I wrote:
The gadget makes a noise "unlike a motor" more futuristic, apparently.
I guess it means the sound is unlike the internal combustion engine, and more like the electric motor. That is annoying whine like a giant mosquito. I guess it is better than playing a cell-phone ring tone or "Pop Goes the Weasel" like an ice cream vendor truck. My suggestion was that they play a voice bawling out "Make way!!! Bow down!" ("Shita ni!") like the retainers who went ahead the daimyo processions in old Edo.
The latest Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker plays charming yet slightly annoying tunes as they begin and end cooking: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Amaryllis." You can turn off the feature. It is part of what I call computer-age rococo. When a technology develops past the point at which it which it satisfies a basic need, it is then used for frivolous or decorative ends. Examples from the 19th century include embossed name cards with multiple complex fonts, and elaborate "gingerbread" trim for houses, pre-cut at the factory. The latter looks quaint to us, but they were cutting edge and futuristic at the time.
- Jed
