...and Electronic Overlords

I had a hard time sleeping last night--an ill-advised cup of coffee at 6pm made it difficult, six hours later, to sleep (plus various snafus with our health insurance continuation, which will be straightened out, but which kept my brain doing sprints long after it should have tucked its nose under a paw and conked out). When I finally seemed to be dozing off I was wakened at 4:30 or thereabouts by the sound of what I thought was the dishwasher shutting off. It emits a couple of "hey, look, I've done what you wanted! Come turn my electronics off now" beeps, then shuts off.

Except that I kept hearing the same damned beeps over and over and over.

Finally, about 5:15 (yes, I can be stubborn) I shrugged myself out of bed and into the kitchen, where I discovered the microwave complaining because it had been told to reheat pasta, but the sensor said there was none to be found. I turned it off, shrugged, went off to the bathroom preparatory to returning to my bed--and heard the unmistakable sounds of the microwave turning on again. Finished up in the bathroom and came out to find the micro busily cooking non-existent pasta. Tried turning it off. This time it would not cooperate. The pasta reheating program would stop, but the microwave itself refused to turn off and de-illuminate. Pushing various buttons took me in various unexpected directions, to the murky depths of instructions and filter warnings and stuff. Finally, after about ten minutes of poking at the keypad (during which the Spouse shuffled out to consult) the microwave turned off and we returned to bed.

But I do wonder if this is the first salvo from Our Electronic Overlords. If I start communicating in binary, call the cops.