I would not consider myself to be an early adopter, although I’m not against technology by any means. In fact, I’m a big fan. Many years ago I convinced my husband, who was an IT professional and understandably didn’t want to bring his work home, that we needed the internet so that I could email my friends in Canada. I had no great interest in the internet itself (I think there were very few websites back then anyway), but I thought that electronic mail was a wonderful idea. It was, but the debate over the advisability of bringing your work home was silenced long ago.
I won that argument and the internet came early to our house. Then there was Alexa. I thought it would be fun to have an electronic servant to do our bidding, but life with Alexa didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped. First of all, she hung on my husband’s every word, but whenever I spoke to her she’d say, “Sorry, I’m having trouble understanding you right now.” Then she started to get above herself and would interject her own comments into the middle of our conversations. Finally, she went completely rogue. I woke up one night to hear music blasting from the kitchen and when I went downstairs to investigate I could tell that Alexa was behind it. She wasn’t exactly smirking, but it had all turned very sinister and she found herself on eBay the next day.
Electric cars were a different matter. I was not so keen, but my husband was wildly enthusiastic. He is evangelical on the subject and really should embark on a second career selling the things – he’s already convinced numerous friends and acquaintances to buy one and I think that his future as a car salesman is beckoning. It might help to finance his golf habit as well.
I’m all for electric cars in theory, but I don’t much like cars at the best of times and I particularly don’t like them when I’m convinced that they’ll run out of charge while we’re tootling along in the fast lane of the M40. All my reservations have been silenced (well, out-argued) and we are now on our THIRD electric car, if you can believe it. We finally have one that will travel far enough on one charge for my peace of mind. Personally, I would have been happier skipping the first two altogether and and waiting until battery technology was further advanced. I’d have been spared all those years of range anxiety, which I’m convinced have significantly reduced my life expectancy. Although this might be a good thing because electric cars are so expensive that I don’t think there’s enough money left to finance a long retirement.
On the plus side, I’m sure it’s good for the environment, although the environment is probably too busy worrying about melting Arctic ice and deforestation to be as grateful as it might be. And there are no more trips to smelly petrol stations to fill up the tank. What’s more, taking the wheel of an electric car feels like you’re driving into the future – it zips along at the speed of light. Or maybe I mean the speed of sound. Either way, it’s very nippy.
The good news is that I have made peace with our electric car. The bad news is that the Internet of Things is knocking at the door. I can already see Alexa’s face smirking through the window.
I agree Alexa is creepy! Good riddance. Also, it’s offensive that the only option for an electronic “servant” is female. Where is the sexy-voiced male electronic servant??
Bravo for being early adopters of the electric car. Our next vehicle will definitely be either a hybrid or an electric one, now that the prices have come down. The environmental guilt is just too crushing these days to do otherwise.
Maybe people would find a male electronic servant even more creepy? People are probably more likely to think of villains and spies as males.
Your THIRD electric car? WOW! You know where we live so we would need a VERY long cable indeed to be able to charge one. Maybe a hybrid would do. However, just like APS film cartridges were quickly replaced by digital (we still have our useless APS cameras), by the time we need to change our car, electric power will have been superseded by some other technology … hydrogen fuel cell, perhaps.
😉😀
Or maybe driverless cars that come and pick you up when you call them. That’s my dream. I’d never have to park a car again.
I resisted having Alexa in the house for years. One day my brain snapped; I changed my mind and bought four units and a bunch of smart plugs. We’re getting along great. I say, “Computer, good morning,” She turns on the lights, gives me the news, my word of the day, the weather, and a daily dose of positivity. I say goodbye and she turns off the light and power to the TV (which likes to turn itself on all the time). She reminds me to take my tricorder and glasses. She reminds me to send birthday cards in time for them to get there, give the dog his heartworm prevention etc. etc. It is a bit inconvenient having to step outside when we work on our plans for world domination, but otherwise, I love it.
I think we need to know a bit more about those plans for world domination!