It's not common, but I've had it happen twice, on two different machines, running two different editions (Home and Pro). I've also seen numerous live broadcasts interrupted by it, the first of which came less than a week after launch (why they upgraded so soon, I do not know). The two incidents I've witnessed firsthand were both within the last 6 months and occurred not only during my configured Active Hours, but while I was actively typing.
It actually has "you're" spelled correctly, and says "this device", not "the device" (which would still be proper, anyway). I know for certain, because I'm actually looking at it as I type this, having opened the settings pane to quote it just a few moments ago.
That said, as I've literally never come back to a Windows 10 machine freshly rebooted for updates, but I have had it reboot during Active Hours and while I was actively typing on it (on 2 different machines running 2 different editions of W10, Home and Pro, none the less), I'm going to go out on a limb and say they mean "We'll only actually automatically reboot for updates when you're actively using the system, regardless of your Active Hours setting."
Sadly, and frustratingly, this aligns best with my experience. Aside from those two while-in-use automatic reboots, all of the Windows 10 systems in my home or office have only had updates installed via manual reboot, monthly. While I know I represent a small sample size, I'm talking about 10 machines; 10 Windows 10 installs, some Home, some Pro; and I've had the same experience across the board.
Theres a reason there is an 'active hours' setting.
I'm still trying to figure out what that reason is, as both times it happened to me, once on Win 10 Home, once on a different machine running Win 10 Pro, it not only rebooted during Active Hours, but as I was actively typing!
Active hours lets us know then you usually use this device. When a restart is necessary to finish installing an update, we won't automatically restart your device during active hours.
Bull. Fucking. Shit.
Note: We'll check to see if you're using this device before attempting to restart.
Okay, that makes sense; that must mean they'll only restart automatically if you are using the device.
Which aligns quite well with my experience; I've never come back to an automatically-rebooted-for-updates Windows 10 system, but I've sure had it reboot on me while I was sitting at it and actively typing. Like, mid-sentence. Twice. On two different systems running two different editions of Windows 10.
I'd say... most days since I started using it in 2015. I was able to say "every day" until it happened to me back in October on a Win 10 Home system. And again 3 days ago, on a Win 10 Pro system.
I've had it reboot for updates in the middle of my workday, as I'm in the middle of typing a sentence. Twice. On two different systems. Unfortunately, I need Windows or macOS for a few apps that don't exist on Linux, or I'd make that switch in a heartbeat; and I use a few resource-heavy apps which, while they have Mac versions, simply don't perform as well on a Mac, in no small part because I can build a Windows workstation that trumps any hardware Apple is willing to sell me. That's really what's keeping me on Windows at this point; if I could run macOS on more capable hardware, that's what I'd do in a heartbeat.
It's a legitimate data security device, if implemented properly (e.g. designed to fry the flash and not the computer it is plugged into); you'd be in no deeper shit from using that than you would be from using the auto-wipe functionality most phones have if the incorrect passcode is entered too many times. Meanwhile, hold out on that encryption key for too long and find yourself held in contempt of court and possibly charged with obstruction of justice and, if the DA is feeling like a dick that day, destruction of evidence.
At worst, you might risk destruction of evidence with this, but you could easily argue that it is akin to auto-wipe since, well, it is.
It's also a lot less obvious and could appear as a broken or damaged flash drive, rather than an obviously encrypted one. No court in the world can compel you to "decrypt" a fried flash drive.
2 million units, 2 (a couple) thousand vocal complainers, that's a 0.1% defect rate. One in one thousand. And that's just the vocal complainers; now, factor in that they're the minority. In what world is a 0.1% defect rate acceptable outside of dollar stores and clearance centers? A 0.1% defect rate is what destines a product for those places. Hopefully, Nintendo will fix these issues in short order, support the Switch for a reasonable time, then exit the console market entirely.
Don't get me wrong, I love Nintendo, I grew up on Nintendo, and I would love to see Nintendo keep making games. I would just like to play those games with current-gen quality graphics, on systems built by people who have a clue how to build decent hardware or, at least, who have the ability to own their mistakes and make them right. That could include consoles and/or PC.
Nintendo has a history of not owning their mistakes and only begrudgingly making them right when enough people have made a loud enough public outcry over it. They do not belong in the hardware market anymore; at least, not making consoles. Joycons, or some more ergonomic incarnation of them, could be a compelling controller for other platforms. Hell, they'd be a great VR controller, but not at the Switch's 720p.
Between their IP (Mario, Zelda, DK, and Splatoon, just for starters) and their creative thinking toward control systems, they have the potential to do so much more for the world of gaming (and make so much more money licensing their IP) than they'll ever be able to do hamstrung by their own slower-than-2-generations-ago consoles.
Casual gaming is not a viable market to design and build hardware for, because casual gamers already have libraries of games on their phones. Nintendo needs need to be cutting edge, again, like they were in the 80's and 90's; but they don't want to do that. That's why I'm saying they just need to exit the console market; or, at least, produce something more current and with the level of quality (and quality control) they used to have.
That's untrue. They're just in the process of foisting these things on us, at our cost no less. If it's supposed to save money, let the savings pay for it, otherwise... don't throw away perfectly good meters.
First, when you referred to them "making the non-opt in option more and more expensive", yo usure made it seem as though you were attempting to contrast against the opt-in appliance control program, to which I was referring and for which they offer a bill credit. The installation of the device is done at no cost and the bill credit represents the savings.
That said, it seems you're attempting to confuse two separate issues in order to make a point, in which case, I must ask: After how many years will you be satisfied that they're no longer "in the process"? My provider had been deploying smart meters for some time when I moved to the area 7 years ago, since which I've not been without one; they completed their deployment project nearly 4 years ago.
You know as well as I do that their foot is already in the door; they've been offering this for at least as long as I've lived down here, going on 7 years now, and it seemed to be an established offering at that time, so I'd estimate well over a decade. It doesn't matter enough for me to look it up. As for them making it more expensive, the electricity delivery market is very strictly regulated; there's really no way they could. They can increase their supply prices, but there's plenty of competition for supply and we can just elect to buy from someone else and use them only for delivery which, again, is regulated.
The meters report aggregate usage (what you're billed for) in 15 minute intervals. Realtime usage is just the V/A readings; this must be polled upon request. And instantaneous snapshot of this information doesn't really do anyone any good aside from troubleshooting, and the network over which it is sent simply doesn't have enough bandwidth for them to be capturing it widely enough to leverage it. It's simply not a concern.
You get those because you previously set up one or more services which use iCloud and they no longer have valid credentials stored. The average user doesn't encounter that scenario except when they change their iCloud password from another system; if you change it locally, locally stored credentials are automatically updated. That is to say: the average user, having only a single Mac, will never encounter this.
And when we talk about people who don't realize they're saving shit to iCloud, we're talking about stunningly average users.
That's highly unusual. Have you considered that you are either doing something wrong, or doing something that most users don't do (e.g. unusual)? In any case, though, you have admin credentials in order to be able to do that, which means you could sign in to an admin account to add the new keyboard and/or mouse to the whitelist.
Oh, there's lots of advantages, like, say, it's 100 degrees, houses 5, 8 and 207 are sucking up 2x power than their neighbors, we'll disconnect them for the next 30 minutes instead of browning out block 6. Then it'll quickly be, wait, unit 207 is on the more expensive D plan, just cut 5 and 8 for 60 min.... instead of actually upgrading the power grid like they should be.
And I'll repeat, though you quoted it yourself:
If they were interested in that ability, they would install addressable disconnects at the pole, meter be damned.
Beyond that, utility regulations prevent them from wholesale disconnecting service in this manner. They can get away with opt-in devices attached to certain appliances, but they can not make opting in a requirement for service, either.
These are actually quite popular on AC units in my area, as you get a bill credit for having one and the agreement limits the terms under which the cutoff device may be activated; if they violate their own terms, or lean them too much in their own favor, they run the risk of additional regulation, so that's not really a concern.
Currently, they may activate devices for events occurring between May 1 and October 31, for up to 6hr per day and 100hr total per year. During an activation event, signal to the AC compressor will be blocked for 15 minutes, then unblocked for 15 minutes, cycling for the duration of the event. You can also call in to opt out of an event, as well; say you don't care if they cut off your AC during the day when you're not home, but there happens to be an event on your day off. I, personally, don't have one, as I have a number of servers that wouldn't last 15 minutes without AC on a 100+ degree day; many of my neighbors do, though and, while I've heard a few "you should look into getting one", I haven't heard anyone complain about it.
What I'm partly interested in is how did your smart meter help you figure out that motor was arcing any faster than looking at your meter would? Smart meters purport to only record in 15 min intervals. I saw elsewhere that in your meter appears to be located disproportionately far from your residence, but for most, that's not an issue. For instance, I pass mine on the way to my car, mailbox, etc and I am by far not alone in having the meters at most a few steps away from something I do on a regular basis.
Oh, it's not far from my residence, it's attached to the side of the building. I'm on the 3rd floor, it's outside at ground level, and this residence isn't where it proved useful. In that instance, the meter was in a locked utility room (with a lockbox for utility worker access) that required HOA assistance to access (e.g. they have the key and no, you can't have a copy), so reading the meter directly was not an option. Further, while they do only report aggregate usage in 15 minute intervals (thus this is all the granularity I can get out of usage charts), some of the better ones can be polled for current load. The one at my current apartment, and the one at the condo where it proved useful, both have that capability; neither apartment I lived in before that condo had a meter with that ability.
Beyond that, being able to have my load displayed right next to my thermostat as I'm toggling the blower motor off and on, well... it should be really obvious how that's helpful. I *know* the thing is trying to operate when I've just toggled it on, whereas I don't know if it's overheated and tripped a protection circuit in the HVAC unit by the time I walk to the meter, assuming I had direct access to it in the first place.
It was the 15 minute usage charts that hinted to the existence of the problem in the first place. Without those, which a mechanical meter can't provide, I never would have even gone looking for it.
It's quite clear to you and me, because we read things. Have you ever worked IT support? If you had, you'd know how often people just toss their credentials into any pair of text fields labeled "Username" and "Password" without giving it a second thought.
I typically do sign in, because I want to be able to drop certain things into iCloud for sharing purposes; then, I immediately configure it to not automatically do that for me.
It doesn't have to benefit you for it to benefit others. that said, how have you confirmed that you have no electrical issues currently that are causing increased usage? How do you confirm this on an ongoing basis? For me, it's made pretty damn simple by looking at a monthly chart of my usage and pinpointing any anomalies. As I said a couple comments up, that ability actually prevented an eventual fire by helping me identify a damaged motor in a rooftop unit I otherwise would never have looked at; that happened regardless of any other energy-saving steps I took, and it can happen to you regardless of the energy-saving steps you are taking, as well.
Further, what advantage would the power company have in the ability to temporarily disconnect customers at will, other than not having to roll a truck when someone doesn't pay? If they were interested in that ability, they would install addressable disconnects at the pole, meter be damned.
I dare say that moderation belongs on the comment I was replying to. That poster's ego kept him from seeing that the comment he was replying to was not directed at him and made him reply as though he were under attack.
Just because you can only imagine one way of using them (i.e. for small talk), doesn't mean others are incapable of having useful interactions over them.
You seem to use them in a reasonable manner, as do I. My wife, on the other hand, and many like her (I dare say the majority of IM users) do not. Clearly, the post you were replying to was directed at those users and not at us.
There were savings for me, because the added capabilities afforded to me by the smart meter enabled me to track down and fix an electrical issue. If you do not have an electrical issue to fix and/or you don't utilize those capabilities to track it down and fix it, or you don't reduce your usage through some other means (again, aided by the additional usage tracking capabilities afforded to you by the smart meter), why do you think you're entitled to pay less than you were previously?
What he describes provides no more information than the HTTP transfer of the page the ads are displayed on; at best, it tells them "we displayed this ad". If you're going to be paranoid enough to call that "spying", you have to call all HTTP requests which might be logged (e.g. all of them) "spying" as well.
IMO it's better than Apple just defaulting to storing shit in iCloud. It's the one ad MS has popped on my screen that I actually appreciated, as it served as a reminder to turn that shit off.
How many people do you think don't realize Apple is storing all their documents in the cloud until they go to save something and can't because the "free" 5GB they didn't even realize they were using is full? It's a great scam by Apple because, for most people, it's faster to sign up to pay them for more cloud storage than it is to move all those files back onto the local system; so, since they're trying to got something done at that moment, that's what they do.
Where is that? In the US, at least, meters have to be outdoors, or in a utility room to which utility workers have access (e.g.left unlocked, or they lrovide a lockbox and you provide a key). This is still the case with smart meters, as the meter may need to be pulled in an emergency. There is a standardized system for assigning lockbox combinations, so even if your meter is "protected" by one of thoze, it's still just as accessible to the wrong type of people.
Sent from my phone, please forgive typos; I turned off autocorrect after it maxe me say 'ducking' one too many times.
What happens when John Smith uses 100W, Joe User uses 900W, and Joe moves across town? If they know that 90% of that region's consumption has moved to another region, they can adjust accordingly before problems arise.
Of course, they could do this before smart meters, as well, as we've had individual metering for decades.
Smart meters, implemented properly, provide the consumer a fair bit of insight into their actual usage; I can sign in to my provider's site and get my instantaneous usage, as well as 15-min interval usage history going back for as long as I've had service, including nice graphs. It helped me track down a blower motor on a rooftop HVAC unit that was arcing, causing an additional several hundred kWh of usage each month (more than doubling usage at that condo), so I could have it replaced and ultimately not only save money on electrical usage, but also likely prevent an eventual fire.
I know, in my case, that I can see my instantaneous usage by logging in to my power company's website. That means I no longer have to walk down two flights if stairs (3rd story walk-up apartment), trudge through the poorly kept ground between buildings, and stand in mud and thorny bushes while waiting for the instantaneous reading to be cycled onto the display if I want that reading. Even bigger bonus when it's 100+ out and I don't have to go out in that. It also means I can wait the 30 seconds it takes for the value displayed on the site to be updated, rather than the 2 minute (each way) it currently takes. Two minutes each way means 4 minutes between checks if I want multiple readings to test something. If the thing I am testing has a button that needs to be held down, or happens to run intermittently, I can now test it without an assistant.
TL;DR: With my smart meter, I can literally do power consumption testing that would have previously taken an hour in 7.5 minutes. Not only do I save 52.5 minutes in that scenario, I also save 15 trips down 2 flights of stairs, 15 trips back up those same stairs, and 15 trips through poorly kept ground during which I would have to stand in thorny bushes to get a reading. I also now don't need an assistant to test at-the-meter consumption of devices that run intermittently.
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It's not common, but I've had it happen twice, on two different machines, running two different editions (Home and Pro). I've also seen numerous live broadcasts interrupted by it, the first of which came less than a week after launch (why they upgraded so soon, I do not know). The two incidents I've witnessed firsthand were both within the last 6 months and occurred not only during my configured Active Hours, but while I was actively typing.
It actually has "you're" spelled correctly, and says "this device", not "the device" (which would still be proper, anyway). I know for certain, because I'm actually looking at it as I type this, having opened the settings pane to quote it just a few moments ago.
That said, as I've literally never come back to a Windows 10 machine freshly rebooted for updates, but I have had it reboot during Active Hours and while I was actively typing on it (on 2 different machines running 2 different editions of W10, Home and Pro, none the less), I'm going to go out on a limb and say they mean "We'll only actually automatically reboot for updates when you're actively using the system, regardless of your Active Hours setting."
Sadly, and frustratingly, this aligns best with my experience. Aside from those two while-in-use automatic reboots, all of the Windows 10 systems in my home or office have only had updates installed via manual reboot, monthly. While I know I represent a small sample size, I'm talking about 10 machines; 10 Windows 10 installs, some Home, some Pro; and I've had the same experience across the board.
Theres a reason there is an 'active hours' setting.
I'm still trying to figure out what that reason is, as both times it happened to me, once on Win 10 Home, once on a different machine running Win 10 Pro, it not only rebooted during Active Hours, but as I was actively typing!
Active hours lets us know then you usually use this device. When a restart is necessary to finish installing an update, we won't automatically restart your device during active hours.
Bull. Fucking. Shit.
Note: We'll check to see if you're using this device before attempting to restart.
Okay, that makes sense; that must mean they'll only restart automatically if you are using the device.
Which aligns quite well with my experience; I've never come back to an automatically-rebooted-for-updates Windows 10 system, but I've sure had it reboot on me while I was sitting at it and actively typing. Like, mid-sentence. Twice. On two different systems running two different editions of Windows 10.
I'd say... most days since I started using it in 2015. I was able to say "every day" until it happened to me back in October on a Win 10 Home system. And again 3 days ago, on a Win 10 Pro system.
I've had it reboot for updates in the middle of my workday, as I'm in the middle of typing a sentence. Twice. On two different systems. Unfortunately, I need Windows or macOS for a few apps that don't exist on Linux, or I'd make that switch in a heartbeat; and I use a few resource-heavy apps which, while they have Mac versions, simply don't perform as well on a Mac, in no small part because I can build a Windows workstation that trumps any hardware Apple is willing to sell me. That's really what's keeping me on Windows at this point; if I could run macOS on more capable hardware, that's what I'd do in a heartbeat.
It's a legitimate data security device, if implemented properly (e.g. designed to fry the flash and not the computer it is plugged into); you'd be in no deeper shit from using that than you would be from using the auto-wipe functionality most phones have if the incorrect passcode is entered too many times. Meanwhile, hold out on that encryption key for too long and find yourself held in contempt of court and possibly charged with obstruction of justice and, if the DA is feeling like a dick that day, destruction of evidence.
At worst, you might risk destruction of evidence with this, but you could easily argue that it is akin to auto-wipe since, well, it is.
It's also a lot less obvious and could appear as a broken or damaged flash drive, rather than an obviously encrypted one. No court in the world can compel you to "decrypt" a fried flash drive.
To be fair, the men who rose to the top of the field and did proper software design and execution were also a minority. They still are, in fact.
2 million units, 2 (a couple) thousand vocal complainers, that's a 0.1% defect rate. One in one thousand. And that's just the vocal complainers; now, factor in that they're the minority. In what world is a 0.1% defect rate acceptable outside of dollar stores and clearance centers? A 0.1% defect rate is what destines a product for those places. Hopefully, Nintendo will fix these issues in short order, support the Switch for a reasonable time, then exit the console market entirely.
Don't get me wrong, I love Nintendo, I grew up on Nintendo, and I would love to see Nintendo keep making games. I would just like to play those games with current-gen quality graphics, on systems built by people who have a clue how to build decent hardware or, at least, who have the ability to own their mistakes and make them right. That could include consoles and/or PC.
Nintendo has a history of not owning their mistakes and only begrudgingly making them right when enough people have made a loud enough public outcry over it. They do not belong in the hardware market anymore; at least, not making consoles. Joycons, or some more ergonomic incarnation of them, could be a compelling controller for other platforms. Hell, they'd be a great VR controller, but not at the Switch's 720p.
Between their IP (Mario, Zelda, DK, and Splatoon, just for starters) and their creative thinking toward control systems, they have the potential to do so much more for the world of gaming (and make so much more money licensing their IP) than they'll ever be able to do hamstrung by their own slower-than-2-generations-ago consoles.
Casual gaming is not a viable market to design and build hardware for, because casual gamers already have libraries of games on their phones. Nintendo needs need to be cutting edge, again, like they were in the 80's and 90's; but they don't want to do that. That's why I'm saying they just need to exit the console market; or, at least, produce something more current and with the level of quality (and quality control) they used to have.
That's untrue. They're just in the process of foisting these things on us, at our cost no less. If it's supposed to save money, let the savings pay for it, otherwise... don't throw away perfectly good meters.
First, when you referred to them "making the non-opt in option more and more expensive", yo usure made it seem as though you were attempting to contrast against the opt-in appliance control program, to which I was referring and for which they offer a bill credit. The installation of the device is done at no cost and the bill credit represents the savings.
That said, it seems you're attempting to confuse two separate issues in order to make a point, in which case, I must ask: After how many years will you be satisfied that they're no longer "in the process"? My provider had been deploying smart meters for some time when I moved to the area 7 years ago, since which I've not been without one; they completed their deployment project nearly 4 years ago.
You know as well as I do that their foot is already in the door; they've been offering this for at least as long as I've lived down here, going on 7 years now, and it seemed to be an established offering at that time, so I'd estimate well over a decade. It doesn't matter enough for me to look it up. As for them making it more expensive, the electricity delivery market is very strictly regulated; there's really no way they could. They can increase their supply prices, but there's plenty of competition for supply and we can just elect to buy from someone else and use them only for delivery which, again, is regulated.
The meters report aggregate usage (what you're billed for) in 15 minute intervals. Realtime usage is just the V/A readings; this must be polled upon request. And instantaneous snapshot of this information doesn't really do anyone any good aside from troubleshooting, and the network over which it is sent simply doesn't have enough bandwidth for them to be capturing it widely enough to leverage it. It's simply not a concern.
You get those because you previously set up one or more services which use iCloud and they no longer have valid credentials stored. The average user doesn't encounter that scenario except when they change their iCloud password from another system; if you change it locally, locally stored credentials are automatically updated. That is to say: the average user, having only a single Mac, will never encounter this.
And when we talk about people who don't realize they're saving shit to iCloud, we're talking about stunningly average users.
That's highly unusual. Have you considered that you are either doing something wrong, or doing something that most users don't do (e.g. unusual)? In any case, though, you have admin credentials in order to be able to do that, which means you could sign in to an admin account to add the new keyboard and/or mouse to the whitelist.
Oh, there's lots of advantages, like, say, it's 100 degrees, houses 5, 8 and 207 are sucking up 2x power than their neighbors, we'll disconnect them for the next 30 minutes instead of browning out block 6. Then it'll quickly be, wait, unit 207 is on the more expensive D plan, just cut 5 and 8 for 60 min.... instead of actually upgrading the power grid like they should be.
And I'll repeat, though you quoted it yourself:
If they were interested in that ability, they would install addressable disconnects at the pole, meter be damned.
Beyond that, utility regulations prevent them from wholesale disconnecting service in this manner. They can get away with opt-in devices attached to certain appliances, but they can not make opting in a requirement for service, either.
These are actually quite popular on AC units in my area, as you get a bill credit for having one and the agreement limits the terms under which the cutoff device may be activated; if they violate their own terms, or lean them too much in their own favor, they run the risk of additional regulation, so that's not really a concern.
Currently, they may activate devices for events occurring between May 1 and October 31, for up to 6hr per day and 100hr total per year. During an activation event, signal to the AC compressor will be blocked for 15 minutes, then unblocked for 15 minutes, cycling for the duration of the event. You can also call in to opt out of an event, as well; say you don't care if they cut off your AC during the day when you're not home, but there happens to be an event on your day off. I, personally, don't have one, as I have a number of servers that wouldn't last 15 minutes without AC on a 100+ degree day; many of my neighbors do, though and, while I've heard a few "you should look into getting one", I haven't heard anyone complain about it.
What I'm partly interested in is how did your smart meter help you figure out that motor was arcing any faster than looking at your meter would? Smart meters purport to only record in 15 min intervals. I saw elsewhere that in your meter appears to be located disproportionately far from your residence, but for most, that's not an issue. For instance, I pass mine on the way to my car, mailbox, etc and I am by far not alone in having the meters at most a few steps away from something I do on a regular basis.
Oh, it's not far from my residence, it's attached to the side of the building. I'm on the 3rd floor, it's outside at ground level, and this residence isn't where it proved useful. In that instance, the meter was in a locked utility room (with a lockbox for utility worker access) that required HOA assistance to access (e.g. they have the key and no, you can't have a copy), so reading the meter directly was not an option. Further, while they do only report aggregate usage in 15 minute intervals (thus this is all the granularity I can get out of usage charts), some of the better ones can be polled for current load. The one at my current apartment, and the one at the condo where it proved useful, both have that capability; neither apartment I lived in before that condo had a meter with that ability.
Beyond that, being able to have my load displayed right next to my thermostat as I'm toggling the blower motor off and on, well... it should be really obvious how that's helpful. I *know* the thing is trying to operate when I've just toggled it on, whereas I don't know if it's overheated and tripped a protection circuit in the HVAC unit by the time I walk to the meter, assuming I had direct access to it in the first place.
It was the 15 minute usage charts that hinted to the existence of the problem in the first place. Without those, which a mechanical meter can't provide, I never would have even gone looking for it.
It's quite clear to you and me, because we read things. Have you ever worked IT support? If you had, you'd know how often people just toss their credentials into any pair of text fields labeled "Username" and "Password" without giving it a second thought.
I typically do sign in, because I want to be able to drop certain things into iCloud for sharing purposes; then, I immediately configure it to not automatically do that for me.
It doesn't have to benefit you for it to benefit others. that said, how have you confirmed that you have no electrical issues currently that are causing increased usage? How do you confirm this on an ongoing basis? For me, it's made pretty damn simple by looking at a monthly chart of my usage and pinpointing any anomalies. As I said a couple comments up, that ability actually prevented an eventual fire by helping me identify a damaged motor in a rooftop unit I otherwise would never have looked at; that happened regardless of any other energy-saving steps I took, and it can happen to you regardless of the energy-saving steps you are taking, as well.
Further, what advantage would the power company have in the ability to temporarily disconnect customers at will, other than not having to roll a truck when someone doesn't pay? If they were interested in that ability, they would install addressable disconnects at the pole, meter be damned.
I dare say that moderation belongs on the comment I was replying to. That poster's ego kept him from seeing that the comment he was replying to was not directed at him and made him reply as though he were under attack.
Ugh... Another Google BETA service?
Just because you can only imagine one way of using them (i.e. for small talk), doesn't mean others are incapable of having useful interactions over them.
You seem to use them in a reasonable manner, as do I. My wife, on the other hand, and many like her (I dare say the majority of IM users) do not. Clearly, the post you were replying to was directed at those users and not at us.
There were savings for me, because the added capabilities afforded to me by the smart meter enabled me to track down and fix an electrical issue. If you do not have an electrical issue to fix and/or you don't utilize those capabilities to track it down and fix it, or you don't reduce your usage through some other means (again, aided by the additional usage tracking capabilities afforded to you by the smart meter), why do you think you're entitled to pay less than you were previously?
What he describes provides no more information than the HTTP transfer of the page the ads are displayed on; at best, it tells them "we displayed this ad". If you're going to be paranoid enough to call that "spying", you have to call all HTTP requests which might be logged (e.g. all of them) "spying" as well.
IMO it's better than Apple just defaulting to storing shit in iCloud. It's the one ad MS has popped on my screen that I actually appreciated, as it served as a reminder to turn that shit off.
How many people do you think don't realize Apple is storing all their documents in the cloud until they go to save something and can't because the "free" 5GB they didn't even realize they were using is full? It's a great scam by Apple because, for most people, it's faster to sign up to pay them for more cloud storage than it is to move all those files back onto the local system; so, since they're trying to got something done at that moment, that's what they do.
Microsoft at least lets you opt into that.
Where is that? In the US, at least, meters have to be outdoors, or in a utility room to which utility workers have access (e.g.left unlocked, or they lrovide a lockbox and you provide a key). This is still the case with smart meters, as the meter may need to be pulled in an emergency. There is a standardized system for assigning lockbox combinations, so even if your meter is "protected" by one of thoze, it's still just as accessible to the wrong type of people.
Sent from my phone, please forgive typos; I turned off autocorrect after it maxe me say 'ducking' one too many times.
What happens when John Smith uses 100W, Joe User uses 900W, and Joe moves across town? If they know that 90% of that region's consumption has moved to another region, they can adjust accordingly before problems arise.
Of course, they could do this before smart meters, as well, as we've had individual metering for decades.
Smart meters, implemented properly, provide the consumer a fair bit of insight into their actual usage; I can sign in to my provider's site and get my instantaneous usage, as well as 15-min interval usage history going back for as long as I've had service, including nice graphs. It helped me track down a blower motor on a rooftop HVAC unit that was arcing, causing an additional several hundred kWh of usage each month (more than doubling usage at that condo), so I could have it replaced and ultimately not only save money on electrical usage, but also likely prevent an eventual fire.
I know, in my case, that I can see my instantaneous usage by logging in to my power company's website. That means I no longer have to walk down two flights if stairs (3rd story walk-up apartment), trudge through the poorly kept ground between buildings, and stand in mud and thorny bushes while waiting for the instantaneous reading to be cycled onto the display if I want that reading. Even bigger bonus when it's 100+ out and I don't have to go out in that. It also means I can wait the 30 seconds it takes for the value displayed on the site to be updated, rather than the 2 minute (each way) it currently takes. Two minutes each way means 4 minutes between checks if I want multiple readings to test something. If the thing I am testing has a button that needs to be held down, or happens to run intermittently, I can now test it without an assistant.
TL;DR: With my smart meter, I can literally do power consumption testing that would have previously taken an hour in 7.5 minutes. Not only do I save 52.5 minutes in that scenario, I also save 15 trips down 2 flights of stairs, 15 trips back up those same stairs, and 15 trips through poorly kept ground during which I would have to stand in thorny bushes to get a reading. I also now don't need an assistant to test at-the-meter consumption of devices that run intermittently.