DANGER: We Are Losing Control!

One of the guiding mottos of my life is "The more things you own, the more things own you."

Let me explain. You own a house -- you have to repair it, insure it, pay taxes on it -- it costs you money. You buy a fancy suit of clothes, and it has a tag in it the says "Dry Clean Only." A bad sign! You have to ransom it back from the cleaners every third time you wear it. Unless you're sloppy -- then it's every time you wear it.

This evening, on a commercial break on "Numb3rs" they showed a car that, when it needs repairs, sends a signal to the dealership, and the dealer calls the owner to tell him he needs to bring the car in to be fixed.

What is this world coming to! Next time you are in the process of buying something different, think! Am I going to own this, or is it going to own me?

Another motto I live by -- post computer -- is "I refuse to own anything that is smarter than I am." That's a hard one to live by.