We are exceedingly grateful to the creators of the Internet, microwave oven, cell phone and dozens of other time-saving devices that enrich and benefit us in so many ways.

But these high-tech machines, as convenient and useful as they are, do not make me feel better. Logging on to the computer, sticking a bag of popcorn into the microwave or answering my cell phone doesn’t put a smile on my face.

I recently read a story in the Los Angeles Times about a low-tech machine that is guaranteed to make even the grouchiest person feel better.

” A woman pushing a stroller across the street in the 92-degree heat is met with aggressive honks from hurried drivers. One of her sandals is chafing her heel and her baby has spit his pacifier onto the pavement.

But things are just about to look up.

A 5-foot-high red-and-white-striped box dings as she walks by, and a disembodied voice says: “You have changed for the better.”

At first, the look on her face is bewilderment. Then, slowly, it changes to a smile.”

From the LATimes.Com

This “Compliment Machine”, the creation of Tom Greaves, is a very low-tech gadget. It’s a wooden box with an iPod inside with 100 recorded compliments.
 
This is a terrific idea and I can’t wait until there’s a Compliment Machine in my downtown. I’m tired of all the nasty comments my essays elicit, it would be wonderful to hear a compliment for a change.
 
Would people believe a compliment received from a funky wooden box with an iPod inside? Hey, they swallow the fantastic claims of commercials. Most folks are persuaded that buying a particular brand of toothpaste will brighten their smiles, prevent tartar buildup and cavities, treat gingivitis, make them more appealing to the opposite sex and fight global warming.
 
Maybe I can bribe the creator of the Compliment Machine to donate one to my town, and the iPod inside the box will have only one compliment: Robert, you are the greatest writer in the world.

We are exceedingly grateful to the creators of the Internet, microwave oven, cell phone and dozens of other time-saving devices that enrich and benefit us in so many ways.

But these high-tech machines, as convenient and useful as they are, do not make me feel better. Logging on to the computer, sticking a bag of popcorn into the microwave or answering my cell phone doesn't put a smile on my face.

I recently read a story in the Los Angeles Times about a low-tech machine that is guaranteed to make even the grouchiest person feel better.

" A woman pushing a stroller across the street in the 92-degree heat is met with aggressive honks from hurried drivers. One of her sandals is chafing her heel and her baby has spit his pacifier onto the pavement.

But things are just about to look up.

A 5-foot-high red-and-white-striped box dings as she walks by, and a disembodied voice says: "You have changed for the better."

At first, the look on her face is bewilderment. Then, slowly, it changes to a smile."

From the LATimes.Com

This "Compliment Machine", the creation of Tom Greaves, is a very low-tech gadget. It's a wooden box with an iPod inside with 100 recorded compliments.
 
This is a terrific idea and I can't wait until there's a Compliment Machine in my downtown. I'm tired of all the nasty comments my essays elicit, it would be wonderful to hear a compliment for a change.
 
Would people believe a compliment received from a funky wooden box with an iPod inside? Hey, they swallow the fantastic claims of commercials. Most folks are persuaded that buying a particular brand of toothpaste will brighten their smiles, prevent tartar buildup and cavities, treat gingivitis, make them more appealing to the opposite sex and fight global warming.
 
Maybe I can bribe the creator of the Compliment Machine to donate one to my town, and the iPod inside the box will have only one compliment: Robert, you are the greatest writer in the world.