I like the idea of home automation, but ya, this ain't it. Most solutions I see are either ancient & unreliable, or a complex solution looking for a problem.
What I want is a bunch of physical components built like an iPhone (clean, simple, just works), connected to a small, smart controller. Like a Raspberry Pi running Scratch. Brains to the system that I don't have to invest days into. Anything requiring "cloud" or subscription is right out.
Life is short. I have a ton of things I want to do, and don't have time to do. Home automation's got to have a big bang for the buck before I'm jumping in. Save me a ton of time, or save me a bunch of money - every day.
Types of things that I can't believe aren't dead-simple to plug into a standard home automation system: -I want a key fob that unlocks my door. (Kevo would be awsome, but it doesn't exist yet) Have that device notify the main system. Let me then script a "wake up the house" list. -I want a "good night" button by my night stand. Turn off all lights, lock all doors, turn off all TV's, radios, etc. Close the garage door. If I have an alarm system, turn that on. If a door or window is open, tell me. -I want a super easy, super reliable system to open upstairs windows if the temp outside is better than inside. (Outside is cooler in the summer, outside is warmer in the winter.) Said system should be aware of thunderstorms, or be down-pour proof. -Likewise, super easy, super reliable system to controll window shades using the same criteria. -When I'm away from home, text me a photo of anyone at the front door. (UPS delivery, etc). But only when the house is in "I'm gone" mode. -Interface should be super simple, for spouse acceptance factor, and to handle house-sitters. Ability to turn the "smart house" into a "dumb house" with a lightswitch. Sure, I want the GIU. The wife & kids will need a single button or light switch to do the basics.
As poster above mentioned, The History channel has addressed this one in the seriese "Life After People". I believe that, as per the show, the longest lasting record of our existence on earth would be Stone Mountian- due to the hardness of the rock. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain
Lemme get this straight: Dr. Dobb's is computer simulating a paper simulation of a computer.
Put another way, it's easier to learn about computers using a spreadsheet model of a paper model of a computer, than just a mere paper model of a computer.
I want a Google Glass type device, only without a camera. I don't want to record everything around me & put it on the intertubes.
I want the exact opposite - I want the Internet available to me all the time. Maybe with a voice interface, maybe with a remote input device. (Mouse/trackpoint/other I keep in my pocket?)
That's where the real creative engineering will come in. A socially acceptable, non-creepy, input device. Teeth clacking? Facial muscle movement? Low volume sub-vocal/humming?
I have heard NASA uses 32 digits, but I have no citation for that.
I can only remember 27 digits now, used to be a few more. Competition with a cousin (Hi Matt!), and I lost. Turns our I was mentally using groups of 2, he was using groups of 4.
"When will we trust robots?" The answer is negative. We already do.
The threshold for tolerance is when I get something I want, and get it reasonably reliably. Just like trust in humans. I'll loan you $20 after you earn some level of trust.
I trust using ATM's, because I need cash when the bank's closed, and haven't had one miscount my withdrawl yet.
I trust my floor cleaner (Mint 5200), because I don't want to do it, and it hasn't hurt the dogs or kids.
I will trust my first self-driving car when it drives as good as an average human, and the insurance rates reflect that. Simple.
The robot revolution is here, it's just being delivered little bits at a time.
I like to get up & go exploring. Are there parts of your building you've never seen? Nearby buildings you've been to? Grab a clip-board (so you look like you need to be there), and expore for 5 or 10. You might learn something cool.
If your smart phone is too cumbersome, the solution is NOT to get another gadget to add to the complexity.
Seriously, some folks are so gadget happy with their oohh-aaahh features on their phones that they forget why they bought it.Speak with your wallet. Buy a phone that works for your needs, and is easy to use.
Thanks! My local theater advertised as "High Frame Rate", but when I sat down, it was plain old 24fps. I was seriously disappointed. Don't expect the minimum wage teenager at the counter to know what's in the projection booth.
I'm a mild case, so most people don't notice in day-to-day interactions. Your average Hollywood actress looks like a clone.
Every day I have a "Is that Bob?" moment walking past people I haven't met. I'm quite reserved in saying "hi" to people I'm not 90% sure I know. A lot of people think I'm a friendly stranger because I wave, then a few second later think "whoops, not who I thought that was" when their reaction doesn't match Bob's.I almost never greet by name- it's always generic "Hi there" type, to cover if my first guess is wrong.
Yes, it's purely visual. When watching a movie, my wife can spot actors and say "isn't he from movie yadda?". Especially with actresses that change hair color, they become a totally different person.
Now voices, those I get. Once an actor speaks, I can often peg where I've heard them before. When actors have heavy makeup, I can spot people before she can.
Smells? I try not to hang around people with any smell (good or bad) at all.:)
Posture, walking gate, height are things I do consciously use. Actually, I sometimes have a better shot at identifying people from behind, (i.e. walking ahead of me), because there's no face to cause confusion.
Glasses & beards are great for short term, but they change long term. For business meetings & groups, clothing is the way to go. Red shirt is Bob, white shirt is Fred. The next day I have to pick up again by voice and forget the clothing identifiers.
I can recognize faces, but it takes hard concentration- enough that I often have to tune out what people are saying. With a couple folks, if I put in the effort, I can learn the quirks in their faces. (Big nostrils, gap tooth, etc). For a group of 10 people - forget it. I won't even try. Smile & nod time.
As someone with mild associative prosopagnosia (google for Face Blindness), I *really* want this. Way too many people look alike to me, and I miss out on a lot for the first half of most conversations. I have to avoid names and only talk about general, common topics until I figure out who the heck I'm talking to. With a VR system, I might be able to follow the plot of more movies, too!
From a technology angle, contacts simple can't work for this application. You can't read text that's not directory in the center of your view. See also: http://www.xkcd.com/1080/
Cable is on death row, and nothing will save it from the Internet.
I'm waiting for the networks to discover that they can stream their own channel on the Internet from their own servers - and thus have complete controll over commercials, based on the viewer's IP, time zone, and other demographics. Neilson can only dream of the ratings data they could gather. If Facebook can IPO for a gagillion dollars, why can's [your-favorite-channel] make a killing without the cable company as a middle man?
Yes, smart meters are really unsafe! I recommend you grab your cell phone and call in to complain about it- thereby pressing an RF transmitter in direct contact with your skull. So you can complain about one on the outside corner of your home.
Mod parrent to +Infinity. Navteq is by far the worst GPS/mapping database out there. Even the half-hearted, "croud-sourced" Waze is better.
I frequently use my iPhone's mapping system when I'm in my van with the Navteq system. It's not just the road mistakes & outdated info, it's also the interface. I recently tried to get directions to my town's YMCA. After 10 minutes, the best match I could find was one over 1,000 miles away. 3 seconds with Siri and I had directions.
I am completly convinced that the deveopers of Navteq systems don't actually use it themselves. It's that bad.
Slashdot Mirror
I like the idea of home automation, but ya, this ain't it. Most solutions I see are either ancient & unreliable, or a complex solution looking for a problem.
What I want is a bunch of physical components built like an iPhone (clean, simple, just works), connected to a small, smart controller. Like a Raspberry Pi running Scratch. Brains to the system that I don't have to invest days into. Anything requiring "cloud" or subscription is right out.
Life is short. I have a ton of things I want to do, and don't have time to do. Home automation's got to have a big bang for the buck before I'm jumping in. Save me a ton of time, or save me a bunch of money - every day.
Types of things that I can't believe aren't dead-simple to plug into a standard home automation system:
-I want a key fob that unlocks my door. (Kevo would be awsome, but it doesn't exist yet) Have that device notify the main system. Let me then script a "wake up the house" list.
-I want a "good night" button by my night stand. Turn off all lights, lock all doors, turn off all TV's, radios, etc. Close the garage door. If I have an alarm system, turn that on. If a door or window is open, tell me.
-I want a super easy, super reliable system to open upstairs windows if the temp outside is better than inside. (Outside is cooler in the summer, outside is warmer in the winter.) Said system should be aware of thunderstorms, or be down-pour proof.
-Likewise, super easy, super reliable system to controll window shades using the same criteria.
-When I'm away from home, text me a photo of anyone at the front door. (UPS delivery, etc). But only when the house is in "I'm gone" mode.
-Interface should be super simple, for spouse acceptance factor, and to handle house-sitters. Ability to turn the "smart house" into a "dumb house" with a lightswitch. Sure, I want the GIU. The wife & kids will need a single button or light switch to do the basics.
Interesting timeline here:
http://lifeafterpeople.wikia.com/wiki/Life_After_People
As poster above mentioned, The History channel has addressed this one in the seriese "Life After People". I believe that, as per the show, the longest lasting record of our existence on earth would be Stone Mountian- due to the hardness of the rock.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Mountain
>glad I live in a country with free healthcare for all.
TANSTAAFL.
Make no mistake, it's not free, You're paying for it.
The real question is, do you know how much you're paying? If it's even possible to find out, then we can compare heath care costs.
Lemme get this straight: Dr. Dobb's is computer simulating a paper simulation of a computer.
Put another way, it's easier to learn about computers using a spreadsheet model of a paper model of a computer, than just a mere paper model of a computer.
Cool, yes. Circular logic loops, yes.
I want a Google Glass type device, only without a camera. I don't want to record everything around me & put it on the intertubes.
I want the exact opposite - I want the Internet available to me all the time. Maybe with a voice interface, maybe with a remote input device. (Mouse/trackpoint/other I keep in my pocket?)
That's where the real creative engineering will come in. A socially acceptable, non-creepy, input device. Teeth clacking? Facial muscle movement? Low volume sub-vocal/humming?
Time to brush up on your physics. Gravity is acceleration, even if nothing is moving.
Accelerometers tell a phone which way is down, if you've rotated the phone, movement gestures, etc.
Some phones have apps to alter ringtones if it's left face up vs face down. That's the accelerometer sensing that.
If you're looking for USA changing locations, search your Droid/iOS app store for "Charge Bud". Has a list of charging points.
I'm sure there are other resources for that data as well.
I have heard NASA uses 32 digits, but I have no citation for that.
I can only remember 27 digits now, used to be a few more. Competition with a cousin (Hi Matt!), and I lost. Turns our I was mentally using groups of 2, he was using groups of 4.
"When will we trust robots?" The answer is negative. We already do.
The threshold for tolerance is when I get something I want, and get it reasonably reliably. Just like trust in humans. I'll loan you $20 after you earn some level of trust.
I trust using ATM's, because I need cash when the bank's closed, and haven't had one miscount my withdrawl yet.
I trust my floor cleaner (Mint 5200), because I don't want to do it, and it hasn't hurt the dogs or kids.
I will trust my first self-driving car when it drives as good as an average human, and the insurance rates reflect that. Simple.
The robot revolution is here, it's just being delivered little bits at a time.
I like to get up & go exploring. Are there parts of your building you've never seen? Nearby buildings you've been to? Grab a clip-board (so you look like you need to be there), and expore for 5 or 10. You might learn something cool.
If your smart phone is too cumbersome, the solution is NOT to get another gadget to add to the complexity.
Seriously, some folks are so gadget happy with their oohh-aaahh features on their phones that they forget why they bought it.Speak with your wallet. Buy a phone that works for your needs, and is easy to use.
Thanks! My local theater advertised as "High Frame Rate", but when I sat down, it was plain old 24fps. I was seriously disappointed.
Don't expect the minimum wage teenager at the counter to know what's in the projection booth.
You could. Get some skills, maybe a few certifications. Apply for every possible job that looks remotely interesting.
It's your career- take charge of it. Nobody else will.
Important != Valuable
The cleaning crew is important. Long haul truckers are important. Neither are high paying jobs.
Every occupation thinks theirs is the most important, and deserving of higher pay. IT is no different.
Dude, don't feed the trolls.
Just move along. Nothing to see here.
I have mod points, but have to chime in.
In Michigan winters, when the temps drop to 0 F, the range is about half - based on a Volt owner I talked to.
Um, use them as designed? Why do you need all of those extra features for just a photo frame?
If you're still on the upgrade treadmill, give the old frames to someone who will use it.
Maybe consider half way between a house & RV. Better when in cold climates.
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
Keep it out of direct sunlight, and crack the windows. 4 hours isn't too bad at 140 F. It's the direct sunlight that you should fear.
But you're keeping things our of sight for teft protection, right?
I'm a mild case, so most people don't notice in day-to-day interactions. Your average Hollywood actress looks like a clone.
Every day I have a "Is that Bob?" moment walking past people I haven't met. I'm quite reserved in saying "hi" to people I'm not 90% sure I know. A lot of people think I'm a friendly stranger because I wave, then a few second later think "whoops, not who I thought that was" when their reaction doesn't match Bob's.I almost never greet by name- it's always generic "Hi there" type, to cover if my first guess is wrong.
Yes, it's purely visual. When watching a movie, my wife can spot actors and say "isn't he from movie yadda?". Especially with actresses that change hair color, they become a totally different person.
Now voices, those I get. Once an actor speaks, I can often peg where I've heard them before. When actors have heavy makeup, I can spot people before she can.
Smells? I try not to hang around people with any smell (good or bad) at all. :)
Posture, walking gate, height are things I do consciously use. Actually, I sometimes have a better shot at identifying people from behind, (i.e. walking ahead of me), because there's no face to cause confusion.
Glasses & beards are great for short term, but they change long term. For business meetings & groups, clothing is the way to go. Red shirt is Bob, white shirt is Fred. The next day I have to pick up again by voice and forget the clothing identifiers.
I can recognize faces, but it takes hard concentration- enough that I often have to tune out what people are saying. With a couple folks, if I put in the effort, I can learn the quirks in their faces. (Big nostrils, gap tooth, etc). For a group of 10 people - forget it. I won't even try. Smile & nod time.
As someone with mild associative prosopagnosia (google for Face Blindness), I *really* want this. Way too many people look alike to me, and I miss out on a lot for the first half of most conversations. I have to avoid names and only talk about general, common topics until I figure out who the heck I'm talking to. With a VR system, I might be able to follow the plot of more movies, too!
From a technology angle, contacts simple can't work for this application. You can't read text that's not directory in the center of your view.
See also: http://www.xkcd.com/1080/
Agree. Too little, too late.
Cable is on death row, and nothing will save it from the Internet.
I'm waiting for the networks to discover that they can stream their own channel on the Internet from their own servers - and thus have complete controll over commercials, based on the viewer's IP, time zone, and other demographics. Neilson can only dream of the ratings data they could gather. If Facebook can IPO for a gagillion dollars, why can's [your-favorite-channel] make a killing without the cable company as a middle man?
Yes, smart meters are really unsafe! I recommend you grab your cell phone and call in to complain about it- thereby pressing an RF transmitter in direct contact with your skull. So you can complain about one on the outside corner of your home.
Mod parrent to +Infinity. Navteq is by far the worst GPS/mapping database out there. Even the half-hearted, "croud-sourced" Waze is better.
I frequently use my iPhone's mapping system when I'm in my van with the Navteq system. It's not just the road mistakes & outdated info, it's also the interface. I recently tried to get directions to my town's YMCA. After 10 minutes, the best match I could find was one over 1,000 miles away. 3 seconds with Siri and I had directions.
I am completly convinced that the deveopers of Navteq systems don't actually use it themselves. It's that bad.