http://www.geezersisters.com/technology/the-tyranny-of-the-modern-world Austin, Texas novelist Ruth Pennebaker, who's old enough to call herself "fabulous," writes about family, politics, marriage, friendship, feminism, aging and whatever else occurs to her. Her upcoming novel, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough, will be published by Berkley in January 2011. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 23:23:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc http://www.geezersisters.com/technology/the-tyranny-of-the-modern-world/comment-page-1#comment-4567 Winston Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:56:04 +0000 http://www.geezersisters.com/?p=1470#comment-4567 Ugh!  I don't like smart machinery either.  For one thing, it brings to mind a sci-fi story I read decades ago.  I can't recall the title— it was probably by Ray Bradbury.  It unfolds as a leisurely flowing description of a house in the undefined future that is completely automated, taking full care of its residents.  The reader is often told of the sound of magnetic tapes gliding and clicking within the walls as this ultra abode, cleans floors that no one has soiled, prepares and clears away dinners that no one eats, brings in the newspapers that are, in fact, no longer being delivered.   At the end we get a description of how the house prepares to wash its exterior and are treated to a word image of how all the paint has disappeared from one wall, except for a bit which forms the silhouettes of a boy and, higher up, a ball frozen in mid-air.  Thus we learn the residents have been obliterated by a thermo-nuclear blast, yet this home clicks and glides efficiently along, unknowing (perhaps happily knowing) that all human life has ceased.  The story sticks eerily in the mind, thinking of the ultimate survival of "smart" machinery. Therefore, if even a coffee pot so much as beeps at me, demands of me, smartly commands of me— I throw it out.  At once! And now I'm preparing to plop in a DVD and re-watch <em>The Women</em> (1939).  A world <em>sans </em>smart machinery!  Just a tale of husbands  and tarts.  Nothing complicated (or smart) about either. <em>Incidentally, my DVD player neither buckles me into my seat for the run of the show, nor ever utters a word.  I like it!</em> Ugh!  I don’t like smart machinery either.  For one thing, it brings to mind a sci-fi story I read decades ago.  I can’t recall the title— it was probably by Ray Bradbury.  It unfolds as a leisurely flowing description of a house in the undefined future that is completely automated, taking full care of its residents.  The reader is often told of the sound of magnetic tapes gliding and clicking within the walls as this ultra abode, cleans floors that no one has soiled, prepares and clears away dinners that no one eats, brings in the newspapers that are, in fact, no longer being delivered.   At the end we get a description of how the house prepares to wash its exterior and are treated to a word image of how all the paint has disappeared from one wall, except for a bit which forms the silhouettes of a boy and, higher up, a ball frozen in mid-air.  Thus we learn the residents have been obliterated by a thermo-nuclear blast, yet this home clicks and glides efficiently along, unknowing (perhaps happily knowing) that all human life has ceased.  The story sticks eerily in the mind, thinking of the ultimate survival of “smart” machinery.
Therefore, if even a coffee pot so much as beeps at me, demands of me, smartly commands of me— I throw it out.  At once!
And now I’m preparing to plop in a DVD and re-watch The Women (1939).  A world sans smart machinery!  Just a tale of husbands  and tarts.  Nothing complicated (or smart) about either.
Incidentally, my DVD player neither buckles me into my seat for the run of the show, nor ever utters a word.  I like it!

]]> http://www.geezersisters.com/technology/the-tyranny-of-the-modern-world/comment-page-1#comment-4549 Kate Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:15:33 +0000 http://www.geezersisters.com/?p=1470#comment-4549 Ha! As the co-owner with my husband of a Prius, I know only too well of  its idiosyncratic behaviors; usually totally quiet, occasionally making weird noises etc. The washing machine issue I can relate to as well...things are getting far too complicated these days. I long for the easy to use appliances with only one or two basic options.  Otherwise,  I need my 20 something kids to figure it out for me and mind you, they NEVER even open the manual; they just have an uncanny sense of what to do and are usually right. Sigh. Ha!
As the co-owner with my husband of a Prius, I know only too well of  its idiosyncratic behaviors; usually totally quiet, occasionally making weird noises etc. The washing machine issue I can relate to as well…things are getting far too complicated these days. I long for the easy to use appliances with only one or two basic options.  Otherwise,  I need my 20 something kids to figure it out for me and mind you, they NEVER even open the manual; they just have an uncanny sense of what to do and are usually right.
Sigh.

]]> http://www.geezersisters.com/technology/the-tyranny-of-the-modern-world/comment-page-1#comment-4548 Colleen Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:07:20 +0000 http://www.geezersisters.com/?p=1470#comment-4548 I ALWAYS enjoy your posts! I ALWAYS enjoy your posts!

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