Friday, November 12, 2010

Rise of the Machines

Today I had all the machines in my house do work for me: I was running both the washer and the dryer with our weekly laundry, while at the same time the dishwasher was humming pleasantly along, the breadmaker was making the Diplomat's favorite bread, and I was sitting down, ironing the first load of the laundry while watching a DVR-ed episode of "Grey's Anatomy." Yes, I live in robot-dreamland and I love it. I had 7 machines working for me at the same time, and while I was following the clearly realistic and not at all implausible pre-recorded drama on TV, it occurred to me that in just a few months I will go on to live in a place where many of my robot best friends will not be available. The things we do to serve our country...

2 comments:

  1. Besides DVR, I am not sure that your access to robot dreamland will be much different in Dhaka. Plus there will likely be at least one warm-blooded, smiling and most definitely NOT robot person to help with all of these things (if you are like most diplomats in hardship posts and decide to hire household help). Suffer not...

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  2. Americans work with too much automation around and fail to know the usefulness of the human limbs which could have managed the chores in the absence of such machines. In fact, my mother in law never felt like buying a grinder or a refrigerator, having been endowed with four full time maids at home, one to grind and look after infant diplomat, one to go for picking the daily provisions and vegetables, and others to do what the vacuum cleaners and dishwashers and washing machines perform in America.Only when my father in law superannuated from Railway service, she bought ll these items. You both well may end up with appropriate maids for the machines which you are presently using particularly in your postins in south/southeast/middleeast asian locales, perhaps not in europe. Hopw u would enjoy at least while u are away from america and europe and discover the functional value of other human beings!

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