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Simple joys in a modern life

There are modern conveniences that definitely make life better.

Some of them are little things. For example, one definite sticking point for a few of us has always been getting the year right on checks. Traditionally, it has taken till March and sometimes April for us to adjust to writing the correct (new) year on checks. Then, just when it became second nature to get the right year, it would change again.

Now, though, with electronic bill paying online, it is up to the bank to figure out what year it is. One simply tells the computer, “Pay George’s Fudge Factory” the $200 owed for Christmas candy and it is done. Once. No more checks coming back because the date is a year old.

No more stores thinking you are an idiot because you can’t get the year (sometimes the decade) right.

Another small — but important — improvement is the development of the remote control. Remember when you used to have to stand to change the channel, open the garage door or adjust the fan?

Now you can magically march through 200 or so channels searching vainly for something decent to watch without getting off your duff. You never really appreciate your garage door opener until the darn thing breaks. Ropes to open doors are for the birds.

And adjusting fan speeds at random is just fun.

So, while these conveniences may not have been the equivalent of finding a cure for frostbite, we’d like to thank their inventors just the same. Appearing less stupid to others and not having to move much are important items in our life.

It is good to see there are people devoting their lives developing tools to coddle the feeble-minded and the lazy.

* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.

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