Spice Up Your Dinner Conversation With ACTUAL Conversation, Courtesy "Pepper Hacker"

Sometimes, it doesn’t take Wikileaks or the Russians to make a hack that changes everything.  Even a small-scale rerouting of the information superhighway can have an impact on everyday humans, and possibly even work in everyone’s best interests.  That was the thought behind this one unassuming new invention…

The Internet of Things?
How about the NON-Internet of Things?
(Image courtesy news.co.au.)

According to news.com.au, a new, technologically-modified pepper grinder may abet conversations and interactions that were previously thwarted by internet-enabled devices.  “Pepper grinder” is not a fancy futuristic tech term…the device is actually a pepper grinder.  Namely, a pepper grinder that shuts down your wi-fi temporarily so that you can enjoy dinner. 

The device was created by the Dolmio company, who conducted a survey of Australian households and deduced that 63% of family mealtime arguments were due to over-use of technology at the table.  38% felt like there was no reasonable way to thwart this modern menace, with one in three households having unsuccessfully attempted to ban web-surfing while meals were served.

Come on, you can deal with your family IRL for a FEW minutes each day.
(Image courtesy jimpintoblog.blogspot.com.)

Enter the Pepper Hacker – a device that effectively curtails the use of home wi-fi on phones, tablets, or laptops, so you can chow down with your family’s heads not afloat in cyber-space.  The Pepper Hacker can block up to four devices at a time, and has a rechargeable battery that lasts for “six dinners.”

This is Pepper Hacker's message to your meddling.
(Image courtesy news.co.au.)

Of course, your screen-scrolling spawn or spouse can simply choose to eat up their cell data as they eat their meals, but is Instagramming your reaction to mom’s pot roast really that crucial?  Can’t the online games or Netflix marathon take a brief break for, you know, real life?

Don’t let your memories just be in the form of those little notifications facebook sends you every day.  Your life will soon be filled with robots of all sorts…don’t let your family act like them already.  Who knows…your discussions might even generate a few quotes worthy of Tweeting (AFTER dinner)!  

You can bet Einstein would choose corned beef hash over hashtags.
(Image courtesy twitter.com.)