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Cortana powered thermostat - maybe not as dumb as it first sounds.

Disclaimer #1 - I do not work for MS, and I hate Cortana.
Disclaimer #2 - I do not work for Johnson Controls, and I do not own any of their thermostats (at least, I don't think so), but to be honest, I do like the way thermostats let me control the temperature at home and in the office - what a clever invention!

And did I mention . . . I hate Cortana. I have it completely suppressed on my PC's - never ever have to see it pop up, not ever. On my Windows phone, Cortana pops up, primarily just to annoy me, anytime I breath on the phone, or the TV or radio is on nearby, or my cat whines, but since I use the phone only for the most basic activities like phone calls, I can live with that annoyance.

I don't get it, why Cortana makes sense. However, I also do not use Siri, Alexa, or the others - I personally just don't find that to be my style. I like talking to people, typing and pointing on my computer. For those who enjoy using voice assistants, I would be curious to now how they rate Cortana versus the others.

I have read that Amazon Echo and Alexa devices were big winners during the holiday shopping season. So, why do people find that intriguing or compelling, but not Cortana? Partly I think because an Echo Dot sits out of your way. Speak to it when you want, but if you don’t call it, it doesn’t bother you.

Cortana on the other hand is just in your face, always an unwelcome annoyance when you are trying to do something that requires your attention.

To me, that epitomizes the Microsoft way - foisting on users what MS thinks is best for everyone, working in you face rather than by your side, working against you instead of with you. (Just my opinion, probably shared by many here.)

Seen from that point of view, MS would by playing the fool to think that selling Cortana to a thermostat maker is a great inroad into the IoT. It sounds stupid, until . . .

Look at it from the thermo-makers point of view.
Check out the Johnson Controls website, at the link referenced in the Slashdot post:
"Johnson Controls' Cortana-powered thermostat"
http://www.johnsoncontrols.com...

Those guys were apparently excited to develop this device.
It has a touchscreen panel for the usual thermostat interactions and control, but "GLAS can [also] be controlled by mobile app or by voice, thanks to Microsoft’s voice-enabled digital assistant, Cortana."
Keep in mind, this is not MS trying to push something stupid on the hamstrung user or the unwary developer.
This is not Clippy, not Vista, not UAC, not forced Win10 updates, not any of the million and one irritating things that MS is legendary for – this is not MS forcing Cortana into a device where no one wants it.

This is the company that wants to use Cortana as a tool or subsystem in its product, Johnson's choice. Whether Cortana or Hey Google or the others is the best choice, that is another discussion, but consider the potential benefit of this arrangement (and no, I am not being facetious).

Perhaps I want to keep the heating or AC off in the house during the day when I am at work, save energy and money. On my way home from work, I can call ahead by 20 minutes and get the house warmed up. Or vice versa, I ran out the door in the morning, late to work, and forgot to turn off the system, so I can call in and do so. Perhaps I have the AC on, but the weather changers, a cold front comes in and it starts raining and temperature drops, so I no longer need to have the AC on to keep the pets at home safe.

Perhaps on the way out the door, I realize I want to know the weather report, decide to take a jacket or raincoat, but I already turned off my computer. As I am walking out, I pass the thermostat, which is doubling as a weather report kiosk, and I can ask, and it tells me what I need t

Do you have any idea how much schedule 40 pipe it takes to get those calls to India and back?

A significant amount less than it would if you used sturdier schedule-80. (Hint: it's the thickness of the pipe wall.)

tube switches

You mean valves? The controls are orange if you buy that particular brand. To get blue, you would need to buy Siemens or JCI valves.

we are in the process of starting to Do Things Right(tm)

Yeah, right. That's why you decided to Ask Slashdot for some bastardized, hacked up, freebie solution. Give me a break.

If you want to handle environmental monitoring and control, and "do it right", then you should be talking to these guys about stuff like this and this and this.

we are in the process of starting to Do Things Right(tm)

Yeah, right. That's why you decided to Ask Slashdot for some bastardized, hacked up, freebie solution. Give me a break.

If you want to handle environmental monitoring and control, and "do it right", then you should be talking to these guys about stuff like this and this and this.

we are in the process of starting to Do Things Right(tm)

Yeah, right. That's why you decided to Ask Slashdot for some bastardized, hacked up, freebie solution. Give me a break.

If you want to handle environmental monitoring and control, and "do it right", then you should be talking to these guys about stuff like this and this and this.

we are in the process of starting to Do Things Right(tm)

Yeah, right. That's why you decided to Ask Slashdot for some bastardized, hacked up, freebie solution. Give me a break.

If you want to handle environmental monitoring and control, and "do it right", then you should be talking to these guys about stuff like this and this and this.