Friday, December 18, 2009

WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT?

I hate to admit it; but I can remember when almost nobody had a TV. In fact I was a teenager before a big black and white television with ONE snowy channel finally found a place in our home. I think most people can remember days before a computer in every house, the internet, and cell phones. I would really miss garbage disposals, dish washers and, one of my favorites of instant gratification: the microwave oven. Now I get impatient when my baked potato takes a whole five minutes to cook.

Of course there are annoying things that have cropped in the past decades like: junk mail (how many trees are sacrificed for this one?!), telemarketers, television commercial blocks so long and so often the end of a movie can last longer than the final minutes of a football game. Call waiting. A personal pet peeve: cheap flip-flops on people with dirty feet, loud car alarms (thank heavens they are going away,) remote control thingies that breed in couch cushions, music piped into public bathrooms…

But some of my favorite gadgets are: caller ID (sorry leave a message, not talking to you), fuzzy socks that don’t wear out or shed, spell check, air conditioning, DIGITAL CAMERAS, and a new one for me, snow cleats.

These are sort of like chains for snow tires except they go on your hiking boots so your feet have a good grip in icy places.


Now in snowy weather I am not confined to the tread mill—a device left over from the torture dungeons of the Middle Ages. Lastly, a new, much loved item: heated automobile seats. Ahhhhh! Recently DH upgraded to a newish Subaru Outback. Now I can sit in cozy comfort with warm buns and back while my Danish Polar Bear is also happy in his cold zone.  What are some of your favorite/not favorite gadgets?

11 comments:

DayPhoto said...

And I like the new sheets that never wear out and get a hole in. Right where your toe is and you keep tearing it as you sleep.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/

Jill said...

These look a brilliant idea - the trouble with England is that we only have really deep snow perhaps once a year, and then it is regional, so no one wants to invest in snow equipment if they aren't going to get their money's worth.
My favourite 'gadget' is google. Many years ago my house-mates and I used to play cards and drink a few bottles of wine late into the night, and we would always end up with an argument about some fact or other - who played bass on that track, or who was in such and such film - or where are so and so mountains. We reckoned we could do with a dial-an-encyclopaedia available 24/7. Well now it is here! I still love looking up obscure facts.

Linda Sue said...

Yak traks rule! Absolutely needed them last year for what seemed like YEARS on end instead of only a couple of months.AND -what Jill said- the information hyway!
I am still amazed at radio , and running water and flush toilets - and the shovel...

Unknown said...

Yaktraks are super cool...I had a running buddy who put short square head screws into the bottoms of his running shoes to keep off the treadmill! ... wishing I could join ya!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Like all your gadgets - as I type I am trying to think of a modern day gadget (other than my lap top) which I really love - but I honestly can't think of one. I agree with all the ones you speak of - but up here in the sticks in the north of England many things have not yet arrived.

ELIZABETH said...

I marvel at the power of a switch to give me light. Go light bulbs.

Instant photos from my digital camera and computer are a wonder.

I dislike the fact that groceries do not re-generate on the shelves of my cupboards or in my fridge forcing me to constantly restock.

Anonymous said...

I love my laptop (which is indeed on my lap as I type this!) and my digital camera, which means I can write my blog and read other peoples' .... this has opened up a whole new world - and in September I even met a blogging friend in Australia - having phoned her using my mobile (cell) phone to make the arrangements!

jeanie said...

ha ha- your 2 new favs would have absolutely no purchase over here.

The thongs (flip-flops) however, are fashion plus!!

Janie said...

I hadn't heard of Yaktrax. I probably should get some.
My GPS isn't new, but I love being able to find myself. Otherwise, I'm hopeless.

Deborah Moore said...

Where to start? I agree about the dishwasher. When we moved into our house it didn't have one and the deal was that the big screen TV would not be allowed in the house until I had one. Needless to say we got a dishwasher.
Also:
The internet, I can do without watching tv for several days, but the internet? Not so much.
I also love my ipod, particularly now that I have audio books. Audio books have a way to keep me motivated even when I don't want to clean. WHich is most of the time.
And lastly my laptop with the program Scrivner. It's a writers wonderland.

susanna said...

Those Yaktrax would sure come in handy in the North East this weekend. Yes, heated automobile seats are such a pleasure on a cold day/night, aren't they? We don't have them in our Jeep but I certainly appreciate them when I'm sitting in a car that has them.

Yay to digital cameras, too. And to digital flashes that work with digital cameras. Yay for computers, Photoshop and the internet, too! Yay for Netflix! I could go on and on....