Survey: Cell phone tops list of great innovations
Americans hate By Theo Emery, Associated Press Americans
are ambivalent about their cell phones, TV sets and the like. They rely on such
everyday technology, but it drives them nuts. At
the top of the list? The cell phone. An
annual Massachusetts Institute of Technology survey, known as the Lemelson-MIT
Invention Index, found that among adults asked what invention they hate most
but can't live without, 30% said the cell phone. Alarm
clocks were a close second, with 25%, followed by the television with 23% and
razors with 14%. Microwave ovens, computers and answering machines also earned
spots as detested technology. The
survey has been conducted for the past eight years to gauge public opinion
toward inventions, inventors and technology. "The
interconnectedness you get from the cell phone is a very positive thing, and I
think that's one of the most important things, the bringing together of people.
The downside of that is that you sometimes want to be alone," said
Lemelson Center Director Merton C. Flemings. The
random telephone survey of 1,023 adults and 500 teenagers was conducted Nov.
12-19 by Princeton, N.J.-based Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch and was
released Wednesday Ninety-five
percent of the adults surveyed felt that inventions had improved the quality of
their lives. A
handy invention — a two-way radio — allowed Bob Dillon, 51, and his
companion Deborah Bleau, 44, to keep tabs on Bleau's 12-year-old daughter,
Kate, and Kate's two friends, as all five strolled through downtown Boston on a
recent visit. Bleau
said it was hard to find fault with the technology keeping her in constant
touch with her daughter, and Dillon did not find much to criticize about cell
phones, other than their pesky habit of going off in public places. But
Dillon said he had a love-hate relationship with television. He ditched his
television years ago. Now, he, Bleau, and Bleau's daughter have a TV in their
Latham, N.Y., home, but it is used only for watching movies. "It's
not hooked into any kind of broadcast or anything like that, primarily because
it's so invasive, and can take over your life," he said. "But it's a
double-edged sword. I miss the History Channel." Jaime
Wasserman, 26, of "I
love technology. There's really nothing that irritates me. I love it all.
Computers, television," she said. "An alarm clock? You need an alarm
clock. People who hate it are probably lazy people who just don't feel like
getting up in the morning." Jen -- |
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