3 ms·

Why the Kitchen Computing Dream of the 80s Never Caught On

17 points by badboyboyce 12y ago

BruceIV 12y ago
I find the assumption throughout the last few paragraphs that being a hobbyist is a masculine thing rather sexist, and not representative of reality.
- derefr 12y ago
  I think the author was confusing sexism for classism. The book is definitely aimed at people who are cooking to impress someone rather than people who are cooking to eat—but that set identifies "rich people", not "men". In other words, the book is aimed at the same sort of people who would, in 1980, invite their friends over to marvel at their new $6000 computer.
- DonHopkins 12y ago
  iPad are very useful in the kitchen! And easy to clean in the dishwasher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeA5xU2YjXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeA5xU2YjXk
noonespecial 12y ago
The most useful kitchen information product I've ever used is a photocopied page, laminated.
jerf 12y ago
I dunno... I can't help but feel the entire article was undercut by the third-to-last paragraph. If computing now doesn't look like it did in the 80s, well... where else does it now, either? It took longer than pundits may have anticipated, but nowadays I know all the places in my kitchen that I can plop down my tablet now, with the Pinterest-provided recipe. Or Netflix. Or both. I can't help but feel the article would have worked better with the exact same facts as "How The Kitchen Computing Dream Of The 80s Is Finally Here". And there's actually an interesting article there. (Though I tangentially wrote it already... kitchen computing isn't likely to be "a cookbook, but on a computer!" http://www.jerf.org/iri/post/2916 http://www.jerf.org/iri/post/2916 But it's interesting to think about how it is indeed finally here and where we may be going in the next ten years.)
nikanj 12y ago
I'm reading this on an iPad while in the kitchen, and I think I'm not the only one who has a tablet floating around while cooking
jdietrich 12y ago
I think that this article falls into exactly the kind of ignorant trap that it describes, by failing to recognise the diversity of users and their computing needs. Mobile and tablet devices have brought about widespread use of computing in the kitchen. Pinterest has millions of users sharing recipes and food ideas. A quick browse of the major app stores reveals dozens of popular cooking apps. Most people don't really need any sort of reference material in the kitchen, but there are a significant number of niches where computing can be fantastically useful, verging on life-changing. People on calorie-restricted or low sodium diets can find easy-to-use databases of ingredients and recipes and track their food intake. Coeliacs, vegans and people with food allergies can easily check to see if a food product is suitable for them. Diabetics can track their carbohydrate intake and blood glucose levels; The latest generation of glucometers are Bluetooth enabled. Ask anyone who repairs phones and tablets, and they'll tell you about all the devices they have resuscitated from a dip in cake batter or the kitchen sink. Computing in the kitchen is no longer a technologist's pipe dream, but a practical reality. Our industry is still dreadful at understanding the needs of people who aren't affluent tech-savvy men, but I would argue that we're even worse at recognising and celebrating the companies who are getting it right.

17 points by badboyboyce 12y ago

I find the assumption throughout the last few paragraphs that being a hobbyist is a masculine thing rather sexist, and not representative of reality.

derefr 12y ago
I think the author was confusing sexism for classism. The book is definitely aimed at people who are cooking to impress someone rather than people who are cooking to eat—but that set identifies "rich people", not "men". In other words, the book is aimed at the same sort of people who would, in 1980, invite their friends over to marvel at their new $6000 computer.
DonHopkins 12y ago
iPad are very useful in the kitchen! And easy to clean in the dishwasher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeA5xU2YjXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeA5xU2YjXk

noonespecial 12y ago

The most useful kitchen information product I've ever used is a photocopied page, laminated.

jerf 12y ago

I dunno... I can't help but feel the entire article was undercut by the third-to-last paragraph. If computing now doesn't look like it did in the 80s, well... where else does it now, either? It took longer than pundits may have anticipated, but nowadays I know all the places in my kitchen that I can plop down my tablet now, with the Pinterest-provided recipe. Or Netflix. Or both. I can't help but feel the article would have worked better with the exact same facts as "How The Kitchen Computing Dream Of The 80s Is Finally Here". And there's actually an interesting article there. (Though I tangentially wrote it already... kitchen computing isn't likely to be "a cookbook, but on a computer!" http://www.jerf.org/iri/post/2916 http://www.jerf.org/iri/post/2916 But it's interesting to think about how it is indeed finally here and where we may be going in the next ten years.)

nikanj 12y ago

I'm reading this on an iPad while in the kitchen, and I think I'm not the only one who has a tablet floating around while cooking

jdietrich 12y ago

I think that this article falls into exactly the kind of ignorant trap that it describes, by failing to recognise the diversity of users and their computing needs. Mobile and tablet devices have brought about widespread use of computing in the kitchen. Pinterest has millions of users sharing recipes and food ideas. A quick browse of the major app stores reveals dozens of popular cooking apps. Most people don't really need any sort of reference material in the kitchen, but there are a significant number of niches where computing can be fantastically useful, verging on life-changing. People on calorie-restricted or low sodium diets can find easy-to-use databases of ingredients and recipes and track their food intake. Coeliacs, vegans and people with food allergies can easily check to see if a food product is suitable for them. Diabetics can track their carbohydrate intake and blood glucose levels; The latest generation of glucometers are Bluetooth enabled. Ask anyone who repairs phones and tablets, and they'll tell you about all the devices they have resuscitated from a dip in cake batter or the kitchen sink. Computing in the kitchen is no longer a technologist's pipe dream, but a practical reality. Our industry is still dreadful at understanding the needs of people who aren't affluent tech-savvy men, but I would argue that we're even worse at recognising and celebrating the companies who are getting it right.