I take online surveys on a regular basis (they give me free stuff! like waffle irons!) but today this was the question. My answers scared me. Please lemmie know what your answers are:
Now the survey in question didn’t mean this, but I want to know everything: I have a combo drive in my laptop, so that’s 1 laptop, 1 CD player, 1 DVD player. I have a CD player in my car; if it’s a multi-changer, count it as one but note how many it changes in parenthesis.
13 responses so far ↓
1 Miko // Mar 9, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Mobile Phones: 2
Landline Phones: 2
Desktops: 3
Laptops: 2
MP3 players: 3 (k, not counting computers as MP3 players)
PDAs: 2 (although we don’t use them any more, I know where they are)
Handheld Gaming: 2
TVs: 3
DVD players: 6 (3 in our computers, 1 5-disc changer, 1 combined with a TV)
CD players: 10 (1 in each computer, one discman I never use, 1 6-disc changer in the car, one 5-disc changer in the house)
Game Consoles: 3
Total Superfluous Electronic Devices in My Household: 38
2 John // Mar 9, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Are these working devices? Should we count broken devices that are in storage?
3 Miko // Mar 10, 2007 at 8:46 am
Oh, wow, no these are only working devices. Not, however, devices that we use daily (we don\’t use either of our Palms anymore, but they work…)
4 Elaine Frei // Mar 10, 2007 at 11:49 am
Cell Phone: 1
Landline Phone: 1
Desktop Computer: 1
TV: 2
CD Player: 2 (only one works)
DVD Player: 1 (oops make, that 3 CD players, as my DVD plays audio CDs as well)
VHS player/recorder: 1
Tape Cassette Player: 1
Radios: 2 (3 if you count the one in my car; if so that takes CD players up to 4 - yikes. No, 5: comptuer plays CDs as well - double yikes)
I had no idea until I listed these.
5 John White // Mar 10, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Is it safe to only count things which are plugged in?
6 John // Mar 10, 2007 at 1:26 pm
For a family of four:
Mobile Phones: 4
TVs: 1 (borrowed)
Landline Phones: 2
Desktops: 1 (+1 at work)
Laptops: 3 (+2 more at work)
MP3 players: 2
PDAs: 1 (doubles as my mobile phone)
Handheld Gaming: 0 (heh, sold mine to Miko)
DVD players: 5 (one in each computer, plus one in the PS2)
CD players: 4 (one in each computer–we don’t have one in the car)
Game Consoles: 1
Miko, I think that counting multiple-use devices is problematic. Let’s say that I have a laptop with a TV input and an iPhone; I only own two devices, but I have all of the functionality listed above. This seems different to me from someone who owns one of each device. Maybe it depends on what the purpose of the survey is?
7 Jonathan // Mar 10, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Mobile phones: 2
Landline phones: 4
Desktops:3 (1 server at work)
Laptops:2 (1 laptop used at work)
TVs:1
Digital Projector: 1 (this is sweet :))
DVD Players: 10 (1 for each comp, 1 for both game cons. and little portable player for our daughter who just broke it tonight, 5 slots in a multi-func. unit.)
CD Players: 12 (1 for each comp. 1 for each game console, 2 port. players, 5 slots in a multi-func. unit, 1 in both cars)
Game consoles: 4 (PS2, Xbox, Dreamcast, PS1)
MP3 Players: 3 (2 dedicated players, 1 part of cellphone)
Radios: 2 alarm clock, 1 multi-funct. unit
VHS Player:1
whew. A lot of stuff
8 Miko // Mar 10, 2007 at 5:50 pm
JW: I don’t think it is safe to only count “plugged in” because some things are designed not to be: cells, GBAs, &c.
John: I agree to some extent, but I think it’s important to count the usage. I have a DVD player in my laptop but rarely use it, but I always use the CD player in it. So in terms of counting it as “just” a laptop, I think it should also be counted as a CD player (at least); my husban’s laptop gets used as all three regularly but most of the towers have CD drives we only use to install software, so I could see how those ought not be counted.
Seeing Jonathan’s list of Game consoles, I realized we have another “portable” gaming system (a Lynx). We, too, have a Dreamcast, the stepchild of gaming systems.
I woke up last night thinking (does this mean I’m too involved in MoF?) of all the other crap we’ve got (in the electronics department) that this doesn’t even cover: external drives; hubs that could run a small country (heck, maybe they do in their spare time); various kinds of cameras; a shredder, a scanner, a printer; and all the speakers….which only merits mention because of the sheer number (I’m married to a Sound Guy…)
9 nee // Mar 10, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Mobile Phones: 1
Landline Phones: 1
Desktops: 1
Laptops: 0
MP3 players: 1
PDAs: 1
Handheld Gaming: 0
TVs: 1 (and it’s only a 13″ gasp)
DVD players: 0 in use (1 that’s not used because there’s no place on the 13″ tv to plug it into)
CD players: 2 that are actually used (1 on alarm clock, 2 on pc, 4 disc changer in car, only the 2 on the pc get used and that’s only to upload to itunes and burn backups)
Game Consoles: 0
Total Superfluous Electronic Devices used in My Household by me: 8
10 John White // Mar 11, 2007 at 12:19 am
Miko, I’m asking because I have some devices that technically work but haven’t been turned on in over a year. Do I keep them and count them? Is it somehow better if I land-fill them and don’t count them?
11 Miko // Mar 11, 2007 at 9:32 am
nee: I think you win!
JW: no, it’s lots better if you take them to CompUSA for recycling. I don’t use these devices every day, but most of them get used monthly.
12 Alon Levy // Mar 11, 2007 at 11:32 am
Mobile phones: 1
Landline phones: 1 (but I can’t use it for anything other than calling 911)
Desktops: 0
Laptops: 1
MP3 players: 1
PDAs: 0
Handheld gaming: 0
TVs: 0
DVD players: 1 built into my laptop, if it counts
CD players: the same one built into my laptop, plus 1
Gaming consoles: 0, proudly
Total number of superfluous devices: 5 or 6
13 Lee // Mar 11, 2007 at 11:35 am
Family of 2 (home + work)
Mobile phones: 3
Landline phones: 4
Desktops:3
Laptops: 1 laptop used at work
TVs:3
DVD Players: 6 (1 for each comp)
CD Players: 9 (1 for each comp. 5 slots in a multi-func. unit in the car)2 portable, 2 in the stereo system
Laser Disc plaer: 1
VCRs: 2
MP3 Players: 3
Radios: 8 (1 alarm clock, 1 multi-funct. unit, 2 in cars, 4 portable)
Blue tooth headphones: 1 ( for watching TVs {are these extra?} wirelessly while on the treadmils at the health club.)
Remote controls ? do these count, we have an extra univeral, use it and all the other remotes.
Garmin GPS whith heart rate monitor: 1
Have to look in the mirror now, feeling like a Borg.
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