Forget the iPad, I want an iHouse

While the rest of the world oohs and aaahs over a nifty little gadget that well, does stuff... I'm waiting for the real breakthrough. The iHouse. What's an iHouse?

Well I'm glad you asked. There was a movie a few years ago, Smart House. Kind of silly, but fabulous premise. The whole house was basically wired to serve you. Really. Spill on the carpet, the iHouse automatically recognizes your faux pas and voilá the spot magically disappears.

Bathrooms? Self cleaning. It's possible, you know. They have them in Seattle. Or they did. I've never been there, but I did see it on TV. Public Potties that literally clean up after you. Who wouldn't want that in their home.
Potties that clean themselves after every use.

Now if self cleaning potties have been around for awhile, for like 5 years, then why isn't it standard in every home? Because our tech gurus are busy trying to recreate the inventions we already have. Seriously. Enough. Let's get down to business and really invent something. Since the self cleaning bathroom is taken, let's brainstorm awhile and come up with some new ideas. Just look at one of the more fabulous ideas of the last few decades:

The Combination Car and Dog Wash. It's become all the rage. Yup. You wash the car and the Dog, all at the same time. Yee hah! Bring it on.

I think part of this is all these young techno whizzes have absolutely no idea what might be of value. They are so busy inventing better ways for Americans to sit around and entertain themselves, they forget that necessity is the mother of invention. If your invention is a bust, it's probably unnecessary.

What might happen if all these great young minds put their energy towards something critical. Something necessary. Something we could all stand up and cheer for.

So! How about a Cancer screening device that can not only detect wayward cell growth but treat it as it finds it? Or a time release energy tablet that has absolutely no lasting or ill effect on either your body or your brain?

How about a bicycle with a stability device that prevents it from toppling over? An automobile that automatically avoids collisions?

A metabolism regulator that safely either speeds up or slows down a person's metabolism depending on their body mass?

A few years ago, somewhere in the world, someone asked why couldn't there be a pasta that was safer for diabetics. Presto chango... Dreamfields pasta is invented. I am diabetic. I eat it. It's fabulous. And I've served it to countless guests in my home, and not one person ever noticed a difference. Not as earth shattering as the insulin pump....but then, that's an invention that profoundly changed lives.

Necessity.


And even further back, somewhere in the world, someone asked why can't we find a way to generate light without batteries or electricity or flames.... and today there are solar lamps lighting everything from driveways to rural paths to mountaintops around the world.

Necessity.

My local gas station is wind-powered. That's amazing. My microwave doubles as a regular oven, using half the energy to cook food. That too is amazing. My husband has a bionic hip. Again, amazing, and of course another story entirely :)

So here's my point. Silicon Valley....please, put your giant brains back into focus here and start trying to solve important problems. Maybe that next great invention will be born. Leave the iPad out back with the Unicycle.

Two wheels were always better than one.