The Bane of Leafblowers

In my mind, there is no modern appliance so annoying as the leaf blower. They vibrate at a pitch  that is designed to destroy concentration, are ubiquitous and guzzle energy.  But their worst fault is that they are unnecessary. A broom removes the leaves from a front lawn or porch just as efficiently with less noise and distraction to every one else.

But this desire for complex technology to do the job of simple objects is not restricted to leaf blowers. I see it many different appliances- especially for the kitchen- and begin to wonder if the bit of ease which this specialized tool offers our lives is really worth the increase of complexity and clutter. When I have thought about this idea more, I'll write a longer post. But I wanted to see if anyone else found overly specialized objects to be more a help or a hindrance to their lives.