A GIRL TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ?

A couple of months have past and Augmented Reality and I have become quite close. I mean, what’s not to like about her? So far she has been nothing but fun, entertaining, and helpful.

This week I’m going to ask her to help me refurnish my flat. What wouldn’t I do to please her? After buying a new car, I’m now replacing all my old furniture. Love is in the air.

-       Let’s buy them from Ikea, she said, and I’ll surprise you once again!

      -   Awesome! I love Ikea! Let’s go!

      -   Who said we needed to go there?

-   Well....

…. crickets ….

       -       I just said I’d surprise you, so I might as well start now.

She pulled out an Ikea catalog and took my cell phone.

-       Simply place the catalog in the room where you're considering adding a new piece of furniture, she said, scan the catalog with the augmented reality app on your cell phone and select the desired item. An image of the room with the furniture in it will appear.

I bet you guys are thinking what I’m thinking right about now: "this girl is crazy!" Well, quickly check that short video before making your mind up about her:

Impressive isn’t it? It’s like this Augmented Reality girl is too good to be true. I mean, do you guys remember what trekking to Ikea is like? It is often an exercise in futility. The armchairs and bookcases never look as perfect in your cramped apartment as they do in Ikea’s color-coordinated showrooms. After 15 minutes, you're tired and overwhelmed and you can't even remember what you came for in the first place. It all just seems like a bad dream.

When you consider that I’m a man of no taste at all when it comes down to interior design and that my perception of space is equal to the one of a drunken camel, you will certainly understand what a blessing she is to me.

So after a careful selection of items using my cell phone, we went to the store, got everything that we need and went back home. Well of course, we still have to “enjoy” the Herculean labor of building up the furniture we just bought. She also cannot make the delicious Swedish meatballs appear in front of me. Augmented Reality is not a magician; she’s just a girl.

The perfect girl you say? 

A THIRD DATE TO SCORE!

So after our second date, I thought I could take Augmented Reality out for a car ride…you know just to...well you know… it is our third date after all.

“Great Idea”, I said, but I forgot one tiny little detail: I don’t own a car. Even though I got my driver’s license 10 years ago, I’ve never actually owned a car or driven one since then. I believe cars have changed a lot since my good old Chevy.

So to increase my chances on that third date, I decided to buy a new one and not to borrow my mom’s.

I thought: what kind of car would impress her? One that is fancy, sophisticated, and modern would do no harm.  So, I settled down for a European one, an Audi A3 to be exact.

So I picked her up in the early evening and brought her to see the sunset up on Hollywood hills. Once we get there the moment is magical and we just stay there enjoying the view.

It is now time to head over to dinner. But wait, night has fallen and I can’t see anything. The dashboard of the car is nothing like the one in my old Chevy. It looks more like the control room of a spaceship, with buttons all over the place. I’m confused and starting to lose it. AR sees this and feels like it’s time for her to jump in and to help me: she pulls out her smartphone from her pocket, downloads the new Audi A3 manual app and just holds her phone near the dashboard. Unbelievable! Each time that she passes her phone in front of an item, the name and user manual for it just appears on the screen. Even though I fee like a douche, she sure did help to find that traffic light remote. Thanks Augmented Reality!

It helped big time to let me familiarize myself with all the features of the new car. I became an Audi A3 specialist in no time.

On our way to the restaurant, I am thinking: “now, nothing will get between me and her”. That was until I start hearing a weird sound coming from the engine. Without further notice, the car just stops in the middle of the road. Talk about the perfect date! Don’t panic she says. She stepped out of the car and opened the hood to reach the engine. She, again, passed her smart phone over it to find where the oil reservoir is. That girl sure knows her mechanics and the guys back at Audi don’t know hoe to fill oil in a new car! Again, that Augmented Reality app really helps us tonight.

We finally reached the restaurant, had a lovely dinner, and I drove her home without any more trouble. On the doorway, I asked her if there’s augmented reality for a kiss? Not yet she said, only plain reality works for those things…chapter close!