13 ms·

> What does the typical consumer actually get out of a networked refrigerator, or a smart TV... So many things. Just because you can't figure out how to use a

> What does the typical consumer actually get out of a networked refrigerator, or a smart TV... So many things. Just because you can't figure out how to use a feature, doesn't mean it's not useful. Maybe I need to see how many eggs I have left, or what temperature a corner of the fridge is, or have a way to tell when my milk is going bad? IoT is bringing in some potentially cool stuff, but being dependent on an on-line "service", and being closed and proprietary is making it worthless.

M_Grey 10y ago
>Maybe I need to see how many eggs I have left, or what temperature a corner of the fridge is, or have a way to tell when my milk is going bad? And for the ability to do that without just... you know... opening the damned fridge you're willing to buy into the IoT. That's an insane tradeoff, for benefits the typical consumer would laugh at you for buying into.
- kardos 10y ago
  Surely it would be useful to check fridge contents remotely while at the supermarket. Is it worth the (present) sacrifice of privacy and security? Imagine a fridge that is both secure and private... would you dismiss the feature then?
  - M_Grey 10y ago
    No, in that case it would be a fun, and potentially useful feature. That said, the use is extremely minimal, since it's really only a backup for poor planning. If you check the fridge before you shop (when making a list for example) you avoid all of this. The truth is though, if you want a really secure fridge, it either needs to be much more expensive or... you know... just a fridge.
    - kardos 10y ago
      "Extremely minimal" is debatable. You could make the same argument for GPS / phone map apps. Yes, of course you could have consulted a map before you left the house. The fact that we no longer have to is the benefit that technology has afforded us. Remote fridge viewing is in the same category.
      - M_Grey 10y ago
        Lets be real... GPS is a highly versatile tech that can keep time, coordinate global markets, makes Uber possible, enables GPS directions and let us not forget... also fairly useful in military applications. A camera in your fridge, is a camera in your fridge. It serves one purpose, and it's the one you achieve by necessity every time you get anything from the fridge.
        fnord123 10y ago
        I think there's no way a camera in the fridge could do the job it needs to do (seeing through several shelves and inside drawers; not getting frosted over). I think we'd have to move to rfids on food packaging; akin to bar codes. This could help with the pantry as well. Not sure it can help with food from your butcher or {cheese, fish}monger.
        jessaustin 10y ago
        For unlabeled foods one can imagine "smart" bins capable of weighing their contents and communicating that measurement via bluetooth to the "smart" refrigerator.
        fnord123 10y ago
        I can imagine the new arguments. "Honey, why did you put the cheese in the cured meat bin?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnP5oid8fD8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnP5oid8fD8
        M_Grey 10y ago
        ...This is not a remote system! To use the fridge, you must physically access the fridge each time you wish to use it. What... is the benefit of any of this?
    - jerkstate 10y ago
      I haven't used a road atlas in 15 years and I stopped printing directions out 10 years ago, even for cross-country trips, because my phone is so reliable. Heck, I rarely even look up the address of where I'm going until I'm walking out the door. Is that a "backup for poor planning" or a paradigm shift?
- CaptSpify 10y ago
  How about if I'm already at the store? I can't check then. Things happen, and I don't always plan ahead with groceries. I feel like this shouldn't be a difficult concept... And no, I'm not willing to buy into the IoT. Your talking about two different things. I'd love that on my network. Where I can control everything and use APIs to check myself. I'd never install something that had to go to the public internet. I appreciate your condescension, but just because you don't have a use for something, or can't see how it can be done safely and well, doesn't mean nobody does.
gens 10y ago
Those are bad examples.
- CaptSpify 10y ago
  Why? They are just examples I made off the top of my head.
  - gens 10y ago
    > see how many eggs I have left Requires machine vision (or you telling it every time you take out an egg), doesn't have much to do with IoT (unless you want to see that from your TV or phone, that i guess you do). > what temperature a corner of the fridge is So many things to say, with the most prominent being that your fridge would have to have a ton of sensors. Again, not much to do with IoT (can even be analog, unless you want to check it on your office computer, ofc). > have a way to tell when my milk is going bad This is a lot harder then one might think. Did you buy fresh milk ? Pasteurized milk ? When did you open it ? What kind of bacteria live in your mouth/kitchen ? How long was it open ? One could put a sensor for a specific gas in the milk package but even that has problems as the thin layer of milk on the side of the package will go sour faster but the milk itself will be fine. Ofc, the fridge could guess. But you won't know anything for sure until you open the fridge and check. And the extra complexity means not just higher cost but also lower reliability. > IoT is bringing in some potentially cool stuff, .. Yes. I intend to, someday, plug a RPI to the TV and lights and put speech recognition on it. Star Trek FTW. But it is no problem living without it all. For a better living i recommend moving to a wooden house (or just putting wood on the inside of rooms), as it is a much better feeling then titanium white painted minerals.
    - CaptSpify 10y ago
      > Requires machine vision no it doesn't. rfid, weight, a camera, can easily do this. > the most prominent being that your fridge would have to have a ton of sensors Sensors? in a refrigerator? the horror! How could we ever accomplish such a tremendous feat?!? /sarcasm > This is a lot harder then one might think. Sure, but it doesn't mean it's not possible. Just because something is hard doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. I'd argue the opposite. > But it is no problem living without it all. And it's no problem living without a cell phone, or central heating, or indoor plumbing, but we don't see many people running to that lifestyle very often. Just because you don't want something, has no bearing on whether other people want it or not.

M_Grey 10y ago

>Maybe I need to see how many eggs I have left, or what temperature a corner of the fridge is, or have a way to tell when my milk is going bad? And for the ability to do that without just... you know... opening the damned fridge you're willing to buy into the IoT. That's an insane tradeoff, for benefits the typical consumer would laugh at you for buying into.

kardos 10y ago
Surely it would be useful to check fridge contents remotely while at the supermarket. Is it worth the (present) sacrifice of privacy and security? Imagine a fridge that is both secure and private... would you dismiss the feature then?
- M_Grey 10y ago
  No, in that case it would be a fun, and potentially useful feature. That said, the use is extremely minimal, since it's really only a backup for poor planning. If you check the fridge before you shop (when making a list for example) you avoid all of this. The truth is though, if you want a really secure fridge, it either needs to be much more expensive or... you know... just a fridge.
  - kardos 10y ago
    "Extremely minimal" is debatable. You could make the same argument for GPS / phone map apps. Yes, of course you could have consulted a map before you left the house. The fact that we no longer have to is the benefit that technology has afforded us. Remote fridge viewing is in the same category.
    - M_Grey 10y ago
      Lets be real... GPS is a highly versatile tech that can keep time, coordinate global markets, makes Uber possible, enables GPS directions and let us not forget... also fairly useful in military applications. A camera in your fridge, is a camera in your fridge. It serves one purpose, and it's the one you achieve by necessity every time you get anything from the fridge.
      - fnord123 10y ago
        I think there's no way a camera in the fridge could do the job it needs to do (seeing through several shelves and inside drawers; not getting frosted over). I think we'd have to move to rfids on food packaging; akin to bar codes. This could help with the pantry as well. Not sure it can help with food from your butcher or {cheese, fish}monger.
        jessaustin 10y ago
        For unlabeled foods one can imagine "smart" bins capable of weighing their contents and communicating that measurement via bluetooth to the "smart" refrigerator.
        fnord123 10y ago
        I can imagine the new arguments. "Honey, why did you put the cheese in the cured meat bin?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnP5oid8fD8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnP5oid8fD8
        M_Grey 10y ago
        ...This is not a remote system! To use the fridge, you must physically access the fridge each time you wish to use it. What... is the benefit of any of this?
  - jerkstate 10y ago
    I haven't used a road atlas in 15 years and I stopped printing directions out 10 years ago, even for cross-country trips, because my phone is so reliable. Heck, I rarely even look up the address of where I'm going until I'm walking out the door. Is that a "backup for poor planning" or a paradigm shift?
CaptSpify 10y ago
How about if I'm already at the store? I can't check then. Things happen, and I don't always plan ahead with groceries. I feel like this shouldn't be a difficult concept... And no, I'm not willing to buy into the IoT. Your talking about two different things. I'd love that on my network. Where I can control everything and use APIs to check myself. I'd never install something that had to go to the public internet. I appreciate your condescension, but just because you don't have a use for something, or can't see how it can be done safely and well, doesn't mean nobody does.

gens 10y ago

Those are bad examples.

CaptSpify 10y ago
Why? They are just examples I made off the top of my head.
- gens 10y ago
  > see how many eggs I have left Requires machine vision (or you telling it every time you take out an egg), doesn't have much to do with IoT (unless you want to see that from your TV or phone, that i guess you do). > what temperature a corner of the fridge is So many things to say, with the most prominent being that your fridge would have to have a ton of sensors. Again, not much to do with IoT (can even be analog, unless you want to check it on your office computer, ofc). > have a way to tell when my milk is going bad This is a lot harder then one might think. Did you buy fresh milk ? Pasteurized milk ? When did you open it ? What kind of bacteria live in your mouth/kitchen ? How long was it open ? One could put a sensor for a specific gas in the milk package but even that has problems as the thin layer of milk on the side of the package will go sour faster but the milk itself will be fine. Ofc, the fridge could guess. But you won't know anything for sure until you open the fridge and check. And the extra complexity means not just higher cost but also lower reliability. > IoT is bringing in some potentially cool stuff, .. Yes. I intend to, someday, plug a RPI to the TV and lights and put speech recognition on it. Star Trek FTW. But it is no problem living without it all. For a better living i recommend moving to a wooden house (or just putting wood on the inside of rooms), as it is a much better feeling then titanium white painted minerals.
  - CaptSpify 10y ago
    > Requires machine vision no it doesn't. rfid, weight, a camera, can easily do this. > the most prominent being that your fridge would have to have a ton of sensors Sensors? in a refrigerator? the horror! How could we ever accomplish such a tremendous feat?!? /sarcasm > This is a lot harder then one might think. Sure, but it doesn't mean it's not possible. Just because something is hard doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. I'd argue the opposite. > But it is no problem living without it all. And it's no problem living without a cell phone, or central heating, or indoor plumbing, but we don't see many people running to that lifestyle very often. Just because you don't want something, has no bearing on whether other people want it or not.