Tips on Technology By: Bill Michling

Welcome back, I hope all the dads out there had a great father’s day last Sunday. Speaking of fathers, I have just the thing to make fathers happy and maybe be able to spend more time with their family.

Last week we talked about what has been happening in the computer world, and we will also continued the Applescript intro.
This week we go way out in left field for Hitech….

Remember, this article and all past articles are available online at: ( http://www.mespn.com/techarticles ) as well as the online version of the Saipan Tribune, which you can access by clicking the banner on that same page.

How many of you out there are tired of doing that week end chore, mowing the lawn. With all the summer showers, its almost like you can see the lawn growing! Some of you might even have the ultimate mower, a riding mower, but you still have to get it out, fuel it up, check the oil, make sure the attachments work, and get on it to do the actual mowing.

** Lets go Hitech

What if I told you there was a better and easier way? Would you be interested? Lets see a show of hands, how many out there would like to give up their mowing chore? Come on lets see those hands. You there in the back you know you would like to spend time with the family instead of mowing the grass! And you, yes you that workaholic who seems to always be in the office, and then when you finally do come home, instead of time with the family, its mowing the lawn… Are you tied of this? Is it time you went hitech?

** The Hitech answer

There is a mower available now that will do the job for you. That’s right , do the lawn mowing for you. You do have to set it up “once”. Once you set it up, there’s little else to do. The set up consists of laying a wire around the outer edges of your lawn. This is so the critter will stay in YOUR yard. Then connect the wire to a small perimeter switch.
Eventually the wire will soon be covered by grass, you’ll never know it’s there. But your servant will, and that’s all that matters. Now, turn on the perimeter switch and find yourself a comfortable chair or hammock. Your servant will take care of the rest.

** Who is this servant

The servant I am talking about is the Robot lawnmower! Robot, are you kidding? No I am not kidding, this is for real and it is available now. Although you may have to get in line for one as they are going faster than you would believe.

** Lets answer some of those questions

What about obstacles? No problem. Like the smart mower it is, the RobotMower’s special program allows it to negotiate and mow around obstacles. And because it mows in a triangular pattern from many different directions, it’ll cut any lawn, regardless of its geometric shape. In automatic mode, a fully charged RobotMower can typically mow a lawn of 2500 sq. ft., depending on the number of obstacles in its path, slopes, height of grass, humidity, etc.

** How about that exercise you will be missing, yea right.

You’ll never have to mow again. Unless, of course, you want to. But what if you want to mow, say, for old time’s sake. Or maybe you want the exercise. No problem. Simply take out the manual controller and begin walking behind the mower. Now you’re ready to mow any piece of terra firma you see fit. So, for the sake of appearances, you can pretend you’re actually doing all the work. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us. For people who see exercise – manual mowing is a perfect solution.

** Environmentally and neighbor friendly
It’s not only your friend and your neighbor’s friend, but the environment’s friend, too. Constructed with recyclable materials, the RobotMower is powered by two sealed batteries, so there’s no gas or oil to mess with. Or resulting air pollution, for that matter. And because of its whisper-quiet motor, noise pollution is hardly a problem either. Which means you can mow anytime, day or night, without disturbing the neighbors. What’s more, because of its mulching action, it returns valuable nutrients back to your lawn. So you’ll never again have to deal with the hassle of raking or bagging itchy clippings. Now there’s a friend we can all appreciate.

** Is it safe

It’s time you got to know its sensitive side. The RobotMower is loaded with innovative sensors. Like the mower’s wire sensors which recognize the active perimeter wire, preventing it from venturing outside the predetermined area.

Then there are tactile bumpers that recognize solid obstacles and change direction upon touching them. While a drop off mechanism automatically stops the blades if the front end of the mower is lifted upward.

To sum it up. The RobotMower is fully automatic. Just push a button and it does the rest. Since it operates on rechargeable batteries, there’s no need for oil or gas. And because it mulches as it mows, there’s no need for backbreaking grass bagging either.
Finally, it’s so quiet you’ll hardly know the RobotMower is there. That is, until you see the results of its handy work.

** Will robots take over the world

I doubt that the Robotmower will take over the world, but it just might make it a better place to live in for us all. This is just the start of things to come. What used to be fantasy before is reality now. Change is coming, don’t fight it, embrace it, especially if it is good for all.

Are you ready for change? Then get on the bandwagon, be the first in your neighborhood to go Hitech, and the lawn is a good a place to start with as any.
——-

Well the word counter says it is time to end this weeks column.

If you have any questions, send me email. Next week we will get back into Applescript unless some other earth shattering development occurs…

See you here and on the web next week.
==========================

Bill Michling is a computer professional and welcomes any comments or questions you may have. Just send email to: bill@mespn.com or michling@usa.net.

You may also go to Marianas Electronics and ask help from the friendly staff there, or call them at: 234-5424, Just ask for Annie, Jun or Joseph.

For world access this Wednesday column is also on the Saipan Tribune website at: (http://www.saipantribune.com) or at the mespn.com site at: (http://mespn.com/techArticles/ ), now connected to the Internet via broadband T1+………..