Product Code Database
Convenient procedures, products and services are those intended to increase ease in accessibility, save resources (such as time, effort and energy) and decrease frustration. A modern convenience is a Manual labour-saving device, service or substance which make a task easier or more efficiency than a traditional method. Convenience is a relative concept, and depends on context. For example, were once considered a convenience, yet today are regarded as a normal part of life.
Because differences in lifestyles around the world, the term is a relative term based upon the conveniences previously available to a person or group. For instance, an American definition of 'modern convenience' is likely different from that of an individual living in a developing country. Most of the time, the term 'modern convenience' is used to express personal lifestyle and home life.
Convenience goods are widely distributed products that "require minimal time and physical and mental effort to purchase."
Convenience food and convenience cooking spare the consumer effort in preparation of a meal while providing high levels of energy and pronounced, if mostly artificial, flavour.
sell items that have nothing to do with refuelling a motor vehicle, (e.g. milk, newspapers, cigarettes) but purchasing at that location can save the consumer time compared to making a separate journey to a supermarket. Conveniences such as can save companies and money, though this may or may not be passed along to the consumer.
Some conveniences can become nuisances when they break down or don't function correctly. It costs time and money to fix items of convenience when they break down, and may cause much greater costs if something else that depends on them cannot take place.
Examples of modern conveniences at that time included:Illinois Farmers' Institute (1897). Annual report, Volume 2. Springfield, IL: Phillips Brothers State Printers. 68–73
The 20th century also enjoyed a proliferation of home appliances like , clothes dryer, , , auto-defrost , water heating, air conditioner, , and irons. Electricity and innovative electronics products including high fidelity equipment, color television, answering machine, and video cassette recorders also facilitated modern life.U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Secretary's Information Office, "Reports: Needs of Farm Women", Issues 103–106 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1915), p. 23.Danziger, Pamela M. (2004). Why People Buy Things They Don't Need. Ithaca, NY: Paramount Market Publishing. . p.10.
In his 2011 book America's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb: How the Looming Debt Crisis Threatens the American Dream—and How We Can Turn the Tide Before It's Too Late, Peter Ferrara says that the residential access to modern convenience is markedly different in the 21st century compared to the beginning of the 20th century:
Upcoming technological advancements
David Kirkpatrick, author of The Facebook Effect (2010), wrote in an article called Tech Targets the Third World projects that technological advancements in education and health care, mobile computing and broadband will empower the poor and provide economic opportunities that they would not otherwise have access. These technologies are relatively easy and cost-effective to implement because of technological advancements that have driven down the costs and because developing countries do not have expensive and outdated to manage emerging technology.
Orthodox and some Conservative authorities rule that there are 39 prohibited activities of work (referred to as " melakhot"), such as turning electricity devices on or off, driving cars, and more, during the Shabbat, as listed in Mishnah Tractate Shabbat.Neulander, Arthur. (1950). The Use of Electricity on the Sabbath. Proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly 14:165-171.Adler, Morris; Agus, Jacob; Friedman, Theodore. (1950). Responsum on the Sabbath. Proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly 14:112–137Klein, Isaac. (1992) 1979. A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice. New York: The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. . pp. 54–55, 57–58, 77. Further reading / detail pp. 78–93.
20th century
The homes of the 20th century are much bigger than the homes of our family members from the 19th century, both in terms of and number of rooms. Homes built at the beginning of the 21st century have 2–3 times more rooms than homes at the turn of the 20th century. In terms of square footage, new homes built in 2000 are 50% larger than a home built in the 1960s.Ferrara, Peter. (2011). America's Ticking Bankruptcy Bomb. New York: Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 331–332.
21st century
Comparison of modern conveniences in new housing construction
Modern conveniences 1900 1950 2011 Not stated 80–100% 80–100% Prevalent
Religious groups
Religious groups that shun modern conveniences include Anabaptists (and their direct descendants, the Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites) and Judaism.
Anabaptists
Key beliefs that determine an Anabaptist community's position on use of modern conveniences are:Institute for Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies. (2001). Anabaptist / Mennonite faith and economics. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. . 6:268–270.Kenna, Kathleen; Stawicki, Andrew. (1995). A People Apart. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
In most cases the Amish do not have cars, telephone lines coming into their home, or farm equipment that they would ride, all of which increase contact with the outside world or be significant advantages from worldly capabilities. There are exceptions, such as use of voicemail and mobile phones for people who own businesses or are in a progressive order, with guidance provided by their church.Kraybill, Donald B. (2001) 1989. The riddle of Amish culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. , 9780801867729. pp. 114–115, 136, 313.See, for example, Dan, The Washington Post, September 3, 2006, p. C1 Diane Zimmerman Umble's work on the subject of the Amish and telephones See general comment and Old Order information. It is difficult to provide one conclusion for four Old Order religions: Each religious community determines the use of modern conveniences based upon their specific circumstances.
Orthodox and Conservative Judaism
For Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Jews, Shabbat is the Biblical Sabbath of the Jewish seven-day week and is a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 293:2 On Shabbat, Jews recall the Genesis creation narrative describing God creating the Heavens and the Earth in six days and resting on the seventh. It also recalls the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, when God commanded the Israelite nation to observe the seventh day and keep it holy. Shabbat is considered a festive day, when a Jew is freed from the regular labors of everyday life, can contemplate the spiritual aspects of life, and can spend time with family.
Consequences
There are many ramifications of the development of modern conveniences for individuals and their families over the past 150 or more years. The many labor-saving devices have kept pace with growing houses and furnishings and allow for greater leisure. There are also some negative effects, some of which are also as the result of advancements in chemical technology in the food that we eat or products that we use. In these cases there are also conflicting opinions about the extent to which some of the products are harmful. Here are a few examples of positive and negative effects of modern conveniences.
Positive effects
Health care
Some of the major improvements over the past century has been in improved health care. For example, modern medicine has made leaps in preventing infectious diseases in part due to improved water treatment and sewage treatment. This is obvious in the marked rises in life expectancy.PureHealthMD editors. (2011) 15 Modern Conveniences That Are Bad for Your Health. Discovery Communications, LLC. Fit and Health. Retrieved 9-18-2011.
Technological advancement in underdeveloped countries
Some of the most dramatic technological benefits are seen in underdeveloped countries. For instance, cabling for landline telephone service is expensive and requires a lot of time to complete, especially in the most remote areas. Introduction of cellphone service, on the other hand, is much cheaper and dramatically improves individual's ability to be economically productive, often in . It is estimated that 80% of the world's population is now located within range of cellular towers, 1.5 billion cellular phones are in use in developing countries and, in India alone, five million customers sign up for cellular service each week. The Four Asian Tigers—i.e., Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea—are a few of the countries that have leveraged technology to become a presence in the global community.Kirkpatrick, David. "Tech Targets the Third World", CNNMoney, December 22, 2006.
Negative effects
In 1905, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article titled "Nervous Strain" about how "modern conveniences" make our lives busier and with less direct contact than the preceding generations. As an example, the author compared having a calming cup of tea with a person to the more distant practice of placing a telephone call. Labor-saving devices meant that people now spent more time sitting, breathed machine-generated smoke, and ate food, especially meat, fat and sugars, in greater abundance, changing peoples' diets. These activities were speculated to result in Hypertension, obesity, and "nervous strain".George H. Simmons (ed.) (1905). Journal of the American Medical Association, Volume 45, Part 1. Chicago: American Medial Association Press., p. 404
Meat consumption
Because of the enormous productivity growth in intensive agriculture and meat industry, meat has become a major part of the diet in most developed countries and is on the rise in developing countries. Red meat consumption has been linked to colon cancer; besides, growth hormone and antibiotics treatment of cattle and poultry has raised serious concerns about the adverse effects of those substances in industrially produced meat.
Processed food and food preparation
Other
See also
Further reading
External links
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