The Future of the Microwave

Description

The microwave oven. The microwave oven will still be called the microwave as long as it uses microwave radiation to cook food. The zapping oven will still be in most North American homes, offices and schools. Its portability and convenience will still its’ main selling point. People will be able to cook decadent meals by placing the dish inside, closing the lid and simply inputting the pre-programmed code for that dish. The cook can then walk away, allowing the meal to be cooked unattended. Busy families and workers can get a hot meal quickly and conveniently.

Development

The microwave is headed towards becoming the ultimate all in one cooking appliance. The microwave has gained the ability to prepare, cook and even preserve food. The microwave will become two ovens in one, one being a microwave oven and the other being a miniature convection oven. In addition to being two ovens other models have double functions such as being a hood range and an electric range. With the new features, the microwave allows people to cook complex dishes quickly and conveniently. Say for a pot roast. The traditional way to cook it would be to marinate it, render the fat in a frying pan and finish the cooking in an oven. The roasting process would take several hours. With a hybrid microwave oven, the roasting time can be dramatically reduced due to microwave radiation cooking and the oven’s built in broiler will give the roast the same flavourful crust as in a traditional convection oven. With a microwave, it is easier to control portions as the oven is small. With full sized ovens it doesn’t matter how small the portions are, the entire oven has to be turned on. It would be costly to turn on the oven just to bake a small single serving pie.

The microwave has advanced from being just an oven. With the built in water trays, it has become a steamer. Foods requiring steam no longer have to be cooked in a steamer. The beauty of the new hybrid microwave is, anyone can cook spectacular dishes with it. With pre-programmed codes creating a turkey dinner is as pressing a button, literally. Just simply place the dish inside, input the code and the microwave will adjust cooking times based on the weight and volume of the dish. The days during the sixties when even dad can make a roast turkey dinner are making a comeback.

A new aspect of the microwave is the ability to select the cooking temperature manually. Unlike before where only the power levels were selectable, the new microwaves with have all the characteristics of a convection oven. This simple feature allows the microwave to bake, broil and roast. Breads, roasts, fish and steaks can now be cooked or finished in the microwave. One new feature that is created from selecting the temperature is the ability to dehydrate foods. Fruits and meals can now be preserved in a matter of minutes. No longer do dried foods have to be bought and the users will save money as the food won’t spoil in a few weeks.

Rationale

As previously stated in my first Techpost, microwaves are gaining more features that separate them from traditional microwave ovens. The built in broilers are used to simulate convection ovens. Hood range microwaves are for small apartments and built in steamers allow the microwave to cook foods previously not plausible. It all points to the desire to make the microwave oven more than just an appliance for reheating food. The microwave is turning to become part of the kitchen as shown by the full sized microwaves that are built into the walls. Those full sized microwave ovens sometimes are ued to replace or are a part of a convection oven. All my ideas are based off of the hybrid microwaves available today. I keep close to this era because I don’t see the microwave advancing much further than what I proposed by 2025. Even though microwave can gain many features, it will always cook with microwave radiation and that limits to what is can do and how fast it can cook. So bite sized dehydrated meals like the pizza from Back to The Future II will still be out of reach, for now at least.

LJWorld.com

(2009, Janurary 28),  Faster, cheaper microwaves working better than ever.

Retrieved Apr. 4, 2009, from:

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/jan/28/faster-cheaper-microwaves-working-better-ever/

In-class activity: Online and Offline Public Spaces

Eric Lam, Carol Tu, Mariassa Teoh, Dylan Rimmer

All content on the web is persistent. Whether it be the websites, links or content they will remain. A food court operates in a similar manner. While the content of the food court may change, the location of it stays in one place. The people are what has it last and stay.

The online social network Facebook has been persistent since its creation. It is still on the internet, flocked with many users that return day after day. The popularity of Facebook rises from the quality of its design. With its creative features and applications users will enjoy Facebook and spread the word to others, who in turn will likely dedicate their time to using Facebook and encouraging others to join. More and more of us will become regular users of the site, keeping its existence persistent.

An aspect of the persistence we should all be aware of is the content. As Facebook users, most of us know that our profile page is an open space we can type anything about ourselves we wish to share. However, we are also cautious about what we display because we realize the words we type on the internet are persistent. Such persistence keeps internet content on the internet, even if we delete or edit our posts. The webpage will always have an archived record that never changes.

This is how persistence works in a public online space, but we have also been contemplating if the same circumstances apply to a public place offline.

The food court just like a website is persistent. While stores may relocate and close down the food court stays in the same place as it is part of a building. The food court can be compared to a search engine where stores are the links. The act of walking through the food court is the same was looking for links online. People have preferences on what they want to eat. The store that sells what they want is like the first five links on Google, they stand out and most likely are the most relevant. Good websites will good content have more hits. Similarly if a shop has good food then it will get more customers.

The food in a food court is also persistent. Due to cost constraints, shops in a food court can’t afford to make large, diverse menus. This usually results in specialized shops where they do one thing well and do it very well. If the food is good then people will keep coming back. Even if a shop closes down people will remember the food and some may even make their own or recreate it. Internet memes are a perfect example of this. Nowadays most memes have lose their humor appeal and have become repetitive and annoying fads used for pranks and dull entertainment. The infamous “Over 9000!” meme is remembered for its’ slightly over the top voice acting and yet the 15 sec clip has become a worldwide phenomena. An example of how a seemingly small and insignificant item can boom in popularity. The same can be applied to a food court. Franchised shops such as Starbucks and Roastry Jack’s show are examples of stores that well known enough to be established nationally. There are also food court shops that are on par with restaurants but are not franchised.They are well known within their customers.

Persistence means to be preserved or stay as is. Content on the internet follow this rule. Information, digital or physical stays in people’s minds and may be recreated or preserved. Food is the same, while the dish may be finished but the memory of the dish stays. The content of a food court makes it persistent. The stores may move, the food court may relocate but the content can’t be forgotten.

The Technological Development of the Microwave Through History

The microwave oven can be found in almost all North American households. It is praised for it’s function to heat food quickly and conveniently. The first microwave ovens were not available until 1947 (Gallawa, 2009). Before the microwave, there were convention ovens and even earlier are gas ranges. The oven, however dates back to 3200 BC (Wikipedia, 2008).
The very first ovens household ovens were created by the Indus Valley Civilization in 3200 BC, but many historians credit the Greeks, during 300 AD, with fully utilizing the oven. At the time ovens were made from mud and clay. The ovens were heated by placing coal or wood in the bottom of the oven and using racks to place food on top of the fire to bake. This design stood for sometime. The Romans during approximately 1000 BC used wood fired ovens (Wikipedia, 2008). These ovens were constructed out of bricks, clay or cast iron. While still fundamentally the same, wood fired ovens differed from the old Greek ovens in their heat source. A wood burning oven only uses woods for heat and the food is cooked beside the fire whereas Greek ovens had the heat coming from below. Using solely wood gave food a rustic wood flavour that no modern oven can produce (Al Frono, 2009). During the industrial age, the oven saw changes in its size and purpose. Due to mass production, all types of consumer goods were being produced in large quantities. The oven or rather kilns had a part in this by making products such as dinnerware and pottery. Thus the industrial sized oven was born. Smaller cast iron ovens were used for the household. The first microwaves were commercially available in 1947, created from World War II radar systems and an accident by Dr. Spencer (Gallawa, 2009). These microwave ovens were six feet tall, costed up to $3000 and required a plumbing system to prevent overheating. This limited use of the new ovens to factories and large kitchens. It wasn’t until 1967 when the first 100 volt countertop microwaves were released commercially that the microwave started to find its way into the common household (Gallawa, 2009).
A culture with the oven as the dominant cooking device usually meant bread was the staple food and the land grew and relied on wheat. The Greeks were the example of this. They are said to have “pioneered sweetbreads, fritters, puddings, cheesecakes, pastries, and even wedding cakes.” (Wikipedia, 2008). But all European cultures later on also used the oven to make foods made from dough. They did, however, incorporate meats into baking as well. During the industrial age the function and use of the oven didn’t deviate much, expect for large numbers of industrial ovens need to mass produce pottery and food. Still at the heart of every home in the city and country there was an oven to be used for heat and cooking.
The microwave oven, by far had the most impact on society. Due to sales of the microwave soaring, more people were experiencing the speed and convenience of microwave cooking. The food industry seemed to capitalize on the new oven the most. Mcdonalds perhaps being the most successful as they managed to make burgers that were faster, cheaper and better than anyone else in the fast food industry. Hospitals and airlines managed to keep food costs down largely due to the microwave. By 1986, the microwave oven seemed to have met it perfect companion, TV dinners in microwaveable trays (Wikipedia, 2009). TV dinners in the 70’s were highly popular due to their quick 20 min cooking time and the prospect that even dad could cook a turkey dinner. With the new microwaveable trays and portions, cooking time was reduced to under 7 minutes. Both products popularity soared and to present day one of the most consumed form of food, “[i]n 2003, the United Kingdom spent £5 million a day on ready meals, and was the largest consumer in Europe (Wikipedia, 2009). The variety of food also indicates the popularity of frozen meals; Fried chicken, tacos, Salisbury steak, pancakes and eggs, the list is endless and caters to almost every cuisine. These foods seemly fits into today’s modern fast paced society. The microwave also aids schedules that don’t allow for slow cooked meals.

The microwave is a new invention that has made a cook’s job easier by speeding up the cooking process. Its predecessor the oven, paved the way for the new zapping oven. The oven was a cultural icon shaping and forming the food of the cultures that used them. The Greeks perfected bread and cakes. Industrial ovens aided in mass production. The convection oven allowed dad to cook a turkey dinner and the microwave allows for quick meals for busy people.

Bibliography

Gallawa, Carlton. (1989-2009). The History of the Microwave.
Retrieved March 14, 2009 from,
http://www.gallawa.com/microtech/history.html

Forno Bravo Store. (2006-2007). Pompeii Oven: The History of Brick Ovens.
Retrieved March 14, 2009 from,
http://www.fornobravo.com/pompeii_oven/history.html

Al Forno. (N.D). The Wood Fired Oven.
Retrieved March 14, 2009 from,
http://www.alforno.com.au/the-wood-oven.php

Wikipedia. (2008). Oven – Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.
Retrieved March 14, 2009 from,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oven

Wikipedia. (2009). TV dinner – Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.
Retrieved March 14, 2009 from,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_dinner

Studio Lab 3

This project was an example of crowdsourcing. It utilized a large group of people to answer one broad essay question. It allowed for a paper to be written fairly quickly on what would have been otherwise a long and time consuming topic. Wetpaint allowed group members to check what others have written and give comments and suggestions in realtime. This advantage was further sweeten by the fact that everyone was in the same room. Being able to respond both on Wetpaint and in the classroom allowed for quick and convenient feedback when one of the mediums were unavailable. However, using Wetpaint also caused some problems. The main problem was consistency. Since many people were writing different parts of the paper, there was no fluidity to the writing. There was also the problem was opposing ideas, one might take on view on the subject, while the rest of the group took the other view. And perhaps the most troubling of all was the format of Wetpaint. It resembled a forum in some ways and in other operated like a blog. I had to learn how to use the site. I didn’t know where the group’s central post thread was, I didn’t know when I was creating a thread or posting a reply. And the first problem I immediately thought of was submission. How were we going to combine our group’s writings into one thread and then send it to the other groups? And still how was the entire paper going to be submitted? Nevertheless, it was an interesting take on writing a paper. Might not be the most consistent way but can be a very efficient method.

Technology that is released before it exists?

http://www.crysisdemo.com/crysis-system-requirements.htm

As many know, Crysis needs an extremely powerful computer to play on High settings. As many also know when the Game was released in 2007 that most retail computers were incapable of running the game smoothly. I recently have played Crysis and found to my dismay my Laptop couldn’t run the game with High Settings even though my Laptop exceeded the official recommended requirements posted in the link. Usually when the recommended requirements are met the game should run beautifully, that is not the case with Crysis. I then tried to play the game with High Settings on my Desktop and to my surprise ran the game without trouble. I think Crysis is a game to supports the idea that “the future is here just not evenly distributed”. Most retail computers didn;t have the graphics card that Crysis demanded two years ago. The recommended graphics card at the time costed over $500, but needless to say it didn’t mean the required hardware wasn’t there. Even then the buyer would have to install the card manually. My computer could run the game effortlessly because it was custom built. It was a quad core,  4 GBs of RAM and most importantly had a Geforce 9800 GTX graphics card. Even today no retail computer contain that card. The closest I’ve seen is a 9600 card and that was on a Dell XPS Gaming computer. I built my computer 7 months ago and costed $2000 with a monitor. The forementioned Dell XPS computer costs around $1000 with montior and has 9 GBs of RAM. In a 7 month gap the retail models have almost caught up to my custom computer. But 7 months ago the same Dell computer would have costed as much as my computer and be lesser in quantity. Which shows at anytime there is always more advanced technology out there but they are harder to find and definately will cost more. Also, this wasn’t the first game that seemed to be advanced for it’s time, Doom 3 back in 2003 also created the same situation. That is the society that we live in. When a new model comes out, the models from the previous years undergo price slashes to make room for the new models. Computers, TV, cars, etc all follow this pattern. The choice to pay more or less is up the buyer. And still to most computer hunters in   retail stores, my computer still doesn’t exist yet.

Microwave Ovens in Comtemporary Society

The technology I have chosen is the microwave oven. The microwave oven is a personal technology that can and is easily shared. The most recognized place for a microwave oven is at home but they are also prominent in offices, schools and stores. This is due to its highly popular primary function, heating up food. The device is small, heats up food quickly and easy to use. Simply place the container inside, select the duration of the heating, close the lid and press start.
“Cooking up Faster, Cheaper Microwaves” from Consumer Reports is a “smart buyer’s” guide to microwaves. It gives brief descriptions of microwaves, their features and prices as well as some tips to buyers. In the beginning, it states the new Kenmore 6633 priced at $144 was the top scoring midsized countertop microwave. One of the reasons being the microwaves’ TrueCookPlus software, which allows the user to cook certain dishes by entering a code found on certain food packages. It was one of the model’s main selling points despite the concept being fairly new. While not directly stated the article shows the microwave is becoming more and more of a cooking appliance rather than just an appliance. Nowadays multitasking devices are immensely popular. It seems that trend is finally starting to take a strong hold in the kitchen. The article features models with seemingly unusual features such as an electric broiler but had a price tag of $600. The article then suggested a model that costs $250 that didn’t have the broiler but a convection mode that simulated the same browning effect. The microwave cooks much faster than conventional ovens, uses less electricity and costs much less. With features such as a broiler some meals could be cooked from start to finish. By comparing high end models and similar, cheaper models the article shows that people want faster and cheaper alternative to cook their meals. It’s also an indicator of the fast paced lifestyle that is dominant today. A fast oven equals “fast food”. The article isn’t unfairly bias as it is a consumer report, it suggests items to buy based on consumer trends.
Being a purist cook, I feel this trend of cooking with the microwave to be absolutely disgusting. In my view the microwave is meant to heat up and defrost foods but never under any circumstance be used to cook. The microwave just doesn’t produce the same results that a stovetop and conventional oven can. The main reason I’m against microwave cooking is passion and love, the lack of it. I know from experience food the best food is those that are prepared with care. Where is the cook in a frozen meal? The Kenmore 6633 can cook baby back ribs with a touch of a button. A dish that is supposed to take hours of hard work and care can now be made with minutes by a child. No need for recipes or experience. I feel this will reduce the number of people who know how to cook. Only three of my friends know how to cook freely without being tied to recipes, the words instant or frozen and cans. We all take pride in that fact but “with these new microwaves why even bother? Sure it doesn’t taste as good but good enough considering it’s from the microwave.” Which is another disturbing thought, many of my friends like frozen foods and consider them good. Good enough to eat daily. I in fact do eat frozen foods for their convenience and have found some to be exceptional considering it was an ice block five minutes prior. But if I were to serve it to my family, I would consider it absolute garbage much like how I see margarine. I believe that people’s palettes have been taken over by frozen and instant foods where fresh foods are no longer enjoyed as often. Personally I link this to the rise of unhealthy diets. “It’s pasta, it’s just frozen it’s got all the same ingredients.” When I cook I have control over what goes in and what doesn’t. All frozen foods come from a factory and due to it being a commercial product food additives are bound to be included. Even on frozen foods I have found names of preservatives when the label said otherwise.
With all the new features in microwaves now available, I do think that people won’t have to learn the art of cooking and also be derived of good palettes. Kitchens might become smaller as microwaves can be a fan, stove and an oven. But ironically a I think the very traits that might make microwaves the dominate kitchen appliance will also keep it in it’s current state. Say the microwave does become the kitchen and produces better results than traditional methods. People would lose their ability to cook the old way and probably their incentive to. What should happen if the microwave broke? Cooking would be impossible unless repairs or replacements were handled. A power outage a few weeks ago enforced my idea. The only devices that worked where those that weren’t electric or ran on batteries. A gas stove would work under those circumstances but not a microwave and what if the kitchen only had a microwave? It can’t act as a stove without electricity. Also the microwave can be a dangerous appliance when used inappropriately. Grapes for example conduct electricity in a microwave. There would have to be warning manuals saying what can and can’t go into the microwave. So every dish has to be planned out with caution and some foods might not be able to be enjoyed or in the time it takes to find out the dish is safe and cook it takes just as or longer than cooking with traditional methods.

LJWorld.com

(2009, Janurary 28),  Faster, cheaper microwaves working better than ever.

Retrieved Feburary 6, 2009, from:

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/jan/28/faster-cheaper-microwaves-working-better-ever/

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2009-01-21-windows-7-beta_N.htm

Windows 7 gives me faith in Microsoft again. It’s no secret people aren’t fond of Vista and their confidence has been shaken even in the entertainment world with countless Xbox 360 with red ring of death and news that half the 360 were deffective to begin with. But Windows 7 seems closer to a Mac OS. What attracts me is the compatability with many devices in it’s beta stage, and also it’s focus on touch technology and small extras like the shake minimizer. While Microsoft promised it would be faster, more efficient and crash less I think I’ll wait until the OS is finished to judge it because weren’t people raging over Vista when it first came out?

Studio lab 1

Eric Lam, Carol Tu, Dylan Rimmer, Jeff Geyer, Marissa Teoh

Studio lab 1

link is to video of hand gestures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twQr9YhHWdA

In our game of group telephone, we attempted to communicate messages to one another using these forms of media: mail, smoke signal, carrier pigeon, and hand signals. Throughout the activity we learned each method of communication had its own unique advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore we also learned certain methods were more practical.

The first medium we used was mail. Group member 1 received a long quote written on a slip of paper from the TA and wrote the message down on her own piece of paper. She acted as a post woman and personally delivered the “mail” to another member. This method was convenient consisting of only walking. However, we did not make our own copies of the mail to keep, so after reading it, the information was lost to us and we had no knowledge whether the next person would intentionally alter the message. Furthermore, we concluded in a real life situation, the postman would have had to possibly travel greater distances in order to get the mail from place to place. With the location of each member, backtracking would have been required, which would be an inefficient delivery route.

Smoke Signal was the next medium. Obviously there was no way to make a fire in the classroom, so after receiving the message, group member 2 digitalized the message with smoke and flames. She held it up for member 3 to see, who tried to duplicate the message using his own laptop and painted smoke. The message was only successfully passed to one member because the words on the laptop were difficult to decipher, especially at a distance, and drawing was a time consuming process. Our tried making the words easier to read by enlarging the text, however when using real smoke and fire, this would be impossible. One thing that reflected how smoke signals work, is that it took a fair amount of time to transmit and receive the message. We concluded that smoke signals would only be practical for gaining the attention and locating people. An example of this would be a smoke signal coming from a stranded person on an island.

Carrier pigeon was similar to our first medium (mail), because the message was written on paper. However, instead of handing it directly to the next person, we attached the message to a pen and tossed it across the classroom hoping the pigeon would reach its’ destination without disrupting others. That being said, we hit an innocent bystander. Everyone received the message though, because luckily the other classmates were willing to pick up the pen and transport it to the designated receiver. This procedure only worked out because it was a classroom setting. If it had been a real pigeon flying from one city to the other and had lost its way, there would almost be no way of tracking the pigeon. People would not be able to help even if they wanted to.

Finally, we used Hand Signals. The Hand signals were difficult to understand because we were not all have been thinking on the same level; one wave of a hand had multiple meanings. Also, it was highly unlikely that one person could memorize the entire series of arm movements and expressions after watching it only once. Unfortunately, we were not successful in conveying the message at all. If we had one universal set of signals and meanings, passing the message along would have been easier. This is due to the misinterpretation of signs from the sender to the receiver. After that, the receiver could only transfer what they felt they understood. As the message went through each member, it became shorter and farther from correct.

The original message was:

“‘The Medium is the Message’ is a look-around to see what’s happening. It is a kaleidoscope of interfaced solutions.”

The final interpretation was:

“President Bush saw a reindeer drinking and he was writing it down.”

Obviously, the two messages were completely unrelated.

Despite the experiences this day, we could not have explored each medium in too much depth because after all, this was a lab activity and no matter which method we used, we could still see one another and call out to get attention if we forget to keep quiet. But we still got an idea of the positive and negative sides to each medium of communication.

———————————————————–

Affordances and Limitations

•  Time biased? Durable or fleeting? Archived record or ephemeral?

Synchronous or Asynchronous?

•  Space biased? Transportable/transmittable? Long distance or close

proximity?

•  Access? Who is able to use it? Is it ubiquitous or rare?

•  Encoding/Translation? Easy or difficult to understand? Does it

require decoding or translation?

•  Broadcast model? Centralized or decentralized? One to one, one to

many, or many to many?

Media 1: Mail

-Message did not get altered.

-People didn’t have their own copy.

-We don’t know who actually read it and who just passed it on.

-We don’t know who would receive it after the person we sent it to, they could’ve sent it to other groups.

-Requires work to send it.

Media 2: Smoke Signal

-Maybe some of us couldn’t see the smoke or weren’t looking when the signal was given.

-None of us knew how to accurately convey the meaning with specific smoke patterns.

-We couldn’t finish because it took long to draw smoke (only members two and three received message and only two knew the message).

-Other than the first person I don’t think any of us knew what the message was.

-Copied message wrong.

-Smoke signals are for indicating location, not sending messages.

Media 3: Carrier Pigeon

-Was not thrown directly to the person (missed) so middle people had to pick it up and throw it to the receiver of the message.

-People didn’t have their own copy.

-We don’t know who actually read it and who just passed it on.

Media 4: Hand Signals

-Couldn’t remember all of the signals.

-Easily misinterpreted.

-Some signals had no universally understood meanings.

-Certain words were near impossible to act out.

-Message got shorter.

Original:

“The Medium is the Message” is a look-around to see what’s happening. ­It is a kaleidoscope of interfaced solutions.

Final Interpretation:

President Bush saw a drinking reindeer.

Internet doesn’t make people smarter

People thought the internet would make them smarter, I think internet memes are the perfect example that poves otherwise.

Tech 114 week 1 post

Hello world. I’m Eric another First Year in the Techone Program.  Weather doesn’t affect me as I live at the top of Westwood Pleateau in Coquitlam.  On the first day of the second semester I had to run 6km to get to the bus station all so I could spend 50 mins in MACM 101. I spend 85% of my university life in the games room. I’m also a crazed Street Fighter player.

My favorite piece of technology is the cast iron wok. It’s the world’s first non stick panIt gives food a distinct smokey flavor and retains it’s heat much longer than anyother piece of cookware. Plus it’s sloped surface means using less oil.