One of my new year resolutions for 2013 is to limit those fuddy-duddy behaviours that remind me of how much I am ageing.
The older I get the more I seem to adopt little routines and habits that show my age (like enjoying my cup of tea at the same time each day).
They are only little things, but it is becoming a tad disconcerting. (Readers over the age of 45 will know exactly what I am talking about).
So in a bid to modernise my lifestyle and be more ‘on-trend’, I decided to try to be more social media-savvy. The problem is that it takes up a hell of a lot of time, for very little reward. To me it is just one big social responsibility!
Try keeping a Facebook page up-to-date while sending the occasional tweet and posting pictures on Instagram, it’s positively exhausting. And let’s be honest: who has a life so interesting that it is worthy of being broadcast over the Internet every few hours? Certainly not mine.
And who the hell has the energy to be so self-obsessed anyway? Oh dear, I really am starting to sound old.
I may have failed when it comes to juggling my social media responsibilities, but I am certainly more aware of what’s trending and what’s not, so I do know that air conditioning is so yesterday.
That’s right: today it is all about 'digitally controlled climates' (DCC), or for those choosing to be a little more retro, there’s the natural options that are being revisited in place of mechanical solutions.
For example, natural ventilation and the use of wind towers are making a comeback in the current low carbon age.
Full details are included in this month’s feature on indoor air quality (IAQ) which begins on page 18. And the digital option? This is being led by tech giants like Microsoft and Samsung. These companies see the humble home as the next big battleground for the consumer dollar.
We already spend a small fortune on home entertainment centres, automated household appliances and other intelligent devices. Think digital dream home with fully computerised kitchens, and our very own cleaners in the form of life-sized robots.
Remember how it all began with the Internet fridge? Now there will be no appliance or household surface that isn’t ‘connected’.
In addition to using our smartphone to adjust lights, temperature or change music, sound systems and screens will be built within walls to save space. Then there is the promise of ‘smart’ windows that will be much bigger than traditional windows, and an integral part of the many IAQ features that will form modern residential design.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates spent $63 million building his digital dream home which of course features a digitally controlled climate system.
Sure, we can’t all afford to spend $63 million on our dream home, but according to Microsoft many of the space-age features the software giant is touting today will become the norm for homeowners within the next decade.
In fact Microsoft is showcasing one of these ‘homes of the future’ at its campus in the US.
It features a kitchen where recipes are projected onto the counter for easy reading. Children can play video games projected onto a table, and bedrooms have interactive wall posters that change depending on the homeowner’s mood.
But my personal favourite is definitely the robotic maid. Bossa Nova Robotics is developing a robot maid modelled on Rosie from The Jetsons cartoon and it only costs $5000.Robots able to undertake more complex tasks, in addition to household chores such as vacuuming, cost around $25,000.
I don’t think we are ever too old to get excited about the prospect of owning a robot. Personally, I can’t wait.
No doubt the price will drop as demand increases, which is good news, and I certainly expect demand to increase. My vision of the future is a world where everyone is so busy managing their social media accounts they are forced to own a robot.
While it may be a little too early to embrace the world of DCC, the world of IAQ is growing steadily. The latest reportstock.com study shows that the global IAQ market is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.49 per cent through to 2016.
Until next month, stay young and prosperous.