Woe is me ! I seem to have lost my last post, I remember writing it, I remember previewing it, I though I uploaded it .............never mind, not a problem in the great scheme of things, but as I write from an idea and it develops on it's own, this replacement will not be the same............anyway enough housekeeping, on to the gripping and insightful content !
The thought that started this was what devices and other things that, at one time, would be a nice extra but not essential, have now moved into the "how could I manage without ?" category, of course there alternatives but .............
Let's start big in the field of robots, OK many domestic appliances have intelligence of a sort, though they would not pass the Turing test, as would not my two robots but they are much, much cleverer than the self defrost fridge.
Item 1 is my IRobots Roomba vacuum cleaner, remove any large discarded items on the floor, press go and come back to a clean floor, carpets and tile or wood all suitable, it gets in the corners and under beds, tables etc......it also goes back to it's charger.You do have to empty the bin, but I can manage that.
Item 2 is even more talented, it's a Robomow, it has a docking station on the lawn and once the lawn or lawns are set up, you can set times, durations etc currently at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, it comes out, does it work and then goes to it's home, no cuttings not to empty. It even knows when it is raining and delays it's program.
These may not be the universal robots of scifi, though perhaps in the future, but have enough intelligence to do their jobs efficiently and without much human interventions
On a more prosaic level, I would really miss my ice cube maker machine, no more warn cold drinks, I cannot imagine going back to a manual toothbrush or an electric razor that cleans itself. I guess once you have such devices your expectations change.
I have written before about the absolutely indispensable IPAD, on which I write this blog while waiting for a hospital appointment where the Doc is running at least 40 minutes late, which I now use to control my TV, Virgin box, Amplifier, DVD set up. I used to have a dedicated device but when it died, I found an app and a plug in IR sender. OK I could use the four separate remotes that came with kit, but it's so easy and somehow satisfying to use one which starts everything on, tunes the TV, amplifier to the right input and you can manage everything on the cable box.
Once again it was the withdrawal symptoms that set in when the Logitec died that made me make a very small investment think £30 rather than £300 and quite enjoyed the setting up process, but it's another "I can't live without it" or at least I don't want to. However I go not think I am total addicted............. I have just bought a new(ish) car and I will have to live without heated seats.......I think I will cope. The world keeps moving on, faster and faster, maybe the only message of this post is no matter your age, you should keep up..........after all new things stimulate the old and sometimes tired brain.
