Sweet, gentle, adorable … tech
I think I am going to name this particular column the “SWEET GENTLE ADORABLE” column. This particular column deserves a name because I have a feeling of déjà vu about writing it every year around this time.
This is the time of the year for the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It depresses me no end.
Why, oh why, are billions, or probably gazillions, spent every year on, dare I say, foolishness that absolutely nobody needs, few people appreciate, and most people will never learn how to use?
People are suffering and dying in the most technologically advanced hospitals in the world because researchers don’t have gazillions of dollars to spend. People are suffering and dying in horrific conditions all over the world because there aren’t gazillions of dollars available to help them.
No safe water to drink? Ha. The rest of us can buy a toilet that will raise or lower the lid and flush when we tell it to. The manufacturer thinks “we need hands-free options because the setting is so personal.” (??) This toilet is also heated and plays music and news through speakers.
Industry gurus say there is a strong “keeping up with the Joneses” factor driving these innovations. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but if you’ve already bought a refrigerator that talks to you, you are sooo last year. Now I can get a fridge that can tell me what I have in it, while I’m in the supermarket. Na na na boo boo.
Remember when people who thought they were being watched by their microwave were considered paranoid? Ha. Now all our appliances are compiling data on us. If someone told me there were aliens watching me through the TV I’d believe it.
And there’s nothing I can do about it except stop watching TV. Try finding a “dumb” TV that just lets you change channels. You have to look for “offbrand, entry-level models with smaller screens or go to places in the world where streaming services aren’t common!” Even the thrift stores don’t stock this stuff anymore.
Can they spell “shameful”? To get a plain old TV that doesn’t store information about what we like to watch we will have to go to a less developed country. However, soon, we will be able to get a TV with a 65-inch screen that can roll down and disappear into its base with the press of a button.
Paul Stephens is the director of Policy and Advocacy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse in San Diego. God bless his simple little heart. Paul says if we don’t need to have these so-called enhancements, we shouldn’t buy them.
Good luck with that Paul. Try finding a stove that just cooks food. Try finding anything electronic that doesn’t do something you don’t want anyway. Did you know you can get a toothbrush that tells you when you’ve brushed enough? It is using artificial intelligence. It could, conceivably, let your dentist know if you don’t brush after every meal.
All of today’s technology uses artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence stores information about you that can be accessed. Every time you say Lexa or OK Google, Big Brother is watching.
Cars are gone altogether! I do wish my 15-year-old Honda had heated seats and the remote starter hasn’t worked for years but I’m fine with it not being “connected” to anything but me and Bernie’s Garage.
Details of connected cars can be shared. With the government! Researchers estimate that by 2020, three out of every four cars sold worldwide will be models with connectivity.
But there are people who care. In the interest of “bringing a more natural feel to a connected home” a Japanese company has designed “an internet-connected wall panel made of sycamore wood that you can touch to send messages, check the weather or control other home devices such as lights and thermostats. Lighted letters and icons appear on the wood panel when it’s being used — and disappear when it’s inactive”.
I could go on, but I feel pouring myself a stiff gin. In the interest of bringing a more natural feeling to my home. Ha ha.