Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

news.ycombinator.com

71–80 of 749 posts

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#71
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For your banking script, are you able to use an API with a limited access token? Or does it use your normal credentials. I don't save my various banking credentials anywhere, not even 1password, as they're so sensitive, curious how you do this.

I don't hear often about banks providing API access. Only big companies on special contracts may get something like that, but it is usually very limited - talking from my personal experience, but what I learnt from the internet - it's the same everywhere. But... In Europe thanks to just another EU laws we should have every bank offering an API access for everyone starting from September 2018 IIRC. That would help a l…

I'm going to be so amazed if the API (PSD2 if you want to Google it) turns out to be what we want.

I'm fully expecting banks to throw extreme security hurdles and probably registration fees in the way if they can.

Hopefully I will be wrong.

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#72
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For your banking script, are you able to use an API with a limited access token? Or does it use your normal credentials. I don't save my various banking credentials anywhere, not even 1password, as they're so sensitive, curious how you do this.

Your banking password isn't that sensitive, because banks are used by regular people who don't have any conception of good security practices. The worst case scenario of your bank login credentials leaking are really not that bad. Your personal email account is probably a million times more sensitive. It contains enough personal information to get your identity stolen a thousand times over, and once your email has be…

Couldn't agree more. See my comment above. My online bank only provides readonly access with a password. Anything else requires a one-time-password anyway.

I'd be much more worried about my email getting hacked though.

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#73
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For your banking script, are you able to use an API with a limited access token? Or does it use your normal credentials. I don't save my various banking credentials anywhere, not even 1password, as they're so sensitive, curious how you do this.

I don't hear often about banks providing API access. Only big companies on special contracts may get something like that, but it is usually very limited - talking from my personal experience, but what I learnt from the internet - it's the same everywhere. But... In Europe thanks to just another EU laws we should have every bank offering an API access for everyone starting from September 2018 IIRC. That would help a l…

Can you please give some more info about this eu regulation? I'm really interested to see if my bank has an API in place.

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#75
post #15
post #5

Hallway lights come on automatically at sunset. Heating comes on at 4.30am in cooler months, turns off when we leave to go to work (along with the bedroom, hallways and kitchen lights which come on at 6am) Heating comes back on at 2pm if outside air temperature is below a certain threshold. Bathroom floor heating and towel rail switch on and off at various times during the morning, afternoon and evening depending on…

Hallway lights come on automatically at sunset. Does this mean you constantly have light there even when you're not around? Any particular reason for that (maybe the switches for it are placed awkwardly or so?)

My cat is often underfoot or very close by, without the automation I’d be turning the lights on and off manually many times a night. They only come on at 1% brightness.

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#76
post #31

I have several scripts that make my keyboard behave better, which is "automating" in a sense. I basically have vim-style keys anywhere on the computer, as long as I'm holding caps lock. (So e.g. caps+j is the same as down arrow). This includes some more complex motions like "select current word", and even things like "open two quotes and but the cursor between them." I also have a script which scrapes my podcast play…

Autohotkey?

Hammerspoon (Mac).

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#77
post #61

Robots wash my dishes and my clothes for me, keep my household boiler stoked, and manage the ambient temperature. I also don't ever have to refill lamps, or go around with a match each evening to light them.

I like my vault as well.

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#78
post #26
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hallway lights come on automatically at sunset. Does this mean you constantly have light there even when you're not around? Any particular reason for that (maybe the switches for it are placed awkwardly or so?)

Security. I do this too.

Assuming you mean security nor for yourself (as in, to see where you're walking) but for burglars, thinking about this for a bit I'm not sure if this always works as intended. Would be interesting to see stats. But it's definitely not as simple as 'light on = scare away intruders'. Suppose your hallway light goes on every single day, even if you add some randomess to the timing, a burglar which scouts the neighbourhood a couple of days will quickly figure out the light being on doesn't mean anything with respect to you being at home or not. Moreover it would be convenient for him/her once inside the house since there's more visibility. Unless of course that also means the neighbours can then clearly see someone being in the house. Then again, if your neighbours don't know you're not at home that matters less.

edit seems it's indeed a point of discussion https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/8956/is-it-safe...

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#79
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't hear often about banks providing API access. Only big companies on special contracts may get something like that, but it is usually very limited - talking from my personal experience, but what I learnt from the internet - it's the same everywhere. But... In Europe thanks to just another EU laws we should have every bank offering an API access for everyone starting from September 2018 IIRC. That would help a l…

Can you please give some more info about this eu regulation? I'm really interested to see if my bank has an API in place.

Look up PSD2 regulations.

Re: Ask HN: What are the things that you have automated in your personal life?

#80
post #75
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hallway lights come on automatically at sunset. Does this mean you constantly have light there even when you're not around? Any particular reason for that (maybe the switches for it are placed awkwardly or so?)

My cat is often underfoot or very close by, without the automation I’d be turning the lights on and off manually many times a night. They only come on at 1% brightness.

Ha, cats. Strange I didn't think of that seeing the little buggers sneaking up on me all day long here :)
Post reply on HN