How to explain this?

This is ShadowBeamz, a “musical instrument” that, when you wave your hand rhythmically across the laser beams emanating for four posts, puts new digital musical instruments and other sounds into pre-recorded songs.  Neither the consumer version ($199) nor the professional version ($299) requires any musical skill, really. It’s somewhat like live DJ mixing but a lot less work.  Both the songs and the sounds are pre-engineered by the makers, but the professional version allows you to download your own recorded music and shape your own sounds into the lazers.

Kinda fun. Certainly innovative. The next cool instrument? Remains to be seen.

EBONY was one of about a dozen magazines invited to a private dinner with Ford execs last night at the Wynn. The premise was to give us the kind of time to ask the questions that can’t be asked on the show floor because of the madness.

My question throughout the night was what Fod was doing to counteract what seemed to be the incredible amount of distractions created by the rest of the consumer electronics industry - from iPods to GPS to driver-side Tv screens made by after-market manufacturers.

There were a couple of great answers. One being MyKey technology, essentially a teen-focused product that allows parents to give kids with the car a special key that monitors speed and disables certain key functions of the car during certain behaviors. For example, cutting off access to audio when the car goes over certain speeds. This is a start, with certain caveats - kids can use the regular key if they get a hold of it, and more importantly, grown-ups are just as guilt of distracting behavior.

Ford’s major solution to device overload is MyTouch, in-dash technology that fundamentally eliminates the need for separate devices for functions like music, navigation and oddly, texting. It’s all fascinating stuff, but it seems safety is still going to require a discipline from drivers that these products don’t seem to control. Fewer devices to manage-yes. Fewer distractions? Maybe.

Safe? Remains to be seen.

A critical part of MyTouch is an open developer App program. That brings travel apps and auto-focused content to the driving experience, again eliminating or at least limiting the number of devices you have to carry. A different story when you step out of the car, of course.

Why a TV shaped like a polar bear? Because they can. And somebody will buy it. Lesson #1 at CES: Never ask why. From Hannspree for about $299.

Obama’s White House outreach team continues to use their technological savvy to communicate with supporters - even in Ghana. Across Africa, cell phones are the technology of choice.  Knowing that, the White House has issues a series of short codes for people in several nations to text the President during his trip.

- Eric Easter