It began innocently enough. Some automotive engineer decided your car should remind you to fasten your seat belt with a beep or a chime.

Not an insistent or irritating sound, just a friendly reminder.

But, of course, as so often is the case, technologists couldn't leave well enough alone.

What started out as a gentle nudge to your memory has turned into a myriad of safety sounds, so that any device without them is perceived inherently dangerous to use.

And so TechMan's life has become a cacophony of beeps, buzzes, bleats and blats, all reminding him that he has managed to do something stupid or forgetful.

TechMan's day begins with the grating buzz of the alarm clock, informing him forcefully that he should get his lazy carcass out of bed.

At breakfast, his kitchen appliances form a geek chorus. The toaster oven beeps that it is up to temperature, the microwave bleats that it is finished and will not quit until the door is opened.

Yelling, "Shut up, I'm busy," has no effect except to earn a look from the spouse meaning, "He's arguing with the appliances again." Another country heard from -- the refrigerator tells me I haven't shut the door completely. Beep, beep, beep, beep, slam.

I get in the car. Let me confess right now that I recently purchased a new car and, being TechMan, opted for all the electronic bells and whistles. And bells and whistles were exactly what I got.

I start the car and a voice informs me in dulcet tones that the car has synced with my phone. And then, sounding slightly more annoyed. it says, "911 assist is turned off." I know this because I turned it off, but it is no use arguing. (Have you noticed how the voice on your GPS starts to sound peeved if you do not follow its directions? Or is it just me?)

Then the car dings me because my seat belt is not yet latched and my door is open. (I opened it to throw away an empty drink container.)

Meanwhile, the FedEx truck turning around in my driveway is screeching because it is backing up. This sets the neighborhood dogs to barking. Maybe they think it's a discomfited cat.

I start to back up and the car begins beeping because I am getting close to my other car, which is at the end of the driveway.

At the intersection, the traffic light makes a cuckoo sound to signal it is safe to cross.

Then I attempt parallel parking in a tight spot. First the car starts a slow beep as I approach the vehicle behind. Then the blind-spot sensor on the right joins in to tell me that there is a pole close by.

Meanwhile, the backup sensor bleats faster and more insistently as I get closer to the car behind. A car passing me on the street sets off the left blind-side sensor. The beeping builds until I am washed over by a tsunami of warning signals. I shut off the car.

When I get out, the car plays a chimey little tune to tell me that I have opened a door without removing my key. Perhaps it is trying to soothe my frayed nerves.

I lock the car and -- of course -- it beeps.

I stumble to my office and my computer beeps to tell me I have mail. I am looking at a day of plaintive beeping from office machinery telling me that I have done this wrong or forgotten to do that.

So why am I telling you this? To point out that as more and more devices become aware and are programmed to nag us about minor safety issues and human failings of mind, we will live with a constant background of recriminatory bleating. It will become like the computer error messages that no one reads.

To paraphrase Rodney King: Can't we all just get along?

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