A friend send this link: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050929/D8CTSEQ02.html about the concept of an Internet refrigerator. Another friend said it was the worst idea of all time. I then replied that we would use the idea of an Internet fridge as an innovation pump primer when I was a fellow at CommerceNet.

The best realistic benefit is being able to perform distributed peak power management, so that the electricity company can send you power when it's cheap and let you store it up in a battery or fuel cell, and then you stop drawing when it's peak power time. This alleviates the need to build more generators.

Longer term, it might be good for the elderly, in that RFID tags on food might automatically tell someone that food is spoiling or that the loved one is not eating properly.

On the other hand, I believe that stress is proportional to how much technology you have in your house. When I was much younger, I did an experiment when I moved into a new apartment in Huntington Beach. I refused to put in a refrigerator, a TV or a phone. When I got home, it was SO QUIET and restful! I bought only enough food for a day, so this got me out to the store. I never watched TV. And I let people call me at work only. After a month, I put in a refrigerator. I noticed that life was made easier, but the food I was eating was not as fresh. After another month, I put in a phone. I then noticed a subtle increase in stress within the house. It was not as tranquil, in terms of the "energy". When I got the TV, the place then lost all its charm. It no longer felt like Superman's Fortress of Solitude. It was just another box to live in, like a veal fattening pen for the mind.

What do you think?