The first time I discovered smart pain was in a public restroom when the light automatically turned off on me because I was sitting too still. Try as I might, I cannot forget all the objects I bumped into while trying to exit the restroom a few minutes later. Felt actual pain.
I define 'smart pain' as the trauma caused by smart devices. Devices capable of inflicting smart pain can range from simple motion sensor lights like the one alluded to above to sophisticated smart speakers like Google Home and Alexa that can hold full blown conversations with their owners. I vaguely remember hearing a story of someone's Alexa misunderstanding their conversation and placing an order for seven thousand oatmeal raisin cookies or fifty-six bags of cat food or some such ludicrousness. Real pain, that! And of course, we constantly hear about the vulnerability of privacy caused by smart devices that clandestinely collect personal data.
Everything is smart these days. A smart key gets you into your car. A smart thermostat controls your furnace. A smart speaker controls your lights. A smart TV controls your entertainment needs. A smart phone controls, well, you. There is no escape from all this smartness. And we regular humans are barely beginning to catch up. Like the time I was standing in front of a lamp blurting out various permutations and combinations of commands trying to turn it on until someone walked into the room and turned it on by nonchalantly flipping a switch!
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