I used to sit next to a guy who had one of those red buttons from Staples. Every time one of us pushed it, a voice said, “That was easy.” Back then, we used the button to celebrate something already completed. Today, I realize that button was actually providing a glimpse into a future wherein technological advances, inherent laziness, and rampant consumerism would enable us to have whatever we want whenever we want it; all at the push of a button. Amazon’s one-push ordering system takes us one step closer to that vision. Here’s The New Yorker’s Ian Crouch on the horror of Amazon’s new dash button: “No one wants to live in a stupid home. No one should have to fight with his spouse over who drank the last grapefruit soda. And only a chump would ever run out of toilet paper.”

+ If you find the idea of a button that instantaneously orders new products to be a bit ridiculous (or a bit too much work), don’t worry. It’s only a short term solution. The end goal is a fully automated, consumption-driven utopia where there’s not even a button to push. Picture those sensors in your hotel minibar. But everywhere. As Michael S Galpert explains, there will only be a button for anything until there isn’t. (There, now that wasn’t so hard, was it…)