When fancy appliances fail – Carswellfamilyfoundation

Re-evaluating the tools we’ve long relied on and those that claim to improve our lives

Microwave oven image with doodles — Illustration by The Atlantic

November 2, 2024 9:00 am ET

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a selection of stories that will pique your curiosity and delight you. Register here to receive it every Saturday morning.

When you hear it, you know America’s most controversial device: a leaf blower is loud, dirty, and an environmental hazard. But Ian Bogost recently argued that we’re thinking about leaf blowers wrong: “The villain here should be the overuse of leaf blowers, not the tools themselves,” he wrote. A complete ban on this device is not possible as long as yards are a part of American life, so limiting its use would be the best way forward.

Today’s newsletter focuses on the appliances we’ve relied on for decades, as well as the appliances that claim to usher in a new way of living – with varying degrees of success.

About our technology

Leaf blower protection

Ian Bogost

America’s Most Hated Appliance Reassessed

Read the article.

A $700 Kitchen Tool That Should Be Seen, Not Used

Ellen Cushing

KitchenAid’s newest stand mixer seems like a great appliance for people who don’t really bake.

Read the article.

Microwave doesn’t make sense

Jacob Sweet

Every kitchen appliance is becoming smart, except one.

Read the article.

Still curious?

Other entertainment

I recently asked readers to share a photo of something that makes them feel awe of the world. John Ambrose, 72, wrote that he took the photo “looking west from my front door in Glastonbury, Connecticut. The sky kept changing and changed color from orange to dark pink.”

I will continue to post your responses in the coming weeks.

— Isabelle