Just when I thought that I had seen just about everything during my 65 plus years of existence, I was shocked back to stark reality once again last week. While out on a casual afternoon stroll with a friend I heard the popular spring drone of a lawn mower, but alas as I glanced into the yard all I could see was this plastic gizmo, without a handle and with no human pilot, moving methodically back and forth across the lush green grass!
“That’s one of those new Robo-Mowers”, my friend explained sensing my shock. “So does the owner control it from his living room,” I asked in a rather dumfounded fashion. “Oh no, it is self-programmed to do the job without leaving the lawn area while not touching any other objects accept the grass,” he replied. Then desperately trying to look like I knew what he was talking about, I fired back with, “In other words it works until it is done; with no coffee breaks, no complaints, and no mosquito spray, then shuts itself down and the owner toddles out and puts it away with absolutely no effort involved?”
So in all my excitement I rushed home, grabbed a cup of coffee and went on a search for robot mowers on my trusty Internet. To my astonishment there are pages and pages of these new robotic devices, all designed to allow us all to spend more leisure time with our families, or on the golf course, or fiddling with another remote in front of the television or whatever else set we have in our electronic library.
The robo mowers come in your choice of colors and cut-size, are run on rechargeable batteries or solar power, and range in price from $1,000 to $4,000, not including all the bells and whistles that you can add. This self-programming device can cut and mulch up to three quarters of an acre of grass in one outing, and is completely user friendly. In built-sensors assure that your Robo mower detects and avoids any objects or distractions in path; including buildings, flower beds, kids, and pets. A special feature is that it can be technically organized to cut your grass while you are away on holidays or at the lake, so that it looks great when you come home. A good idea would be to inform your neighbour’s whats going on, or possibly put up a sign on the fence, “Beware of mower”!
According to the Internet, robot devices such as this are becoming very hot, and already include vacuum cleaners, floor scrubbers, pet care aides, toys, and on and on. I can just see it: Willie the Weed whipper, Zelda the bug zapper, and a mini-robot that finds your lost golf ball and puts it back in a better spot.
Although I love these electronic games that encourage all age groups to participate, I do however hope that there will still be lots left for us humans to do in the not to distant future, both at work and at play without being pre-programmed. Although we will always wonder what they might come up with next, we must never forget that no gadget or mechanical monster will ever replace fresh air, good friends-family and fellowship, or our own special and unique skills and relationships!
From my wild and wacky computer file!
*I was having trouble with my computer, so I called Eric, the 11 year old next door, whose bedroom looks like Mission Control, and asked him to come over. Eric arrived and clicked a couple of buttons to quickly solve the problem. As he was walking away, I called after him to express thanks and asked what was wrong. “It was an ID ten T error,” he replied.
I didn’t want to appear stupid, but nonetheless I inquired, “An, ID ten T error? What’s that, in case I need to fix it again?” Eric grinned....’Haven’t you ever heard of an ID ten T error before’? ‘No’, I replied. ‘Write it down,’ he said, ‘and I think you’ll figure it out.’ So I wrote down: IDIOT. I used to like Eric!
*You said I should spend more time with our children, so I turned them into icons.
*I want my husband to pay more attention to me, so I bought some perfume that smells like a computer.
*Dear Andy: How have you been? Your mother and I are fine. We miss you. Please sign off your computer and come downstairs for something to eat. Love-Dad!
*Hello Bob, it’s your father again. I have another question about my new computer. Can I tape a movie from cable TV then fax it from my VCR to my CD-ROM then e-mail it to my brother’s cellular phone so that he can make a copy on his neighbour’s camcorder?
*My computer just informed me that I needed to upgrade my brain in order to be compatible with its new software.
*My middle name is David, but in order to keep up with my computer friends I changed it to DVD!
We should all turn off our computers once in a while and get some fresh air; and in the meantime, have a great week, all of you!