>         You state:
>
>         "So why would Internet connectivity be a good thing for appliances?
> LAN
> > connectivity would definitely be cool (to monitor power useage, subsystem
> > health, etc., with a PC) ... but Internet connectivity?"
> >
>         ...haven't you seen the commercials on TV that show an appliance
> repairman showing up at the front door and the wife says she nor her husband
> called the repairman but the appliance made the service call :-)

If you think the IT money makers like Bill Gates and co have you
by the short and curlys... you ain't seen nothing until they have
control over your fridge...
Upgrade or starve to death.
They could put a card reader on the fridge door, swipe it to open up.

I have never much held to conspiracy theorists... but this could be
bad connecting household appliances to the web, initially it would
be just for monitoring from remote locations but how long before
you have to pay some IT provider to keep it going.

You may be unaware of this in the states.. but in New Zealand
there is absolutely no free web access at any level. Both access in
and out is charged to the IP provider by the backbone owners.

.. thats 2 rants in one morning.
_____________________________

Lance Allen
Technical Officer
Uni of Auckland
Psych Dept
New Zealand

www.psych.auckland.ac.nz

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