In the past years, I was given a column in one of our branded newspapers. It was not about the column or the page, but about finding the opportunity to visit and examine all of Istanbul’s branded residences at a time when the real estate sector was experiencing its golden year. I am grateful.
Box of pliers beats an apple….
All in the city center, all close to the subway, all a few kilometers from the airport, all smart, all with gold, all with sequins, all the “best”, in any bedroom (especially if it’s a teenager’s room, it’s a delight!) in any apartment in the magnificent housing stock of dear Istanbul, life will start soon…
If a box of pliers beat an apple…
First, you should buy three triple sockets, the shortest of which should be 1.5 meters and if possible 2 of them should be a minimum of 2.5-3 meters. Beds, armchairs, wardrobes etc. if they fit then maybe! First the sockets and cables are removed. If it is a conscientious contractor, there are usually two sockets that are at least partially in the right place. One of them is carefully fitted with the first triple extension. That first trio barely reaches a work table, and another extension is attached to the extension. Computer, printer, TV, channel downloading units, cell phone, reading lamp, spare charger, play station, etc. a product, a notebook… How long has it been? Eight? Let’s be merciful, the cables start tangling in order to get six net sockets; if possible, they try to hide under the wall, which is usually not possible. Most of the time, the process goes on and on.
If a box of pliers beat an apple…
Then, within a week, the cleaning routine begins. A vacuum cleaner that is pulled into the hallway requires an outlet, which is not necessarily available in the hallway. For the entree (if there is one!) it is not found anyway, you keep on tugging. The cost of moving your ironing board closer to an outlet during this cleaning routine can be a new triple socket cord. You’d better get another extension.
If a box of pliers beat an apple…
Wait, there’s still the kitchen. The number of countertop sockets needed by the dear housewife who spends her days at home and produces for “Instagram” is countless. If you’re lucky, you’ll find two open on the counter. Don’t question its whereabouts, accept that you might not have found it either. Put on the coffee machine, take it off, put on the mixer, take it off, put on the juicer, take it off, put on the other one; take it off, take it off, take it off. Not over-the-counter extension…
Box of pliers beats an apple….
You cannot charge your cell phone, read a book where you charge your cell phone, or turn on a lap top where you read a book, while sitting on your couch in the living room watching TV. If you want to do it all at the same time while sitting on your favorite armchair, you will need another extension, which you have almost no chance of hiding at the foot of the wall. Make a choice; it’s either this or that, or plug and play, plug and play.
If a box of pliers beat an apple…
The most absurd thing is that almost all of this housing stock is marketed as “smart”. While the houses we live in cannot meet today’s needs, the movie breaks when we claim to be “smart” with “million, million” prices. Which mind? To return to the issue of sockets, “Is it the limit in the regulations, the arbitrariness of the contractor, the foresight of the architects?” Whatever it is, the problem needs to be solved as soon as possible. It is also a “security” issue. The standards of the triple extensions that enter our homes, the load they put on the system, the wall sockets that we pull and pull, all of them are a source of danger.
Take a hand with these boxes.
