4 ms·

Interesting concept... Tracking what you have to suggest recipes or restock - that's the feature that seems most appealing. But I don't think you need a network

by bllguo 9y ago

Interesting concept... Tracking what you have to suggest recipes or restock - that's the feature that seems most appealing. But I don't think you need a network like you describe to accomplish that. You could have a "smart" fridge or some other device that can catalog your food for you thru imaging and scans. Hell, you could just input a list you type up yourself. Like you say, Amazon could easily do this. They already have a part of it with their dash buttons and smart home devices. They have another part now with Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh. The other benefits you mention are marginal at best, in my opinion. I would never pay a premium for tagged and tracked food like that. Edit: Funny, there's a post on overengineering on the front page!

amelius 9y ago
> Hell, you could just input a list you type up yourself. If you put that much effort into it, then you can just as well remember what you need to buy when.
- bllguo 9y ago
  Well the difference would be that the food gets delivered to you based on what you specify in the list.. But obviously that wasn't the main point. Using computer vision you can automate it.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  I write down a shopping list because otherwise I forget things. It would be hard to make something more convenient than a pen and paper though. And in the store crossing things off the nigh indestructible scrap of worthless paper is better than fiddling with a device.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Adding items to a shopping list is actually one of the relatively few things I end up using my Amazon Echo for. It's easier to add and I don't forget my phone when I go to the store (or end up going when I didn't plan to). I'm not a huge Echo fan overall but I do find it good for that.
  - phjesusthatguy3 9y ago
    I use Simple Notepad[0] on my android phone. It has a checklist option that I go to the store with, which works much better than the list I write, which works much better than the list I keep in my head. [0]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mightyfrog.android.simplenotepad https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mightyfrog...
    - linker3000 9y ago
      Been there and tried it - went back to paper. A piece of paper is 'always on', it wraps around the push bar of the food cart so I don't have to make adjustments to hold the 'device' and steer at the same time, or keep fishing the phone out of my pocket and unlocking it, nor from the cart itself, while ensuring I don't drop any shopping on the screen or stray too far from the cart and give someone the opportunity to grab the phone. The only way I'd go back to using a smartphone is if the cart had a lockable universal smartphone cradle. Bonus points would be given for a built-in charger - provided the stores maintained everything so you didn't need to 'test' the carts outside to find one with a working charger and cradle.
- gehwartzen 9y ago
  Or the industry could standardize receipts so that they can just be scanned into the fridge.
tigershark 9y ago
They are already doing it with Amazon wand. It's attached to the fridge, whenever I finish something I scan the barcode. If I tossed away the package or I remember something that I don't have I just tell it to the wand.

by bllguo 9y ago

amelius 9y ago

> Hell, you could just input a list you type up yourself. If you put that much effort into it, then you can just as well remember what you need to buy when.

bllguo 9y ago
Well the difference would be that the food gets delivered to you based on what you specify in the list.. But obviously that wasn't the main point. Using computer vision you can automate it.
maxerickson 9y ago
I write down a shopping list because otherwise I forget things. It would be hard to make something more convenient than a pen and paper though. And in the store crossing things off the nigh indestructible scrap of worthless paper is better than fiddling with a device.
- ghaff 9y ago
  Adding items to a shopping list is actually one of the relatively few things I end up using my Amazon Echo for. It's easier to add and I don't forget my phone when I go to the store (or end up going when I didn't plan to). I'm not a huge Echo fan overall but I do find it good for that.
- phjesusthatguy3 9y ago
  I use Simple Notepad[0] on my android phone. It has a checklist option that I go to the store with, which works much better than the list I write, which works much better than the list I keep in my head. [0]https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mightyfrog.android.simplenotepad https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mightyfrog...
  - linker3000 9y ago
    Been there and tried it - went back to paper. A piece of paper is 'always on', it wraps around the push bar of the food cart so I don't have to make adjustments to hold the 'device' and steer at the same time, or keep fishing the phone out of my pocket and unlocking it, nor from the cart itself, while ensuring I don't drop any shopping on the screen or stray too far from the cart and give someone the opportunity to grab the phone. The only way I'd go back to using a smartphone is if the cart had a lockable universal smartphone cradle. Bonus points would be given for a built-in charger - provided the stores maintained everything so you didn't need to 'test' the carts outside to find one with a working charger and cradle.
gehwartzen 9y ago
Or the industry could standardize receipts so that they can just be scanned into the fridge.

tigershark 9y ago

They are already doing it with Amazon wand. It's attached to the fridge, whenever I finish something I scan the barcode. If I tossed away the package or I remember something that I don't have I just tell it to the wand.