To say I’m typically not a fan of CES would be an understatement, but this year was very different. A combination of better logistics and fewer people at the show (likely tied to the government shutdown and China drama), coupled with some truly earth-shattering content, made CES a must-attend event this year.

One of the things that jumped out at me — given that the show took place while the controversy heated up over that damn silly wall President Trump wants to build — is that IBM announced a compelling fix. It’s a fix that actually could improve the U.S. government overall.

In addition, I had an interesting chat with Frank Shaw at Microsoft on big takeaways from the show, and I think he offered the best one: that this show not only showcased the death of the tech market, but that its death would be a good thing. That should wake up a few folks.

I’ll cover all that this week and close with my product of the week: the HP Spectre Folio laptop. Although it was a product of the week last year, it made such a huge difference for me at this show that I’m bringing it up again.