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Post by aquaduct on Mar 24, 2015 11:04:27 GMT -5
I don't know why you guys are worring about any of this. We are all going to run out of water soon, so you might as well get your wifi water heaters now so you can use them to play games while you remember the good old days of hot and cold running water. Mike In the Great Lakes States, we'll be sipping Scotch on the rocks in our hot tubs and feeling sorry for you. And out here in Virginia we'll be sipping wine on the veranda and not caring. |
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Post by majorminor on Mar 24, 2015 11:10:01 GMT -5
And here in Montana we are praying all the Californians flee to Oregon, Washington, or Idaho.
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Post by epaul on Mar 24, 2015 11:42:40 GMT -5
Lot's of room in North Dakota. And Devil's Lake is so damn full of water they are doing everything they can think of to try lower the darn thing (they would love to send the excess shooting up to Canada, but Canada doesn't want it, they have too damn much water of their own).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2015 12:05:51 GMT -5
Lot's of room in North Dakota. And Devil's Lake is so damn full of water they are doig everything they can think of to try lower the darn thing (they would love to send the excess shooting up to Canada, but Canada doesn't want it, they have too damn much water of their own). California will take it, they'll even pay shipping if they could figure out how. |
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Post by epaul on Mar 24, 2015 13:18:05 GMT -5
This country hasn't even begun to scratch the surface of water management. Every belly-buster of a rain just sends a flood of runoff and overflow from Midwest farms and cities shooting down to the Gulf of Mexico (or in my case, up to Hudson Bay), polluting waterways and estuaries along the way with silt, fertilizer, and city juice.)
We can re-create strategically placed wetlands and reservoirs (complete with grasslands to filter it all nice and somewhat clean enough). There would still be plenty of water going north and south to the ocean as once the tub was full there would be a nice, steady, managed overflow system in place.
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Post by david on Mar 24, 2015 14:54:22 GMT -5
A recent article in Popular Science or Popular Mechanics says that appliance software is an unguarded means to plant malware to your computer or smart phone. The point of the article is that computer software is usually inspected for malware, but the software that comes in appliances is not well vetted and can load crap on your computer. Be careful out there.
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Post by dradtke on Mar 24, 2015 20:41:47 GMT -5
But seriously folks, wouldn't this be an example of something that improves profit for producers that doesn't benefit consumers? Just because I don't see any value in it doesn't mean no one else would. I can see how someone who is seriously into tech gadgetry might find this incredibly nifty. That someone is not me. But that doesn't mean this feature does not "benefit consumers". Then it's not a "gratuitous bit of technology," is it? Pick one or the other, how am I supposed to ridicule you if you keep switching sides on me?  |
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Post by Village Idiot on Mar 24, 2015 21:09:02 GMT -5
I'm not sure which model of water heater you're talking about. Is this the one?  |
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Dub
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I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Mar 25, 2015 8:24:15 GMT -5
…This seems to be in line with the "smart house" idea. It would also be darn handy to control the house heat remotely (kick it in gear, boys, I'm coming home). Yes, the “smart” house is coming. It's part of what they're calling “the Internet of things.” Before you know it they'll be selling WiFi toasters, toothbrushes, you name it. |
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Post by Doug on Mar 25, 2015 8:28:13 GMT -5
Wonder what the added cost to a $200k house to go smart house?
Retro fitting cost?
I think the cost of retro fitting will slow the smart house revolution.
I think the average buyer will even be put off by the added cost in a new house.
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Post by Marshall on Mar 25, 2015 9:01:39 GMT -5
I was in a bar last night at an open mic. A guy was showing somebody else his Android phone and how he has an AP that can change the thermostat in his house. I was listening then said, "When you get up on stage, I'll take you phone and turn up the heat." He said his wife is home and going through hot flashes, so, she'd probably not know the difference.
And that's the NEWS from the bar scene.
(I played Rocky last night and got a good vid of "The Shadow of Your Smile.' More on that later.)
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Post by drlj on Mar 25, 2015 9:10:41 GMT -5
My nephew, who is 7 years older than me, is a gadget freak. He has a smart thermostat and was telling me how he could program it from anywhere. He then showed me how it was set for the next month. Every day was set at 72. I can do that with my dumb thermostat.
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Post by billhammond on Mar 25, 2015 9:24:00 GMT -5
My nephew, who is 7 years older than me, is a gadget freak. He has a smart thermostat and was telling me how he could program it from anywhere. He then showed me how it was set for the next month. Every day was set at 72. I can do that with my dumb thermostat. That is funny right there. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2015 9:44:18 GMT -5
How about a smart toilet roll holder that notifes you when:
Room is occupied
Someone forgets to replace the roll
You might want to wait a while (built in funk meter)
Seat has been left up (proximity detector)
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Post by patrick on Mar 25, 2015 12:44:39 GMT -5
I think this is definitely aimed at the smart home market. Just as you can use your computer to wirelessly turn lights on and off, turn the thermostat up and down, etc. to save money, you could have the water heater not maintain the water so hot when there will be no one to use it.
Right now, my air conditioner has a gadget on it that allows PEPCO to delay turning on when its really hot and there's a great demand on electrical load. For that I get a slight cut in rates. This could tie into that sort of scheme.
It could also be a tool for the NSA to find out who is taking how many showers and to video you remotely as you do. One or the other, I'm sure.
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Post by patrick on Mar 25, 2015 12:47:01 GMT -5
How about a smart toilet roll holder that notifes you when: Room is occupied Someone forgets to replace the roll You might want to wait a while (built in funk meter) Seat has been left up (proximity detector) Could you old geezers at least make an effort to keep up with the modern world? Smart toilet paper holder won't be ignored when roll runs out |
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Post by Fingerplucked on Mar 25, 2015 12:56:28 GMT -5
I wouldn't pay the extra money for a wifi water heater, but if I had one, I think I'd have some fun with it while Jadene was in the shower.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2015 13:11:58 GMT -5
How about a smart toilet roll holder that notifes you when: Room is occupied Someone forgets to replace the roll You might want to wait a while (built in funk meter) Seat has been left up (proximity detector) A feature Evan's family would appreciate. |
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Dub
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I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
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Post by Dub on Mar 25, 2015 14:36:14 GMT -5
You never know how some technologies may benefit you. Twenty-five or thirty years go I'd never have Imagined that farm equipment would be sporting satellite GPS receivers and computers but here we are and, as epaul pointed out, they can save farmers a ton of money. I'd never have dreamed that automobiles would need computers just to operate but here we are. Cars couldn't pass mileage and emissions requirements today without them.
A water heater could interface with the home's computer network which could manage the heating and cooling systems, control window shades and lighting systems to significantly reduce the total energy requirement. It could also be tied into security and alert systems.
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Post by brucemacneill on Mar 25, 2015 14:38:34 GMT -5
I know a guy who built a "Smart House" in Michigan back in the early '90s. Trouble was that when something finally went wrong with it technology had advanced and he couldn't get parts to fix it so the house had to be upgraded. That was a big expense and he can expect it every 5 years or so.
I remember getting a call from NASA Sometime in the late '90s looking for 8" floppy disk drives. I had to tell them we hadn't made them in years, had no supply and no idea where they might get any. I sent them to a reseller who generally had old parts laying around but whether he had any of those I have no idea.
Imagine replacing the "Smart" part of your house as often as you replace your smart phone. Still feeling smart?
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