Three Reasons Why Late Consumers Have More Fun

          

            We recently bought our first gps. And I’m not embarrassed that we are the last ones in the Northern Hemisphere to purchase one of these handy gizmos.

           My husband and I are what marketers call “late consumers,” because we wait until a product has been on the market for years and most of our friends have one before we make a purchase. This gives us several edges over the “first consumers,” who buy a new gadget when it first comes out:

            1.  The price has gone down considerably than when it first came out. Saving money is fun!

2.      Designers have worked out many of the kinks and quirks by now, so the invention has improved. A new and improved product is more fun!

3.      We can find out from those who've used it what the best brand is, where to buy it, and if there are any models to avoid. Making friends feel needed is fun!

In case you think I’m all about fun. . . you are right. That’s why I plan to program our gps with a 

British accent and name it “James” or “Winston.”

Are you a first consumer, a late consumer, or someone in between? What is the latest new gizmo you’ve purchased? 

Inventions to Help Mornings go Smoother

When the electricity skipped town Sunday morning during worship, I continued singing, expecting the light to return any minute. It waited, forcing my pastor-husband to scoot his pulpit under the stained-glass window, so he could see his sermon notes. Primitive, I know. But it forced me to think of the many inventions we take for granted, as well as a few new ones I wish someone would create. . .

 

 

A lever on the side of my bed, attached to a huge spring under the mattress. When my alarm clock goes off, it activates the lever, and the spring propels me into my closet, where I canon into my clothes. By the time I wake up, I’m dressed and ready for the next invention. . .

 

 

A helmet that squirts mousse, scrunches and styles my hair, then applies the perfect amount of hairspray to keep the style in place all day. Now I’m ready for my coffee with another great contraption. . . 

A hose runs from my fridge—where I keep the coffee beans—to the grinder. At 5:30 a.m., the hose sucks a pre-measured amount of beans into the grinder. The grinder crushes the beans, and another hose transports the coffee from the grinder to the coffee maker. A third hose from the faucet to the coffee maker pours water into the coffee maker. It flips on and brews the coffee. A robotic arm comes out of the wall and pours the coffee into a mug, then puts it on a conveyor belt, which travels to the loveseat where I sit each morning to read my Bible and pray.

 

 

And if the electricity goes out, I’m sure my boss will understand me being late for work. I can’t dress myself, fix my own hair, and brew my own coffee, after all. That's so primitive!

 

What are your favorite inventions? Any you'd like to see created?