Why Blenders Should be More Like Computers

By Ray Gordon | October 4, 2010 |

Over the past three decades I’ve owned many computers – big towers, notebooks, laptops, desktops, transportable all-in-ones, and ultra-light portables.  Worked on everything from a Tandy 100 to a SPARC station.  So I have a pretty good idea of what computers can do.

I’ve also owned a good number of blending devices.  In fact, right now I have a large 12-cup food processor, a small 3-cup food processor, a heavy duty blender that can crush ice, a light-duty blender that would disintegrate if it tried to crush ice, a hand mixer, and the various food processors that still work but have been replaced with bigger capacity/better featured machines.  So I have a sense of what their capabilities are as well.

The problem with blenders is the issue that plagued the earliest personal computers.  They just do one – or maybe two – things… they may do them well, but the machines are limited to a narrow task.  If I want to mix a large batch of cookie dough, I use the big processor.  But it’s a waste to dirty up all the moving parts of the large machine if I just want to chop some parsley, so out comes the baby processor.  If I want a blended margarita, better use the 200-hp, high-torque blender. Grinding coffee requires cutting blades tailored to the task. Need to whip some cream? Got to use that trusty hand mixer.

I’d love to have a blending, chopping, mixing, ice crushing machine that is portable, uses only a few watts, costs less every year, and can add new features by simply downloading the latest software.

In other words, a computer.

macblender - when a blender is like a computer tm by Ray Gordon

MacBlender™ When a Blender is Like a Computer - created by Ray Gordon

In response to Bruce Sallan’s: Why Doesn’t It Work Like a Blender

Posted in Featured, Rants, Ray and Linda, Ray Gordon and tagged , , , , ,

About Ray Gordon

Ray Gordon is a registered architect with a masters degree in City and Regional Planning. He has held a variety of professional positions in both the private and public sectors, with jobs ranging from managing an environmental sciences firm to art director with advertising agencies in Japan. In addition to work in architectural design, Ray is also a professional photographer, videographer, film editor, and graphic designer. He was a professor of architecture and urban design in the graduate programs at Pratt Institute for 17 years, and also taught the regulation of real estate at New York University’s graduate Real Estate Institute for a six year period, with an emphasis on environmental regulations.  Ray has worked with computers for well over 30 years.  Over the years, he developed a working knowledge of many types of software programs, from spreadsheets and data bases, to illustration and video editors - with hands-on experience on numerous computers and peripheral hardware as well. Ray's writing and photographs have been published and exhibited in both the USA as well as Japan (where he lived for 12 years). He authored the chapter on urban design for a recently published World Bank book, wrote the chapter on waterfront construction infrastructure in "Understanding Infrastructure," edited the Urban Design Review newsletter, and has contributed to a number of magazines on travel and design. Connect with Ray Gordon on Google+ and Twitter @RayJGordon.