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04-21-22 04:10:58 AM
Jul - General Chat - Smart home stuff New poll - New thread - New reply
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Kak

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Posted on 07-19-17 07:54:23 PM (last edited by Kak at 07-19-17 07:55:45 PM) Link | Quote
KLayout 4.0
The blackboard is small enough that it isn't really a problem here.

Originally posted by Xkeeper
Even when I started school they'd already migrated to using dry-erase boards entirely.
ooh boy

Whiteboards have always been a kind of a rarity here for whatever reason, at least for the past 3 schools I went to.

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Kak
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Xkeeper

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Posted on 07-19-17 07:55:14 PM Link | Quote
Weird; I always thought they were pretty universal, but then I live in a town that was mostly recent. I think the first few years there was a blackboard as well, but it was totally disused over the whiteboard.

They were also green, not black

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Nicole

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Posted on 07-19-17 07:59:37 PM Link | Quote
We have two Echo Dots; in the old apartment we had computer-controlled lights (standard lights plugged into WiFi-enabled plugs) in the bedroom and the living room; in this place it's just in the living room. (For now, anyway) They're on a timer so that that they turn off at 10:30 each night. It's pretty neat, though gods forbid anyone named "Alexa" come up in conversation :p

We wanted to get a doorknob that was phone-controlled, but they're not allowed in the new apartment complex.

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Posted on 07-19-17 08:07:44 PM (last edited by StapleButter at 07-19-17 08:08:04 PM) Link | Quote
Elementary school here had mostly blackboards, the building was old. One of the teachers had them turned into whiteboards or replaced in her room tho.

Past that, it was a majority of whiteboards, with a few blackboards.

High school even got a few "interactive digital boards" or whatever, that are useless besides a few weeks of novelty. They even had to reinstall regular whiteboards alongside those, for the teachers who couldn't or didn't want to use the fancy boards. And the lights were more or less botched in the process.

One of the teachers used his own digital board, apparently made with a Macbook, a projector and Wiimotes.

For a while there was all that propaganda around technology at school and how it would push the success rates up the sky. Haha, so much for that. I remember that pathetic ad poster: "USB sticks for middle school students! Our priority: their success"

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Posted on 07-19-17 08:18:37 PM Link | Quote
The only "smart" thing would be my phone I guess. No smart TVs, no Echoes, no IOT stuff. I just don't feel a need to get anything like that.

I think a whiteboard for expired stuff on the fridge sounds like a neat idea though.
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Posted on 07-20-17 12:04:09 AM Link | Quote
GNU dotUser 2.1.2-git        File: ~/.user/makepost.py
RE: Smart Fridge.

The better idea is if it's integrated into a recipe system (which you can also add custom recipes to). Then the fridge can indicate what you DO have, and inform you of what you may need to buy.

So basically, that's the original point of a fridge with a touch screen. Not to just be "the fridge with a touch screen", but the "fridge that is part of an entire smart kitchen system".

Some idiots just decided to compartmentalise smart home components to get more money. Which basically makes the components actually useless.

One of the first examples of a smart kitchen even had a touch counter with projection for information directly on the surface. It was actually pretty cool. From what I understood it also wasn't web-facing, so it wouldn't be touchable without something plugged in.

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Posted on 07-20-17 10:49:21 PM Link | Quote
In a fun but relatively unrelated twist, the code I had to track my Nest/the temperature stopped working because Yahoo's Weather API went away.

How silly.

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Posted on 07-20-17 10:58:23 PM Link | Quote
Surprise.


That's another problem with all those smart gadgets, the vendors don't seem to give a shit about reliability. They're, at best, jumping on the bandwagon for the money.

But why would they address that? Being able to efficiently make tons of devices obsolete by simply pulling the plug on the server is priceless. You no longer have to guess how long your device will last, planned obsolescence is made easy and efficient!

I guess not all the actors are like that, but I read way too much horror stories, and I'm not even actively looking for those.

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Posted on 07-20-17 11:05:01 PM Link | Quote
Well, in this case, it wasn't the Nest, it was Yahoo (who has otherwise nothing to do with it) and the tool someone made. I just had to update it to use the new API endpoint.

This has been a problem long before smart stuff, though; Geocities would like a word.

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Posted on 07-20-17 11:10:20 PM Link | Quote
Indeed. But that's also a reason why connecting all our appliance to the internet isn't a good idea, atleast unless we get reliable infrastructure to back it. I guess big companies can afford some reliability if they want to, less so the typical trendy startup.

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Posted on 07-20-17 11:47:41 PM (last edited by brian151 at 07-21-17 12:07:51 AM) Link | Quote


It's funny that being one who *could* be considered a "technophile" , I actually am super-skeptical about all these "smart devices" and "the Internet of Things"...

At one point, i totally thought it was cool, I admit it's still a neat idea. However, from a security standpoint, I don't like anything.

@rev. crush
yes... the seeing inside fridge with a tablet computer is kinda dumb... It only MAYBE has merit if you're already at the store, or at work...maybe... But too many people use it (as well as the commercials encourage) to look in the fking fridge WHILE YOU'RE AT HOME... rly?! I can be lazy, i'll admit this, but for anyone to be THAT lazy is just... UGH!
//end shout

the cloud/IOT:
I have the same problem with all these new programs. Firstly, they're pulling the monthly installment b.s. Secondly, for many reasons, I DON'T WANT ALL MY SHIT ON THE CLOUD, SERIOUSLY... I don't care how many layers of encryption there are, NO!

Smart houses, half the big problem (besides consumers are just...dumb/brainwashed) is the damn cloud integration, or really, having anything besides a hardwired and completely isolated network enabling them to communicate. Oh, and don't forget the NSA/FBI, whose "intelligence-gathering" involves finding ways to mitigate all the layers of security any of these devices may have had. but hey, "National security!" , right?

Also, my toaster doesn't need access to my gmail account to load my "optimal toasting settings" or some shit. Many of these devices just don't NEED networking at all. Maybe they need the ability to transfer/backup data, but not via the cloud.

smart devices in general:
some are just plain stupid. I recall in a thread here someone said that basically "you just slap a bluetooth in there and call it a 'smart' device" ... I must agree...

My toilet (just to name one thing) doesn't NEED this shit... what it DOES need is more flushing power.

Dyson:
ugh...
Did anyone see the commercial where they BRAGGED about patenting SO many of their components it's basically anti-competitive? I took the highest level of offense to that... We have enough of these "incentives to innovation" stifling the ever-loving shit out of it. Kinda off-topic, but yeah... Also, their shit is so expensive. We recently replaced our vacuum. got a Shark Lift-away. Works great, btw!

China:
Indeed the source of many low-par products... technology being no exception. But, sadly, most people either only can afford it, or that's all the stores carry... I wouldn't trust my security with one of those companies, but... Good luck finding shit that they didn't have SOME involvement in manufacturing...

Smart Houses, generally
I have seen a few devices that at least sound like a good idea, in concept. The Ring doorbell being one. But, I am ever so skeptical of ever getting them cuz stuff is too easy to hack. I actually love the Geico commercial where the kid is messing with all the lights. There's some shit that just DOESN'T NEED to have this done... FOR GOD'S SAKE, LIGHT SWITCHES ARE NOT SOME HUGE CHORE TO TURN ON-OFF... Of all these devices I've seen, only a fraction of them actually seem like they would be worth my time and money. Even then, how much can I trust these to be secure? How easy they really make stuff is also debatable, it seems smart devices always come with a load of instructions, or they come with instructions that don't cover enough in the first place. I've heard more than a few reviews, or seen the videos on HOW to set it up... Doesn't look like it's worth the hassle to set-up...at all...

@StapleButter:
Planned Obsolescence just pisses me off... I get into so many arguments with, well, especially my mom about these damn corporations, and that's one of their shady tactics that I've brought-up... They intentionally have forced consumers into this position where your device HAS to be replaced or upgraded frequently. Totally unsustainable way to live your life, totally unnecessary expense... but, it's not optional. I will be buying a ... probably Android soon... I don't WANT to, but this two-factor verification crap has FORCED me to. I've already been locked-out of my email TWICE because "Please verify yourself via a cellphone" I'm sure once I have one, I'll get trapped in the update loop. Like you said, they always can just pull the plug.

I get shit for bringing-up the horror stories... My mom doesn't get that... I'M NOT ACTIVELY SEEKING THIS SHIT OUT, but it's linked in SOME way to every site I visit. Fruthermore, for every time I look for, or see something good, I FIND an example of how X_company is literally The Devil Incarnate...

It's funny, as much as I HATE government and laws, and the fact we had to have a bunch of stupid regulations put in place (We shouldn't NEED the FDA or Health Dept's at all, for example...but we do cuz some people cut corners, making unsafe products, just to save a fucking buck) , I support imposing quite a few heavy and honestly anti-capitalistic measures to force a strict code of ethics upon these companies, punishable by extended prison sentences and fines in the billions, on top of counter-measures against passing the costs on. Apparently, this is the only language they speak... a sorry state of affairs...

I kinda went off-topic, here... but then again, by how much? Planned Obsolescence is very much a product of extreme Capitalism. Just like most of the world's problems.

Indeed not all the actors are like this, that's also something I feel open source is good at mitigating. While the original contributors can eventually die, or quit, or whatever, the community ALWAYS has the option to extend the support, or re-do the entire application, etc... In contrast to proprietary software, where the company can quit supporting it tomorrow, and without the source code, or the file format specs, or communication protocols, etc... the product goes dead, or someone has to go and reverse the whole thing from scratch, or spend hours looking at decompiled code, and largely guessing how it works. My OpenShockwave project is sometimes infuriating at times. While never as widespread as Flash, Shockwave/Director was a major game engine. Me and my collaborators are just scratching our heads trying to understand how Macromedia/Adobe actually did this, meanwhile, many online or CD games are slowly rotting... And, the only standard in literally all their formats is "There is no standard" ... Because Adobe finally pulled the plug on Director/Shockwave, there's a huge load of content that's basically just garbage files or legacy software, now. Likewise, the next pending disaster is the death of Flash... That'll knock-out SEVERAL MMOs and game portals, it's already actually brought a few down.

I for one, do not plan to play this game. I don't like it, it sickens me. The day I quit supporting a product will be the day I die, or I release the source/specs for it. (or if I pass ownership to whoever contracted me to program/design/build it) I'm a fan of archival. I cannot promise I can always actively maintain something, but I won't just pull the plug unless my hands are forced into it. If I kill something, I most likely will release everything I have for it, so that a loyal fan may then take it over or archive it. Many of my own programming/hacking projects are based on the ideal of upgrading and preserving some program/game for the next generation, and all of my own original projects are the same way.

Well, that got long/off-topic again...sry...










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Posted on 07-21-17 12:28:50 PM (last edited by dotUser at 07-21-17 12:29:33 PM) Link | Quote
GNU dotUser 2.1.2-git        File: ~/.user/makepost.py
Originally posted by brian151
Well, that got long/off-topic again...sry...


TL;DR

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Posted on 07-23-17 10:52:14 PM Link | Quote
I got one okay, two of the colored Hue bulbs and they're very pretty. The ability to imitate pretty much any color (even if it's a little dim) is nice; combined with our very warm ceiling fan lights, it can simulate "afternoon" or "evening" pretty well.

"Why not just open the blinds", I hear you thinking; because the sun isn't up at 11 in the evening, silly.

Inuyasha Kaito had one in his room, but preferred the ability to just use the normal light switch instead of his phone. Since I always have my phone around with me anyway when I'd need to change the light, I don't worry much about it. I just need another tower light for the bedroom so I can really light it up

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Posted on 07-23-17 11:37:22 PM Link | Quote
I have a bluetooth smart bulb in my room, the app is trash, but I can control the light with my phone, which is all I wanted.

The app is totally an iphone app as well, just poorly recoded for android.

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Posted on 07-23-17 11:41:29 PM Link | Quote
The nice thing about Hue bulbs is that there's a pretty decent collection of API tools out there, so if I wanted to blow a weekend and a half I could probably do something really stupid like make the lightbulb change colors depending on whose turn it was in a game or something.


...actually, that'd be interesting; track "dominant" background colors and set the lights to a similar hue for ~atmosphere~

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Posted on 07-24-17 07:46:23 PM Link | Quote


Originally posted by Xkeeper
The nice thing about Hue bulbs is that there's a pretty decent collection of API tools out there, so if I wanted to blow a weekend and a half I could probably do something really stupid like make the lightbulb change colors depending on whose turn it was in a game or something.


...actually, that'd be interesting; track "dominant" background colors and set the lights to a similar hue for ~atmosphere~


That sounds kinda cool, actually!

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Posted on 08-01-17 10:10:40 PM Link | Quote
Ahhh, you've all reminded me about the Ring Doorbell, and that would help me with a problem I keep having now the baby's here. People keep knocking at my door when I'm feeding the baby, and I just want to tell them to be patient a minute while I make myself decent and get to the door! Also want to know who's at the door to start with and if I should rush to answer or just keep feeding the baby.

As for smart stuff, we have LIFX light bulbs, which I can control with my phone, or automate through IFTTT. I also use Flic buttons to do stuff with the lights.

We can also control the air-conditioning over the Internet from our phones.

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Posted on 08-01-17 10:23:55 PM Link | Quote
I tried the update thing with a crappy Windows 10-themed Hue app, it worked out "okay" but it'd be more fun to have a more direct integration at some point.


I hear the Ring Doorbell thing suddenly got a lot cheaper. Hopefully it's able to be interfaced with w/o using their centralized stuff in case anything happens. I think it's about US$200 now, which is a little more than standard IP cameras are, but they're obviously a lot more feature-full than those were.


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Posted on 08-04-17 07:29:40 AM Link | Quote
Just as an update, it's really nice having the ability to set whatever color I want for these lightbulbs (and it makes me want more); having a calm soft purple light is oddly relaxing, as is using faint reds for late-evening sunset emulation.

It's a shame they're somewhat expensive

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Posted on 08-04-17 11:10:43 PM Link | Quote
Originally posted by Xkeeper
Just as an update, it's really nice having the ability to set whatever color I want for these lightbulbs (and it makes me want more); having a calm soft purple light is oddly relaxing, as is using faint reds for late-evening sunset emulation.

It's a shame they're somewhat expensive

I find the colour stuff for the LIFX also very useful. I have mine set up via IFTTT to automatically become more orange in the evening, and to dim too, to help everyone get sleepy. In the morning I have them at a more neutral white to help wake us up. I also do a few things with other colours, but not as often. We make our house all spooky with them at Halloween.

I think there's an IFTTT channel for the Hue as well, btw.

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