This is an interesting article in what respects the making of an important question: will this step simplify anything? I usually think that most "smart" solutio

This is an interesting article in what respects the making of an important question: will this step simplify anything? I usually think that most "smart" solutions are gimmicks for true believers. I am not a technophobe or a luddite, but sometimes the old fashioned, manual solution is the best. Sometimes I think people confuse practical with lazy. For example, automating an irrigation/fertilization system in our small backyard garden for those summer days we're away seems a pretty good idea. But, at least for me, caring for a garden asks for a little more that keeping it alive automatically. Of course, that not maybe the case for many people and this is a grey area. But why automate, say, the toilet flush or soap dispenser unless you're in a hospital or such environment? Many of these solutions sound like the next startup pushing something in the hopes of leveraging a hype into profit. And I also find it a little uncanny that this kind of articles make no mention of security or privacy concerns.