The Changing Definitions of Necessities and Luxuries

Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster, by Dana Thomas, brings a hard hitting, raw look at the world of luxury and the mass demand of luxury that has occurred. The book was published by the Penguin Group in 2007. Luxury is defined by Thomas as truly special, and was only available to the aristocratic world of wealth and old money in western culture. Luxury signified an experience and lifestyle that denotes royalty, fame, and fortune. However, with large companies owning the former family-owned luxury producing businesses, profits are the main goal not the production of luxury. Thomas reveals the unfortunate demise and rise of

Ever since technology began so prominent in the modern world, can anyone remember going outside for more than 30 minutes and not see a cell phone or computer? Probably not, as these pieces of technology have become so ingrained in people’s lives, no one wants to leave their home without still being connected. And there is no reason to, as friends, family, and strangers share the same sentiments. Unplugging from technology is not only a decision people don’t make for personal reasons, it simply isn’t conducive to a productive life, as many people’s work and social lives wouldn’t be the same, if exist at all, without being connected to other people or the internet with just a single touch.

In modern day society , students are on instagram instead of taking notes in class, office workers shop on ebay at work and parents take their iphones to the beach instead of the books they used to to read. Maggies Jackson , a writer for Boston Globe states electronics are less of annoyances , yet becoming more of a distraction leading to a new dark age. Jackson uses personal stories and tells of her extensive research in the article to make her readers believe in her credibility. These three rhetorical appeals combining with her alarmed tone creates an effective argument on electric distranticon.

A majority of the working people sit at the desk all day, using one or more computers to work with. Even 100 years ago this was unthinkable and far away. The typewriter, the telegraph, and the first telephones and photographic apparatus were regarded as marvels of technology, which became indispensable for some branches of profession. However, most people only had very late access to modern developments that would change life and work sustainably.

Technology is great to an extent, the limit ending at when it takes over someone’s life, or even their kids. Now when technology is mentioned, it’s not a new Keurig that kids just won’t stop using, I mean an entire nursery built to recreate a scenario in your child’s head instead of them using their imagination, or an entire house that does all your housework for you, where you and your family rely on it more than you. In “The Veldt,” Ray Bradbury show shows the importance of self-care.

Technology has a disadvantage during a crisis. If the ability to use technology to communication information in a crisis situation is compromised because of power outages or damage to the system then other methods must continue to be utilized and awareness to the people who would normally use current technology for communication must be notified in another manner.

The availability of utilities such as electricity in the average household is a key point, when considering how society converted to consumer basis in the 1920’s. It opened a new opportunities for devices which improved on the perceived quality of life. It also opened the gates for new products to be purchased in every household. These types of goods decreased time

The ‘Going off Grid” assignment was going to be a challenge to really see how much we rely on technology and electronics on a daily basis just to get us through the day. Not knowing what to think before taking part in this assignment I definitely had my worries that I would not be able to make it through a whole day without using any electronics. This 24-hour period was really eye opening to see how much we do use electronics without giving it a second thought. To start off the day I woke up at 11am, it was irritating not being able to see if I had any notifications on my phone. I decided that I would go make breakfast, usually I have some sort of background noise playing while I am cooking either Netflix or music, although not having that was quite weird to me sitting there in dead silence.

What was life like before Eddison? A candle, even the best candle only transferred hardly a hundredth of light from a single bulb. Today, Opening your refrigerator could provide more light than households had before the incandescent bulb. . In the 1800s when night came upon the world was a very dark place. Since they didn't have street lighting people feared going out after dark, in fear of being robbed or harmed. Rural farmers suffered the most before electricity, They had to do their farming during daylight or use a lantern. Farmers had to water and milk their cows by hand, which could take two hours. Before electricity and technology , kids played outside more. In the 1800s most light came from gaslight or candles. One man would come into

During the 1920s, consumption of goods started producing in mass, from automobiles to household appliances, with the advancement in marketing strategies and advertisement, they were able to sell goods in mass." Frequency purchased in credit through new installment buying plans, they rapidly altered daily life. Telephones made communication easier. Vacuum cleaners, washing machine, and refrigerators transformed work in the home and reduced the demand for domestic servants"(GML,821). Increase in the household income, Americans started going on vacation, movies. "By 1929,

Many great innovations that benefited people came to earth in the 19th and 20th century. These new creations vastly improved people’s way of lives by making things easier and faster to do while some provide news and knowledge in a flash. The amazing ideas were formulated by brilliant inventors so that they could address the current needs to prevent time consuming tasks and at the same time deliver good results. Through these notable wonders which we often use were the computer, television, radio and telephone people were able to live fully and efficiently. We tackled about the most useful things and how did they become our everyday need and without these said

with no turn on communicated from the electric company, due to so many power outages, and the weather being so detrimental, the community is starting to panic. Some people have had their roofs cave in, others cannot start their vehicles. Hospitals in the area are treating many victims for hypothermia and some deaths related to the cold. People are running out of wood for their fireplaces and most people did not have any emergency packs created for possible disasters like this.

Desire birthed passion for a utopian society. Desire to no longer be a beast of burden; spending more time pursuing comforts, less time punching a clock. If we continue to become ever more connected what will our professional lives be like in another twenty-five years? Keep in mind that research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project discovered that “49% say ICT’s make it harder for them to disconnect from their work when they are at home and on weekends.” (Madden, Mary; Jones, Sydney iii). In our 2011 society a craving to have needs met

During emergencies, the importance of our country’s communications systems becomes clear. These communications systems include the wire line and wireless telephone networks, broadcast and cable television, radio, Public Safety Land Mobile Radio, satellite systems and increasingly the Internet. For example, in an emergency, we may dial 911, call our family members to make sure they are safe, and turn on our televisions and radios to get breaking news and important updates (FCC, 2012).

The electric light bulb has been called the most important invention ever since the discovery of fire. Before eighteenth centuries, there are limited sources of light. The most common artificial light sources for people to use were only candles, oil lamps, and fire. These light sources not only emitted very weak lights, but also produced smokes and awful orders, which made people impossible to work productively after sundown. Many houses at that time period were made of timbers, therefore, having fire or open flame inside the house was hazardous. Once a house caught on fire, the entire neighborhood would be in danger, since there was no running water inside the buildings. Darkness was the epitome of evil. When the sun went down and darkness spread through, the night became the realm of crime. The darkness worked as the perfect cover for thief, murderer, and rapist.