MutiNet's ResetPlug sounds like a serious gadget device you can buy with American dollars and plug into a wall, but it might as well be commentary on modern life. The smart plug connects to your Wi-Fi, and if it detects an outage in your internet service, it power cycles your Wi-Fi router or broadband modem every five minutes until the internet starts working again.

It automates a well-known, infuriating customer service platitude: "Have you tried turning it on and off again?" At this point I typically don't even bother calling Time Warner until I've unplugged and plugged anew everything a few times. I'm always a little disappointed when that "fixes" the internet, because now I can't blame Time Warner with confidence, and instead have to sit there worrying about my own hardware. For $59.99, ResetPlug makes the plugging and unplugging automatic, so now all I'll be left with is the worry.