The Teclrnology Buyer's Guide Home Control Center Rex－l0 is a computer controlled

The Teclrnology Buyer's Guide

Home Control Center

Rex-l0 is a computer controlled mini speaker that acts like a "watchdog" barking when

it detects motion. It' s the perfect protection when you' re out of town. (800-843-532;$ 200)

IBM's Home Director is a multitasking PC that lets homeowners create and run daily routines around

the house. Preset tasks each day or on a weekly basis. Come home to freshly baked apple

pie, a vacuumed house, nearly any wish come true. (800-4267235; $99 and up)

Inteiectron's Lanterns are attractive outdoor lights that turn on at dusk,then switch to full brightness whenever they detect movement. (510-732-6790; $35 to $55)

Park's Temperature Control makes for even daily temperature control and saves up to

20% off a homeowner's energy bill. (800-725-9162; $250 to $375)

Home Entertainment

Via TV Videophone:is just what you need to show the grandparents how the kids are

growing up while talking with them over the phone. The machine works via regular phone

lines (888-843-9898; $550)

Zenith Z32 Color TV is a wide-screen TV that will be the centerpiece of your home

theater. It has just about the sharpest picture at 32 inches (847-39-8100; $ 1,650)

Sennheiser 11D580 Precision Headphones are just what you need to experience crisp

solitary listening. An experience you'll want after a hard day at the office (860-434-9190,

$ 349)

Nintendo 64 is a video-game box guaranteed to give you more thrill than any

action-packed movie (800-255-3700; $ 149)

Kitchen Helpers

Krups Espresso Novo 4000 Programatic coffee maker makes coffee from mild to very

strong. It has a microchip-monitored steam pump. (800-526-5377; $349. 99)

Capresso is the bean grinder-digital coffee maker that should be in everyone's house

You can programme it up to 10 hours so you can depend on fresh coffee anytime

(201-767-3999; $230)

Sharp Multiple Choice Microwave tells you what to put on the plate and how long to cook

it. The digital screen can tell you how to bake apples, cut down on your salt intake, and

much more. (800-be-sharp; $189 to $199)

Panasonic Electronic Rice Cooker not only cooks rice but steams vegetables and has a

fuzzy-logic chip that makes many cooking decisions for you. It can be set 13 hours in advance

to whip up your dinner. (800-366-4308; $ 160 to $170)

Office

Pro-26 Document Shredder, destroys top-secret memos in the comfort of your home.

Two pages can be shredded like spaghetti in seconds. (800-351-7222; $50)

Qulckcam YC 's Videoconterencing via the Net allows you to work at home and let the

office interact with you face-to-face. (800-950-5880; $129)

Brother's MFC Multipurpose Color Printer combines a scanner, copier, fax and digital

answering machine all in one. (800-284-4329; $799)

Kensington Smartsockets' with its co[or-coding system and spaced-out sockets will keep

your plugs untangled. (800-535-4242; $19 to $49)

PanasonIc 6. 6-oz. Combo Cellular allows you to travel far from home and stay in touch

Analog cellular charges kick in when you are 1,000 feet from home. (800-441-7262; $199)

Relaxation

La-z-boy Maxim is a high tech way to recline that lets you catch up on all the sleep

you,ye missed while you are treated to heat and a back massage, all run off a central

computer system. If you can,t take your mind off business, just plug in your laptop to the

armrest phone jack. Better still sit back and enjoy your favorite music with the built-in sound

system, it's got everything you'll need, (800-625-3246; $760 to $850)

Sony Web TV is designed for laid-back Net surfing. Grab hold of Web TV's wireless

keyboard,then you can casually cruise the information highway on the TV, resting the body

without resting the mind (800-772-sony; $200 to $300)

Panasonic Great Escape lets you sit back, relax, and enjoy a shiatsu massage. Great for

relieving stress. (201-348-9090; $2,500 to $3,400)

Transportation

Sandia National Bus Pothole Fixer comes complete with scanners that spot holes cleaners

to clear away debris, and nozzles to shoot filler material in the hole as it drives over, taking

its passengers to their destination. To be commercialized soon

Hypercar is designed to improve car efficiency. It has a scooter sized engine with a gas

turbine cell that provides a constant source of electricity. It is quiet, safe, nearly 95% less

polluting than a conventional car, and gets between 100 and 200 miles per gallon. It is being

tested at the Hypercar Center at the Rocky Mountain Institute

Miscellaneous

Motorola Cow Alert works off a computer chip and a battery. A sensor sits in one of a

cow,5four stomachs ready to alert the farmer within half an hour if a cow falls ill

(Motorola U. S. based)

Heartthrob Brooch not only has 6 rubies and 78 diamonds but carries a chip-controlled

light-emitting device that flashes with each beat of the wearer's heart. (M. I T. Media Lab

designer Harry Winston; $400,000)

Sole Attraction is a new sneaker that takes vital information from potential mates. All

you do is shake hands and exchange the necessary information, then let the sneakers do the

rest. Provided both of you are wearing them, a low-level electric current races along your

skin's surface and onto your partner,s, coding details on a computer chip on the soles of the

sneakers. (designed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology(M. I . T), U. S)

Questions 11-20 are based on Passage 2

11. The IBM Home Director's unit uses a ___________ to run the home

A. dog's bark B. multitasking PC

C. video phone

12. Park, s Temperature Control is reported to save up to ______________ percent of energy bills

A.50 B.1O

C. 20

13. The Zenith Z32 comes with a ______________.

A. wide screen TV ？ B. phone

C. home theater

14. Krups Espresso makes different types of coffee but the Capresso has a _________.

A. timer B. steam pump

C. storage filter

15. Kensington Smartsockets lets you ________.

A. interact with your boss B. organize your plugs

C. shred documents

16. The Panasonic Great Escape machine lets you enjoy a _________________.

A. phone jack B. music system

C. shiatsu massage

17. The Hypercar is designed to be _____________.

A. safe and efficient B. Powerful and noisy

C. cheap and easy to repair

18. Farmers can find out when a cow _________ with the Motorola Cow Alert

A. needs milking B. is sick

C. is missing

19. The Heartthrob Brooch flashes when _____________.

A. the heart beats B. love stimulates the jewels

C. the light is dim

20. The sole Attraction sneakers work off _____________.

A. heart beats B. an electric current

C. a timed response