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Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#21

Post by falcolas »

JasonFruit wrote: post #11

Nothing but my computers. I don't want anything that affects my real, physical life to be open to trickery. Imagine having someone checking what is in your mailbox, what your waking hours are, how much weight you've gained, where you drove last night — it's not worth it to gain a little convenience.

I agree with this, but I'd word it differently:

Anything that gets wired to the internet is done so with the user's safety and privacy as the first concern.

If it's possible to leak PII about the user to an unintended third party, it shouldn't be done. As JasonFruit says; the cost isn't worth the convenience.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#22

Post by falcolas »

dxgray wrote: post #13

All devices that contain time of day displays. I live in 800 square feet and with appliances, clocks, etc. There can be 4 minutes difference across 25 feet.

Appropriate quote:

A man with one watch will always know the time, A man with two watches will always be in doubt.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#23

Post by stephenc_c_ »

ww520 wrote: post #8

Cars. I'd like to turn on the AC afar remotely 15 minutes or half hour before get into the car on a hot day, or heat it up remotely on a freezing day. Some might already be doing it (Tesla). Watering system. It can look up the season/weather and adjust the amount of water to sprinkle. Battery. So that it can send out a signal when it's low on power. I know it's probably impractical but we are talking about ideas for…

Many cars sold in markets with colder climates have auxillary heating, which lets you start heating the car from the key fob. I'm not sure how much more convenient doing this on your phone would be.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#24

Post by viraptor »

ww520 wrote: post #8

Cars. I'd like to turn on the AC afar remotely 15 minutes or half hour before get into the car on a hot day, or heat it up remotely on a freezing day. Some might already be doing it (Tesla). Watering system. It can look up the season/weather and adjust the amount of water to sprinkle. Battery. So that it can send out a signal when it's low on power. I know it's probably impractical but we are talking about ideas for…

Some cars already use the electric heating automatically when you unlock the doors remotely. It just blasts hot air and heats up the seat quickly. I think the latest prius does it, but I may be wrong here.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#27

Post by Xlythe »

terhechte wrote: post #14

My plants, so they can tell me when they're thirsty, need more sun, need less sun, hungry (i.e. minerals + water), whether they have a bug, whether the room is too hot, too cold, or whether the room is too humid, or not humid enough.

Doesn't do quite everything, but it is a start:

http://www.parrot.com/flowerpower/us

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#28

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

shrike wrote: post #3

My fridge. A simple barcode reader I can scan an item with when I use the last of it. We could develop applications that add it to a offline or online shipping list, track the amount of 'item' we eat every month, our spend etc. We could complicate things a bit more with two barcode readers, one when we add an item to the fridge, another when it's empty. That would let us find recipes based on what's available in the…

I keep hearing about this idea, but most of the stuff in my fridge doesn't have a barcode. Either it never did (fruit, veggies), or it's worn off or the external packaging was removed. And then there's the fact that I don't always want the same thing (out of Smucker's strawberry jam, but want Minnesota State Fair Cherry preserves (mmmmm) to replace it).

Still don't get the appeal.

Re: Ask HN: Object you'd like to see connected to the internet?

#30

Post by ericfranklin »

Traffic lights. While not directly personal or "Internet of Things", traffic lights could really use some AI. It would be fantastic if they could learn routine traffic patterns (rush hour, weekends), detect flow (green light, but no one is there), even receive traffic data from Google/Apple/etc., then automatically adjust timing accordingly. Even mesh networking with nearby intersections.

I can't count the number of times I have been waiting at a red left turn light, with a green straight light and no other cars around. Or, backed up at a red light with no cross traffic, yet cross traffic has a long green.

It is probably a complex problem to solve and suspect the biggest barriers are bureaucracy and control. Is there anyone on here that works with traffic lights? It seems like they are setup once with a predefined timing and are rarely ever changed.

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