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It's okay if you decide for yourself that you want no part in this. But I don't think our global waste problem will be solved by berating people that enjoy smar

by tommit 6y ago

It's okay if you decide for yourself that you want no part in this. But I don't think our global waste problem will be solved by berating people that enjoy smart homes as a hobby, convenience, or both. I've been a fan for about 5 years now and I have everything connected as well. It used to be a big pain and it still can be sometimes, so I don't agree 100% with the comment you replied on that it saves time in a significant way. Though I assume that depends on your setup and how much you tinker with it. I know I will never get back the time I invested over the years in trying to make things work by not having to press light switches anymore. But you know what? It's fun. I like it. It's the closest thing to an Iron Man like house we have so far. And I will be damned if I let it be ruined by you shaking your head and calling us enthusiasts mad.

lm28469 6y ago
> But you know what? It's fun. I like it. It's the closest thing to an Iron Man like house we have so far. That's the only argument I can accept, "it's cool". I still believe it's not sustainable in any way, shape or form and that it's going to be a major pain in the ass down the line both in term of waste and long term maintenance. It's like huge diesel trucks running straight pipes, some people think it's fun, I'm glad most people don't and that most places ban them. We'd get more time to spend on "real life" if we used automation's productivity improvements to reduce working hours to 4 hours a day rather than by getting gadgets rolling our blinds and setting the AC automatically.
- tommit 6y ago
  That's fair. But it's a valid argument, don't you think? I mean, I agree - of course we'd be better off if we finally got a grip on our mad consumerism. Granted, I don't have any numbers, but from my gut feeling, I would wager that huge diesel trucks are a bit more extreme, impact wise. Of course these gadgets are not great from an environmental perspective. But pretty much nothing is if you break it down. You can expand your argument to almost any area. From phones to gaming consoles to plastic toys for kids to clothes ... everything is going to end up in a landfill eventually and we'd be better off not using these things in the first place. I hope this doesn't sound like whataboutism, that's not what I try to say. I just think it's kind of odd to single out smart home devices when talking about the environment. I'd be gladly proven wrong though. I don't quite know what to make of the last sentence of your comment. Yeah, automation's productivity improvements to reduce working hours to 4 hours a day would be sweet. Sign me up, I'd even sacrifice all my smart home stuff for it. But it's got literally nothing to do with the argument at hand. It's not like the people have chosen that we want to control our lights with our voice over cutting our working days in half. Unless you mean that you just can't understand the argument that the smart home automation gives us more time to focus on real life. That I agree with. But again, that's not the point. It's fun. Regarding long term maintenance: we're in the very early stages still. I sincerely hope for more cross-compatibility further down the road. Also, open source projects have done wonders so far to increase the maintainability of smart home products. But that's for enthusiasts, not your everyday I-bought-alexa-and-hue smart home fan.

by tommit 6y ago

lm28469 6y ago

> But you know what? It's fun. I like it. It's the closest thing to an Iron Man like house we have so far. That's the only argument I can accept, "it's cool". I still believe it's not sustainable in any way, shape or form and that it's going to be a major pain in the ass down the line both in term of waste and long term maintenance. It's like huge diesel trucks running straight pipes, some people think it's fun, I'm glad most people don't and that most places ban them. We'd get more time to spend on "real life" if we used automation's productivity improvements to reduce working hours to 4 hours a day rather than by getting gadgets rolling our blinds and setting the AC automatically.

tommit 6y ago
That's fair. But it's a valid argument, don't you think? I mean, I agree - of course we'd be better off if we finally got a grip on our mad consumerism. Granted, I don't have any numbers, but from my gut feeling, I would wager that huge diesel trucks are a bit more extreme, impact wise. Of course these gadgets are not great from an environmental perspective. But pretty much nothing is if you break it down. You can expand your argument to almost any area. From phones to gaming consoles to plastic toys for kids to clothes ... everything is going to end up in a landfill eventually and we'd be better off not using these things in the first place. I hope this doesn't sound like whataboutism, that's not what I try to say. I just think it's kind of odd to single out smart home devices when talking about the environment. I'd be gladly proven wrong though. I don't quite know what to make of the last sentence of your comment. Yeah, automation's productivity improvements to reduce working hours to 4 hours a day would be sweet. Sign me up, I'd even sacrifice all my smart home stuff for it. But it's got literally nothing to do with the argument at hand. It's not like the people have chosen that we want to control our lights with our voice over cutting our working days in half. Unless you mean that you just can't understand the argument that the smart home automation gives us more time to focus on real life. That I agree with. But again, that's not the point. It's fun. Regarding long term maintenance: we're in the very early stages still. I sincerely hope for more cross-compatibility further down the road. Also, open source projects have done wonders so far to increase the maintainability of smart home products. But that's for enthusiasts, not your everyday I-bought-alexa-and-hue smart home fan.