h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Honestly - there is a production model washing machine that you can contact over the internet...

Ariston have produced a washing machine called Margherita 2000 that can be contacted remotely via the web.

The advertisement blurb states a good reason for being able to contact your washing machine over the web...

"I am in office. A new non-scheduled commitment: tomorrow morning I will go to Paris. Luckily I have already put into the washing machine my two favourites cashmere sweaters. If I start margherita right now, when tonight I go back home, I will be able to hang them out and for tomorrow morning they will be ready. I connect with www.margherita2000.com, select the cashmere program, spin at 400 rpm, 30° and anti-wrinkles function."

Now, one minor flaw in this argument is that you have to put the washing into the machine before leaving the house...

8/10 for effort, though.

While we're on the subject of internet ready household aplpiances:

LG are bringing their Internet ready fridge to the UK, with Korea, Japan and the States. You scan in and out the food you use, so it knows what's in there, orders more once you've ran out form an online supermarket and is a mine of recipe and nutritional information.

A university student as part of their engineering degree designed and built an Internet toaster. Once you've put a slice of bread in and switched it on, it connects to the Met Office website, checks the local weather forecast and burns onto the toast the weather and temperature (eg, if it's raining it'll burn a raincloud cloud onto the toast).

What's wrong with looking out of the window?

The 'looking out the window' query just posted applies to the 24-hour weather channel and the website weather, too. I have seen people at work spend hours checking the weather all over the world, and some never get thru a morning without checking it - although presumably they drove thru it to get there... And even if you know the weather - THEY ARE AT WORK - they can't change clothes, take a different route, cover the veggies in case of snow...

I just had this image of a computer virus that attacked people's washing machines...

And what if your laundry isn't Y2K compliant?

I was reading in the computer show guide the other day that someone has come up with a web-enabled toilet that actually analyses the content of your faeces and sends a report to the doctor. If necessary the toilet can book an appointment for you!???!

On a more serious note:

These internet fridges...I read somewhere that there could be a health risk, because they connect to the internet they are suspectable to viruses. But the viruses could actually infect your food (not cold enough perhaps? I don't know, use your imagination ) and actually be a health risk!!

Yeah right...

Maybe...but not likely...

So hackers now get their kicks from decompiling tubs of pasta salad, and writing little spyware apps that make you buy loads of desserts? Whatever turns them on I suppose.