High-Tech Household
My vacuum cleaner died Saturday after a long illness. Though no autopsy has been performed, the coroner (my dad) believes the immediate cause of death to have been "a busted ball bearing in the motor" based on the death rattle observed in its last moments by me. (Surely, it did not expire due to overuse.) RIP.
After a very brief mourning period, a flyer arrived in the mail advertising a replacement solution: the Roomba!
For those of you who aren't obsessed with either domestic life or gadgetry, the Roomba is a robotic vacuum cleaner. It's a little larger than a frisbee, and thicker, and it runs itself: you set it in the middle of the room and it runs around on both carpet and hard surface floors. One of the reviewers on Amazon wrote, "It's not quite as good as a person lugging a heavy upright vacuum cleaner, but a person lugging a heavy upright vacuum cleaner does not come to my house every day." The Roomba can be left on to do its job while you're not even home. The advanced model (which I didn't bother to get) even can be scheduled to come on at a certain time and do its thing, and then it returns to its charger when it starts to run out of juice.
So, I have purchased a Roomba. It was about $40 more than a vacuum cleaner that I would have had to (gasp!) operate myself, so I figured I would give it a try. I set it out for the first time today. I turned it on, and it trundled about the upstairs in zig-zags and circles for a couple of hours on its own, sucking up all manner of dust, pet hair, and assorted other detritus.
Of course, on this first job, it did not save me any time--because I followed it around with my fingers in my mouth, watching in awe.
BTW, I am taking entries in the Roomba-naming contest, beginning . . . now. No purchase necessary; void where prohibited by law. (It's a boy, FYI.)
After a very brief mourning period, a flyer arrived in the mail advertising a replacement solution: the Roomba!
For those of you who aren't obsessed with either domestic life or gadgetry, the Roomba is a robotic vacuum cleaner. It's a little larger than a frisbee, and thicker, and it runs itself: you set it in the middle of the room and it runs around on both carpet and hard surface floors. One of the reviewers on Amazon wrote, "It's not quite as good as a person lugging a heavy upright vacuum cleaner, but a person lugging a heavy upright vacuum cleaner does not come to my house every day." The Roomba can be left on to do its job while you're not even home. The advanced model (which I didn't bother to get) even can be scheduled to come on at a certain time and do its thing, and then it returns to its charger when it starts to run out of juice.
So, I have purchased a Roomba. It was about $40 more than a vacuum cleaner that I would have had to (gasp!) operate myself, so I figured I would give it a try. I set it out for the first time today. I turned it on, and it trundled about the upstairs in zig-zags and circles for a couple of hours on its own, sucking up all manner of dust, pet hair, and assorted other detritus.
Of course, on this first job, it did not save me any time--because I followed it around with my fingers in my mouth, watching in awe.
BTW, I am taking entries in the Roomba-naming contest, beginning . . . now. No purchase necessary; void where prohibited by law. (It's a boy, FYI.)
posted by Tara | 6:48 PM
8 Comments:
Ooh, gadgetry!
I feel some gadget-envy at the moment. I don't have carpet but I suspect a Roomba is somewhat more expensive than a broom? I've seen the commercial and I always wonder how its round shape allows it to handle corners and walls.
It has an ingenious little arm that comes out at corners and walls and sweeps things under its fat, bug-like body.
Has anyone bothered to do the statistics on how many times it repeats a section of floor and how many spots on the floor it misses? What happens when it meets up with "the monster beneath the bed" hairball that hasn't seen the light of day since time immemorial and has collected dust and lint unto itself like a slowly forming planet that gains gravity with every space particle foolish enough to wander too close? Has Holly become friends with Roomba?
PS. How about Reggie or Reginald the Roomba? Sounds very formal and buttler like, although the Roomba isn't really catering to your every need.
Ahhh, the Roomba. My sis-in-law has one. (funny that I didn't say, "my brother has one." Heh.)
It truly seems random to me, but I'm assured its movements are due to some sort of method. What a fun addition to your family!
I vote for "RoomBob." Kinda like SpongeBob.
How about Shadow? ;)
As you know, there is someone in our household who is greatly interested in this latest addition to your family of gadgets.
Oh, you all are quite skilled at this! I've been promised one more entry, so the contest is still open. But it will be difficult one for our judges to decide.
a naming contest! Dusty. Frisbee. Xavier Alexander III. Dancing Queen. Is the robot male or female? RoboBabe. LaBamba. ShammaLammaDingDong. Dingbat. Dust Biter. Macrophage. Samwise. Black Hole. Evelyn. Donald.
Frank, what an eye-opening post! What are your cars' names?!! I must know!
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