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The Internet: Your Next Remote Control
Makarand writes "According to this article on NewsFactor, a Hungarian company, Timothy Technologies, wants to turn the Internet into a pervasive Remote Control. This device, called
FlatStack, allows users to operate home appliances using the web. The FlatStack is an entire web server on a tiny circuit board which can be connected to the Internet and wired to the device needing remote control. Later versions of FlatStack will connect to appliances wirelessly. The FlatStack, with a variety of applications at home, can also be adapted in offices, factories and agricultural settings. It is expected to sell for around $75."
If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail or How We Can Use The Internet For All Kinds of BS.
Switch back to Slashdot's D1 system.
I mean, not to sound like a complete luddite here, but do we really need remote control, through the internet of washers, dryers, toasters, ovens, and the like? I don't want some asshole figuring out how to exploit this little ROM attached to my oven, somehow tricking it into going into 'self-clean' mode, thereby getting really hot, using lots of energy, and possibly burning down my house if I'm not there to catch it. I don't want my washing machine turning on, or changing settings in the middle of the wash cycle, and I sure as hell don't want someone screwing with my Air Conditioner settings, living in a desert and all. So, if the real intent is for this to be controlled, via the internet then this is a bad idea.
If it was made for local control, this might not be such a problem, since a central regulating computer could work with it. However, if it's using a web server, this screams 'inefficient' for that kind of use, and would be much better using something along the lines of UPSd or even some kind of peek-poke method, like we used for IO address manipulation. Otherwise, it wouldn't even work very well for home automation.
IBM had PL/1, with syntax worse than JOSS,
And everywhere the language went, it was a total loss...
Or you could just get the $20 Mr. Coffee machine with a timer on it.
NO! I have enough problems keeping my computers secure enough to sleep. No you want me to worry about some script kiddie turning on my wife's curling iron or turning on my oven? No way! I will keep my appliance OFF the internet! :)
Gorkman
This technology is much better for ovens...
OK-- This one scares the hell out of me-- After all, not only could an attacker do a DoS attack against the appliances you use for your own livelihood, but could conceivably burn your house down!
It is possible to have sufficient security for things like this, those measures would be intrusive enough that it would probably kill the market.
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