Playstation replacing pets?
Oh dear, just when you thought every possible incarnation of the "technology will replace all actual life with simulation" meme had already been trotted out. This time a "study" has revealed that Playstations, iPods, "and television" are to blame for the falling percentage of pet owners in British homes. They actually level their attack across a swath that includes anything that might possibly be electronic, citing that pet demand has fallen because "children now prefer to immerse themselves in the world of computer games and TV programmes," prefer virtual pets to real ones, and have their attention monopolized by "gadgetry" (oh, the horror!). Don't they realize this reveals how smart kids are, opting for the pets that don't poop?
