Pervasive Computing - Boon or Doom ?

A lot of tech pundits are extolling the virtues of pervasive computing these days. Like all leaps in technology there will be an upside and a downside. The only way that I can see, that mankind can avoid an Orwellian future, is if we insist on keeping control over our own computing devices. Do you really want a company like Lowes to "know" the status of every appliance in your household? What is it that makes people crave having the most chilling science fiction predictions come true?