The world is getting smaller. Not in the physical sense but because of advances in transportation, technology and communications, we are able to cross distances in hours when it used to take months or days even. We are also privy to information about different cultures found in different parts of the world. We can even talk to people who live in different time zones, different continents. The world is getting smaller in the sense that people are getting to know bits and pieces of information about the world, and this understanding , it is hoped, leads to tolerance among people of different backgrounds, ethnicity, religious and political beliefs. We are getting smaller, and that is a good thing.

Technology has also shrunk and synergizes products. The first computers were mainframes and were housed in whole floors. These days, you have net books, personal digital assistants, and most recently the introduction of the IPAD by Apple has made computers more convenient to carry, smaller and easy to handle and hold. The same is true with television. The first television sets were big and heavy. It often looked like a cabinet. And with the invention of integrated circuits, television sets started getting smaller and in fact there were television sets that integrated video cassette recorders to its system. These days, monitors are flat with the LCD screens now being sold at very inexpensive prices. Added to that, Digital Video Discs have replaced Video Cassette Recorders.

Even washing machines have been downsized. Top loading machines which were popular from the introduction of washing machines in the 1930′s until the 1990′s are now being replaced with front loading machines. Washing machines are now smaller and quieter, made to capture the apartment, loft, and condominium markets. Newer models include semi-integrated washing machines that conjoin dish washing machines with the washing machine. Invented to further maximize the space limitations of today’s cosmopolitan cities, wherein apartments and condominiums are at a premium, these machines are most popular in big cities with hardly any space like Tokyo and Hongkong. For cities in Europe like London and Paris, these semi integrated machines are now being placed in units of new apartment complexes, if not being utilized in refurbishing or remodeling of old lofts and townhouses. The very popular style in interior design today is modernism where less is best and appliances are designed to blend with the interiors. Such items like washing machines are now made to be part of the design. It is an aspect of modern day lifestyle that is appealing to today’s young couples who do have the money to renovate or purchase small units and yet make it feel spacious. Semi integrated washing machines do just that for them.