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Why does a bed need to run Linux? Why? Of all the possible timelines, we live in the dumbest. What was wrong with a plain old bed without 1GB of RAM and a full
by dmitrygr 2y ago
Why does a bed need to run Linux? Why?
Of all the possible timelines, we live in the dumbest. What was wrong with a plain old bed without 1GB of RAM and a full OS running on it?! It is the same everywhere. Finding a washing machine that was not WiFi-connected was a chore and I dread doing it again in ten years.
As a person who's broken into O(1000) "smart" devices (for fun and for profit both), I do not want them in my house, and avoiding them is getting harder due to insanity like this linux-running bed! Please make it stop!
- n8henrie 2y agoI feel the same way -- the silver lining is that it's helped push me to buying older / used / more maintainable stuff for a fraction of the price, all the while learning a little here and there about minor repairs for older electronics. This is a big win for the pocketbook and gratifying to keep something out of the landfill. Reduce / reuse / recycle -- in order of importance.
- miah_ 2y agoI like: reduce, re-use, repair, recycle. I agree with fixing older stuff. I buy used frequently. Estate sales are my lifeblood. If you can't fix it you don't own it.
- reidjs 2y agoAt least it doesn't run windows
- dylan604 2y ago"man, i tried going to bed last night, but it was a BSOD so I had to reboot it, but then it needed 45 minutes of OS updates before I could get in the bed." seems like a pretty good torture on multiple levels
- labster 2y agoAnd they wonder why so many people are sleeping on the streets these days. It’s just better UX.
- p0w3n3d 2y ago"before you go to bed you must acknowledge our updated terms of service. Please bear in mind, that our newly added AI engine will process all the thoughts you have during your sleep. Images you see will be stored in the cloud and allowed for further processing by us"
- miah_ 2y agoIf this paragraph made you giggle, give "Feed" by MT Anderson a read. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_(Anderson_novel) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed_(Anderson_novel)
- fooqux 2y agoIt wasn't that long ago I tried to use an ATM only to find a WinCE error screen displayed on it. Scary stuff.
- netsharc 2y agoI've heard the Windows 3.1 ding (1) on an ATM. This was 2022. I hope it's just because the developers stole the wave file from Windows 3.1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXF_pmcDghI&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXF_pmcDghI&t=4s
- annoyingnoob 2y agohttps://imgur.com/6wbgy2L https://imgur.com/6wbgy2L "The most recent piece of technology I own is a printer from 2004 and I keep a loaded gun ready to shoot it if it ever makes an unexpected noise."
- pxx 2y ago[flagged]
- blitzar 2y agoNo way a printer in proximity to a shotgun (or window) last more than a few months.
- XorNot 2y agoAnd this is another lame "insightful" meme. I work with plenty of cybersecurity people and they have plenty of smart devices. They're the ones with Home Assistant setups and ESPHome flashable hardware on they're own internet isolated wifi. Which is in fact a standard feature on many consumer routers now. What we're missing is a "local only" directive from the EU to get manufacturers to play ball for the common man.
- itake 2y agowhat would be a better way to design this that is cheap and updatable? Specialized hardware is riskier to build, b/c bugs would require a complete reprint.
- dmitrygr 2y agoNOTHING in a bed needs to be updatable. Nothing. It needs a PIC12F509 to run a motor when you press a button and check for a jam.
- dylan604 2y agobut but but, we need to see all of that data about your sleeping patterns so we can adjust settings to make you even more comfy. are you getting too hot? we'll cool down the temp for you. getting too cold? we'll heat it up. starting to snore, we'll automatically incline you to change your positioning. of course we'll also sell all of that data so we can send you an ad for new bamboo sheets to keep you cool. or any thing else from anyone else that offers us money for the data
- itake 2y agoHow do you ensure the network traffic is encrypted with a PIC12F509?
- sodality2 2y agoSounds like the problem isn't Linux, it's insecure development practices. As mentioned in sibling comment, Linux development is far easier to hire for, iterate on, develop updating mechanisms for, etc - specialized embedded development is less popular.
- PontifexMinimus 2y ago> Sounds like the problem isn't Linux, it's insecure development practices. No, it's making devices "smart". There doesn't need to be a wifi-connected computer inside a washing machine, cooker, or fridge. In fact all these things can run without a computer in them at all, and they're arguably better for it.
- sodality2 2y agoThe reason is demand. There's nothing wrong with a smart device (even one you find to be useless) if it's secure. Just.. don't use its smart features. I of course agree with you principally, I don't want smart devices, but it's not very malicious to have a sleep number bed sitting unconnected...
- labster 2y agoIt’s not always demand. Lots of people don’t want smart TVs, but that’s too bad. The smart TVs are subsidized to manufacture because the software can put more advertising on, which makes it a supply-side issue.
- sodality2 2y agoIf the people who wanted dumb TVs didn’t want smart TVs *enough*, they wouldn’t buy them - the reason it still works is because people just buy smart TVs and don’t use the smart features. So it’s still a demand problem - demand hasn’t dropped enough! But you’re right - demand != desires of consumers. But they’re going to optimize for what people buy, not what they want or say they want.
- 2y ago
- dTal 2y agoA bed doesn't have to be complicated. Why in my day, we got shit done on beds with only a Z80 and 32K of RAM. I remember when I bought my first bed with cooperative multitasking - a red letter day! And double density duvets were a game changer. But I don't miss traipsing down to the public library with a blank vinyl record to get the soft wear updates - and if you forgot, you got bed bugs!
- skrebbel 2y agoBonus points for "double density duvet"
- elzbardico 2y agoMe and my wife manufactured our kids in a bed that only had relays as logical devices.
- chasd00 2y ago> Why does a bed need to run Linux? Why? the bed got envious of the toaster and refused inference until Linux was installed.
- colechristensen 2y ago>Why does a bed need to run Linux? Why? We're in the era of measuring yourself for better outcomes. A century ago we figured out antibiotics. Big gains. Then we figured out a lot of other pretty obvious diseases with pretty obvious cures. Now we're down to the complicated subtle things. This bed is running Linux so it can tell you how you slept. If you're sleeping poorly it has all sorts of mostly mild negative effects. If you know about them you can do things to fix them. It's doing a low-grade sleep study on you every night. That can be valuable information. >avoiding them is getting harder due to insanity like this linux-running bed Sleep Number beds cost several thousand dollars, I think you'll be able to avoid them just fine.
- AlexandrB 2y ago> Now we're down to the complicated subtle things. Totally false. Any gains from micro optimizing people's sleep are wiped out by the constant mind pollution of social media. We are in an era of constant distraction.
- talldayo 2y agoThat's a non-sequitur, and also not necessarily true? For one, if you sincerely believe that social media is "mind pollution" then I don't see how sleep optimization is responsible. If someone has an unhealthy relationship with social media and invests in a more comfortable bed to keep themselves off their phone at night, isn't that a net win? And for two, the minority of people in my circle even use social media. If you legitimately struggle with it, you can cut it out of your lifestyle without significant physiological impairment. You might live in an era of constant distraction, but many of us find it simple to cut-out external noise and simply exist. Mind pollution a-la tabloids and TMZ has existed for a long time, and social media isn't even it's zenith.