25: Technology Can Be Useful

I am lying in my bed at the moment, dictating this blog post to one of those clever voice assistants that are so popular these days. (When I’m  tired, my paws are not very effective on a keyboard. The resulting text is ‘a dog’s breakfast’.  Whoever coined that phrase should be chastised, even punished, for being ‘dogist’) 

This kind of support and automation can be very useful, though most human beans under-utilise the potential.  Having thousands of pounds worth of hardware and software turning the lights on and off is clever - but not exactly life-changing.

In the mornings, I sometime have go into my beans’ bedroom to remind them it is time Io get up and feed me.,  I don’t think it is beyond the wit of man (though it probably is beyond the wit of my man) to develop a feeding dish that could open automatically at a given time.  I’m not asking for much - I am happy that they pre-load it the evening before… i  think loading it automatically from the box/bag might be beyond the wit of man.

So, come on Apple, Google, Amazon  et al ….. put some thought in to helping us less fortunate, vulnerable creatures (poor doggy!) by supporting our basic needs.  A battery-powered back scratcher that responds to barks would be very welcome.  I’ll ask around my friends for more  suggestions (although many of them spend too much time chasing balls and scratching cushions and carpets (actually for about half of them, that might  be the wrong way round) to do any actual thinking.

Dogs tend to be creatures of instinct and simple responses (think Pavlov). Sometimes I despair of their ability to take over this world.