Sitting in the dentist’s chair waiting for work that will give me a new filling, I was thinking. I know – a dangerous sport for me. I had complained to Michael that I was not able to get my teeth clean, even though I was using an electric toothbrush (for longer than the two-minute period it gives before shutting off), using a water pik, using dental floss on a “stick” to be sure to get between all teeth, and, even, using GUMM brushes. You know, those little brushes that come in two sizes – small and curved.

So, as I was sitting there, gazing out of the window at the mountains west of my city, I thought … Why isn’t there a machine for me to use that allows me to put my mouth against some mechanism and have it give the teeth a good solid brushing twice a day. You know, like the “scrubbing bubbles” do for my bathroom fixtures when I spray it into and onto the necessary bathroom fixtures. Those scrubbing bubbles do a great job. Why not something for my mouth?

We are now watching humanoid robots running sprints in China. We have advertisements of humanoid robots that will clean our houses. How is it that no genius inventor has yet to create something to thoroughly clean my teeth – every morning and night? When Michael returned to my “cove” to start the work, I told him that I had a task for him. He could either do it himself, or, if he knows an inventor, put the inventor to work. I want one of those machines!

Self-driving cars are already in existence. I want one that will be easy enough for me to use when I have to give up my car. I promise that I’ll keep it safely in my garage and use it only when I need to get to the grocers or other store, or to participate in my current social activities – that being, visiting docs on a regular basis.

I own Robby my robot who vacuums my kitchen floor with ease. I understand that there is another kind of Robby that will clean the floor by vacuum and, then, with soap and water. I haven’t seen a demo of that, yet, but I’m sure if I ask AI about it, the information will be forth coming.

I, however, think I don’t want a humanoid robot cleaning the rest of my house. How would I explain to the robot that it is NOT to touch certain things in my house. Things like my rock collection. Or, my collection of Westmorland Glass. If such a robot would break any of these things – who is responsible for replacing this object that has grown precious to me?

And, can a humanoid robot know how to clean out the kitchen drawer, take everything out of it, wipe out the dust and collected bits of fluff, and put everything back, exactly as I want it. You know. When I reach for something in a kitchen drawer, it needs to be where it belongs.

The same is true in my office area. I remember when I was secretary to the pharmacy staff at our local children’s hospital – a nationally known facility. At my desk, I always had supplies for the pharmacists to use. They had pencils, scissors, pens, paperclips, etc., all within easy access at my desk; they were free to take what they needed. The desk had a raised portion, and it was on that raised portion of the desk where staff could find whatever they needed.

I also had MY tools. Most of them were marked in some way with my name. And, when I reached for a tools (pencil, stapler, scissors, or any of the other items with which I worked) I expected them to be where I kept them.

One morning, one of the young pharmacists (and they were all younger than I) told me this. “Last night,” she said. “I was working in the back preparing meds to go up to the appropriate floors, working next to another pharmacist (whom she identified by name). Suddenly, the other pharmacist exclaimed- “Oh, my god! I have Ms. B.’s pen!” She said the other pharmacist left her station, immediately, to return the pen to my desk.

Could a humanoid robot be trained to put the meds together like our pharmacists did? And, also be trained to never take away something it was not supposed to have? Can they be taught to think – independently for problem solving? I think that is an invention that I can live without.

When Larry worked at the A&A Tradin’ Post, an ACE hardware store, I remember the machine that mixed paint. During our college years, we lived in Gunnison in “Cockroach Haven;” the housing for married couples and believe me, it earned its name! Larry set about painting the bathroom (it was a brown – really awful brown – color). He painted it yellow. To have the color of paint that he wanted, he went to the hardware store, of course, and brought home a can of yellow paint. A can that needed much stirring and stirring to get the paint mixed. That was before the wonderful machine that mixed paints by shaking the can in a machine; that machine did save a huge amount of work on the part of the home painter. I can only imagine the hours that that invention saved professional painters.

Today’s news brings information about an aircraft called “the Chaparral” (owned by Elroy Air) flying without humans aboard. The aircraft is intended to move cargo from one place to another. Without a crew, it is on autopilot all of the time – as I see the situation. Using such aircraft takes away the jobs of human beings. Is there anyone out there who believes that life is about more than dollars and cents? What is it that we as human inventors don’t understand? We need people to do work. Give those airline crews and house cleaners back their jobs. A plane without a human pilot – definitely an invention that I can do without!

So many of our discoveries and inventions have resulted from folks doing work and seeing something that caused the to think or say – “That’s funny.” I remember on one of Neil de Grasse Tyson’s programs. he talked about this very issue. He explained the light spectrum that was known at a given time in history. The discovery that there is a spectrum beyond what our eyes can see was very likely one of those “that’s funny” moments. Tyson thought very highly of the science fiction writer and biochemist Isaac Asimov. Tyson told us that the expression was Asimov’s. Asimov said, “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny…”

Scientific discovery is not the only “that’s funny” discovery. Remember how chocolate chip cookies came to be? The baker Ruth Graves didn’t have what she needed to make the cookies she had planned. So, she used a bar of chocolate, cut it into pieces, and, thus were born, chocolate chip cookies. Another slightly different “that’s funny” event.

The development of the Roman Telescope should present us with many, many “aha” and “that’s funny” moments. We really don’t know what’s “out there.” The Roman will surely find all sorts of new things.

I want inventions and discoveries that benefit humankind. I know that some will seem frivolous. Others will help solve the problem of disease. Will make automobiles safer to use. Some may allow us to have more free time for recreation. Ease the conditions of the elderly. One may even be a “transporter” that those of you us who watched Star Trek know well. Perhaps, there will be inventions and discoveries to save our earth from destruction. I want inventions that first and foremost consider the effect on our human condition.

That’s what I want. What do you want?

Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are greatly appreciated.