (10.0%)
The Boyz - Still Love You
4 (40.0%)
Chuei Li Yu - UxYOUxU
0 (0.0%)
Daesung - 한도초과 (Hando-Chogua)
1 (10.0%)
Damjun - Play me like I'm your violin
0 (0.0%)
Day6 - Lovin' The Christmas
1 (10.0%)
Doyoung - Promise
2 (20.0%)
Feeldog - Too Good
0 (0.0%)
Forestella - Still Here
0 (0.0%)
fromis_9 - 하얀 그리움
1 (10.0%)
Hyolyn - Standing On the Edge
0 (0.0%)
Jinyoung - Christmas Fever
0 (0.0%)
Joohoney - Push (feat. Rei (IVE))
1 (10.0%)
Junghoon - Belong
0 (0.0%)
Kang Daniel - Backseat Promises
1 (10.0%)
Kenta - Wrapping Paper
0 (0.0%)
KIIRAS - Kiirasmas
0 (0.0%)
Kim Sejeong - 태양계 (Solar System)
1 (10.0%)
LNGSHOT - Saucin'
0 (0.0%)
Lunedi - Face Myself
1 (10.0%)
Minho - Tempo
4 (40.0%)
MJ - Clock
0 (0.0%)
Rolling Quartz - Masquerade
1 (10.0%)
Say My Name - UFO (ATTENT!ON)
0 (0.0%)
Seo Eunkwang - Greatest Moment
0 (0.0%)
Sorn and Minnie - Reservations
0 (0.0%)
Taeyeon - Panorama
2 (20.0%)
UmYull - Tomorrow, Promise
0 (0.0%)
Verivery - Red (Beggin')
3 (30.0%)
WayV - Eternal White
5 (50.0%)
Wooyoung (2PM) - Reason
0 (0.0%)
Yim Siwan - The Reason
0 (0.0%)
Yoona - Wish to Wish
0 (0.0%)
Inspector French and Freeman Wills Crofts
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:15 pmcimoreneHis plots are elaborate, not to say convoluted, and there are lots of details about the investigations as well as usually a bit of international travel and some colorful descriptions of scenery, but at the same time his narrative voice is rather dry and quite formal, sort of like a Data or Spock character was given a lively passage in another language and translated it as directly as possible into their own typical voice.
Also sometimes his character names are very funny: Pierce Whymper (The Starvel Hollow Tragedy), William Service (The Sea Mystery), Cosgrove Ponson (The Ponson Case).
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Jan. 8th, 2026 05:58 amautobotscoutriella posting in purimgifts
The Death of Robin Hood, The Testament of Ann Lee, They Will Kill You, Hamlet, Send Help
Jan. 8th, 2026 11:04 amtrailer_spotAction-adventure drama with a new take on an aging Robin Hood. Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder,
Reminds me that I want to watch Robin and Marian.
The Testament of Ann Lee HD720p 26MB
Biographical, historical musical drama about Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried), founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers. She was the irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. The movie captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia, featuring more than a dozen traditional Shaker hymns reimagined as rapturous movements. Thomasin Mckenzie, Lewis Pullman, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott and Stacy Martin are also part of the cast. Directed by Mona Fastvold (The World to Come) and written by Fastvold and her partner Brady Corbet, the couple responsible for The Brutalist.
Musicals and religious sects are not among my favourite topics. But the movie certainly seems unique and received very favourable festival reviews, especially praising the performance of Seyfried. A featurette about the Music & Movement of the film. And an earlier teaser trailer: HD720p 20MB.
They Will Kill You HD720p 39MB
Redband trailer for this violent, comedic action movie in which a woman (Zazie Beetz) takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building's history of disappearances. She soon realizes the community is shrouded in mystery, causing her to survive the night at the Virgil, a demonic cult’s mysterious and twisted death-trap of a lair, before becoming their next offering. Myha’La, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham and Patricia Arquette are also part of the cast.
Looks a bit exhausting.
Hamlet HD1080p 29MB
A reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in the world of a British South Asian family in contemporary London. Hamlet (Riz Ahmed) returns to London for the funeral of his father, but he is shocked when his uncle, Claudius (Art Malik), announces that he’s marrying Hamlet’s just-widowed mother (Sheeba Chaddha). After seeing his father’s ghost, who says he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet becomes consumed by rage and revenge. Joe Alwyn, Timothy Spall and Morfydd Clark are also part of the cast.
Festival reviews are a bit mixed. But it looks visually good, and Ahmed gives another memorable performance.
Send Help HD720p 26MB
Darkly comedic psychological thriller in which two colleagues (Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien) who find themselves stranded on a deserted island after they are the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it becomes an unsettling and darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. Directed by Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, For Love of the Game, The Evil Dead).
Choices (4)
Jan. 8th, 2026 08:37 amthe_comfortable_courtesanCecil, Baron Rondegate, had never imagined how very agreeable matrimony could be! Had quite conceded that 'twas the dutiful thing to do, and that moreover his mother would not cease from badgering him and fretting him over imagined dangers until he married and was in the way to beget offspring, so had determined to be about it. Perchance it had a deal to do with Zipsie – Zipporah, daughter of Lord Abertyldd – that he found himself in great amity with.
A woman of quite remarkable musical talents, beyond even the rest of the Parry-Lloyds, that were greatly noted in that art. They were also able to share amuzement over the quizzes they were obliged to encounter in Society; had similar taste in friends; &C&C. Had also come about to consider that perchance – it must make a difference, this matter of mutual affection? – he had previously quite failed to appreciate that there were charms in womanhood. For had supposed himself entirely inclined to his own sex. But indeed, he found it no onerous task to discharge the conjugal debt.
And her family so very welcoming and agreeable.
He was at present bound to call upon his father-in-law, for it was coming to seem as if the suspicions that Zipsie went with child were becoming more definite as time passed. Having no father or near male relative of his own to consult, fancied that his best course was to confide in the amiable Lord Abertyldd as to the proper way to conduct himself in this contingency. For one perceived that he must have had a deal of experience, as the father of a numerous brood and his lady being in fine flourishing health.
As was ever the case, Bexbury House was full of noises, sounds and sweet airs – somebody always practising or playing about the place, the most delightful thing – he patted his pockets to make sure he had sweetmeats about him for Lotty and Gianna, that had adopted him as another brother – here came Folly – Folliott – down the magnificent staircase, and yet again endeavoured to persuade him to come sailing – 'tis quite the finest sport! –
Count Casimir, husband of Zipsie’s aunt Dodo, drifted past, observed who it was, paused, made most enthusiastic over Zipsie’s plans for her mother’s birthday treat – very gratifying: the Polish Count, whose surname English tongues – save for that of Lord Gilbert Beaufoyle, that had been observing quite chattering in Polish with the exiled Count – could not encompass, was agreed a very fine musician indeed.
Cecil said that he would convey this accolade to Zipsie, and managed to start up the staircase just before Lotty and Gianna came in from their morning ride, and showed a great disposition to rehearse their duet for him – Cluck, Cluck: Cheep, Cheep – even before changing out of their riding-habits. They were persuaded that this could wait.
On the landing he encountered Lady Abertyldd, ivory tablets in her hand and with an air of preoccupation, that in another woman might have been harried, but she looked at him and gave a little laugh, saying, this election set all in disorder! Upset all arrangements – here they were, obliged to go down to Hembleby exceeding early – everyone sending apologies that they too are obliged to go into the country and must cut existing engagements – could not prognosticate at all whether there might be any cricket played this summer or not –
One had the entirest impression that she had all well under hand!
He mentioned that he hoped to convoke with his father-in-law, and she immediately summoned up a footman to take him, where he had failed to see one at all.
Lord Abertyldd, that was in convocation with his secretary, as they gazed upon the piles of papers covering his desk, looked exceeding relieved to see Cecil. Hulloa, Rondegate! - all well with Zipsie, I hope – Mander, do you take that pile and try to make some sense of it and see do we need to take any of it to Hembleby –
Instructed the footman to bring coffee, waved Cecil into a chair and sighed that certainly the present Government was doing no good at all, but this election was being a great bore. Did Cecil have any intention of going down to Wepperell Larches – ?
As the coffee arrived – very grateful! – he said that he thought he might go himself for a se’ennight or so, but was not sure that 'twas prudent to expose Zipsie to the journey and the trials of going about in the local society once there –
Abertyldd cleared his throat and said, sure, Charley had said somewhat of the state of affairs –
We feel somewhat more confident that matters are in that happy condition – but sure Zipsie feels rather sickly from time to time – inclined to sleepiness –
O, quite! 'Tis entirely proper to coddle one’s wife at such a time – indulge any whims or cravings –
That was entirely the advice I wished for – am perchance a little concerned that Zipsie may overdo somewhat with this cantata she has on hand and other musical matters –
Indeed that might be a worry! But I fancy she will find that she needs to rest – nature has its ways – a little healthful exercize is commended by the profession I apprehend, mayhap walking in that very fine square? 'Twould do no harm to consult Ferraby –
You would give him the preference?
Why, I must always consider that a Ferraby will be the crack fellow in the field! Have heard Asterley cried up, but in your case, cannot but suppose it helps is the quack a married man himself.
Cecil was indeed reluctant to call upon the services of a physician, however widely praised, that he knew as a fellow-member of that certain club – that he realized had not visited this while, indeed marriage was working something of a revolution! Responded to Lord Abertyldd that indeed, one understood that Ferraby was married and a proud father himself, conveyed a certain reassurance.
Of course, 'twas his mother that was quite noted for her wisdom over womanly matters – a sad loss –
Cecil said that he greatly regretted never having known the senior Ferrabys – relatives of Lady Bexbury he understood –
Lord, she is still a fine woman, but you should have seen her in her heyday! Abertyldd cleared his throat, and said, was that all the business Rondegate had with him, supposed he ought to get back to this tedious election matter.
So Cecil left, and was waylaid by Gianna and Lotty, to hear their duet, and distributed the sweetmeats he had about him. Managed to evade any further entanglements and went home.
Where he found the agreeable sight of Zipsie, looking very well, in the music-room with Cuthbert Davison, amiably arguing over how one might convert Persian music for English ears –
Fie, husband, here is Mr Davison declares that he will no longer linger amid the delights of Town but must return to Oxford –
Really, said Davison, I have had the finest convocation with Her Grace over this new manuscript she has acquired, do not wish to wear out my welcome at Mulcaster House –
Why, you would be ever welcome here! cried Zipsie, and then blushed. La, 'tis a habit from Bexbury House, that is quite Liberty Hall –
Cecil chuckled and said, but let him second that invitation –
Davison shook his head, saying, 'twas also a consideration that his fellow dons at Oxford gossiped like old hens at a tea-party and did he spend too long in Town 'twould have tongues wagging that he was glamoured by the tinsel show –
Tiresome! said Zipsie, gathering up the music, closing the pianoforte, and generally bustling about. Well, at least I hope you will stay to dinner, that I go change for, so as not to shock my maid –
She left the two men alone.
Davison walked over the window, looked out and sighed. Lady Rondegate is a wonderful and talented woman, and I greatly enjoy our convocations, but I am coming to a conclusion that I must give them up.
What?
He turned round. I hope you are not anticipating that I am about to disclose in some commonplace way that I have fallen in love with her. No, the matter is that I do have a considerable liking for her and would not in the least afflict her happiness, but that I find myself having fallen into quite the warmest feelings for you, Rondegate.
He sighed. So I had better go away. I am not sure I can contrive to travel to Persia but there is a savant in Berlin that I might visit –
My dear chap, said Cecil, finding his heat beating strangely fast, pray do not do anything quite so drastic.
He had supposed his recent lack of interest in going to the club for any purpose save to encounter friends such as Sallington was to do with the upheaval to his life caused by matrimony and the rather surprising pleasures thereof.
But had not he, too, been finding a warm friendship with Davison, that had become in a very short space of time quite a familiar of the household? Had he not found him a very agreeable companion? A fellow of considerable attractions?
Did he not, now that he came to think upon it, find those mercenary encounters he used to enjoy at the club a somewhat stale prospect? Did one not, really, desire something more? Did he not observe that there were those that came to enjoy fine mutual devotions? Indeed, one perceived that his mentors, Narthing and Carolden, entire had the like.
One also saw that there were those that contrived to enjoy such devotions and a happy marriage – or, whatever it was that Sallington had with the fiery Miss Ferraby! That was clearly no common matter of a mistress in keeping.
Let us, Cecil went on, consider upon this matter – seek the wisdom of older friends –
Davison confided that he had had quite the soundest counsel from MacDonald –
Merrett I fancy would have some apprehension of the predicament –
They exchanged tentative smiles.
But, said Davison, I fancy 'twould be imprudent to take up lodging here until we go clarify our notions somewhat further.
That was, alas, reasonable.
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lh_wayfarer_feedIn the middle of the Las Vegas Convention Center, amidst the world's largest tech trade show, an awards show was taking place. The audience included nominees ranging from large companies like Nvidia to scrappy startups introducing themselves to the world, alongside journalists, tech insiders, and enthusiasts gathering to watch the Best of CES 2026 awards. After days of scouring showroom floors, speaking with innovators about their new technologies, and deliberating for six hours, finalists and winners were chosen by experts from CNET, PCMag, Mashable, ZDNET, and Lifehacker. I had the privilege of helping to judge and present several awards, and aside from my gratitude for the experience, my takeaway was simple: There's a lot of new technology worth being excited about.
CNET Group, in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association, awarded winners across 22 categories, plus a "Best Overall" award. To qualify for a Best of CES award, a product or service had to be an official exhibitor at CES 2026 and either include a compelling new concept or idea, solve a major consumer problem, or set a new bar in performance, design, or quality. The official Best of CES 2026 winners were announced live Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 4 p.m. PT. Here are all the finalists and winners of Best of CES 2026.
Best of CES 2026 award winners
Best Age Tech
Tombot's Jennie has been capturing hearts at CES for years, but the realistic robot puppy is finally launching in 2026. Designed to comfort seniors with dementia and help combat loneliness, Jennie is packed with sensors and motors, allowing it to move its head to look at you, raise its eyebrows, wag its tail, and bark when you ask if it wants a treat. Seniors at a memory care facility we visited loved Jennie.
iGuard is a smart stove shutoff that helps older adults age in place. This new version of the device uses radar to tell when a person is in the kitchen, and has a configurable five-minute grace period. It can also report to a caregiver app if your loved one didn’t show up in the kitchen to make breakfast as usual.
Best AI Tech
Qira is Lenovo's answer to Apple Intelligence, a hybrid AI assistant that leverages a mix of on-device processing and cloud-based models for a powerful personalized assistant that's available anywhere, even as you switch from the phone in your pocket to the laptop or tablet in your hand.
Nvidia Rubin
Nvidia is once again the talk of CES, and the biggest announcement by the world's most profitable company is the Rubin AI platform. Nvidia’s six new Rubin chips work together to reduce the costs of data processed by AI, known as tokens. That's important for big tech companies, and all of us, as AI models become more compute-intensive.
Pebble Index 01
This AI wearable brings it back to basics. Users can jot down quick notes throughout their day that they don't want to forget by clicking on the button and speaking into the ring. Then, an LLM on the app will process what you said for easy access and even take actions for you.
Best Audio Tech
Samsung Music Studio 5 (Winner)
The Samsung Music Studio 5 houses a 4-inch woofer and dual tweeters in one of the most compelling designs we've seen in a home speaker. In addition to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, it supports the Samsung Seamless Codec for compatibility with other Samsung Galaxy ecosystem products.
xMEMS Sycamore-N loudspeaker chip
As smartglasses become more mainstream, they require an audio chip that is as advanced as their AI features. The xMEMS Sycamore-N loudspeaker chip enhances the smartglasses audio experience. Based on our listening tests, they provide a high-fidelity listening experience, and at one millimeter thin, directly aid in keeping smartglasses form factors thinner and lighter.
As a part of LG's Sound Suite, the H7 Soundbar extends the usefulness of Flex Connect to any TV with an HDMI input. The soundbar looks good and it sounded great with movies. The only drawback is that you can only add LG branded Flex Connect speakers to the soundbar and not those from other brands.
Best Deep Computing Tech
Intel Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) (Winner)
Intel’s Core Ultra 300 Series “Panther Lake” platform is our winner for delivering bar-raising integrated graphics performance to the mass consumer market. The top chip offers up to 12 new “Xe3” Xe cores for (by far) the best-ever integrated graphics performance from Intel silicon, enabling graphics and gaming workloads for a huge range of portable laptop categories through 2026 and beyond.
It's all about the TOPS: The mainstream version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 laptop processor family maintains the 80 trillion operations per second of the higher end X2 Elite chips. Expected in laptops starting around $800, it promises field leading NPU performance at a lower price.
AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 392, AI Max Plus 388
AMD’s expanded Ryzen AI Max+ platform democratizes workstation power with the 392 and 388 models, featuring 40 RDNA 3.5 GPU cores, 60 TFLOPS of compute, and 192GB unified memory. These chips bring elite local AI and GPU-free performance to thinner, more affordable devices with a superior price-to-performance ratio.
Best Energy Tech
After developing alignment-free wireless power for two years, Willo demonstrated the ability to deliver power over the air for multiple devices simultaneously, regardless of their position or movement. This represents a breakthrough in energy technology, offering wireless charging without the need for a pad, coil, or dock.
Jackery's solar energy-seeking robot showed an ability to follow you around like a puppy, but its real job is to follow the sun, collecting energy with its retractable 300W solar panels. The idea is that this autonomous bot can always find the sun, and then bring you the power when you need it.
Superheat
A water heater that automatically generates bitcoin with daily use. It utilizes the excess heat generated from bitcoin mining to heat running water in a home, offsetting up to 80 percent of electricity and water costs with the earnings from the process. You can control and manage it with an app or web console for ease of use.
Best Future Tech
Lego Smart Play System (Winner)
A single 2-by-8 Lego brick filled with light, sound, and proximity sensors to enable new ways to play. This little block, and the tinier snap-on tab that gives it instructions, can drive anything from lightsaber duels to board games, adding color and sound effects based on what you build and how you play.
Ixana Wi-R
Ixana's Wi-R is a chip that sends data through a hyperlocal field generated by your body. This alternative to Bluetooth and WiFi is still a concept, but it has some upsides to conventional data protocols such as less power drain and less potential for clogged signal.
Best Gaming
Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable Concept (Winner)
Rollable OLED displays have been a thing for a couple years, but they’ve been limited to enterprise laptops, if they ever even come out. The Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable concept uses this tech to bring ultrawide gaming to a laptop for the first time. Is the future rollable? We don’t know, but either way it’d be the perfect portable battlestation.
A gaming PC with multiple monitors has become the norm, and while portable monitors have been around for a while, there haven't been many ways to have this experience built-in to a laptop. The Asus Zephyrus Duo takes the multiple-display idea Asus has been playing with since the original Zephyrus Duo and expands it to something actually useful: a full second display.
Xreal’s AR glasses are some of the best, and now PC company ASUS is partnering with Xreal to make them better, especially for gamers. These AR glasses have everything even the pickiest player needs, giving you a virtual 171-inch screen right on your face. That screen is OLED and 1080p, but the real kicker is the 240hz refresh rate. It’s smooth big-screen gaming, on the go.
Best Kitchen Tech
The Ecoldbrew combines a portable grinder and brewer into a compact gadget that whips up a batch of cold brew coffee in five minutes. The cleverly designed device slots onto its own thermos, but it's a common size so you can easily attach it to the top of your own thermos if you have one that you love. Slated to launch on Kickstarter soon, it starts at an affordable $99.
Seattle Ultrasonics' C-200 UltraSonic Chef's Knife has a Japanese steel blade that vibrates about 30,000 times per second. Its movement is so subtle that you can't see or hear it move, but you will notice how effortlessly it slices through food without clinging to it. The C-200 retails for $399, a similar price point as other nice knives. The first batch ships this month.
We've covered our fair share of smart ovens at CES but Apecoo has boiled it down to the essentials. This compact cooker uses a camera above and scale below to ID food type and size and then deploys a precise cooking program pulled from a deep AI algorithm. Perfectly cooked steak, anyone? This machine can determine the exact thickness of meat or volume of veggies like no oven before it. The oven even recognizes multiple types of food at once and uses appropriate cooking times and temps for each. Best of all, it's about half the size of a typical smart oven.
Best Laptop
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 14 Aura Edition (Winner)
Modular laptop designs for greater serviceability and sustainability are a definite trend at CES 2026, and the latest ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the best example of it. Lenovo’s flagship business laptop introduces its Space Frame design that lets you access and replace individual parts when something breaks instead of needing to buy a new laptop.
Yes, it's clearly inspired by the MacBook Pro, but MSI's big, redesigned Stealth pours on the special sauce. This thin rig deploys Intel's Core Ultra 300 (Panther Lake) CPUs and GeForce graphics up to a roaring RTX 5090, alongside amped-up cooling and airflow. Plus, a new, subtler MSI design and a 240Hz Gorilla Glass panel will excite gamers and prosumer creators alike.
Asus' Zenbook Duo is a niche device, but it's the most elegant expression of a dual-screen laptop we've seen yet. The 2026 Zenbook Duo has matured on its design with notable improvements from last year: thinner bezels, a more sturdy kickstand, and a better hinge. Powered with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H CPU, it’s well-equipped for diverse creative workloads.
Best Mobile Tech
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold (Winner)
The culmination of Samsung's efforts to make a sleeker and more versatile folding phone. It's a true hybrid gadget that's a standard phone when closed and opens up to a sprawling 10-inch display, making this a practical, two-in-one device that fits securely in your pocket.
The Motorola Razr Fold is a solid entry in the book-style folding phone category thanks to its large screens, clean software, and powerful cameras. Together with stylus support, it's a fine option for those who need a device that's focused on productivity
The OhSnap Mcon is a Bluetooth controller with a slide-out plate to mount your iPhone (via MagSafe) or Android phone (via magnets) for a portable gaming experience. The pocketable accessory can be used in three ways: as a mounted handheld device, a wireless gaming controller, and a docked gaming console when your phone is connected to an external monitor.
Best Parent Tech
Coro feels like a product that should have existed for years. It solves the problem of measuring how much your baby is eating in a simple and meaningful way. I wish it was around when my babies were young.
Earflo is a medical device designed to look and work like a sippy cup for kids as young as two. When you sip from the cup, a small mask forms a seal on your nose, and with each swallow, air flows through the nose. The pressure on the nasal cavity helps releasing trapped fluid in the ear. In a peer-reviewed study, after four weeks of Earflo use, 90 percent of children did not need ear tube surgery three months later.
Kids and parents already spend quality time building with Lego. Now, in Lego's CES debut, the company is launching its new Smart Bricks as part of its new Smart Play platform, which brings Lego creations and characters to life. Lego Smart Brick includes a tiny chip inside that enables Legos to tell color, direction, distance, sound and more. Now Lego creations can interact with families, enabling more time together.
Best Pet Tech
Satellai's new collar (Satellai Collar Go) and software (Petsense AI) are proactive tools that could flag subtle behavioral shifts in your dog before they become obvious health problems. It can also warn you when your dog has left your yard, and retails for a reasonable $79.
Pawport launched its smart pet door in late 2025. The pet door uses ultra-wideband technology, which can detect how close your dog is to the door. That lets you customize how close your dog needs to be before the door opens, both coming in and out of the house. It also extends the collar tags’ battery life from 12 to 18 months.
One of the devices debuting is the Yumshare Daily Feast, an automatic wet cat food feeder Petkit describes as its first entry into robotic wet feeding. The unit can dispense scheduled meals over seven days while monitoring consumption through an integrated camera, and can automatically discard spoiled and leftover food.
Best Robot
Boston Dynamics Atlas (Winner)
Of the many humanoid robots to have made their debut at CES 2026, it's Boston Dynamics' Atlas that stands out as the best of the bunch. The prototype version demoed at the show impressed us with its naturalistic walking gait, meanwhile the sleek product version is ready to be deployed into Hyundai manufacturing facilities from this year, where it might just be working on your next car.
The Solar Mars Bot may never make it to Mars, but it solves several problems with portable generators. It's far easier to move wherever you need and it can chase the sun without intervention.
RoboTurtle is both a perfect study in biomimicry and a robot with a mission. This swimming robot is designed for environmental research and once deployed, will monitor underwater ecosystems with minimal impact on wildlife.
Best Smart Home Tech
The Roborock Saros Rover can traverse the biggest obstacle for robot vacuums: stairs. It's the first model that can navigate to different floors on its own without the help of a separate attachment. It pulls off this feat thanks to a pair of bendable legs that it controlls independently to avoid obstacles, and it can even clean stairs as it climbs.
The Lockin V7 Max is a new smart lock that doesn't require recharging or replacing its batteries. Instead of using a removable battery, the V7 Max uses Lockin AuraCharge, an external device that you plug in approximately four meters away, sending a light beam to a receiver on the lock. The lock converts the light into energy to charge its battery.
Robotin R2
The Robotin R2 is the first robot vacuum that can wash and dry a carpet, just like a carpet cleaner. It comes with a core module and two modular attachments that let it switch from vacuuming and mopping to carpet washing and drying. It takes about one hour to clean a 300-400 square foot room and two hours to dry. There's also an absolutely massive base station with two clean water tanks, a large dustbin and a dirty water tank.
Best Startup
This might save lives. A French startup has created a $200 portable device to test food samples for allergens. The startup, Allergen Alert, only had mock-up devices at CES, but it's licensing the tech from French biofirm bioMérieux. If the startup can pull off the food testing, the impact could be huge. Expect it to arrive in this year's second half.
If the name sounds familiar, it's because Pebble was the first company to popularize smartwatches in 2010s. After several company moves, the brand is back as a startup with a new lineup of affordable watches with battery life improvements and improved form factors. It also has a new AI ring.
The Nirva AI jewelry is a startup that aims to continuously learn from your real-world behavior by recording your audio throughout the day. From those recordings, it offers advice on work, relationships and everyday decision-making. Nirva positions itself as a personal AI companion, designed to understand your life as you live it. Think of it as "audio journaling" after a long day.
Best Sustainability Tech
Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor (Winner)
Anxious about plastic waste? Clear Drop's Soft Plastic Compactor can mash them into dense bricks to send off to be recycled into products like patio furniture. Clear Drop's product and subscription ensures none of your recycled soft plating ends up in a landfill.
RoboTurtle is both a perfect study in biomimicry and a robot with a mission. This swimming robot is designed for environmental research and once deployed, will monitor underwater ecosystems with minimal impact on wildlife.
Cambridge Consultants Ouroboros smartwatch
Ushering in the new age of right-to-repair legislation is this concept smartwatch design from Cambridge Consultants. It's proof that you can make a smartwatch that allows for self repair without compromising on design or user experience.
Best Transportation
There's plenty of talk about autonomy in cars, but Stutt brings the next-generation technology to an accessible application. The Ev1 mobility scooter can map and then navigate spaces autonomously, allowing people to get around via voice commands. It can also autocorrect manual navigation to prevent bumping into obstacles. This is the rare device that combines mobility, accessibility and autonomy, and it's hard not to be impressed.
Dolby Atmos adds a literal new dimension to car audio. However, not everyone can buy a new luxury car just to upgrade their listening experience. Pioneer’s Sphera receiver allows almost anyone to add Dolby Atmos via Apple CarPlay to the car they already own with the speakers already installed and immerse themselves in spatial audio.
Donut Labs solid-state battery
Promising huge improvements in energy density, charging speed and safety, solid state battery tech is a holy grail for electric cars, home energy, drones and a host of other applications. Donut Lab is first to market with a solid state battery in a production EV which can be found in partner Verge Motorcycles’ TS Pro Gen 2.
Best Travel Tech
Wheelchairs are available at airports, hotels, resorts, theme parks, and cruises, but standard wheelchairs require ongoing effort, and they can struggle through difficult terrain. WheelMoves is a portable wheelchair attachment that turns any standard wheelchair into an electric one, allowing people to travel more easily wherever they are.
The Jitlife JS07i is a rideable suitcase that travelers can use to drive long distances through airports. It's the size of a standard cabin bag but carries up to 250 pounds, has a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour, and can travel six miles on a charge. Already popular overseas, rideable luggage is making its way to the US, and Jitlife is the best we tried.
Best TV or Home Theater Tech
The Samsung S95H is the most impressive TV we saw at CES for a number of reasons, firstly, it’s 35 percent brighter than before. Secondly, it’s a wired TV which is great for gaming, but it has a wireless option for a cleaner look and which enables more connections. Thirdly, it’s the first OLED that can show artwork from the Samsung Art Store — the S95H has anti-burn-in technology that enables it to work like a Frame TV, but with even better image quality.
Hisense 116UXS
The 116UXS builds on the still very new and promising RGB LED TV concept by adding even more color to the mix. Its mini-LED backlight array uses red, green, and blue LEDs, then adds a fourth sky blue (cyan) LED that Hisense says lets it cover 110 percent of the BT.2020 color range.
The W6 is LG's "wallpaper" TV, an OLED TV only 9mm deep that can be mounted nearly flush against a wall. It's one of LG's brightest OLEDs yet, and it's almost completely wireless thanks to its Zero Connect box you can place up to 30 feet away to send it video and its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect-powered LG Sound Suite support for building a spatial audio system around it.
Best Weird Tech
Lepro Ami AI soulmate (Winner)
Having a tiny animated girl living on a small screen inside a physical cylander case is certainly very weird. Lepro's new AI companion Ami is exactly that. Its not quite an AI assistant meant to help with actual tasks. Its an AI meant for a loney person looking for some interaction. The characters dance and gyrate inside the case and can do so at the user's request as well, upping the weirdness factor.
Suck on this lollipop and listen to a song directly from your mouth to your ears using bone conduction technology, so you can "experience music you can taste." I tried it out, and though you had to bite down on it a bit to hear the music, it did work. It's a weird, fun novelty item. It costs $8.99.
iPolish touts itself as the "world's first digital color-changing nails." They take the form of press-on nails that you can individually put into a little wand to instantly change the color via a selection of over 400 shades on an app.
Best Wellness Tech
Perimenopause affects people transitioning to menopause, and is commonly marked by symptoms such as anxiety, hot flashes, and night sweats. Peri is a wearable designed to track those symptoms, and help you make informed decisions about how to manage them — whether that's through lifestyle changes and supplements alone, or hormone replacement therapy.
A majority of those who menstruate report severe period pain. This wearable neurostimulation device aims to reduce period symptoms and cramps. By attaching near the ear and delivering gentle neurostimulation, the device targets the auricular branches of the trigeminal and vagus nerves to regulate menstrual cycle symptoms and help the body return to a rested state.
Food allergies are common and can cause a wide range of unpleasant symptoms. Severe reactions can be deadly. Allergen Alert is a mini, portable lab that allows you to test food for common allergens on the spot at a restaurant, school, or anywhere you dine out. A single-use pouch analyzes the food sample inserted into the device and displays results within minutes.
Best Yard or Outdoor Tech
Beatbot AquaSense X ecosystem (Winner)
Beatbot has introduced the world's first self-emptying pool robot cleaner. In addition to its industry leading navigation and suction, the AquaSense x Ecosystem removes the worst chore associated with robot vacs — cleaning the debris baskets filled with soggy leaves, slime and bugs. The standalone cleaning dock empties debris into a disposable bag in a bin waiting below. Next, it rinses the internal mechanisms with fresh water fed from an attached hose, keeping the filter, debris baskets and vents clear and clean.
The Luba 3 AWD stole the show at CES 2026, easily climbing slopes up to 80 percent thanks to its four-wheel drive design. This smart mower also offers wire free navigation enhanced by LiDAR and AI vision, plus adjustable cutting heights. This attractive robot lawnmower can also overcome and avoid obstacles in your yard, from tennis balls to rogue hedgehogs.
Birdfy's smart 4K hummingbird feeder has a beautiful, unique design that more closely resembles an actual flower. Most importantly, it captures slow-motion video at 120 frames per second, letting you see the flap of hummingbirds' wings as they flit through your backyard. Using AI and its 8MP camera, the Hum Bloom will identify 150 different species of avian visitors.
Best Overall
Samsung Galazy Z Trifold (Winner)
A vanguard in melding eye-catching design with genuine utility, the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold achieves CES's highest honor, Best Overall. This slim device lives up to the promise of a foldable, full size tablet-phone hybrid that's as functional as it is pocketable. Its futuristic allure and seamless practicality elevate the tech while keeping it within reach.
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Jan. 7th, 2026 09:56 pmmonksandbonessnowflake_challenge challenge #4 before I go.Alas for the curling, my team lost. I made some shots, but overall I didn't play very well. Hopefully soon I'll get all the bad shots out of my body, and in the meantime, I'll dine on the sick shot I made to win our game for my Rookie League team last Sunday. Possibly I'm going to have to go to open practice ice one of these Saturdays, though!
Anyway,
snowflake_challenge. Challenge #4 is: Challenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last PageAny website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
My last page, before I got to the challenge entry on my reading page, was the Greater Victoria Public Library page, where I was checking my position on the hold list for Heated Rivalry. I'm up to #2. Fingers crossed for this weekend! For most of you, my local library will not be your local library, and I'm sure I hardly need to say this for this crowd, but I do recommend your local library!
My other recommendations, perhaps at the "something a bit more eccentric" end of things, are some curling go-tos. For curling scores from all the events (ALL THE EVENTS) and rankings for all the teams with word curling rankings (ALL THE TEAMS), there's Curlingzone. Are their news reports up to date? No! Is their website user-friendly? Also no! But are the scores for, again, ALL THE EVENTS and rankings for again, ALL THE TEAMS there? OH HELL YES!
Also, for pro curling, there's the Grand Slam of Curling website, bringing you media and live and on-demand streaming from the Grand Slam of Curling pro curling tour, and the soon-to-be pro curling Rock League!
Aurendor D&D
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:34 amsettiai( A list of bad things under the cut. )
Poor Siân really is well on her way towards a complete and total mental breakdown at the rate she's going.
no fandom : icons : Sand
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:14 amhighlander_ii posting in fan_flashworksFandom: none
Rating: G
Content notes: None apply
Summary: icons of sand, sand dunes, sandy beaches
( Sand )
Fanfic, Hoshi no Kaabii (anime), Meta Knight & Kirby, Kirby needs a gentler touch
Jan. 7th, 2026 09:12 pmbluerosekatie posting in smallfandomfestAuthor: bluerosekatie
Fandom: Hoshi no Kaabii (anime)
Pairing/Characters: Kirby & Meta Knight
Rating/Category: Gen
Prompt: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, Meta Knight & Kirby, Kirby needs a gentler touch than Meta Knight is used to giving
Spoilers: N/A
Summary: Meta Knight trains Kirby, but Kirby needs more than just fighting practice.
Notes/Warnings: Archive-locked to avoid AI scraping.
Read it on Ao3 here!
Signups Closed!
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:01 amcandyheartsexYou can look at requests via the request summary or the app, and there's also the letters post.
This could be a good time to add to the fandom/relationships promo post!
reading wednesday
Jan. 7th, 2026 07:58 pmcofax7I'm also rereading Acuteneurosis' Don't Look Back Star Wars time-travel AU, in which Leia goes back in time and gets adopted by Shmi just before the Clone Wars start. It's similarly soothing, even if so far unfinished.
... so many unfinished SW AUs. Sigh.
!!! but wait! somehow my subscription expired? there's a whole new story! YAY!!
Just finished: The Leper of St Giles, see above. Also, over the holidays I read Cahokia Jazz by Henry Spufford, and although I went in cautiously, I enjoyed it. It's very much a noir novel, and apparently I didn't read it carefully enough to figure out the trigger for the AU. And I thought throwing Kroeber into the mix was a bit too much. A real strong piece of worldbuilding about the city itself. Sadly the noirishness meant that the female characters didn't get as much development as I would have liked. I enjoyed it over all, though, and have recommended it to a few people.
Up next: Not sure. I may see if I can find a copy of The Women of the Copper Country, by Mary Doria Russell. I somehow missed it when it was published, and I have loved some of her work.
OTOH I bought A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine and The West Passage by Jared Pechacek over the holidays, so I may start one of those instead.
***
In other news, apparently it's a thing to reread LOTR and blog about it. Currently under way: Abigail Nussbaum at Asking the Wrong Questions, and Roseanna from Nerds of a Feather. Oh, and Jared Pechacek--but that's on his Patreon; it's $1/mo, so I joined, and if anyone cares I can report on whether I think it's worth it.
***
Everything is too horrible right now. Keep the lights on. Hug your pups and kittens. Make things. Sing. Dance. Drink water. Breathe deep. Lift heavy things. Remember you are not alone. Ask for help if you need it.
***
In other news, I think my boss is worried about me. In an I-am-making-my-stress-too-obvious way. I'm so grateful we have him, and I'm worried about what happens when he transfers this summer.
Dear Candy Hearts Confectioner
Jan. 7th, 2026 08:38 pmsnickfic( Likes and Dislikes )
( Oasis RPF- Fic, Art )
( Kyle Murchison Booth stories - Fic )
( Riddle-Master Trilogy – Fic )
( True Detective: Night Country – Fic, Art )
Snowflake Challenge 2026 - Days 3 & 4
Jan. 8th, 2026 03:26 pmluthien3. Write a love letter to fandom. It might be to fandom in general, to a particular fandom, favourite character, anything at all.
I've posted about this before, but it's worth saying again: not to put too fine a point on it, but fandom saved me.
I found fandom in the late '90s, about a year before I hit a wall with the chronic illnesses I'd been grappling with for several years, and had to give up work. Going from being in an office every day to being at home by myself was a big shock, even though I wasn't well enough even to interact with other people much at the time. I'd also recently moved out of the city to the Mountains, and left all of my friends behind. I felt very isolated.
I had my cats to keep me company in body, but fandom was what kept me company in spirit. Fandom saved me. As I said, I wasn't up to interacting in person much, but I could interact a little bit at a time online. I remember spending days writing a single email - about a shared fannish love to someone who I'd only just met, but who is still one of my dearest friends 27 years later. I remember painstakingly writing fic, because it was the one thing I could do that showed me that my brain still worked now that I couldn't do my job any more. I remember getting into discussions about canons and characters and meta. I remember engaging - and suddenly I wasn't alone any more.
My health issues have gone up and down over the years, and so has the degree of my involvement in fandom, but neither has ever gone away completely. I still take part in yuletide and I still take part in snowflake, and I still talk to friends old and quite new who I never would have known existed if not for fandom.
Thank you, fandom. Just... thank you.
4. Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
My choice is Francis Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 (download from Project Gutenberg here - so it qualifies as a page ;)
Recently I've been writing a fic set during the English Regency (1811-20), and this updated edition of the original dictionary from 1785 is a go to for getting the flavour on the time, particularly when writing young male characters and their very specific slang. It includes many fascinating terms, including tiffing, meaning snacking between meals (and yeah, almost certainly a verb taken from tiffin, meaning the snack in question). And let's not forget the many and varied terms for penis, including: arbor vitae, plug tail, tickle tail, whore pipe, and, my personal favourite, gaying instrument.
