I have done remarkably well at staying away from this laptop’s keyboard this week. I may be able to prolong that streak through next Sunday morning–when all thoughts of reduced gadget dependence must be shoved aside as I begin my 23rd annual pilgrimage to CES.

Patreon subscribers got an extra item this week: my notes from walking around Capitol Hill in the rain with a Verizon 5G hotspot.

12/28/2019: Google wants to help you tell which texts are legitimate, not scams, Fast Company

Most of this post covered Google’s recent introduction of Verified SMS–a way for businesses to get their texts verified and branded with their logo, which so far exists only in Google’s Messages app for Android phones. But it also covers a branded-calling feature from a company called First Orion that I saw demoed at MWC back in February. Take heart from that, PR pros; if I take good notes about an interesting company, I will probably find some way to put that raw material into a story somewhere at some point.

Updated a few hours after posting to add a mention of the Patreon post.