Electronic appliances have over-run our world.

Have you ever counted the number of these electronic contraptions and gadgets that you have in your home. Or thought to total up their cost, including the price you paid for those which have already gone to meet their maker because of built-in obsolescence. I know... the total is quite amazing in our home.

Just glance around your living or family rooms. How many HD TVs, wirelessly synchronized clocks, wireless earphones, cable TV set top boxes - which may include a hard drive recorder, of course a DVD player, a stereo system, computers, wireless phones, cell phones etc. etc. And of course there is the inevitable collection of chargers and remote controls. Why on earth could every appliance not use the same ones. (Oh yes, I do know about the universal remotes that you require an engineering degree to set up and operate). And how many computerized appurtenances do you have in your car. Under the hood there are so many mysteries - just ask Honda.

Dueling remotes

Then there are the wireless hotspots in coffee shops, airports and so many other communal gathering places, so that you need never lose contact with your friends. And they (whoever 'they' are) just keep adding to the social networking programs and web sites. I believe one of the latest of these, which appears to be exploding in popularity, is called 4 square. It seems to be able to instantly advise all of your friends, with one push of a button, that you have stopped in for a cup of coffee at a particular haunt, and you desperately hope they too will all immediately pop over there for a friendly chat, union meeting or game of high stakes poker.

I see that Apple just managed to sell 300,000 of its latest electronic wonder toys, the iPad, on its opening day, and possibly 3/4 of a million by the conclusion of their first weekend. At an average price north of $500 a pop, can you believe that represents sales in the 300 to 400 million dollar range, thanks to their superb hype machine... and that's about twice what the gurus had forecast.

No, I'm not going to rush out and buy an iPad as soon as they're released in Canada... but I am looking forward to my first iPhone, which unfortunately costs just as much, or even more.

Now how did you say I go about logging onto 4 square?

Label: Hi tech, low tech.