Benjamin's blog has a new home!

Benjamin's blog has moved to its new address:
www.benjaminyoung.com.

 

 

 

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Roomba: this Robot-Vacuum Doesn't Suck

Or, rather, it does a really superior job of sucking... Sucking up all the dirt, dust and debris in your house, that is. Designed by MIT researchers and launched in September 2002, the Roomba has yet to become a common household item but once you try one, you won't want to go back to regular vacuum cleaning. Take my word for it--I've been robot-enabled for the past five years.

Without getting into the nitty-gritty, suffice it to say the Roomba actually works! Pretty much exactly as promised.

I first saw it thanks to random channel-surfing one night. As I flipped past the Home Shopping Network (a good place to get a discounted Roomba, by the way), my interest was peeked by the little round thing magically cleaning a filthy floor without any human help. For the first time, I actually sat through an infomercial, transfixed as the miniature robot detected and swept up piles of dust, while seamlessly avoiding obstacles and returning to its home based when it needed a charge. A week later I was enjoying the same spectacle in my very own living room. The remarkable thing about the Roomba is that it turns an unpleasant but necessary task into something fun and remarkably easy. The Roomba does all the work and, as promised, actually outperforms regular vacuums by going over areas multiple times until they are clean. The only caveat is that the floor must be clear of any items that might topple over or get in the robot's way. (It can deal with area rugs and normal furniture but not unusually delicate items, as the device does bump into things as it learns the lay of the land.)

Perhaps the biggest plus for me, other than not having to do any actual vacuuming myself, is the reduced noise level as compared with traditional vacuum cleaners. I have sensitive ears and this had always been an issue. While far from silent, the Roomba's small motor is noticeably less annoying than traditional, seemingly V8 engine-powered vacuums. Goodbye noise, hello clean rooms--a beneficial trade by any standards.

So, as noted earlier, this invention may not be brand spanking new but it still hasn't been widely adopted (despite worldwide sales of three million units, according to iRobot) and is still unfamiliar to many. As such, I thought it deserved a review. To sum up, the Roomba works, can be found at a discount through online retailers such as HSN.com and pays for itself through time saved, reduced noise pollution, and more frequent (and efficient) cleaning as a result of vacuuming no longer being a chore. My verdict: what are you waiting for?

A Few Ownership Tips:
- Clearing the floor of any papers, books and fragile items is a must.
- If you only use your Roomba once a month or so, fully charge and remove the battery from the unit after use. Then, fully charge it again right before the next cleaning cycle. This prolongs battery life.
- For increased battery performance, allow your Roomba to completely discharge (by letting it clean until it runs really low), then fully charge the battery.
- Empty your Roomba's dust chamber and clean the filter midway, especially if you haven't vacuumed in a while. Simply pause the cleaning cycle to do this. (The little dust container fills up quickly, at least on the 4 series models.)
- Instead of replacing the filter after a couple of uses, clean it with tap water. Remember to thoroughly dry the filter before re-inserting. This should allow one filter to last at least a few months.
- Don't move furniture around too much during a cleaning cycle, unless you enjoy confusing your robot (a definite possible source of entertainment). The Roomba "learns" the layout of your house as it vacuums, so moving items may result in slightly less efficient vacuuming.
- For smaller apartments, virtual walls aren't really useful and the robot can easily be blocked by closing doors and/or setting up obstacles.
- If your Roomba 3 or 4 series goes berserk (turning around and around in circles when asked to clean), contact iRobot. They will send you a software update free of charge, even if your unit is out of warranty. The software patch fixes the issue and enhances your unit's efficiency.

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Classical Music Can Be Popular After All (Particularly When Free)

Ask the majority of New Yorkers about the "Free for All at Town Hall" concert series and you will most likely receive blank stares. After all, classical music—even free—isn't for your average Joe Six-Pack or Hockey Mom... But, then again, New York City isn't the country's cultural capital for nothing and I suppose I really shouldn't have been surprised to discover the program's overwhelming success.

Living in a city replete with choices in all areas of art and entertainment paradoxically means having to miss out on a number of enticing events. Practically speaking, it is impossible to be in all corners of Manhattan (let alone Brooklyn and the other boroughs) at once. For this reason alone, I suspect the "Free for All" series has managed to fly under the radar of many an avid classical music-goer such as myself. Call it a feeble excuse or poor judgment on my part but, although I have been aware of the program for several years, I have never managed to fit it into a packed cultural calendar.

This all changed when I learned the final "Free for All" of the season would mark the first appearance by a string quartet—and not just any old ensemble, the Emerson String Quartet. Add to that an all-Schubert program designed specifically to cater to one of my musical weaknesses, and clearly the time had come to experience this daring alternative to Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

So, when Sunday arrived, I decided to hike over to Town Hall and pick up a pair of free tickets. My plan was to arrive at around noon, when the box office opened, and join the line that would inevitably be forming outside the theater. Imagine my shock when I discovered that at 12:35 PM the said line stretched all the way to the nearest cross-street, clear up one full block and three-quarters of the way down the next street! A jaded realist who has been known to mourn classical music as a dying art form, I couldn't help but wonder whether Beethoven, Mozart—or in this case Schubert—for the masses were in fact not as implausible as I had always imagined. Pondering the possibility I had entered some sort of alternate reality where a string quartet had achieved rock star status, I sauntered over to the end of the line, most likely looking somewhat confounded.

I never expected to be writing this about standing in a queue but it was at that moment that the fun really began. Fortunately for everyone in attendance, it was the first sunny day in a while, which lent a more festive feel than would have been possible if we had all been sloshing around in the rain. The wide cross-section of people in attendance could not go unheeded: a multitude of races, ages and social classes were represented. Locals and repeat-attendees were duly equipped with books, while newcomers looked around in wonderment. I spoke with people who had traveled from other states to attend the concert, as well as New Yorkers young and old who, like me, were there for the first time. The enthusiasm of those waiting to secure tickets was palpable from both seasoned patrons of the arts and those for whom this would be the first such experience.

What was most astounding about the concert later that day was the number of youthful faces that could be seen eagerly waiting to hear one of the all-time great American string quartets. Although most concert halls offer student tickets, this is the first time I have attended a classical music concert where gray-haired patrons were firmly in the minority. More than anything else, this validates the success of "Free for All."

When she co-founded the program, Jacqueline Taylor envisioned a performance space that would expose people from all walks of life to first-rate classical music normally reserved for an elite group, and form a new generation of aficionados. Taylor's impressive credentials and relentless belief in her undertaking allowed her to do just that. Having served as the Executive Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and founded the critically-acclaimed chamber music program at the 92nd Street Y, under the watchful eye of her former mentor, boss and “Free for All” co-founder Omus Hirshbein, Taylor was uniquely positioned to see this ambitious project to fruition in 2001. Along with Hirshbein, she was able to draw on her connections not only to attract world-class artists but also secure the funding that has allowed the program to live up to its name for eight seasons. Consistently filling to capacity the 1,500-seat Town Hall with an audience that enthusiastically turns out to hear renowned musicians such as Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Anne-Marie McDermott, Peter Serkin and Dawn Upshaw, "Free for All" is proof positive that bringing great music to the people can be more than just a naïve dream. More important, the program’s success reminds the cynics among us that the great classics really can be enjoyed by all.

Details on “Free for All at Town Hall” can be found on the Twin Lions, Inc. web site.

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