My washer and dryer is smarter than yours.

When you travel about Las Vegas during the International Electronics Exhibition, you will often find the word description, “Smart.” Certainly a term a bit over used to describe various products. Many household appliances are described as “Smart.” Oh really?

Refrigerators, washers, dryers, microwaves and possibly even garbage disposals. All very smart and at your service. Oh sure. Is there a smart toilet? It flushes when a yellow stream hits the water? Well, just kidding.

Nonetheless, the one smart gadget I think is a bit over rated is the “Smart TV.” Smart TV? It sounds a bit Oxymoronic don’t you think? Can you have TV and reasonable intelligence all in one place? Hardly so. The two don’t seem to mix well. Kind of like Einstein marrying Roseanne Barr.

To me, TV is the instrument of choice for instant stupidity. The family room Cyclopes. The Boobtube. A device to suck the brains from your children’s heads. The ubiquitous time waster. Sometimes called Vegetation vision.

But, back to this Smart thing. Who’s to say these electronic widgets are smart? Is there a national certification board the gives a seal of approval certifying appliance Smart? Does each device take a test? Is there a beer bust after the graduation ceremony?

My suggestion is to just read to your kids and they will become smart. Let their brains work on their own. Turn off the “Stupid TV!” Even if it is suppose to be “Smart.”