I am of the opinion that all kitchen appliances should ding; microwaves. toasters, coffee makers, they'd be so much better if they completed their valuable services with a friendly ding.

My grandparents have a microwave that probably dates back to 1971 and is, I'm almost sure, the envy of the entire staff of the Hamilton Beach Antiques Museum. It does quite well, however, and when the desired time is up a ding rings through the kitchen, alerting you to its completion. I couldn't be more fond of this.

This microwave goes above and beyond the call of duty. It has endeared itself to me with the quaintest of sounds. I've decided to name it Franklyn. This would seem odd, but upon remembering our old refrigerator- the poor thing needed to be defrosted like mad, but we enjoyed its birdlike whirs so much that we ignored it's misgivings and referred to it as 'birdie', responding to the sputters and hums with friendly chatter- everything seems to fit into place. I think I'll refrain from talking to the microwave, however, but only to spare the nerves of my grandparents.

I'm sure that a toaster complete with a dinging sound would be easy to find. I'm not too sure about a dishwasher, however, and I don't dare reckon the chances of a phone charger complete with affable ding.