All Mod Cons

I just read a story in Wired about a company that is doing wireless home automation. It inspired technolust in me. Technolust is an abstract, irrational desire wrought by new technology. If I had a wired home, I could become George Jetson.

The article even used an old phrase from post-war suburban marketing: all mod cons, which is shorthand for all modern conveniences. The Jam cleverly used the phrase as a title for an album in the late '70s, with double entendre. "Mod" was a mid-60s fashion they were resurrecting; they were "mods." "All Mod Cons," therefore meant both suburban illusion and well-dressed gangsters.

Technolust, like other lusts, fades quickly and easily once you're outside the showroom. All technology promises to make your life better, but most will just leave you feeling a little emptier inside. The article included a couple of useful examples of how these new automated homes made life better--like calling the fire department when it detects a fire in the house or how it can blink the lights if it hears crying in the baby's room--but mostly it was about playing music in several different zones in your house and shutting off the TV for you when you leave the house.

How is that going to make my life better?