Monday Meanderings - 6.11.2018

Bit by bit our household is succumbing to the IOT - Internet of Things. We have a door bell that tells us when someone's at the door and eventually posts a video of who is there (seldom in time to establish a conversation with said person). It is handy in that it lets us know when packages have been delivered, or the maids have finished and we can come back home from our temporary exile. I give this device a C+ on the IOT usefulness scale.

This past weekend we added a Nest Thermostat to the household. Supposedly it is going to figure out when we are home and when we are not and adjust the heating/cooling accordingly. In the past we simply set the temperature and put it on "Hold." Never did figure out how to program the thermostat. Now, supposedly, I don't have to, but I worry about devices that are smarter than I am, so we'll see.

At the very least, we will be able to turn on the A/C before we arrive home from a trip, and that's worth a great deal to us. Somehow, we always end up coming home at midnight or 1am from long trips, and it's 4am before the house gets cool again. Plus, it provides a lot of entertainment, standing around, watching the display messages. Though I do find myself humming, "There's an all-seeing eye watching you."

It's a slippery slope, I know. The next thing you know we will be talking to a little device sitting over in the corner. "Alexa! Where did I leave my glasses?"