-20 AT LIBERTY HQ THIS MORNING

It is cold today. In St. Paul, MN it reached -24 last night. This is real temperature, not wind-chill. We entertained our children today by throwing a warm cup of water in the air and watching it crystallize before it hit the ground. If you think this is cold here, check out Alaska.

PLAM PRE TAKES CES BY STORM

Like most of us who thought Palm was dead, along comes the Palm Pre. It is getting excellent reviews and by all accounts looks to be an excellent PDA. You can watch a video of it here at Laptop Mag.

The QWERTY keypad is especially nice for the Blackberry user. Photos show unit with and without keyboard extended.

A NEW BARCODE

If you haven't heard, Microsoft has introduced a high-capacity barcode (HCCB). It is expected to enhance traditional barcodes by adding additional storage capactiy.