Buttons

Do you ever look at the world and wonder what went wrong?

My duvet has buttons sewn on it.

And that’s not all. My phone is also an MP3 player, and nowadays a good mp3 player should play videos. My dvd player is also a picture viewer. A clock must tell the time in at least a dozen countries, although it can itself only be in one. A watch must also be a timer and calendar. My camera can also be a video recorder, all of which abilities have been squeezed onto my phone. My electric keyboard can also be a piano teacher and give me lessons, and the video can programme itself. And my stereo can retune to the news whenever its on without me even asking.

When did everything swap roles? My curtains are still curtains, and my door is still a door. Although my car is also an office, a call centre, an entertainment suite and a dining room, it is still essentially just a thing for driving around in.

And yet, our new duvet has buttons all across the front.

What cross-over of roles is that all about? And what next? A carpet with zips along the edge?