When Fancy Appliances Fall Short
Reassessing the tools we’ve long relied on, and the ones that claim to improve our lives
This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.
You know America’s most controversial appliance when you hear it: The leaf blower is loud, it’s messy, and it’s a hazard to the environment. But Ian Bogost recently argued that we’re thinking about leaf blowers all wrong: “Excessive use of blowers, not the tools themselves, should be taken as the villain here,” he wrote. A full ban on the appliance is impossible as long as yards are part of American life, so limiting its use would be the best path forward.
Today’s newsletter explores the appliances we’ve relied on for decades, and those that claim to usher in new ways of living—with varied success.
On Our Appliances
A Defense of the Leaf Blower
By Ian Bogost
Reassessing America’s most hated appliance
A $700 Kitchen Tool That’s Meant to Be Seen, Not Used
By Ellen Cushing
KitchenAid’s newest stand mixer seems like a great appliance—for people who don’t actually bake.
The Microwave Makes No Sense
By Jacob Sweet
Every kitchen appliance is getting smart—except one.
Still Curious?
- Your TV is too good for you: 4K resolution is a sham, Ian Bogost argues.
- KitchenAid did it right 87 years ago: Modern appliances are rarely built to last. They could learn something from the KitchenAid stand mixer, Anna Kramer argues.
Other Diversions
- The silliest, sexiest show of the year
- Why you might need an adventure
- Why are baseball players always eating?
P.S.
I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that sparks their sense of awe in the world. John Ambrose, 72, wrote that he took this photo “looking due west from my front door in Glastonbury, CT. The sky kept changing and went from an orange to a deep pink.”
I’ll continue to feature your responses in the coming weeks. If you’d like to share, reply to this email with a photo and a short description so we can share your wonder with fellow readers in a future edition of this newsletter or on our website. Please include your name (initials are okay), age, and location. By doing so, you agree that The Atlantic has permission to publish your photo and publicly attribute the response to you, including your first name and last initial, age, and/or location that you share with your submission.
— Isabel
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