The Future Starts Today

Yesterday I read the exciting news that Loblaws is deploying a fleet of autonomous, self-driving trucks to make deliveries in Toronto. After breakfast, as I was taking a quiet stroll through my tiny downtown apartment, I couldn’t help but be in wonder. We are witnessing such an advancement in technology, automation, robotics… Humanity is moving forward at an unstoppable speed. 

I stopped though, for a brief moment, in the kitchen and looked at my juice maker. I can make a freshly squeezed juice from whatever fruit I want by simply pushing a button… and then I have to spend 20 minutes cleaning the damn juicer, while disassembling and assembling it again requires a degree in mechanical engineering. 

I’m yet to see a fridge ice maker that works properly, never gets stuck and doesn’t take 10 minutes of “me-time” after filling a single cup with ice. 

Dishwashers have been around for almost 100 years, yet the problem of scum on glasses is practically unsolvable.

Back to the living room, I’m looking at the sleek white modem, by Canada’s best provider, and I eagerly await 5 o’clock, when the internet speed will drop drastically, as the whole building turns on Netflix. 

My phone’s Bluetooth connects with smart devices around my place at random times, unless I need it to - then it refuses to pair like I refuse to eat broccoli. I do appreciate though Alexa asking me at random times if I want to hear a joke - very thoughtful of her. 

Whenever I switch from an old phone to a new one, by the same manufacturer and the same provider, the process is far from easy and smooth - I need to sign into everything, rearrange the home screen, after spending hours waiting for the phone company to set the account.

I look out the window at the winter weather and I wonder how on earth, in a country that is at least 5 months a year covered in snow, no one has yet to figure out a painless driveway snow removal at 6am. It’s snow, damn it, frozen water - we should be able to melt the bugger at a click of a button. 

I’m avoiding the bedroom, as there’s a basket with clean laundry from last night that needs folding. This one really hurts! We still have to fold laundry, like it’s 1621. Seriously - for hundreds of years there’s been zero meaningful innovation on folding laundry and I am yet to meet the person that actually enjoys doing it. 

A slack message from my colleague, that he is banging his head against the desk after trying to transfer some Mac files on PC for the past two hours is a call back to reality. 

I look at the article again… Well, forgive me if I am a bit unconvinced that a 5 ton truck driven by itself on the busy streets of Toronto, avoiding potholes, cyclists and jaywalkers, is a good idea. 

If technology companies want innovation to be faster, more robust and better funded, they need to start surrounding us with innovation. Surrounding us by automation. Not items that are “almost there”, “should do”, “in the right direction”. Start with the home, the car, the office, the everyday life. Get us used to it on a most basic level, convince us that it works really well. Maybe then we’ll trust that a car can drive our kids safely to school on its own.