The true nature of the “Singularity” is not post-apocalyptic robot overlords but smug umbrella-stands and lawnmowers that unfriend you on Facebook argues David Bradley…

You know you’ve arrived in a dystopian future when your vacuum cleaner refuses to clean the sofa and your umbrella-stand warns you of heavy rain but you ignore it on your way out the door. When the microwave oven knows to order a Chinese takeaway because your significant other has not arrived to cook a meal and your car monitors conversations between the garbage disposal and the elevator in your apartment block, then things have really gone awry in technology.

What we really don’t need is ubiquitous connectivity. I don’t want the gadget that controls my living room curtains following me on Twitter, nor my printer dithering about whether it should order itself a new inkjet cartridge. When I’m driving, I’d prefer not to be distracted by the washing machine inboxing me to say it’s started the spin cycle ahead of schedule or finding that the lawnmower has unfriended me on Facebook.

This is a true vision of The Singularity not our machine overlords controlling us with gigantic flamethrowers in a post-apocalyptic cityscape of rubble and burning skyscraper stumps, but the irritating smugness of an umbrella-stand that “did warn you” of heavy rain as you walk through the door soaked to the skin.

Thanks to Andrea (raimondiand) for drawing my attention to this video.