People and their dependency on appliances

People and their dependency on appliances

JAKARTA (JP): Electronic gadgets make our lives comfortable
and more enjoyable. They are useful and fun.

Indeed, in this increasingly wired world, many people have
become dependent on such devices, as is reflected in The Jakarta
Post's interviews with a cross-section of the public.

Widiastuti, a 35-year-old housewife:

My five-year old son, Ino, can't go far from the electric fan.
Whenever he is in the house, the fan is never far away from him.
The fan must be near him when he sits and plays in front of TV,
or even when he sleeps.

Ino will ask anybody in the house to bring the fan over to
him. He even drags the fan himself if nobody hears his order.

If the fan does not work, Ino will have his mother, father,
aunt or anybody else fan him. If his demand is turned down, he
screams and cries until somebody comes over and fans him.

We have bought several fans to replace those which have broken
due to excessive use.

My family has used electric fans near Ino since he was a baby.
Has Ino ever got sick because of the wind? No. I think the wind
is afraid of him.

Henry Usman, a 22-year-old student at the School of Economics
at Tarumanagara University, Jakarta:

I have a stereo and a computer in my bedroom. I bought them
several years ago.

I bought the computer to type school work, but most of the
time I use it for amusement. I like playing games on it.

I have upgraded my computer several times. I hate it when it
is not running, because I feel like missing a friend with whom I
spend most of my spare time.

My stereo comprises a CD and tape players and a radio. I
bought the stereo because I like listening to music. It was
expensive at the time, but I managed to buy it with my own
savings.

I used to have a radio tape recorder. But it was always out of
order, maybe because I turned it on for hours nonstop.

When the set broke down, I would get it repaired at an
electronic service center or I would buy a new one if I only had
a little money.

Clara Wresti, 28, a journalist:

We don't have a well or manual pump. My family depends on our
jet pump for water. So, if the jet pump were not to work, life
would be hell because there would be no water to bathe, to wash
our feet or even to wash after urinating. That would be very
annoying.

My jet pump has never broken down but it often doesn't work
due to electricity blackouts. I live in Pasar Kemis district of
Tangerang, an area where blackouts happens very often.

Once, I had a bad experience with a blackout which affected
the work of a jet pump. I was in a beauty parlor, having my hair
cream bathed and shampooed, when suddenly the electricity broke
down and the jet pump in the parlor stopped working. So, I had to
wait for more than 10 minutes to have my hair rinsed thoroughly.

Dwi Priyono, an electronic consulting engineer:

Collecting up-to-date and sophisticated electronic equipment
is my hobby.

Buying and using new electronic equipment also helps me keep
abreast of the latest technology.

I could spend hours on a weekend touring electronics centers,
going from one place to another just to know the latest model of
electronic goods and also to compare the prices of one particular
appliance in different stores.

I have two television sets. The bigger one is in the living
room, while the smaller one I keep in my bedroom.

I also have a VHS video player, as well as a laser disc
player, a compact audio system complete with amplifier,
equalizer, booster and two sets of dolby stereo loudspeakers.

I also have a washing machine, an electric iron and a vacuum
cleaner.

If any of the electronic items breaks, I immediately buy a new
one because I need them so badly. (cst/imn/09)