Lawn joy

The beauty of new technology is deciding whether it makes life easier or more difficult. The RL500 Robotic Lawnmower ($795 at www.friendlyrobotics.com) is supposed to mow lawns up to 2,500 square feet (after you install a wiring device around the perimeter of the yard). My first reaction was, “Goddamn, I’d never have to mow the lawn again!”

But then I remembered all those people who, when mowing the lawn, are doing more than mowing the lawn. Some people need that hour behind the mower to get away from their angry spouse or parent in the house. Others find a sense of control in a chaotic world by mowing those perfectly straight lines. And then there’s my pal Bubba, who claims he’s so sexy that riding his tractor without his shirt serves as foreplay for his wife. The moral of the story: Think about what you get from cutting the grass before you purchase this lawn-mowing robot.

Tom A’Hearn pays attention here every other week. E-mail letters@metrotimes.com