XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science   
   From: jclarkeusenet@cox.net   
      
   In article <52d78a83$0$52800$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>, dtravel@sonic.net   
   says...   
   >   
   > On 1/15/2014 6:23 PM, 2671 wrote:   
   > >   
   > >   
   > > "J. Clarke"  wrote in message   
   > > news:MPG.2d40fa317eaa4e5498a3b6@news.newsguy.com...   
   > >> In article ,   
   > >> droleary@8usenet2013.subsume.com says...   
   > >>>   
   > >>> In article ,   
   > >>>  "sna"  wrote:   
   > >>>   
   > >>> > "J. Clarke"  wrote in message   
   > >>> > news:MPG.2d3b71dbee74782498a35e@news.newsguy.com...   
   > >>> > >   
   > >>> > > When the train can take me from my garage to my office and stop   
   > >>> off > > for   
   > >>> > > groceries on the way home, all on my schedule, without my having   
   > >>> to > > walk   
   > >>> > > several blocks in the snow at each end or make several transfers,   
   > >>> get   
   > >>> > > back to me.   
   > >>> >   
   > >>> > Yeah, that one is never going to happen, even with the pod system.   
   > >>>   
   > >>> Only a fool would imagine that's a good idea in the first place.  Part   
   > >>> of the beauty of a "pod" system is that it can not only abstract a   
   > >>> transporter, but a replicator as well.  You need groceries?  You push a   
   > >>> few buttons and it all gets sent *to* you!   
   > >>   
   > >> When I'm out of milk I need it tonight, not whenever the grocer gets   
   > >> around to delivering it to me.   
   > >   
   > > Most of those situations would be covered by a system that monitors   
   > > the milk supply and automatically orders some more when it sees that   
   > > there is a need to do that, in plenty of time so that you never run out.   
   > >   
   > There used to be commercials for refrigerators that would almost do that   
   > (they would tell you to buy more milk the next time you opened its door   
   > IIRC) but they stopped running those *thinking* a year or two ago?  I'd   
   > love to see the feedback the company got on those, maybe they creeped   
   > people out.   
      
   I think that paying $3500 for something that doesn't actually do   
   anything that a $500 refrigerator and a $200 laptop won't do was the   
   issue.   
      
   Remember, a lot of people don't get ice makers because they are the most   
   likely thing in a refrigerator to go wrong.  What we want in a   
   refrigerator is that it keep the food cold, not that it have a bunch of   
   fancy unreliable crap added to it.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)