I am trying to get back in the habit or writing 500 words a day. That was my resolution for 2014. I maintained that pace for a bit, but then I got buried in the Peregrine sale process. I tend to write about what I see every day, and since most of what I saw every day was either: a) confidential or b) the inside of the dumpiest motel rooms San Diego has… well there was not a lot to cover.

I am considerably less encumbered now. (And if you need a hotel recommendation in San Diego, let me know, I have stayed in them all.)

I had some interesting follow-ups to my posts yesterday on CES, IoT and drones.

First, I was on the GigaOm Internet of Things Show podcast with Stacey Higginbotham. Stacey is one of my favorite tech journalists. She has a great understanding of technology, and even more important, she can it explain it well – without being overly simplified or overly technical. She has been writing about IoT devices for a while now, and I think she has tested every gadget on the market. Go back and read her past posts on the subject for a great survey of the landscape (and some solid gift ideas).

In my post, I mentioned a few implications for some of the big investible sectors that could potentially benefit from IoT. So Stacey had me on to talk about An Investor’s Take on IoT. It was a good talk, and a lot more fun than being on Investor Talk Radio.

Second, my take on CES is that there is still a lot of room for hardware innovation, but it has to be hardware with a good User Experience (UX). A few commentors pointed out that ties really well with the Maker movement.  I posted on Makers last year, noting that the Maker movement, with all its Arduino boards and hacker communities resembles the kit computer market of the 1970’s which gave rise to Apple. Bundle a good Arduino prototype and a solid iPhone app as a remote control, and something interesting is bound to emerge. I strongly suggest a visit to the Maker Faire in San Mateo this May or in New York in September.

Finally, just as I was writing my notes I came across this article in the San Jose Mercury News that highlights the drone hardware community that is developing around Boston. There was a similar story in the California Sunday Magazine about Reno. I point this out because I was pretty downbeat for the prospects of US drone companies. I still think the hardware side of this business has already gone to Shenzhen. The FAA is going to take years before it sets on drone regulations, one more reason that the US is going to lag.

That all being said, these stories point out there is a lot of innovation still to come. Someone from one of these communities may rethink drones entirely and surprise me.