Not far from the modest office where, 30-odd years ago, Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse, multiple-window screens and other mainstays of personal computing, an SRI International computer scientist approaches a mock-up of a white convertible-representing the car of the future. He plugs a notepad-sized computer into the dash, and at once the vehicle's 1,400-odd computerized systems become accessible through a simple user interface. Using voice commands, he demonstrates how he can request a CD track, link wirelessly to his office to check voice mail or have his e-mail read aloud by a speech synthesizer. One message is from his refrigerator asking whether he'd like to pick up orange juice on his way home. "Show me the grocery stores," he orders the car. The vehicle quickly accesses the Internet and relays directions to the nearest supermarkets.

Shopping done, our motorist arrives at his apartment, where the Collaborative Home e-Fridge (CHeF) is waiting for the OJ it requested. The juice is duly logged in, but when lemonade is removed, the fridge announces it's now out of lemonade-and asks whether the item should be added to the shopping list. Chef even knows the pantry contents. So when asked to suggest something for dinner, it flashes the recipe for a chicken dish on its screen: in-stock ingredients are highlighted in green, those missing appear in red, while absent items already on the shopping list are rendered in blue.