CES, the largest annual trade show for consumer gadgets, is quickly drawing to a close and I haven’t seen Google’s mobile OS make much of a showing. Although it has been only two months since it’s unveiling, I expected to see a handful of companies exhibiting at least early prototypes.

Considering this is an industry only show, and not open to the public, most companies show off products still in the early stages of development. Android’s release should have lit a fire under the metaphorical butts of handset developers everywhere, and CES is where these early stage efforts would first surface.

Keep reading for a quick Android refresher and more of my thoughts on Google’s mobile endeavors.

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Flash installation
Causes my soul to cry out
Adobe help me

On virgin install
A catastrophic failure
Flash must despise me

“Geek Industry Insights” is my series of posts exploring the inner workings of a technology company. I will discuss the unique culture, politics, and challenges that permeate the industry.

In this installment we will explore the lighter side of ArcStone’s company culture, and how humor can bring a boost of morale and productivity when it’s needed most.

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Gizmodo had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Microsoft himself (Bill Gates) at the CES trade show. In this clip Bill discusses the strengths, weaknesses, and general differences between Microsoft and Apple.

Raving fanboys of either company may be taken slightly off guard by the clip. Bill gives props to both his own company and bitter rival Apple.

In truth, both companies are responsible for some amazing products, and any true nerd knows this, including Mr. Gates.

The hunt for alternative fuels is heating up, with corn-based ethanol seemingly the front runner to replace oil. Mexican farmers are even destroying fields of the rare Blue Agave cactus, which is used to make premium Tequila, in favor of planting corn.

However, there is another crop that can be grown easier and yield more ethanol per acre — grass. Specifically Switchgrass, nature’s shag carpet. This native US crop grows in tall bunches all over the country, and needs very little fertilizer.

With a high ratio of energy in vs. energy out, and carbon dioxide absorbing properties, Switchgrass could be the energy of the future. It has my vote, the last thing I want to see is Tequila prices skyrocket.

With social networking all the rage, our lives becoming increasingly hectic, and Internet connectivity nearly ambiguous, it’s not surprising that many people maintain some exclusively digital friendships.

I haven’t seen many of my digital friends in over 10 years, and probably wouldn’t even recognize their voices. Even my brother, who is serving in Iraq right now, has become an all-digital sibling.

Whenever I hear of more Minnesota casualties on the radio my heart skips a beat, I rush home to the computer, and check his Facebook page hoping to see a recent update so I know he is still alive.

All this has led me to conclude that social networking sites don’t necessarily bring people closer together. In fact, sometimes they make people feel farther apart.

I am a wireless keyboard guy. Actually, wireless everything. I like the freedom to type while spinning in my chair, email with my feet up, or throw the keyboard across the room without endangering my laptop.

So naturally I was puzzled when my co-worked chose to do her daily ration of typing on an older Apple keyboard. That is, until I noticed what she had plugged into it.

Since winter set in our office has been like a meat locker. Many Arcstonians go through the day wearing mittens or clutching hot cups of tea. My cube neighbor found a better way to beat the cold; sport a pair of USB fingerless gloves. With a port on each side, an old school Apple keyboard works great with the gloves, preventing tangles during intense typing sessions.

Alicia 1, Jack Frost 0.

Thankfully I live in a very wired(less) city, where even Arby’s operates a free Wifi hotspot so you can check your email while enjoying freshly fried potato cakes.

Continue reading to see my favorite Wifi spots in Minneapolis.

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Adobe’s new suite of design tools is fantastic, if you can get it installed. As I discovered today, if you have any CS3 trial software installed prior to doing your real installation there can be a few bumps in the road.

On my first attempt I was offered a rather puzzling reason for the software’s failure to install, as you can see from the picture above. It turns out the transition from trial to licensed software is so arduous Adobe has gone as far as to release tools to aid you in the process.

Perhaps I am too optimistic in thinking Adobe’s latest cutting edge software offerings would come equipped with equally impressive installers.

Oh well, maybe in CS4.

Today Wonderfile rolled out an exciting new feature which makes sharing groups of photos a snap. Simply upload photos, tag them, and share the tag.

You can also embed the share in a web page or blog, as I have done above with my “Fun With Photo Booth” series.

To learn more about our revolutionary file sharing tool, visit Wonderfile.net and sign up to be a beta tester.