Post up what you want to learn about from the North American Auto Show and the Consumer Electronics Show next week!

I'd love to see some info on when truly budget friendly and AFFORDABLE electric cars will hit the market.

At CES, I'd like to know a lil' bit more about the new Roku "stick" for newer tvs. (poached that idea from a FunkyDung tweet) And of course what Apple is planning for the tv world. (I imagine simply a 42 inch iPad.)

Post up your assignments for DaddyClay and DaddyBrad.

What I really want to know about is the towing capacity of the hybrid SUVs, but that's not so much a parenting topic. But it is for our camper, so there. I'd really like Clay to get away from the auto show to see The Henry Ford. They're opening an exhibit about how people and cars have evolved around each other. I imagine that some of their people could talk about how car safety issues were dealt with through the ages. When my grandfather drove 7 kids from a small town north of Dayton to Jonesboro, AR, they didn't have any car seats or boosters in the sedan and the babies were in the front seat. They'll probably be at the auto show, too.

At CES, I'm geeked about the "Stick", too. But also I'm interested in a little bit of the parental controls stuff that Clay is wigging out about. My 3 year old surfs YouTube like a champion and the worst he's managed to churn up (so far) is someone's video of their dog when it randomly ran into a busy street and was struck by a car. It survived, but not something for a kid to see. So that as well as this whole "Digital License" thing that seems to be a total crock on Blueray combo packs. (Disney...)

And just for fun, I want to see a review of these music Tshirts. The ones with speakers for your iPod, digital drum sets, air guitars and keyboards. How well do they work?

Looking at the agenda from Ford, I'm not going to have as much time as I might like to just wander the show floor at the Auto Show, and, sadly, no way to get to the Henry Ford. This is what comes of being a blogslut. Lots of handshakes with Ford Execs. Day two at their Product Development Center looks very promising. I'll ask about hybrid SUV towing and affordable electric.

At CES, I'm a little worried about pure overload -- the thing is HUGE. Make ABC baby show look manageable by comparison. I do notice that there is a whole area devoted to fitness tech. I also am drawn to the imaging tech. Roku stick will be a big item there, and I'll keep an eye out for musical T -- any idea who makes those?

Here's a look at one of the DJ/music shirts. (more links at the bottom of the MakeZine post)

blog.makezine.com/archive/2012/01/drum-m...-the-next-level.html

I'm trying to think of something new and clearly parental/Dad related for CES (besides parental control type stuff)... A Dad-helping gadget... I suppose if I could think of a good one, I'd be there hockin' it huh? Hmmm...

My wife wants to see the big hybrid SUVs. The Chevy Tahoe and the Volkswagen Touareg, in particular. With 2 boys built like me, we're going to be needing some room pretty soon and we need to tow a camper and a pizza oven. (Not at the same time)

Saw an interesting article talking about the "Curse of CES." As in many products that debut there are gigantic flops.

finance.yahoo.com/news/ces-curse-gadget-...-poor-215605749.html

And apparently there won't be anything about the Apples TV there. But it did remind me of a good Dad gadget... and will apply to DaddyClay AND DaddyBrad's lives...

The Eye-Fi card. It's a memory card, looks and performs like any other SD card, but has built in WiFi. So when you take a picture with your digital camera, it AUTOMATICALLY uploads to your computer (as long as your near a wifi connection) or your flickr account, etc. etc. Saves you the time and extra step of manually uploading to your computer for archiving, or photobook creation.

I REALLY need to get one of those. I'd like to know what's new with them. Any show coupons/discounts/freebies? (My current cam is only compatible with up to a 2G card, just FYI.)

The more I read about CES, the less excited I am about going. Vegas is going to be jam packed. The show itself is infinite. Computer and web related tech or anything Apple -- not there. Still, it is gadget heaven.

As far as Eye-Fi, there is this.

Heh.

But we can reconnect with them, Nik, if you are interested in reviewing. I eventually gave up on the product because it took too long to load.

Ha! I win! The Mayor ALWAYS wins!

So, how was THF? Those trains at the right are amazing. I hope you managed to get yourself photographed in the hot dog bun for one of your marathon blogs. But, if it was an ushered sort of thing you may not have gotten into the ends with their static exhibits.

That Henry Ford museum sounds very cool.

I saw a commercial last night that *Spike is doing live coverage of CES all week. I'll try to watch, and watch for DC and DB sightings. (And for some other ideas of stuff you guys might want to check out.)

(I still haven't bought an antenna for local stations, so I'm still wasting money on cable.)

Here I thought I'd posted photos from THF but it appears I left the camera in the car each time we've gone into the museum.

The museum is very neat. Kids who like wheels, vehicles and airplanes will be in awe, very much like the wing of the American History Museum in DC. But the really great place in the complex is Greenfield Village for the preschool set. It's closed for winter, but when it's open, the kids have room to run and a lot of interactive things (mostly with docents playing historical characters). Showing the boys the Wright Brother's Bike Shop and their house was cool, not because of the significance, but because of the bikes.

I'll get photos next time. I promise.

I thought of something to ask at the Roku and/or Netflix booth...

NetFlix for Kids... on the Roku... WHEN!? We need it, we want it. It needs to at least be it's own channel.

Oh, and the crafter in me kinda wants to know about any 3D printers, or desktop laser cutters/engravers, even though I don't think I'm ever going to own one. A man can dream can't he?

Found some cool stuff via someone else's CES Day 1 recap:
www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/ces-2012-day-1-roundup/

Ben, thought you might dig the pedometer... for yourself.

And that VINCI tablet has me intrigued. Though I personally am about done with toddler electronics right now and in the near future.

Hope you guys are having fun. You're staying at Hooters, and DaddyBrad is with you... so the fun (and embarrassment) level is no doubt at record heights.

I'll be watchin' for IAWTV award results! Good luck! For those lurking who may not know, DadLabs has been nominated for 3 awards. Best Educational Web Series, Best Directing (non-fiction) for Danny, and Best Host (taped) for Daddy Brad.

There was no category for Best Online Community Manager. Maybe next year!

Ok... there is one item that I would not hesitate to beg borrow or maybe even steal to get a 'review' unit... The GoPro Hero2 cam... Just saw something about there being a Wifi BackPack for it as well being introduced at CES... Even a good "we-saw-it-at-CES-discount-coupon" would rock.

This is a must have cam for me. I've quit shooting video because of the hassles (TIME) involved with the mini-DV tapes. And the GoPro is ready for skateboarding, runnin' with TheBoy, or bein' lofted atop a 20' pole.

I can totally relate a review to fatherhood (Epic family home video cam). But I won't deny it'd be a kickass Dad gadget.

Nik -- I went by the GoPro booth and it was MOBBED. Couldn't get in a for a media interview. Once the dust settles, I'll reach out to them. Overall, we may not be in the "sweet spot" for their marketing campaign, but your skating might give is the cred we need.

Cool. Understood.

I found another CES recap from one of my favorite sites. One that I hooked you on a year or so ago... Woot.com

www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=21331

Some funny chit!