More Appliances: The New Midlife Crisis
The other day I wrote about an article on "Way Cool Refrigerators" in our local paper, and how appliances seem to be the new midlife crisis giveaway. As if that article wasn't bad enough, there was another in today's paper.
"Tomorrow's washer may just call you up when it's done." (By Greg Bluestein, The Associated Press. As published in The Greenville News on 7/25/2006.)
According to this article, the owners of these washers, "are receiving updates on their dirty laundry via cell phones, computers and TV sets." It goes on to state, "Messages not only indicate when a wash is complete but also can warn that a lint filter is clogged or a load is too large. Users can remotely command the machines to fluff dry clothes or start a a load from a distance."
I had to laugh at some of the people they interviewed for the article. One woman "hopes to use it to monitor the wash from the comfort of a lounge chair -- at her neighborhood pool". The same woman goes on to state, "By the time I got down there [to the basement where the washer is located], it's two or three hours later. Then it's a bag of wrinkles."
I think the issue here is not a legitimate need for technology, but a need for time management. Seriously, are we so out-of-it as a society that completing laundry requires technological intervention? If so, we are in trouble!
At least the professionals see the truth. Tim Woods, an Internet Home Alliance vice president states, "When you think about it, it's just laundry. It's not exciting. But this isn't about technology. It's about the emotional impact of the technology."
And there it stands. It's not about the technology. It's about how the technology makes you feel. Which is what the mid-life crisis is all about.
"Tomorrow's washer may just call you up when it's done." (By Greg Bluestein, The Associated Press. As published in The Greenville News on 7/25/2006.)
According to this article, the owners of these washers, "are receiving updates on their dirty laundry via cell phones, computers and TV sets." It goes on to state, "Messages not only indicate when a wash is complete but also can warn that a lint filter is clogged or a load is too large. Users can remotely command the machines to fluff dry clothes or start a a load from a distance."
I had to laugh at some of the people they interviewed for the article. One woman "hopes to use it to monitor the wash from the comfort of a lounge chair -- at her neighborhood pool". The same woman goes on to state, "By the time I got down there [to the basement where the washer is located], it's two or three hours later. Then it's a bag of wrinkles."
I think the issue here is not a legitimate need for technology, but a need for time management. Seriously, are we so out-of-it as a society that completing laundry requires technological intervention? If so, we are in trouble!
At least the professionals see the truth. Tim Woods, an Internet Home Alliance vice president states, "When you think about it, it's just laundry. It's not exciting. But this isn't about technology. It's about the emotional impact of the technology."
And there it stands. It's not about the technology. It's about how the technology makes you feel. Which is what the mid-life crisis is all about.
posted by Susan | 9:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home