My Guy – like probably every other guy on the
planet - loves technology.
It does make me wonder sometimes what men did in the past when there was no technology. Did they stand around discussing the best formula for ink, or how to smooth the wax on their tablets?
It does make me wonder sometimes what men did in the past when there was no technology. Did they stand around discussing the best formula for ink, or how to smooth the wax on their tablets?
He
especially loves smart switches. Rather than actually reaching to flip off a
light, he’s rigged several of the lamps in the house to a voice command. The
last time we had company, I went upstairs to ready the guest room and ended up
working in the dark because I didn’t have the right words for Alexa. Apparently
one lamp is called “lefty”, another “righty”, and I still have no idea how to
summon the bedside lamp to go on. He was sent up to restore everything to a
form Luddites like me could use.
It’s
no better in the basement. I can hear him down there telling our electronic
friend to turn on his bench light, to turn off the desk lamp. He even has one
bulb that he can order to rotate colors. Maybe that’s it. Maybe he misses being
at work, where he could tell people what to do and they did it. The dog and I
are lost causes.
Today,
Alexa was flashing her green/blue signal at me, which meant that this was
something related to a delivery. “Alexa, give me announcements.” Nothing.
“Alexa, give me deliveries.” Nothing.
I
finally had to stop everything and go downstairs to the basement to find My Guy
and asked for the magic phrase. I then traveled back upstairs only to have her
give me the riveting news that sometime today we’d be receiving a delivery. Now
that’s what I call convenience.
Can I say ack? Modifications of that type would do my head in (further). Fortunately the smaller portion is not nearly so technically ept.
ReplyDeleteHubby hates technology. He is a biologist and his mind does not think the way computers and machine operate. He realizes that biology is based on chaos and variety. I am more technological, but I do not like having to depend ont them to do simple things like turn on lights and switch to different codes. It is a new world and I would love to be around (briefly) in 100 years to see what is being done...if we are not surviving nuclear winter.
ReplyDeleteOh, this is precious! He's enjoying himself, obviously, and you and the dog should just smile and go about your business. I sure enjoyed this post. :-)
ReplyDeleteDeliver us both from men who feel the need to order their lives down to the last drop in the bowl. My husband is retired from the Navy Yard here, where he was in charge of the design and workings of the heating and plumbing in the Yard, and that now extends to our house. We installed radiators this year, and he is having a wonderful time tinkering, adjusting, staring at the boiler as it fires up. Now and then he will ask me to wake him up when the system turns on, usually at three AM, and he ventures down there for about 20 minutes to tinker, adjust, and tinker.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a long damned summer, I'll tell ya. The miracle is, we are still living together, and speaking. If he ever gets a hankering for Alexa, however...
There's a special place in heaven for long-suffering wives like us.
DeleteWe have two plugs and combine them into one command: Living Room On.
ReplyDeleteAlexa and all of her "smart" relatives will never be found in my home. They gather information and send it back to headquarters. Bad enough that my computer send me advertisements for something I may have looked at on google for five seconds.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, most of what goes on around here is so dull that I'm sure the "listeners" return immediately to their ham sandwiches and girlie magazines.
DeleteMy husband is not into technology - he much prefers mechanical things and would be happy to tinker and restore cars for the rest of his days. We don't have any such "smart" devices - I think our kids see us as dinosaurs! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteOh, brother. For the record, I am a guy who is not at all captivated by technology. I have no plans to invite Alexa into my house.
ReplyDeleteI won't have one because, like River, they listen. it's annoying to get advertisements for something I have thought about or looked at. seriously, if I wanted to buy it I would have bought it when I looked at it. getting adverts for it later is a waste of time and space. also, aren't we lazy enough? pretty soon our bodies will become blobs of lard with no appendages because we'll need neither arms or legs and we'll be scooted around in floating chairs.
ReplyDeleteExactly ! I often picture the inflated-balloon-like people in the movie Wall-E.
Delete