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)