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Geeks and Chefs, Unite
ooglek writes: "You thought you had every gadget made, until this came along. The new Internet Fridge from LG Appliances. Not only does it keep your food from perishing, but it plays MP3s, TV, a list of the food actually in your fridge, a calendar, and, of course, recipes! Finished in Titanium. Wicked."
...the LAST thing I want to do is stand infront of the fridge reading emails, /. or any of my other fave sites. Much rather be relaxing in my chair, RedBull close at hand...
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand". -Milton F.
What scares me about these barcodes is that say LG decides it wants more ca$h and sells a list of the stuff that you keep in the fridge to others. This is similar to what supermarkets do in tracking purchases.
The next time you open your fridge you see a Ad for Jolt Cola because you haven't bought any for a week. Now THAT would be technology gone too far
Medevo
The only reason this thing exists is to show you commercials. Advertising is eroding public and private space alike-from the backs of convenience-store gas pumps to the dedication masonry at museums. If an "internet Fridge" ever does become popular, it'll secretly report the contents of your fridge back to a centralized server and show you ads for milk based on your psychographic profile...
Liberate your mind in two clicks or less.
I fridge is a storage device, not a communications device. Any internet appliances built into it should build on the storage aspect of the fridge. There is nothing mentioned about a barcode scanner that would make it conveinent for making an inventory. There are very few markets that have grocery delivery of ordering via the internet and we don't know if the exsisting services will work with this system.
The ability to leave notes for the kids is novel but the display is too low for most adults and unless that screen tilts outword, it would be difficult to write on.
People don't normally read recipes off the fridge. The store them on the fridge under a magnet but take it off to actually cook so they don't have to walk back and forth to the fridge. Again the screen height doesn't help here.
Many of the food storage features for freshness are already available on many existing refridgerators like GE and Maytag.
It's a big toy for the wealthy that have money to burn on such things. The Titanium finish problably wont match most kitchen styles either IMO. Internet Appliances haven't historically done well. I don't believe this one will either in the mass market.
There is nothing inherently safe about liberty. That's why so many people died protecting it.
I dunno about you, but we've always had pictures taped to our frige. More than once, the not-so-magnetic magnets has failed and dropped one under the fridge, or slid down enough to get folded the next time someone closed the lower door.
I'm all for a digital picture frame.
I mean, it has been demonstrated countless times through history that trying to unify unrelated household functions in one appliance bars it from just so many potential buyers.
People who already have either a TV that works, a fridge that works, or a computer that works won't buy it, obviously.
And I sure as hell prefer to have a portable appliance to check my emails while lying on the sofa or in the garden (802.11 r0cks), watch the TV comfortably, and have the fridge in the kitchen, so I don't have to run upstairs or to the living-room to get a fresh egg when cooking.
What are they going to do next ? A washing-machine that surfs the web so you don't stare blankly at your clothes turning and tunring in the machine, but instead go watch some pr0n ?
My fridge doesn't have to tell me what I need to buy. I am capable of figuring that out myself.
"I see you're out of tater tots. There is a sale at King Soopers(TM) on Ore Ida(TM) Tater Tots. Would you like driving directions? (y/n)"
y
Later that day...
"I see you've just purchased Ore Ida(TM) Tater Tots. You may also be interested in Ore Ida(TM) Curly Fries. Would you like to see more SmartFridge.com(TM) recomendations, Dave? (y/n)"
y
"King Soopers(TM) Specials Today:
- Ore Ida(TM) Curly Fries are only $5.49
- Greasy(TM) Chicken Wings $8.99/lb
- Hot Hot Hot(TM) BBQ Sauce $6.87/16oz Bottle
- Stinking Fatty(TM) Cheddar Bratwurst $5.99/6
- Sweet Sweet Coronary(TM) Lard Nuggets $9.99/doz
- Little Powdery(TM) Donuts $7.49/doz.
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