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Why Intel Wants To Network Your Clothes Dryer

Posted by Soulskill on from the p2p-lint-sharing dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Intel has shown off a working prototype of a small box that, among other things, can monitor your clothes dryer to see how much it's contributing to your power bill. The Intelligent Home Energy Management proof-of-concept device is a small box with an 11.56-inch OLED touchscreen that is designed to act as an electronic dashboard for monitoring energy use in the home. By equipping devices like home entertainment systems and clothes dryers with wireless networked power adapters, the system can actually report back the power draw for a particular power point. Leave the house, and it can make sure power-draining devices like that plasma TV are turned off. It is unlikely the device will enter production (there are apparently only four in existence), however this story about the box shows something we can expect to see in the home of tomorrow. Ultimately, it's not only about saving money, but also reducing load on the electricity grid by removing needless power use."

2 of 330 comments (clear)

  1. Intel is a "useful idiot" for the government. by blcamp · · Score: 0, Troll

    This will ultimately be about control.

    The Green Police will monitor your power usage and fine you for "excess". You think cap and trade is only for "greedy corporations"? No no no no no... this will hit consumers even harder. If you have 5 TVs when others only have 2 or 3 and you use 10 kwh per month than the rest of your neighbors, you'll be branded socially irresponsible by government bureaucrats and hauled before some board to explain yourself, before being ordered to cut a check to make amends for your abuse of the planet. Oh, and that extra mini-fridge you have in your home-office, basement, man-cave or garage? That's very anti-Green so it will just have to go.

    And Intel is playing along since they can turn a buck on this, but they are being exploited by government as a "useful idiot" to get them what they've been wanting all along.

    Does this technology have some good uses? Absolutely! But when placed in the wrong hands, this, like any technology, can and will be used to achieve ulterior motives as well.

    --
    The problem with socialism is that they always run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher
  2. Re:Interesting... by cayenne8 · · Score: 0, Troll
    "There's no reason every fucking device on the planet has to have a goddamn clock, and much less that it needs to eat more than 2 watts 24/7 just to wait for a power-on signal from some lazy fatass who can't stand up and walk 8 feet from the couch to turn it on."

    I'm not worried about it. I can afford it.

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........