My Great Big China Adventure
from the desk of Rich on Tech
Greetings from 36,000 feet up in the air, just over Tokyo and the Pacific Ocean.
I’m currently making my way back to Los Angeles from Shanghai, China, where I attended CES Asia. More on that in a bit, but wow, the WiFi is surprisingly good up here.
Let’s get right to it, shall we?
CES Asia
CES Asia is kind of like the show I go to in Las Vegas each year, but this one is in Shanghai and geared towards the billion plus people that live in Asia. This is the fifth year for the show, and I was lucky enough to be there for the inaugural event and now this one.
My takeaway: there wasn’t one thing that blew my mind, but it is amazing to see the other side of the world and realize just how many people there are to equip with phones, tablets and assorted tech accessories. Also, the show has grown substantially since it started. I’ll be posting some of the fun things I saw over the next few weeks, so be sure to keep an eye on my social medias.
Watch my TV segment, as it aired on one of my affiliate stations, Fox 6 in Milwaukee:
https://fox6now.com/2019/06/14/hottest-tech-items-at-consumer-electronics-show-asia/
Searching for a job? Try these tools
The job hunt is both exhilarating and exhausting. Believe me, I know. It’s been a while since I’ve looked but I have applied to many jobs over the years and it’s a lot of work. Between vetting the posting, writing the perfect cover letter and formatting your resume just right, a lot goes into an application… and often, you never even hear back.
Thankfully, there are several sites that can help you find a new gig. They include LinkedIn, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter and Google. Yep, Google has a good amount of job listings (for other companies).
Here’s the TV segment, again, from Fox 6 Milwaukee:
https://fox6now.com/2019/06/10/searching-for-a-new-job-the-websites-and-apps-to-help/
Bringing your Apple Watch in the pool? Do this first!
Yes, you can swim with your Apple Watch, and in my experience, it’s really fun to watch the exercise minutes rack up quickly in the pool. But before you dive in, you should turn on the water lock feature on the watch. This way water doesn’t accidently “touch” the screen and select a bunch of random items.
Then, when you’re done in the water, you can use the same feature to help eject any water that’s gotten in the speaker grill.
Here’s a video I posted on how to use the feature. Tap the pic below to watch it.
Do you Quip? I was a die hard SonicCare fan for many years but always forgot to change the brush head, and when I did, it was all dirty inside. Quip is smaller and I feel like it goes a great job cleaning my teeth. Also, I would never think to bring my electric toothbrush on a trip, but that’s just what I did with my Quip in China! It’s not much bigger than your typical toothbrush so it travels easy. I love how it times out 2 minutes of brushing and the fact that they send you a new head every 3 months automatically. Sign up using my link and get your first refill free, a $5 value. [REFERRAL]
Fun with magnets!
I’ve always loved magnets. There is something so magical about the way they attract and repel each other. I spotted this cool magnet demonstration at CES Asia and it makes me want to believe we are close to a real hoverboard.
Tap the photo below to watch the video - and be sure to show this one to your kids, I know I will be!
Would you do this?
Another cool sighting at CES Asia: a 360 degree virtual reality seat. Now, I’ve been in a lot of VR setups, but nothing like this. The seat spins around to mimic the motion of whatever you’re experiencing in the virtual world.
Seems like the kind of thing that might require a large stack of sick bags nearby. But I won’t know… because even I wouldn’t try this. I’m all about VR, but this seemed a bit intense. Comment on my Facebook post to let me know what you think - would you strap in for the ride???
Thoughts on China in this week’s podcast
I have a lot of thoughts on China. I’ve now been to the country three times, if you can believe it. It’s an interesting place and the “great firewall” is real. Facebook, Twitter, Google, Instagram and many other things we take for granted in the U.S. are blocked and difficult to access.
In this week’s Rich on Tech podcast, Producer Meghan and I discuss our trip to China, the quirks of the country, the food and more.
Here’s the full rundown of the show:
A visit to Shanghai, China for CES Asia 2019. Electronics on the show floor, along with impressions of China including the great firewall and censorship of Google and social media; a review of the Chinese rides hare app Didi; foreign food and a trip to a McDonald's to see the unique regional items on the menu; visiting Shanghai Disneyland; questions from listeners including Pandora vs Spotify, high tech water leak detection, removing a hijacking search toolbar, robocall scams and selling an iTunes gift card.
Also, apologies in advance for the audio quality on this episode. We were using new “travel” gear and it definitely doesn’t sound as good as our normal shows, but the topics are interesting enough that I think the sound concerns will just melt away into the background as you immerse yourself in our (hollow) voices.
Listen to this week’s podcast using the link below and be sure to subscribe for free using your podcast app!
https://art19.com/shows/rich-on-tech/episodes/cf29c60f-32c0-40a4-adad-0c60e1aba411
Disney Resort Shanghai
My producer Meghan is a huge Disney fan, so when she learned we were going to Shanghai, she made arrangements with Disney to get us into the park for a day of fun.
Indeed, it was a total blast. The park is pretty much brand new, just a few years old, which means the rides are super high tech. My favorites were Tron, Seven Dwarfs and Pirates of the Caribbean, which is almost worth the entire trip.
The park was huge, the lands were great and the popcorn flavors were super unique.
Check out my Instagram Story Highlight for a quick recap of our visit!
https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18045891460189846/
That’s a wrap
I think that’s about it for this week’s newsletter. If I made more mistakes than usual, chalk it up to turbulence. Thanks so much for reading and be sure to tap that heart below on your way out. That way I know you’re liking this!