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Your Washer is Calling and the Dryer is on IM

netbuzz writes "Laundry Time, an eight-week pilot program from the Internet Home Alliance, begins next week with three Atlanta families and the technology and services of Microsoft, HP, Panasonic, Proctor & Gamble and Whirlpool. The idea is to allow family members to receive alerts and control certain laundry functions from their PCs, cell phones and TV sets, presumably so they can spend more time with their PCs, cell phones and TV sets." I am all for tech for the sake of tech, but I'm pretty sure this is one of the signs of the Apocalypse Nostradamus prognosticated.

144 comments

  1. y0u r pwn3d suXX0rs by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Funny

    Your soiled shorts, CowboyNeal Underoos and Ring-around-the-Collar are now on full view on the internet.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:y0u r pwn3d suXX0rs by mikiN · · Score: 1

      Just imagine Natalie Portman, naked and petrified, staring at the cryptic blue screen error message on the washing machine, while her pants, still with hot grits all over them, are forever locked away inside...

      --
      The Hacker's Guide To The Kernel: Don't panic()!
    2. Re:y0u r pwn3d suXX0rs by loginx · · Score: 1

      I can't wait to have a look at some of the SNMP MIBs for my washer and dryer.

      Whirlpool-washer.MIB::maxRotateSpeed.0=250
      Whirlpool-washer.MIB::currentLoadWeight.0=12lbs
      Whirlpool-washer.MIB.errorStatus="Need More Bleach!!!"

  2. Washine Machine by TheStonepedo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A lot of people use laundromats. For those who have machines in their homes, they're already saving a lot of time to be able to start the thing, walk off, and return when it's done. There are audible alerts for washers and dryers already, and a majority of the time spent dealing with washing machines is spent loading and unloading. I'd rather see a program that can check my oven to ensure it's off or, if set to go at a certain time confirms its action remotely, when I'm away from home.

    --
    I'll be your candy shop of infinite deliciousity if you'll be my discotheque of endless rump-shaking.
    1. Re:Washine Machine by toomz · · Score: 2, Funny

      I could see this being useful if you could set the washing machine from work to make a horrible screaming noise until your spouse/kids put a load in. You would get laundry done AND your family would appreciate that you're thinking about them.

      --
      If a chair is thrown in a forest, and there are no witnesses, did Ballmer still do it?
    2. Re:Washine Machine by eln · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Whenever I go on a long trip, I am always somewhat nervous that I'm going to return and find my house burned to the ground because I left the oven on or something silly like that. My appliances emailing me every so often to let me know they're still in working order but turned off might be useful. Or maybe I should just see a psychiatrist.

    3. Re:Washine Machine by MrShaggy · · Score: 1

      Hmmm Until your family shoots the washing machine, until it stopped screaming.

      --
      I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them.
    4. Re:Washine Machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      I turn my range off at the fuse box when I go on trips. The controls are touch activated and there is a very outside chance that my one of my cats turning it on.

      Also, get an alarm system like Brinks. They'll call you (and the fire dept/police) if your house is on fire or someone breaks in.

    5. Re:Washine Machine by Agent+Green · · Score: 1

      If you've ever had the fortune to spend time in a room that's far away from the dryer, it's a useful thing. Of course, when I lived in my parents' house, the washer/dryer was right next door to my room, so it was trivial.

      However, an audible alert isn't going to cut it if you're more than two or three rooms over and have the stereo going. They aren't the loud-ass buzzers that they used to be!

      I wouldn't mind being able to check on the status of the dryer remotely. This is especially useful in those dryers that can adjust their drying cycles dynamically.

      --
      // Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO)
      // IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
    6. Re:Washine Machine by AlexanderDitto · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There's the inexcapable problem, however, that the very appliance you're worrying about has to be ON for it to notify you, and therefore the chance of your washing machine spontaniously combusting is still very much present.

      Unfortunatley, I don't see this "did I turn the oven off" problem being solved any time soon. There's always going to be SOMETHING plugged in for you to worry about, be it air condition, alarm clock or automatic can opener.

      I propose, instead, that we learn to develop our social networks rather than our electronic ones, and get to know our neighbors; if the house is on fire, THEY'RE the ones that will be calling the fire department, and they're the ones that I want calling out the neighborhood to battle the blaze with their hoses and pails.

      On a side note, does anyone have a sinking suspicion that the amount of spam from various companies is going to increase as soon as my Washer/Dryer can send me emails? Soon they'll be encouraging me to pick up all their "friends," so my toaster can warn me when my waffles are thoroughly crisp. No thank you.

      Also, perhaps this is only because my college is outragiously expensive, but they have these things in the dormitories at the University of Miami. You can put your clothes in, and an online system will let you view how much time they have left on them via your wireless internet connection. Nothing new here.

      Only problem is, it still doesn't tell you if someone's taken your clothes out and thrown them on the floor.

      --
      No, Mr. Green. Communism is just a red herring.
    7. Re:Washine Machine by zxnos · · Score: 2, Funny

      nah, just turn off the gas, water and throw the main breaker before you leave. then you dont have to worry about a thing.

      --
      always mosh clockwise
    8. Re:Washine Machine by MasterPi · · Score: 1

      MIT has this to apparently. The difference is it was designed by students. It's one of their recruiting points. I didn't get into MIT but the Computer Science House @ RIT (my college) has online drink machines. Its debatable which is more useful. Atleast until CSH finally gets in the robot they've been talking about, then they pwn. My stereo is controllable online. (through phpMPD) I'd put my other stuff on if I had the time.

      --
      ( I
    9. Re:Washine Machine by MrNougat · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      I see that someone modded the parent "Funny."

      That's not funny.

      --
      Web 2.0 == Giant Blogspam Circle Jerk
    10. Re:Washine Machine by plover · · Score: 1

      Unfortunatley, I don't see this "did I turn the oven off" problem being solved any time soon. There's always going to be SOMETHING plugged in for you to worry about, be it air condition, alarm clock or automatic can opener.

      Ahh, but I don't worry about my computer starting the house on fire nearly as much as I worry about a crusted-over dryer lint trap, grease covered oven or stovetop, or forgotten iron. Perhaps I should, it does draw over 200W, but it also has fans and the ability to panic power-off should the core CPU temperature spiral upward. No, I worry more about the devices that are intended to generate lots of heat.

      I've been thinking about a web-cam solution to the washer/dryer problem. If I mount a crappy $20 camera, I could probably configure a program like ZoneMinder to watch the machines' displays and detect the various states (washing, rinsing, spinning, finished, etc) and probably even the time remaining. What I ultimately want is to have the computer trigger a message (IM or SMS or whatever) to let me know when both machines have finished their cycles so I can make one trip downstairs to put the next load in, and get the clothes out of the dryer before they wrinkle. Right now I set a kitchen timer, and hope I'm in range when it goes 'ding'.

      --
      John
    11. Re:Washine Machine by Skynyrd · · Score: 1

      I propose, instead, that we learn to develop our social networks rather than our electronic ones, and get to know our neighbors; if the house is on fire, THEY'RE the ones that will be calling the fire department, and they're the ones that I want calling out the neighborhood to battle the blaze with their hoses and pails.

      Unless you live out of the neighbors' sight like I do. I'm fairly rural, and unless the house explodes or is hit by lightning, by the time you see there's a problem it's way too late.

    12. Re:Washine Machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      "The controls are touch activated and there is a very outside chance that my one of my cats turning it on."

      This is why shiny high-tech appliances are almost always more a pain than their high price is worth. For example, an oven should have knobs, mounted behind the stove elements, which require a push and a turn to get it turned on.

      Other appliances, like a clothes dryer, are so damn simple (literally a drum, motor, heater, and fan) that any added tech is simply counterproductive. The refrigerator that came with my house has one of those in-door ice dispensors--damn thing is broken half the time due to a frozen motor, and when it works it spits out little bits of plastic, too. A simpler fridge would be half the price and work BETTER.

      An oven should be an oven. A refrigerator should be a refrigerator. A dryer should be a dryer. Any added networking technology (or any other whiz-bang gizmos) for what are basically a hot box, a cold box and a heated drum is just insanity.

    13. Re:Washine Machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I shut off my hot water heater and the power to my well pump during vacations. Assuming most people have "city" water, shutting the first or main water valve in your house would work as well. I have had two instances and know of many others where a water heater has spung a leak and caused major damage. Granted, that damage can happen at night or during the day when no one is home either but a few hours of a leak is far better then a few or more days. A tray with a drain under the water heater will provide decent leak protection but, that drain can clog easily if the tray is not cleaned out periodically and depending on where and how big the leak is, the insulation between the walls of the tank will eventually come out or some of the several inches of sediment that has built up in the tank over time will clog it as well.

      On a side note.. It is not a good idea to power a refrigerator or freezer from a ground fault protected electrical circuit. The circuit breakers with ground fault protection seem to be better then the outlet style (with the reset/test buttons) but either way, it will eventually trip and probably at the worst time!

    14. Re:Washine Machine by lysergic.acid · · Score: 1

      I too think this would be a useful feature. I'm the type of person who doesn't do laundry until I completely run out of clean clothes, so I usually end up with several loads of laundry to do. As such, laundry becomes a day-long event which prevents me from leaving the house. If I could operate the laundry machine remotely or atleast know when the laundry is done, I could go out in between putting in new loads without worrying about forgetting to take the laundry out of the dryer or leaving it sitting in the washer too long.

    15. Re:Washine Machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or if you live in a more urban setting, your neighbors may be the ones setting the blaze.

    16. Re:Washine Machine by radix99 · · Score: 1

      You already can get status information from your washer/dryer on your cell phone--every cell phone I've owned in recent years has an 'alarm clock' function. Throw the wash in, set the alarm, and voila... Status update when it's done!

    17. Re:Washine Machine by siriuskase · · Score: 1

      You can put your clothes in, and an online system will let you view how much time they have left on them via your wireless internet connection. Nothing new here.


      Yes, internet notification systems make more sense for laundrmats than for private homes. Back in the day, I used to hate hanging out in the laundremat. I'd go out or home and keep an eye on the clock. If you don't get back in time on a busy day, your clothes get dumped somewhere.

      Doing laundry at home is already so much more convenient, I'm not sure I would want a notification system. My home isn't that horrible of a hangout, there is always something to do. I can hear the machines when they need attention. If I do go out, my clothes are reasonably safe if they spend too long in a machine. If the washer sent me an email, the only use I see is to use it as an excuse to get away from someone I was tired of being with.

      However, I would like a system that could wash and dry my clothes without me transfering the clothes, and if I'm lucky, it would even fold and hang them. It's the manual steps I don 't like.

      --
      If you must moderate, please moderate as irrelevent, not something bad, because I'm sure someone will find this interest
    18. Re:Washine Machine by PHPfanboy · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      Hmm clearly I have too much time on my hands today.

      For example, an oven should have knobs, mounted behind the stove elements, which require a push and a turn to get it turned on.

      How about you put the knobs on the front so you don't have to lean over the hot elements/ pans to control it?

      The refrigerator that came with my house has one of those in-door ice dispensors--damn thing is broken half the time due to a frozen motor, and when it works it spits out little bits of plastic, too. A simpler fridge would be half the price and work BETTER.

      So you made a bad purchase. Sell it on eBay and buy a new one (or ask your parents to).

      Any added networking technology (or any other whiz-bang gizmos) for what are basically a hot box, a cold box and a heated drum is just insanity.

      I work hard (normally) and when I come home the last thing I want to do is have to do the washing. Unlike ovens, most washing machines don't have timers. If I do a wash in the morning and leave it in all day, it will stink when I come home (which would be OK if i was a sys admin, but I'm not). So I want to have my wash cycle finish when I get home. Instead of having to set up timeswitches and playing around with plugs (which are behind the heavy machine in any case) I think that being able to do this over teh interweb would be A Good Thing (TM)

      --
      29 mpg. YMMV.
    19. Re:Washine Machine by laffer1 · · Score: 1

      I forget about it. Usually when I do laundry, I'm also programming. For some odd reason, I get great ideas loading laundry into the washer. I guess it cleanses my mind. Problem is I forget to put them in the dryer or to check on them. Worse yet, sometimes I play enemy territory and who wants to check on clothes when there is 3 minutes left and you haven't got the truck moving yet on goldrush.

    20. Re:Washine Machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, while I do have my own washer/dryer, they are in the basement. I would be extremely helpful to be able to glance at my laptop while upstairs to see if either the cycles are done or whether there is anything there at all. I've got three kids below the age of 6 to manage and arrange everytime I have to pay any attention to the laundry. Hopefully version 2.0 will do something about loner socks.

    21. Re:Washine Machine by schmiddy · · Score: 1

      Actually, I've already had a chance to use a program similar to this, and find it fairly useful. Laundryview was made available to my campus recently – it's great for a shared environment, like a dorm laundry room, or any other laundromat, where you have to worry about whether machines are free before you lug all your clothes down there. LV also lets you know if your clothes are done yet – in theory you could just keep track of the time, knowing e.g. it takes 40 mins/load, but this gets tricky with multiple loads, or if the machine's internal clock is wonky.

      --
      http://cltracker.net -- powerful craigslist multi-city search
    22. Re:Washine Machine by JourneymanMereel · · Score: 1
      I work hard (normally) and when I come home the last thing I want to do is have to do the washing. Unlike ovens, most washing machines don't have timers. If I do a wash in the morning and leave it in all day, it will stink when I come home (which would be OK if i was a sys admin, but I'm not). So I want to have my wash cycle finish when I get home. Instead of having to set up timeswitches and playing around with plugs (which are behind the heavy machine in any case) I think that being able to do this over teh interweb would be A Good Thing (TM)

      Or, for much less money (for the embedded computer) and hassel (running network cables to the washer or getting it working on wireless) a simple timer could be put in the washer that has a "start the cycle in x hours" type function. Maybe I should patent this fabulous idea. Oh wait, it already exists. In fact, the washer I already own has it!
      --
      Life has many choices. Eternity has two. What's yours?
    23. Re:Washine Machine by JourneymanMereel · · Score: 1

      There's this neat little invention called a watch. It has this uncanny ability to tell you the current time. Combine that with some simple math skills (say a load of laundry takes 45 minutes. Current time is 11:15 = load will be done at 12:00) and presto. Want to get really fancy? Use that countdown timer on a cheap Timex Ironman.

      --
      Life has many choices. Eternity has two. What's yours?
    24. Re:Washine Machine by JourneymanMereel · · Score: 1
      However, I would like a system that could wash and dry my clothes without me transfering the clothes, and if I'm lucky, it would even fold and hang them. It's the manual steps I don 't like.

      When my wife and I were looking at washers and dryers, we saw one that could, in fact, wash and dry the clothes in the same machine. We seriously considered buying it for both the space saving and convience aspects. However, as we researched more on it, we found it that it really sucked. It washed clothes in the typical amount of time, but took somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 hours to dry them. It also cost as much as bying a seperate washer and dryer... and if you wanted anything less than a 5 hour cycle time, you needed to buy a dryer on top of that and only use the built in drying in situations where you don't have a large pile of dirty clothes. So in the end we didn't go with it.
      --
      Life has many choices. Eternity has two. What's yours?
    25. Re:Washine Machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "How about you put the knobs on the front so you don't have to lean over the hot elements/ pans to control it?"

      Children.

      "So you made a bad purchase."

      It came with the house. It'll stay in use until the whole thing breaks and a new one is justified.

      "If I do a wash in the morning and leave it in all day, it will stink when I come home"

      Actually, if your detergent does the job, it will be fine. Doing laundry generally takes less than an hour or two total time a week, anyway (even for a family of three, granted we don't need to iron stuff). This amount of time can be created for most people by watching fewer mind-rotting sitcoms.

    26. Re:Washine Machine by lysergic.acid · · Score: 1

      That's what I do currently. But this feature would be more convenient IMO.

  3. Shocking alert.. by bingo_cannon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Closet empty..time to do laundry!! Nothing calls for action than this!!

  4. Wash-TV by geekmansworld · · Score: 1

    "TV"? What's that?

    1. Re:Wash-TV by zxnos · · Score: 1
      ahem

      T V

      kids today...

      --
      always mosh clockwise
    2. Re:Wash-TV by CarpetShark · · Score: 1

      It's an awkward thing that people used to use before Broadcatching. There was also a very short-lived marketing upgrade for it, known as HDTV.

  5. from the article.. by ShaniaTwain · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Of course, these Laundry Time partners are serious companies not in the habit of flushing R&D dollars down the drain.
     
    ..Its called marketing. Put a hare-brained idea out there and get people writing articles mentioning your company name.

  6. Cool! by Infonaut · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is so freakin' awesome! Talk about a product everyone has been waiting for with baited breath! I know I'll throw down some serious cash for *that* technology!

    Hah! And people say Microsoft is losing its touch.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
    1. Re:Cool! by instarx · · Score: 1

      Geek walks into a bar and sits next to a pretty girl. Tries to pick her up by exclaming "Hey, my washing machine just emailed me!" Pathetic.

  7. Do not want. by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Funny
    > Your washer's calling and the dryer's on IM

    hotpoint14: I take off your pants, slowly, and gently massage them in my soapy warmth.
    maytagman: Oh I like that baby, after pretreating with detergent, I put in my robe and wizard hat.
    hotpoint14: What the f*ck, I told you not to message me again.
    maytagman: Oh **** damn I gotta write down your names or something

    1. Re:Do not want. by Starteck81 · · Score: 1

      hotpoint14: I take off your pants, slowly, and gently massage them in my soapy warmth.
      maytagman: Oh I like that baby, after pretreating with detergent, I put in my robe and wizard hat.
      hotpoint14: What the f*ck, I told you not to message me again.
      maytagman: Do you want to wash my mouth out with bleach?

      --
      "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed H
    2. Re:Do not want. by MajinBlayze · · Score: 1

      That's effing hilarious, for those who don't get it, bloodninja

      For something more on-topic, (and so I don't become a Karma Whore):People, many times you need to consider that just because a tech itself doesn't seem life-changing, the usefulness is there. Personally, I hate the noise of dryer buzzers enough that I would rather turn it off, and go check it occasionally than listen to it. This also has implications for deaf, and possibly some automated closewashing system (I can dream, can't I?)

      --
      "Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time." Danny Vinyard -American History X
    3. Re:Do not want. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      > maytagman: Do you want to wash my mouth out with bleach?

      hotpoint14: ok
      maytagman: mmm baby
      hotpoint14: that wasn't bleach
      maytagman: aaaaaaaaaubhfuck fuck fuc
      ** maytagman has left the room **

  8. PHASE two RFID integration by Starteck81 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... in other news scientist are using RFID embedded socks with RFID enabled dryers to solve one of the greatest mysteries of our time. Where do all the missing socks go?

    --
    "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed H
    1. Re:PHASE two RFID integration by Gnavpot · · Score: 1
      ... in other news scientist are using RFID embedded socks with RFID enabled dryers to solve one of the greatest mysteries of our time. Where do all the missing socks go?
      You think that was funny?
      http://groups.google.dk/group/comp.dcom.telecom/br owse_frm/thread/f17663f0ef61ec75/760702a1c9b71a99? lnk=st&q=rfid+laundry&rnum=9&hl=da#760702a1c9b71a9 9
      http://www.ti.com/rfid/docs/products/transponders/ 1356mhz-encapsulated.shtml
  9. Reason 10 for why we need IPv6 by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 5, Funny

    10. Not only are there billions of Chinese citizens who will be on the Net, now the washers and dryers want to IM each other.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  10. Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by Kelson · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I can think of one, and only one case where this would be more useful than a simple audio alarm: the shared laundry room.

    If you've ever lived in a college dorm, or in an apartment complex that provides a communal laundry room (and extracts cash from you, either in the form of quarters or a reloadable card), SOP is to put your clothes in the washer, go back to your room/apartment/etc., then come back when they're done. Chances are you've encountered the fatal flaw: When your laundry is ready to go into the dryer, someone else's clothes have often been sitting there, dry, for 10 minutes, and it'll be another half hour before they remember to pop in and take them out.

    The low-tech solution for the one with clothes in the dryer is this: Check your watch when you start the dryer, do a little math, and come back in 45 minutes. If you're really worried you'll forget, set an alarm. You've probably got a kitchen timer at worst, and if you're reading Slashdot, chances are your watch has 25 alarm settings anyway.

    The low-tech solution for the one waiting to use the dryer is to open it up and move the other person's clothes out of the way. Ironically, the solution to lack of consideration by one person is... lack of consideration by the other. Which can escalate into a cycle of anger, and neighbor feuds, and next thing you know there'll be a neutral zone and Jimmy Carter will be coming in to make sure that your complex doesn't break into open warfare. *ahem* Sorry about that...

    Anyway, something like this could work as a remote "Your laundry's done, doofus, get it the hell out of the way" alert. You could use single-use pagers like restaurants do for reservations, but this way you don't have to worry about range, or (since people are using their own phones) someone walking off with the pager after they're done.

    Pity that the one place it would be useful is also the least likely place for it to be implemented.

    1. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by CWRUisTakingMyMoney · · Score: 1

      Yep. At my university (Case Western Reserve), we have washers and dryers in every dorm that are connected to the internet so that one can check on their progress in minutes to end of cycle on a webpage, one page to each dorm. One can also check to see which machines, if any, are free. In theory, they're also supposed to email/text message us when they're done, but they never seen to implement that. I think the company that makes the systems (I forget the name) does the same type of thing to a lot of colleges, and probably apartment complexes too, as you said. There's nothing more aggravating than someone emptying out a machine so that they can use it; this cuts down on that issue significantly, but there are still some people who put their laundry in and go to class all day with their clothes in a machine. I guess tech can never get rid of jerks entirely.

      --
      Those who anthropomorphize science and/or nature already believe in an intelligent designer.
    2. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by Bruitist · · Score: 1

      That would've been great back when I was in halls. Especially due to the fact that the driers never even told you how long they'd take except for a single digit LED display that lit up part way through and started a countdown that didn't relate to any unit of time in the known universe...

    3. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by erice · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The low-tech solution for the one waiting to use the dryer is to open it up and move the other person's clothes out of the way. Ironically, the solution to lack of consideration by one person is... lack of consideration by the other. Which can escalate into a cycle of anger, and neighbor feuds, and next thing you know there'll be a neutral zone and Jimmy Carter will be coming in to make sure that your complex doesn't break into open warfare. *ahem* Sorry about that...

      The even lower tech solution is for all concerned to chill out and accept that rabid pursuit of exclusivity does not work when resources are shared.

      The one waiting should check his watch and come back in 5 minutes.
      If, after 5 minutes, the dryer is still full, the person waiting should remove said clothes from dryer. The person who shows up to find their clothes removed from the dryer should know that they failed to keep on top of their laundary and perhaps even apologize to the person who had to move their clothing asside.

      In 20 years of sharing laundary facilities with friends and strangers I have encountered exactly one person who got upset about this policy. I still consider him an anti-social dweeb.

    4. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by HaloZero · · Score: 1

      extracts cash from you, either in the form of quarters or a reloadable card...

      The low-tech solution for the one with clothes in the dryer is this: Check your watch when you start the dryer, do a little math, and come back in 45 minutes. If you're really worried you'll forget, set an alarm. You've probably got a kitchen timer at worst, and if you're reading Slashdot, chances are your watch has 25 alarm settings anyway.

      *looks at student ID...*
      *looks at cell phone alarm log...*

      You know, I just got over the feeling that I was being watched. Thanks, a lot. Spot on, mate. Well done.

      It's just a little measure of courtesy for the others around me who have to use the laundry the same as I do. I also don't want some dolt rifling through my wad of underpants because his are still wet and in a knot.

      --
      Informatus Technologicus
    5. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by noidentity · · Score: 1

      Wait a minute. You describe the low-tech solution (using a timer), then a high-tech solution that does exactly the same thing, that is, notifying you that your items are done. Since the high-tech solution offers no extra functionality (and more opportunities for failure), why not just use a timer? When you first move in, arrive to transfer/pick up your clothes a few minutes early so you can find out exactly how long the washer/dryer takes, then set a timer in the future.

      I really hate unwarranted application of technology.

    6. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by athena_wiles · · Score: 1

      Yes - my university does this too. For us, the service is http://www.laundryview.com/, and I've found that it works really well. No more dragging all of my things down to the laundry room only to find that all of the machines are in use; instead, I can just go down when I know there are a few free. It also tracks peak usage hours (i.e. doing laudry at 2 am on a Wednesday morning almost always guarantees that the machines will be free, while you'll probably be out of luck on a Saturday morning) and will tell you how long a load has been sitting in a machine (ie. cycle finished 12 minutes ago) - helpful when deciding whether or not you've waited long enough to let that other person come get their stuff before you move it.

      Actually, I should correct what I just said - we only have this service in the freshman dorms. I hope that it will be extended to the upperclass residences soon, though; it's really useful... not so much for telling you when your stuff is done, but for telling you when other people's stuff is done. Saves a lot of time waiting around in the laundry room doing nothing.

    7. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by pipingguy · · Score: 1

      Some of the newer-fangled buildings now have sophistimicated clothes washers and dryers which require computerized cards to make them function. You get a "credit card" from the building management (inconvenient if your work hours preclude you from dropping in between 10AM and 4PM). Then you load the clothes card from another card (debit or credit) with whatever amount you want. Next, you follow the "simple instructions" printed on the card and on the washer and/or dryer.

      I can tell you from personal experience that this system is, uh, annoying at best. The UI on the machines is very basic and unhelpful. Some machines take longer than others to recognize the already-paid-for card (sometimes they just barf, blinkingly) causing confusion for the user.

      To top it all off, the phenomenon of people occupying all the available machines and leaving for an extended dinner still remains. This system is designed to help who, exactly?

    8. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by CheeseTroll · · Score: 2, Informative

      Looks like Speed Queen has something like what you've described. Except more complicated, and very proprietary.

      --
      A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
    9. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by MartinB · · Score: 1
      The low-tech solution for the one with clothes in the dryer is this
      Not so much with the drier as the washer, but last time I was in an apartment with a shared laundry room, my low-tech solution was that the washer took 45 minutes (this was in Switzerland, so it was *exactly* 45 minutes). One DVD episode of TWW takes 43 minutes, with credits at either end. So put laundry on, head upstairs, watch TWW, head downstairs, and it would be shedding the very last of the spin cycle momentum.

      And we'll gently pass over the fact that, being Switzerland, one had to book the washer drier 3 months in advance (I was only *there* for 3 months). Fortunately, my efficient neighbours invariably finished theirs in time to allow me a laundry load before the 10.30 laundry curfew.
      --

      The only thing you can accurately describe as "Scotch" is a sticky tape made by 3M. And it's

    10. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by Fascist · · Score: 1

      I can see a use for this in attempting to reduce the amount of inconsiderate people that leave their laundy in the machines for hours after it's finished. Link the statistics to a names database, so you can see the average time a particular person leaves their laundry after it's finished. Thereby exposing said person to a barrage of ridicule from annoyed laundry users, and hopefully either forcing them to reform their ways, or relegating them to unpopular washing times.

      Obviously, you don't want names linked to actual in-use machines... that would just open you up to people targeting others clothes for whatever reason.

    11. Re:Use case: the Shared Laundry Room by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I really hate unwarranted application of LIFE. Please die.

  11. *bad* marketing by Infonaut · · Score: 0, Troll

    ..Its called marketing. Put a hare-brained idea out there and get people writing articles mentioning your company name.

    I'd call it bad marketing. In Microsoft's case in particular, it just shows how feckless they have become. They can't get their latest OS out the door on time, and their browser is a giant security black hole, but they're on top of the demand for net-enabled dishwashing? Pathetic.

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  12. Boil tea and check e-mail.... by mi · · Score: 3, Funny

    Are the first things I do in the morning. I'd LOVE it, if the kettle would send me an instant message, in addition to just quietly turning off.

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
    1. Re:Boil tea and check e-mail.... by Larry+Lightbulb · · Score: 1

      You need a TeasMaid (URL:http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=robo&ei=UTF -8&p=teasmaid).

  13. Wrong name by dereference · · Score: 2, Informative
    Its called marketing. Put a hare-brained idea out there and get people writing articles mentioning your company name.

    ...Unless, that is, they get your company name wrong! It's Procter & Gamble (not Proctor & Gamble). TFA gets it wrong as well, but that's probably why the company has mostly been using just P&G lately. Not that it matters much; we've apparently degenerated into a society that doesn't value spelling anyway.

    1. Re:Wrong name by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

      And of course, P&G is the largest consumer goods company on the planet. Toothpaste, soap, washing powder, etc, etc. etc, Just like Miscrosoft, they can afford to blow a few million on a hare-brained scheme, on the off chance tha t it will be profitable down the road.

  14. This could be quite useful by AstrumPreliator · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Despite the usual "this is for lazy people" comments I can actually see this as being very useful in many contexts. I live in an apartment right now and my room mate is always using the washer and dryer. I usually end up doing the loads of laundry she already has in so I can get in a load or two and have clothes for the next day. Coupled with the fact that our dryer is terrible (the time limit is 160 minutes for drying, this usually doesn't fully dry clothes) I could definitely see a benefit to controlling the washer/dryer from somewhere else. It would also be helpful in a household with many people, dorms, etc...

    1. Re:This could be quite useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "160 minutes for drying, this usually doesn't fully dry clothes"

              Ummm you need to get a new dryer or the one you have serviced or do not overload it. That much time is waaayyyyy too long for normal use of a dryer.

              "end up doing the loads of laundry she already has in so I can get in a load or two"

              She uses the washer as a hamper? Dump them on the floor, wash yours and put hers back. Common practice the World over in dorms, apartments and homes.

    2. Re:This could be quite useful by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

      Coupled with the fact that our dryer is terrible (the time limit is 160 minutes for drying, this usually doesn't fully dry clothes)

      Almost 3 hours to not quite dry? Your machine is broken. The only thing that doesn't dry in 45 mins in mine is a load of towels and jeans.

    3. Re:This could be quite useful by gettingbraver · · Score: 2, Funny

      How often does anyone clean the lint trap?

    4. Re:This could be quite useful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      160 minutes? Levis, okay. Otherwise, clean your lint filter!

    5. Re:This could be quite useful by AstrumPreliator · · Score: 1

      Every time actually. It's just the exhaust leads to basically nothing anymore. It's an old apartment. Basically it's a good heater in the winter.

    6. Re:This could be quite useful by blackest_k · · Score: 1

      most washer dryers will dry about half of what they can wash.
      so take out half the load and you should find they will be dry in less than an hour then repeat for the other half.
      the tumble in a tummble dryer is important without it there is no air flow and little moisture removal.

  15. Here we go... by 8ball629 · · Score: 1

    This reminds me of the coffee maker that uses SMS technology to turn on.

    1. Re:Here we go... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      uses SMS technology to turn on.
      I've been trying that for a while with my girlfriend, to give a bit of warning before i'll arrive home.... I regret to say that the results haven't really been encouraging :(
  16. Laundry Hacking 101 by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yes, a lot of people do use laundromats. I can see it now, some bored teen decides to hack his sister's laundry in the laundromat and set it to "Extra Dark Wash, Extra Hot, Hot Rinse, No Spin Dry" just because he can.

    --
    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  17. SOUNDS LIKE "SMART HOUSE" TO ME by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It is truly amazing how bad ideas keep being recycled. In the late 1980's there was the "Smart House" initiative that would allow you to remotly control your appliances from your PC or from your phone. The vendors behind it promised the ability to control your thermostat, your oven, stove dishwasher, lights even your gas grill (hopefully the grill lights when you turn it on). Several demonstration houses were made and a lot of applince and industrial companies spent a lot of money on it. The technology worked great... but...

    Guess what.... It was a dud! The idea is still a dud. Unless you have a self loading washer or dryer, a stove that gets out the food and cooks it for you there isn't mutch advantage here. So what if you are notified when the appliance is finished, unless it puts away the clothes or serves the food, you still have to pay the appliance a visit to finish the job.

    Perhaps a more reasonable approach would be to have a bluetooth control that might allow you to remotly put in detergent or softener, but I'm not sure this has any apeal either. I put this in the same category as the flying cars "Popular Mechanics" promises are coming every 10-15 years.

    1. Re:SOUNDS LIKE "SMART HOUSE" TO ME by superflippy · · Score: 1

      In the late 1980's there was the "Smart House" initiative that would allow you to remotly control your appliances from your PC

      This idea was scrapped when it was discovered that spilling water on your keyboard caused the Smart House to gain sentience and try and steal your girlfriend by composing techno-ballads.

      --
      Your fantasies contain the seeds of important concepts.
  18. It's all good... by revlayle · · Score: 1

    ...unless one of those devices starts calling themselves the "Post-Dated Check Loan".... then, I'll freak.

  19. Yawn! Wake me... by camperdave · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wake me up when the machine can collect the dirty clothes, wash them, dry them, and fold/hang them. Until then, I'm staying at mom's.

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    1. Re:Yawn! Wake me... by gstoddart · · Score: 2, Funny
      Wake me up when the machine can collect the dirty clothes, wash them, dry them, and fold/hang them. Until then, I'm staying at mom's.

      Your mom called, she and the washing machine are playing Halo II on X-Box live, do your own damned laundry! ;-)
      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    2. Re:Yawn! Wake me... by sharpestmarble · · Score: 1

      Whatever happened to ironing? Can't we have it do that for us too?

      --
      AC's modded -6. I don't see you, I don't mod you, anything you say is lost. Don't like it? Don't be a coward.
  20. The Goon Show Solution by Larry+Lightbulb · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bluebottle: my granddad's got one of those things that makes him a cup of tea and wakes him up.

    Eccles: What's it called?

    Bluebottle: my Grandma!

  21. Impending apocolypse? NO WAY by DRAGONWEEZEL · · Score: 1

    I for one, welcome our comunicating appliance overlords...

    But seriously, Who here hasn't been distracted by a late night tech, coding, or gaming session and forgot about the laundry that you needed to do so you could go to work with something clean on?

    What about the fact that the sooner you get your clothes out of the dryer the less wrinkles you have.

    I think this is an awesome idea that is a little late in my opinion.

    --
    How much is your data worth? Back it up now.
  22. Hi, This is your washing machine... by Cherita+Chen · · Score: 4, Funny
    Hello I am a very wealthy washing machine in the small african country of Uganda. My father recently passed away and left me $200,000,000 USD. I am seeking your help in transfering....

    C1al15 for cheap......

    I just wanted you to know that you can recieve a home mortgage of up to $453,000 for as little as $898 a month...

    --
    I'm not fat, just big boned...
    1. Re:Hi, This is your washing machine... by Gnavpot · · Score: 1
      Hello I am a very wealthy washing machine in the small african country of Uganda. My father recently passed away and left me $200,000,000 USD.
      Actually, only washing machines from Nigeria will send this type of mails.
    2. Re:Hi, This is your washing machine... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      Hello I am a very wealthy washing machine in the small african country of Uganda. My father recently passed away and left me $200,000,000 USD. I am seeking your help in transfering....


      Bullshit. A washing machine can launder its own damn money.
  23. Apartments: Maybe. Dorms: Hells No! by TheStonepedo · · Score: 1

    Students are shifty. Unless you know and trust everyone who lives in your dorms and the other dorms that use your laundry room, don't expect your clothes to be there when you return. Nobody's gonna steal your underpants unless they're really creepy, but if you leave decent-looking clothes from popular brands sitting in public laundry rooms without security cameras, somebody is gonna lift your stuff. I know most of my neighbors in the condos where I live now, and even though I have a washer/dryer in mine I would feel comfortable trusting most of them with access to my partially laundered clothes. Once somebody steals your favorite shirt you'll lose a little faith in the trustworthiness of your peers and neighbors.

    --
    I'll be your candy shop of infinite deliciousity if you'll be my discotheque of endless rump-shaking.
  24. Re:Apartments: Maybe. Dorms: Hells No! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's why they lock while in use and you return before they finish. Hey, not only would you be preventing your clothes from being stolen, you would also be acting nicely by allowing someone else to use the washer/dryer.

  25. Let's start predicting the malware around it! by Opportunist · · Score: 2

    Because one thing's for sure, if there's some harm possibly done, it will be done! Now, as long as those remote-controlling only allows you to check for states (like, is the oven off or the laundry done), there's little harm to be done. It starts getting dangerous when you can remotely control their functions.

    Imagine a remote controlled oven where your ex knows the keys to turn it on, possibly burning your apartment to the ground. Remote controlled locks that faciliates burglaries. A stereo connected to the internet playing "My heart will go on" at full volume for hours (because you're not home).

    There are certain developments in technology I simply do not need...

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  26. reduce complexity by e**(i+pi)-1 · · Score: 1

    Around the house, the same rules apply as in computing: minimize complexity. I want to get the job done as easily and fast as possible. Complexity can be reduced by keeping separate things separate. If something fails, I can pinpoint the source. The failure of one item should not influence the other. A hard drive crash still should allow you to make a telephone call or get some milk from the fridge or do the laundry. I don't want the light of the rooms be controlled by the same machine, which is used to play WOW by various members of the family. Apropos: why not go one step further and have your own house controllable from within WOW ...

    On the other hand, I would not mind, if the computer would just be used as a reporting tool. The fridge or the laundry machine would have little web-servers installed, which when connected to the wireless network, would allow to check about their status and eventually control them remotely. The machines should still work by hand. Adding additional control is no problem for me but one should be able to turn it off and it should still work.

    1. Re:reduce complexity by ShadeEagle · · Score: 1

      That's a bad idea. Control the lights and whatnot within WoW, and you'll end up wiping your raid because instead of healing the main tank, you turned off the kitchen light.

    2. Re:reduce complexity by WilliamSChips · · Score: 1

      Did you know that some guy actually made Doom into a sysadmin tool?

      --
      Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
  27. Remind me... by ManoSinistra · · Score: 1

    Remind me to add whirlpool2940 to my buddy list.

  28. Re:Impending apocolypse? NO WAY by pimpimpim · · Score: 2

    Actually my laundry machine should have a 'parent of a teenager' mode, where it would just nag me long enough to make sure I really unload it. Already too many times I forgot the laundry for longer periods than is olfactory favorable (just to end up restarting the same laundry again, ugh).

    --
    molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
  29. I believe this is the one referred to by jd · · Score: 1
    I am all for tech for the sake of tech, but I'm pretty sure this is one of the signs of the Apocalypse Nostradamus prognosticated.


    "Hallucinating flying windows over water in metal boxes;

    Invisible messages are lost with the socks;

    Floods of water destroy all life;

    As circles of glass turn blue and die"

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  30. Cambridge Coffee Pot by jd · · Score: 1
    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  31. That Hacker shrunk my clothes! by MattS423 · · Score: 3, Funny

    This sounds like something for hackers to get ahold of to me. "Darn it, i took down my firewall for 1 second and I wound up with 15 pairs of really, really small underwear"

  32. Funiest typo in a loooong time. by baldusi · · Score: 1

    Proctor & Gamble? I think P&G will be over those perverts with a brandname suit in no time. :p

  33. Re:Impending apocolypse? NO WAY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I read this comment, and had a chuckle, since that situation is really familiar to me. Then I realised that I actually have a load of washing in the machine now. Yes, I had forgotten about it.

  34. 80's or early 90's ?? by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ..Its called marketing. Put a hare-brained idea out there and get people writing articles mentioning your company name.

    Back in the late 80's or early 90's a friend of mine was seeking out home appliances which had some sort of network ability already. They were pretty hard to find, but the one which amazed me was a toaster. These were probably sometihng meant for an early theme of home network and information and control of appliances, but IIRC these had an EIA or sommat specification already worked out and manufacturers had bought into, believing the world would beat a path to their doors.

    Apparently not many people went for that level of sophistication so, as I said, they were hard to find and didn't hang around for long.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:80's or early 90's ?? by Skater · · Score: 1

      I wish my washer and dryer would IM me or text message me when the cycle is done. Although the dryer has a buzzer, it's in a back room behind my garage, so unless I happen to be in the kitchen or the garage, I never hear it. In fact, I have no idea what the buzzer on it sounds like. The washer doesn't have any sort of alarm, it just stops, so I have even less chance of knowing that it has finished, unless I time it.

      I know the idea sounds silly...but it'd be great for a situation like mine (which, granted, is relatively rare).

  35. Microsoft writing the software ??!? by Salsaman · · Score: 1

    Are they sure what they are doing ? I can just imagine it now...

    Dark and light clothes have been inserted together.
    The wash program has performed an illegal operation.
                      Cancel Abort Retry

  36. Not fully new, but can be useful by GenPetahhhh · · Score: 1

    I am in college and the dorm I live in has the washers and dryers setup to connect to the network for years and there is a website you can go to on the local intranet that shows which machines are currently broken, which machines are empty, and which machines are in use. For those in use it also shows how much time is left until they are done. The two problems with this in my dorm is that the website often goes down (the server they have it on is not the best I guess and they are bad at keeping track of if it is working or not) and also many people just leave their laundry in there for awhile after it is done and thus it reads as empty even though there is still stuff in there.

    If made more reliable though and maybe check to see if it has been opened since it ended (to see if there are still clothes in there or not) then this could be perfect for dorms all over with limited numbers of machines. As for in the house, well I don't see any reason to start or stop it remotely due to the fact you would have to load/unload it. Also for telling you when it is done would still not be as simple as just starting your stopwatch if you have a digital watch.

  37. Oh noes... by goldenratiophi · · Score: 1

    Soon washers and dryers will be having organized revolts. This may not turn out well.

    Time to go actually read the article...

  38. IIT SSV Dorms have this by slifox · · Score: 1

    The State Street Village dorms at IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology) have washers and dryers that are network-linked, and can be monitored from a website.

    Additionally, you can have the washer/dryer with your clothes in it send a text message to your cell phone when your load is done.

    I used it once for fun. Thats it... Its a great feature, sure... except unnecessary and probably cost way more than the benefits it carries.

    Why not focus this technology integration into devices that could be useful: i.e. a stove that reminds you that its still on; a fridge that warns of spoiling milk or low quantities of some product.

  39. College by Magnj · · Score: 1

    At Rutgers we have Laundry rooms in which the washers and dries will email you when your load is done. Also a web app can be accessed for availability info. Very cool...but pretty useless.

  40. Real automation in washer/dryers by Animats · · Score: 3, Informative

    All that user intervention is silly. What you want is a combination washer/dryer. These were first offered in 1958, and they're still around. No need to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer. The latest models even dispose of the lint down the drain.

    This is way ahead of having to communicate with the thing remotely.

    Another idea that seems to have disappeared from washing machines is a soap tank. You just fill one tank with Liquid Tide, another tank with fabric softener, and it does the rest. That was tried in the 1960s.

    Some of the more advanced machines, like the Maytag Neptune, sense the dirt content of the drain water and the water content of the dryer exhaust air to decide automatically how much washing and drying is needed. The Neptune can deal with an out-of-balance condition by itself, too.

    Another useful facility would be to have the dryer do an extra few turns every few minutes after it is done, to prevent wrinkling.

    1. Re:Real automation in washer/dryers by wilko11 · · Score: 2, Informative

      I have one of those LG Combined washer/dryer things and they are a great washer but a crappy dryer. Rather than use hot air like most dryers, they use water somehow - In a way this is nice because they don't exhaust humid air into the room (assuming you can't vent to the outside somehow) - but it takes about 3 hours to dry a load and uses more water than you save by using the more efficient front-loader style machine. Also you can't start washing the next load until the drying is finished. Unfortunately we didn't realise these limitations until after we had bought the machine - as a result we now have one of these sitting on top of the washer - it has the auto sensing thing and the anti-wrinkle feature too!

  41. Real innovation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    You know what I'd like to see. A washing machine that, whence done washing, starts drying the clothes!!! That way, when I remember I was doing laundry, 3 days later, instead of being all mildewy, they're actually ready to wear. Why the he11 do I have to get up, get all the clothes out of one circular tub and place them into yet another circular tub. Why can't the washer just kick into dry mode?!?!?!

    This would save time: load clothes to wash, unload when dry.
    This would save space: I only have one big box to find a place for, instead of two.
    This would save money: I'm only buying one big box, not two.

    O.K. some possible hurdles are:
    - Manufacturers would have to charge twice as much to recoup lost revenue (or make them break twice as fast). I, for one, would be willing to pay the same amount for an all-in-one box as I currently do for two boxes.
    - Something about putting a high current heating element in a device that slings around a high volume of water. O.K. surely the safety issues can be overcome, we do have water heaters, afterall.
    - A washer is probably not very effecient for drying. O.K., so a little engineering would be required, but come on, look at everything else we can do, it can't be that difficult.
    - Dryers tend to have larger tubs, for fluff. O.K., I don't know how they'll get the users to not stuff it so full that it won't properly dry.

    Please add your thought.

    1. Re:Real innovation by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 2, Informative

      You know what I'd like to see. A washing machine that, whence done washing, starts drying the clothes!!!

      Here ya go. 10 sec on google...

    2. Re:Real innovation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they'd be wrinkled to hell, fool. have you ever done laundry before?

  42. All I want... by TheNoxx · · Score: 1

    Is some function on my phone that tells me whether or not I remember to lock-up the house when I'm halfway to wherever... I can't say I give a damn about controlling my washing machine from the toilet in the train station, but I hate worrying all day about if my door is secured.

    --
    Ex nihilo nihil fit.
    1. Re:All I want... by Velocir · · Score: 1

      I find it's my car that I have to check, usually when i'm about 10 aces from it, so that when i'm about to get to the busstop, the bus goes by...So, i'd prefer having tis tech in my car.

  43. The Apocalypse Is Now by falken0905 · · Score: 0

    The Apocalypse Is Now (Um, to paraphrase the large recently deceased one). The Horror!

  44. A better idea by acidrain69 · · Score: 1

    it would be nice to get a text message on my cellphone or an IM when my laundry is done at the community laundry room. I hate having to go check it. There is no reliable amount of time you can wait to know it will be done, and I don't want to leave my laundry sitting around too long; Underwear gnomes and all.

    --
    -- Having a Creationist Museum is like having an Atheist place of worship
  45. Paging Washers and Dryers by hhawk · · Score: 1

    There are those days when you put the cloths into the washer and you don't go back for a day or two, or you doing in the AM and then you rush out to work and don't try until the evening...

    BUT when you in a rush and you want to do the full wash/dry cycle and you don't want to sit in front of the machines in basement or "laundry center" of your abode.. getting a page (SMS TXT) to your cell phone that the wash cycle is done would be handy.. I wouldn't pay a lot extra for it but if I had it I would use it.. and I would look for/seek that feature in machines I was buying..

    Now if you have a modern dryer that can detect moister and it's nearing the end of the dry cycle getting a Txt that tells you that the cloths aren't done (yet) and giving you the option to remotely add on more time to the dry cycle would be neat, but I'd probally put the dryer on auto mode and let it decide on it's own to add more time (in which case I would LOVE a txt saying (your 40 mins. of drying is now taking 55 mins)..

    I'd also love a txt reminding me that the cloths have been done for 3 hours and I might want to take them out before I get yelled at...

    --
    http://www.hawknest.com/
    1. Re:Paging Washers and Dryers by CheeseTroll · · Score: 1

      What? A reasonable post, with no snide remarks? You Slashdot rebel, you!

      But seriously, I agree that this could actually be a really cool idea, and not at all like the mythical linux-powered toaster. The washer/dryer I grew up with had an obnoxiously loud buzzer that could be heard throughout the whole house when it was done. My current dryer goes beep-beep-beep, and that's it. It's a rare day when I can hear that from upstairs. It would be great to get an email, text msg, or something.

      OTOH, some kind of remote alarm thing would be just as useful, and probably simpler.

      --
      A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
  46. Ok, this has gone far enough. by foreverdisillusioned · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How the HELL is this deserving of the 'bigbrother' tag? I've always been annoyed that most people associate the Big Brother concept almost exclusively with mass surveillence when the social concepts in 1984 (doublethink, doublespeak, thought police, two minutes' hate, etc.) were infinitely more controlling. Cameras in every home can't hold a candle to the soul-chilling reality of doublethink that surrounds us.

    And NOW... now home automation suddenly becomes a sign of Big Brother? What the fuck? I couldn't care less whether the government knows that my jeans are done drying, let alone the people I share my LAN with. On top of this, I don't see any sort of sign that these machines will become commonplace, let alone mandatory and/or mandatorily monitored by the government... and for what, water restriction enforcements maybe? Yeah, I suppose it could be a possibility, but for fuck's sake let's worry about that trivial and unlikely scenario when/if it gets a little closer to becoming reality.

    I don't care how dumb this idea is, it's not a sign of Big Brother. You want Big Brother, turn on the fucking 6 o'clock news. It may not be mass surveillence, but it's far more representative of the Big Brother mindset than some gimmicky net-ready home appliance.

    1. Re:Ok, this has gone far enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Comrade Foreverdisillusioned: Our computers noticed an increase in the usage of hot water and certain appliances in your single occupant licensed apartment of late. Upon investigation we find that you have a female companion, comrade Disillusioningforever, staying in your apartment and having unlicensed sex with you. While your both in there we have taking the necessary action of hermetically sealing the apartment and are currently releasing a gas which will keep the two of you safe from further unlicensed activities until the rescuers reach you and take you into their care for redemption. You will be given a new chance at life and the state is sure you will never again be inclined to participate in unlicensed activities. Have a doubleplusgood day.

    2. Re:Ok, this has gone far enough. by phorm · · Score: 1

      Simple. How else can the cops choose the exact moment when you are in nothing but your boxers to show up and pound down your door...

  47. Re:Impending apocolypse? NO WAY by FLEB · · Score: 1

    Actually, I end up having a problem earler: Nothing's wrong until I run out of clothes.

    I need some RFID chips and a sewing machine. Run a reader over the lot (previously inventoried and catalogued, of course) and find out how many decent outfits I have left. If a significant amount ends up in the "dirty" side, send me an email. Of course, that doesn't work well with the "once-used but servicable" clothing state, but I'm sure something can be done to work around that.

    --
    Information wants to be free.
    Entertainment wants to be paid.
    You just want to be cheap.
  48. One thing... by JKConsult · · Score: 1

    It's ProctEr and Gamble. Trust me, with a parent who has worked there for 20 years, you learn how much they hate to see their name misspelled.

    2 things I learned as a child: don't misspell the Procter, and don't bring up the Satanist urban legend. The first gets them annoyed, the second gets you a batch of literature in the mail or a nasty telephone call.

    1. Re:One thing... by Chapter80 · · Score: 1
      > It's ProctEr and Gamble. Trust me, with a parent who has worked there for 20 years, you learn how much they hate to see their name misspelled.

      Geesh, then you should know better!

      You're BOTH wrong! It's Procter & Gamble, not Procter AND Gamble!

    2. Re:One thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      HAHAHAHA spelling nazi, pwnd!

  49. laundry done? by hpavc · · Score: 1

    I have a mailroom scale that wouldnt stay calibrated that I have wired to my laundry room. I have a whirlpool duet stacked system and the scale sits out of sight on the top. I have the scale wired to a linux box via cat5. When the laundry is done jabber complains to me (with snooze). When i actually do get around to doing the laundry (moving it from wash to dryer or out of dryer) i just need to hit the 'zero scale' and the jabber will shut up.

    Really works great, makes for a lot of unfolded laundry :)

    --
    members are seeing something, your seeing an ad
  50. What moron connects their dishwasher to the net? by liftphreaker · · Score: 1

    What an absolute fucking moron he must be, who has his entire house connected to the net. In all likelihood, the next "fridge DDOS" would hose your fridge and make it heat up everything inside, the next "pink underwear virus" would get your washing machine and make it explode soap suds all over your kitchen and the next "code red 4004" would hose your microwave and make it evaporate everyone in sight.

  51. KISS by CheeseTroll · · Score: 1

    I think it's a neat idea to have the washer/dryer send a text message of some sort when it's done, but does it really require the combined efforts of Microsoft, HP, Panasonic, Proctor & Gamble and Whirlpool to make it happen??? What happened to starting with a relatively simple implementation, and increasing the capabilities (and complexity) as they get a better feel for what their customers want? I predict this will result in nothing but hype.

    --
    A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
  52. washboard? by chocolatetrumpet · · Score: 1

    You know, you could actually wash your own clothes and get some exercise, then hang them to dry.

    This might be better than working the double shift to pay for that $1400 washer/dryer set, and then spending extra on the gym membership to stay in shape, all the while exhausted. ...just a thought.

    --
    Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
    1. Re:washboard? by dthree · · Score: 1

      I would do that, but my homeowners association fines $50 a day for hanging my laundry outside.

      --
      "I forgot my mantra."
  53. The Fanuc Robotic Kitchen by Animats · · Score: 1

    Fanuc, the Japanese robot manufacturer, actually does have a robotic kitchen for their employee cafeteria. Robots make up meals and do the heavy pot cleaning. It's not totally automatic. Yet.

  54. perfect for billy 'users' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    The vanilla kool-aid I had the freedom to innovate on you has almost been cleaned up. I can see you're ready for another load.

  55. Hackers reference. by CCFreak2K · · Score: 1

    The idea is to allow family members to receive alerts and control certain laundry functions from their PCs, cell phones and TV sets, presumably so they can spend more time with their PCs, cell phones and TV sets.

    Does anyone else think of the second scene from Hackers? (Hint: it's the one where Dade takes control of the TV center)

    --
    "Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."
  56. Red Dwarf quote by gijoel · · Score: 1

    Toastie: How-de-doodlee-do!Toastie Toaster's the name and Toasting's the game. Would anyone like any toast?"

    Lister: I don't want any toast and he doesn't want any toast. In fact no-one round here wants any toast, not now, not ever! No TOAST!

    Toastie: How about a muffin? Lister: Or muffins,we don't want muffins, no toast, no teacakes, no buns, baps, baguettes or bagels. No quassants, no crumpets, no pancakes, no potato cakes, and no hot-cross-buns, and definitely no smeggin flap-jacks!"

    Toastie: Ahh, so you're a waffle man.

    Lister: We don't want any smegging bread based products. Why can't you see that.

    Toastie: I am a Toaster, I toast therefore I am. If you didn't want any toast why did you repair me?

  57. Nostradamus by FirienFirien · · Score: 1

    Fortunately for us, Nostradamus' dates for the apocalypse have gone by without anyone noticing. 26th July 1999 was the major one; and there was also one around a month ago I believe? that was supposed to be the alternate date if you read one of the bits in the prophecy in a different way. Hey, we're still alive! (Unless we're now a variation on sinfest's brains in a vat ;). His next prediction seems to be the year 3797...

    --
    Browsing with +2 to insightful posts and a higher threshold makes the average post seen seem a lot more ingenious
  58. Already have it by pfarrell4 · · Score: 1

    Colleges have been doing this for a few years now in the dorms. LaundryView and eSuds are the two big players in the market... you can look online to see if there are washers/dryers available so you don't lug all of your stuff downstairs only to find it completely full, and it'll notify you when your things are done. You can also sign up for alerts to let you know when machines do open up if they are all in use.

  59. Nobody gets this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm surprised.
    This is just the next logical step: you won't OWN your washer/dryer,
    you just bought a license to clean X amount of clothes in it.

    It's Pay by the Load for everyone!

    (Didn't you read the EULA?)

  60. Mr. Coffee by Dionysos+Taltos · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Absolutely! I can't tell you how many times my wife and I exchange phone calls to ensure someone remembered to turn off the coffee maker before leaving for work. Having this technology for ovens, stoves and coffee makers would be more useful than for laundry machines.

    To further what the parent post said about time saving and laundry machines, give me laundry machines which can change loads and fold clothes, that would be a true time-saving feature for today's laundry machines. Anything else is just "bells and whistles".

  61. pfft, IM is nothing by dim5 · · Score: 1

    My washer uses SOAP!

    --

    Is something burning?
    Oh, it's my karma.

  62. Large Networks, Small Areas by PhYrE2k2 · · Score: 1

    Am I the only one a bit tired of large networks being used for small systems? Why are you hooking your dryer up to the Internet to send an instant message to MSN/ICQ/AOL/Yahoo/Google to come to your computer? Isn't that silly?

    First, a dryer takes a fixed amount of time. If you can't estimate 40 minutes, seek professional help.

    Second, the buzzer was always a good method. Many newer washer/dryers have remote devices like a pager that wirelessly buzzes you when it's done. A useful feature for those in big houses who can't hear their dryer/washer buzz at them.

    That is a short-range solution, and how it should be. If you're not within a few hundred feet of your washer, you're not going to run home and change your laundry.

    If you're trying to notify someone in the next room, why are we using the Internet? When would you ever have to turn on something that requires loading remotely?

    -M

    --

    when you see the word 'Linux', drink!
  63. Washing Machine (was: Re:Washine Machine) by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

    However, an audible alert isn't going to cut it if you're more than two or three rooms over and have the stereo going. They aren't the loud-ass buzzers that they used to be!

    And they certainly aren't persistent. It goes off once, and if you don't hear it, tough. Not like cell phones with missed calls left in work cubicles beeping every three minutes, or a microwave oven with a cooling cup of coffee left in it.

    I've had an idea for awhile. It came to me while in college and seeing people using those plastic balls that release fabric softener at (hopefully) the right time during the wash. I thought, why not put some electronic sensors in there and seal it watertight with firmware that will tell it to start transmitting a signal when it notices that it (a) is not floating or submerged and (b) is not undergoing any acceleration. Now that campuses are set up for WiFi, they just need to get online and send a message to your room when you're laundry is done, so you can get to it before someone else dumps it on the floor. Give it a battery that can operate for at least 12 loads and an inductive recharging station, or make it like a self-winding watch, charging as its being thrown about in the washer or dryer.

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  64. Re:Apartments: Maybe. Dorms: Hells No! by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

    I have had all my red t-shirts disappear from an apartment laundry room, and I'd always picked up my laundry promptly. Once I'd noticed I had none left (start of next sports season) I never left my laundry unattended in that building again.

    Which is why the very low-tech version of affixing a simple magnet with your address or phone number to the machines you're using doesn't work in practice either. You wouldn't want some stranger suffering from Laundromat Rage harrassing you by phone and knowing where you live.

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  65. Dryer Delights... by KC7GR · · Score: 1

    What this REALLY means is that if the dryer is porn-surfing, all those socks that mysteriously disappear are going to be magically replaced with a wide variety of kinky garments.

    Hey, lose something, get something back. It all balances out in the end. I'm thinking three socks for that red-orange rubbery thing that Mila Jovovich held up to the camera in 'The Fifth Element...'

    Keep the peace(es).

    --

    Bruce Lane, KC7GR,

    Blue Feather Technologies

  66. New technology? by cbroglie · · Score: 1

    How is this different from the system Carnegie Mellon already has: ? We received emails or text messages when laundry is done, and can check what machines are available from a website.

  67. Aha! by gettingbraver · · Score: 1

    I also live in an old apartment, so I know exactly what you are talking about. Everything is borderline obsolete, but functional here. In that case you buy one of the maintainance guys a 12 pack--it'll get fixed!

  68. I'll add to that by phorm · · Score: 1

    How about the ignorant jerks who happily pop open your running washer/dryer to 'check' if there's anything in there. Of course, the machine will happily tick down its time but not restart unless the button is hit again, meaning when you come back in 20-40 minutes your coins are still eaten and your laundry is still wet.

    Give me a wifi connection to the machine and the ability to catch a picture of whomever is opening my machine so I can be sure to add some tye-dye to his next load...

  69. Trojan Room Coffee Machine by siriuskase · · Score: 1

    This appliance, setup in 1991, predates the www. It was networked so that users could check if coffee was available without walking to the machine.

    http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/coffee/coffee.html

    --
    If you must moderate, please moderate as irrelevent, not something bad, because I'm sure someone will find this interest