So in reading my daily news, I came across a reference to WAF. I was curious, and discovered a page which highlights what I think is a very useful meme: the “Woman (or Wife) Acceptance Factor“.
To sum up: Women have a different sense of aesthetics than men. WAF refers to how likely a woman is to accept a nerdly piece of home electronics or decor. Some men have the uncanny ability to estimate the WAF from 0.0 (total refusal) to 1.0 (definite acceptance) prior to purchasing an item. Those who fail at this task end up with unhappy women in their lives, or else a garage full of their WAF 0.0 qualifying items.
A few examples:
The new Wii we got for Christmas? 1.0 on the WAF, since she was the one who wanted one. The slim, tiny little unit with the blue LED and the sensor-bar were innocuous enough for the benefit they provided: a console that the whole family really gets into. Funny thing is, she hasn’t played it yet. I figure she’s biding her time until the kids get bored (not likely!).
My collection of radio-controlled model airplanes and helicopters? WAF 0.5. She tolerates them indoors, but delivers meaningful looks, exasperated chuffs, and forcible relocations to the garage when I’m not looking.
The 180 pound behemoth server (a Sun Enterprise 3500, if you must know) I inherited from work? I intend to turn it into a refrigerator. WAF 0.0. Said fridge will be permanently relegated to the garage where I keep my other 0.0 stuff.
That garage is pretty full.