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Mother

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Re: Mother

#101

Post by allochthon »

mortenjorck wrote: post #51
nostromo wrote: post #30

Wait, is this real? It seems like commentary on the current zeitgeist, not a real product. > Mother. Mother knows everything. > She's like a mom, only better. > Sense: the meaning of life® edit: I see they are based in France, so perhaps the branding didn't translate well.

Even allowing for a language barrier, this has to be the most overtly Huxleyan branding I've seen on a consumer product. It's unnerving.

this has to be the most overtly Huxleyan branding I've seen on a consumer product

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for the product they're selling, which is both cool and odd in a 1984 kind of way.

Re: Mother

#102

Post by lylejohnson »

CodeMage wrote: post #20

That was a really poor choice of a name. It took me less than 10 seconds to start hearing Pink Floyd's "Mother" [1] in my head. Once that started happening, I just couldn't stay objective while looking at the pitch. [1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0HrrR9QDQU

Also the name of a song by The Police, also with decidedly negative sentiments.

Re: Mother

#103

Post by pcurve »

krz wrote: post #94
pcurve wrote: post #93

We all may be suffering from a case of Fortune 100 CEO syndrome. That is, we all wish our lives are so busy and important that we need personal assistants managing our lives. So we buy these products that make us feel more important. It documents what we do, and it tells back our story through a dashboard, in an autobiographical way, as if we're some kind of celebrities. But are we that important?

It's all about measurable goals and improvements, not about importance.

Goals and improvements are important, but are these tools really effective, or are they praying on our vanity? How effective can this possibly measure how many cups of coffee or water I am drinking, how many steps I'm taking, if I'm medications or not, etc.

This one takes the cake.

"Get notified if the fridge door is left open and it gets warmer. At the same time, keep track of your snacking between meals."

Re: Mother

#105

Post by Fasebook »

carls wrote: post #86

This seems to be a herald to the situation described in the poem All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace (1967) by Richard Brautigan. I like to think (and the sooner the better!) of a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky. I like to think (right now, please!) of a cybernetic forest filled with pines and electronics where dee…

Also a British documentary from 2011, very good, imho:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_of...

http://vimeo.com/38724174

Re: Mother

#107

Post by protez »

This is one of the most horrendous brandings I've ever seen. Maybe, the horrible branding is intentional, but it's damn too creepy for sane users who dare using their product.

Re: Mother

#108

Post by usablebytes »

jds375 wrote: post #2

Seems like a pretty cool product. They have an amazing design and a beautifully done website too. Only thing I am a bit concerned about is the price. It costs 222 USD for a base unit and 4 cookies (sensors). Here's a video from CES2014 about it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=024OPHSgOqo

I could find almost nothing on this thread to agree with. None of the other comments here make sense. I have high respect for HN community but this page make me doubt it. Why should we discuss the name? Apple, Windows - aren't they funny product names? How does it matter? What matters is a new product is launching - our community's criticism should help the product owner. If there are things that we believe won't work - give reasons. Appreciate what's good about it. Name, too, can be criticized but don't make fun out of it. Somebody has worked so hard on making that product a reality; respect that hardwork.

What I like about the product is the very idea. And also the way they have explained it on the website, the graphics, text everything. Really appreciable.

Re: Mother

#109

Post by nilkn »

krz wrote: post #94
pcurve wrote: post #93

We all may be suffering from a case of Fortune 100 CEO syndrome. That is, we all wish our lives are so busy and important that we need personal assistants managing our lives. So we buy these products that make us feel more important. It documents what we do, and it tells back our story through a dashboard, in an autobiographical way, as if we're some kind of celebrities. But are we that important?

It's all about measurable goals and improvements, not about importance.

I think his point is that this doesn't provide much in the way of meaningful measurements or analytics. It's not actually a better way to, say, track soda consumption--it's just more self-aggrandizing.

Re: Mother

#110

Post by michaelwww »

MartinCron wrote: post #36

Just yesterday I posted a quasi-luddite rant about how these smart devices and services are infantalizing. And now they're naming one Mother ? I can't tell if I should feel vindicated or offended.

"All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace"

http://allpoetry.com/poem/8508991-All-Watched-Over-By-Machin...

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