Category Archives: reviews

CES: Self-Driving Vehicles

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Coming Soon – Self-Driving Vehicles

My first stop at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was to see several of the upcoming self-driving autos that are either already or soon to be in service.

In particular I saw offerings from Suzuki, Tier IV, Waymo and ZOOX. Here’s a quick look at what you may soon see on the roads in the near future.

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This Suzuki vehicle is being developed with partner Glydways. It was the smallest of the four brands that I encountered.
The Glydways vehicle has sizable sliding doors that allows passengers easy access to a comfortable interior.
The Tier IV vehicle is slightly larger than the Glydways.
Similar to the Glydway, the Tier IV has large sliding doors.
You can see the sensors that the Tier IV uses for operation.
This model Waymo has a body similar to a sedan.
Waymo is equipped with a large sensor on its roof.
This model Waymo style is similar to a minivan.
This model ZOOX has sliding doors.
The interior provides seating for four passengers.
The ZOOX is fitted with a plethora of exterior sensors.
Later in the afternoon I encountered this ZOOX on one of the streets of Las Vegas delivering a couple of passengers without a driver in a sedan model. Please excuse the dirt on my car window.

Maybe you’ve seen self-driving vehicles. They are already operating in several cities. You can easily identify them by seeing the large number of sensors on the vehicle’s exterior. Judging from the number on display at this year’s CES, we can expect to see more of them operating on urban streets in the coming months.

Written by:

Arnie Lee

CES 2025

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The Consumer Electronics Show

I’ve attended CES for many years.

Going back to the mid 1970s we atteneded CES as an exhibitor. Our company ABACUS faithfully exhibited at the Las Vegas venue showing our software and books to the trade and computer enthusiasts.

Since 1975 my guess is that I’ve been to the CES Show about 35 times.

Abacus bowed out about 2010, but I’ve continued to attend the show as an industry participant. My nerdy interests have kept me going back to learn about new and upcoming electronic gadgets of all shapes and sizes.

We started Stay Focused as a website to write books and articles about technical and photographic products.

This year management estimated that 4,500 exhibitors greeted more than 140,000 attendees this year. It remains one of the largest conventions in the USA.

Following this article I’ve written several “reports” on some of the products that I learned about at CES. I hope the articles give you a sense of the exciting products that were exhibited this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Written by:

Arnie Lee

Redux: Rosie The Riveter

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<br /> Our Family’s Rosies<br />

Our Three Rosies


During World War II millions of men volunteered or were conscripted to serve in the military. As the men left the workforce, the country’s factories were desperately short of employees – especially the factories that directly supported the war effort.

Our government immediately started a national recruitment effort asking women to join the depleted workforce. Using the well known Rosie the Riveter posters, they called on women to show their patriotism with their labor. In all, some 6 million women were employed by these war time factories.



Earlier this month this article caught my attention.

Some 80 years after WWII some of these women were awared the Congressional Gold Medal for their service.



These ladies are my mother and three of her sisters.

In the early 1940s, Mom and two of these sisters volunteered to work building aircraft to support the war effort.

Over the years, Mom related bits and pieces about their early years working for the war effort. Each day the three traveled from their home in New Rochelle, NY to the General Motors assembly plant had been converted to build wings for the Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber. Without a car, they were given a ride with a neighbor who also worked at the plant in Tarrytown, NY about twenty-five miles away.



This is a photograph of my Aunt Millie working on one of the assembly lines. I think she qualifies as a Rosie.



In 2012 I visited Tarrytown and snapped this photo.

This is the ground on which the General Motors assembly plant stood. You can see some of the rusted steel beams.

By this time, the plant had been demolished to make way for new condos which were going to be built on this site.

While neither Mom nor her sisters received Congressional Gold Metals, I ordered three of these commemorative metals for the families of Mom and two her sisters.



Here’s one of the metals that I purchased for Mom and her sisters.



Flip the coin over and you can see another image of the symbolic Rosie.



Aunt Jeanne’s Layoff Notice

For four years these hard working women had served the country making critical equipment and supplies.

Shortly after the war ended the factories were no longer producing military supplies. As a result most of the women were dismissed. Here is a layoff notification that my aunt received at the conclusion of one of her shifts.

 

We should thank all of these women for their dedication and patriotism. You can read a portion of the General Motors operation in Tarrytown during the war years by clicking here.

 

 

If you know someone who fits the Rosie the Riveter moniker you can order one of the commemorative metals from the United States Mint as a way to thank them.

Written by:

Arnie Lee