Like a lot of people, as far as I'm concerned, the year that was 2025 can pretty much kiss my ass.

It was an unrelentingly miserable year in every way I can think of.

And it lived up to its reputation on the way out the door, too. It ended for me with a big blowup at my wife’s family Christmas party.

Politics, you ask?

No. Someone got a “Billy Bass” talking fish as a “Dirty Santa” present. 

And they weren’t happy about it.

I'm from and live in Alabama.

And that was probably the most “Alabama” thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.

Bonus: I may get to stay at home and not have to go anywhere on Christmas Day this year!

So maybe the year did end on a positive note, after all...

Where is Everyone?

I’m old enough to remember when things actually slowed down during the holiday season – and then slowly amped back up once they ended.

Not anymore.

The Saturday after New Year’s found me stumbling through Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport, heading for a long week at CES 2026 (formerly known as the huge, wildly influential Consumer Electronics Show).

But before I get to the news from the show, I’d be remiss not to report that there was NO ONE in Las Vegas.

I’ve been going to Las Vegas for work since 1991. And I’ve never seen the city as empty and listless as it was during my time there this year.

It was noticeable from the moment we arrived. And we (my fellow journalists and I) all commented on it repeatedly during the week.

Traffic was light.

There were no crowds of sightseers flowing up and down The Strip.

The casinos were largely empty.

There was no waiting in line to get a table in restaurants -- which were also largely empty.

There were no long lines for taxis or ridesharing.

And the show floor at CES – while still crowded – was noticeably less jam-packed than past years.

On the way home, it took me maybe 10 minutes to clear the security line at McCarran. Usually, you spend anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes going through security in Vegas. And that’s on a good day.

A Canadian journalist friend sent me a photo of the International Terminal at the airport that morning, too. And you could have shot a cannon off in there without hitting anyone; it was so deserted.

Make of all that what you will. But it doesn’t inspire much optimism in me for the year ahead.

And Then the Robots Walked Out

On a similar note, I found CES itself to be noticeably muted compared to past years.

For starters, it should be noted that all the heavy truck OEMs pulled out of the show this year.

That’s understandable given the long freight recession and the massive uncertainty facing the industry today.

But I thought the passenger car/automotive presence was flat, too. I saw few of the large, splashy displays visible in years past. There was a definite fall-off in EV models on display, as well. Although that's not hard to figure out. 

But even during an off year, CES still has the power to shock, confound, and shake up attendees. Every year at the show, I run across a new technology I had no clue was close to becoming a reality.

This year, that reality was robots.

I went into the Hyundai Automotive Group press conference expecting to get an update on the company’s Xcient fuel cell truck models.

Instead, I watched in stunned amazement as its new Atlas series of humanoid, industrial robots strode confidently and fluidly across the stage, demonstrating superhuman dexterity, coordination, and control.

And yes. In case you’re wondering, Hyundai went out of its way to say that these robot workers are being designed to work in logistics operations as well as industrial ones. 

If you count autonomous trucks, I’ve technically been covering robots for over a decade now.

But I never imagined I’d be reporting on an autonomous, humanoid robot that looks like something straight out of Star Wars.

But here we are.

For what it’s worth, I sent texts of raw robot video back to friends and family at home. And the universal response was basically, “Oh, shit.”

You can make of that what you will, as well.

Say what you will about CES, but it never disappoints. Once again, in ways we once never could have imagined, it shows us that our world is about to change forever.

Again.