Today while I was taking a break from my yardwork, I watched a Japanese television show with my wife. The show that we watched was a videotaped episode of "Sanma and Tamao make your dreams come true." My Mother-in-law sent us a bunch of Japanese television shows on video for my wife to watch.
On that show, they showed one nerdy guy who was pining for this lady who he used to work with. The producers of the show dressed him up in a nice suit, rented him a Mercedes Benz, and arranged a meeting between the two. Of course, the lady rejected the poor guy; but let him take her in a ride around the block in the nice car. (That's the way that those "secret-admirer meetings usually go.)
The other segments were a bit more uplifting. There were two pampered teenage girls who were taken on a week-long trek across the Sahara desert in order to experience hardships en route to an oasis. There were these two college-aged boys who fulfilled dreams of swimming with dolphins and mantas in Australia. (One guy was way too excited to see a manta, but his enthusiasm was quite charming.) There were two other high school-aged girls who fulfilled their dreams of being pearl-divers.
I have often criticized Japanese television for being stupid; but truth-be-told, there are some really interesting shows out there. In general, I like the shows that don't involve comedians bullying each other.
**And now my topic**
During the show we saw a commercial for this device called the "i-pot."
The i-pot is an electronic water heater. These sorts of pots are normally used for keeping water warm for tea, miso soup, ramen, and coffee.
The special feature of the i-pot is that it is able to communicate with the internet. Each time the i-pot is used, a text-message or an e-mail is sent to someone who monitors use of the product. The selling point is that it allows people to know that things are "okay at home."
If the water-pot is used, it means that someone is home or an aging relative is at least well-enough to use the water pot. It gives peace-of-mind to people who aren't able to be at home at any particular time.
I thought that it is a pretty interesting product.
