How futuristic is your home and life?

We have a Ring that we forget to charge. We also have a smart thermostat we never use the app for because basically we can control it ourselves. It's not that much of an effort. We don't have any other "smart" appliances or something like Alexa. A: we don't need any high-priced items that will cost a lot to repair when they inevitably break down. People have functioned just fine without needing to control everything off an app or by voice control. Seriously, Americans are fat enough. They can get off the damn couch and turn off a light. B: we doubly don't need Amazon listening in and creating algorithms on us as consumers. I'm not down with the smart overlords. Paranoid? Probably. Cantankerous? Most definitely.

[quote]Does your car have on-star, and turn on and off at your command and also parallel park itself?

That's the only futuristic stuff I have...I've tried the "parallel park itself" option, one time it mounted the sidewalk and the other it almost crashed into a car - maybe I'm not doing it right.

All of my kitchen appliances have smart connections to my phone. I can turn my oven on and off remotely, change the temperature of the refrigerator and operate the Instant Pot.

I have NEVER used any of this technology.

My exterior and interior lighting can all be adjusted remotely and I use that capability a lot. The nest thermostats and smoke detector are also great to have and I use them often.

The exterior irrigation at my country property is also on an app timer.

My car does parallel park itself, and has lane keeping and auto speed correcting to match speed limits. Its GPS also anticipates tricky curves and automatically adjusts speed and steering if one is driving Into such an area with to much velocity.

R1, my use of remote technology is a function of traveling between two properties. I save a lot of energy by being able to automatically adjust a vacant property during wide temperature swings.

I can turn on the heat or air an hour before arriving at the house and be comfortable.

And my Nest thermostat texted me that smoke developed from oily rags a worker left in the basement. It probably saved the house.

And I love being able to simply ask for any music I want to listen to and have it play on group throughout the house. I’m pretty much a convert to lots of this stuff.

All the waterworks at our palacio in Sevilla are green certified and remote controllable, however Arif our majordomo manages everything onsite. The chalet in Saas Fee isn't electrified.

I know how to use the internet and do email. The little lady tells me where to go in the car when I turn the phone map on. But I make my own toast and play CDs the old-fashioned way, since I'm an old-fashioned guy.

Alexa turns my lights on and off. She turns on my robot vacuum, and can lock or start my car. My car can park itself, and drive itself (though I have to touch my steering wheel every couple of minutes). I have programmed thermostats, but neither is connected to the internet.

I use both Alexa and Apple Homekit in my humble abode.

I have both set up to control by voice some household Wemo switches and smart plugs. Both assistants can also be accessed with their respective apps anywhere in the world using the internet.

I can also use either to voice control my thermostat. I especially like to do this from the comfort of my bed since my thermostat is in another part of my house.

It isn't. Now, get off my lawn and send in the twinks!

My last car I had for 6 years. It had all sorts of buttons on the steering wheel. God knows what they all did. It also had heated seats which I wasn't even aware of until one day, just before I traded it in, I must have hit a button and driving along I thought I was having a hot flush or a male version of, until I finally worked out what was going on.

This new car has even more accessories. When I first bought it I seemed to think that I HAD TO learn how to do everything, then I realised I didn't have to and I've been much happier with it ever since.

My African Grey parrot has his own phone using Alexa. He orders toys and food from Walmart using his Capitol One credit card. He can turn on/off the lights in his room if I allow it.

I donated my Amazon speaker to Salvation Army but use my Apple Watch a lot. My new VW Beetle has a “blind spot” light in rear view mirror and braking mechanism if it senses something behind the car.

It’s like the hand of God pushing down on the brake when it happens and has saved me several times now.

I agree about thermostats and lighting, get up off your ass and change it.

"I agree about thermostats and lighting, get up off your ass and change it."

Who asked you, you old fuck?!

]quote] Who asked you, you old fuck?!

Watch it, sonny!!

My car (VW) also has about three ways of doing any one thing, unlocking the door, backing up, turning on the heat, etc. Designers don't want to simplify. It would put them out of work. They have, however, eliminated all music but AM/FM, so I'm obliged to get anything else through my phone via any one of several possible connections (bluetooth, etc.) on the dash. I'm not happy with these elaborations and would prefer the old straightforward ways.

I didn't realize that the US didn't have DAB/DAB+ or DMB R15.

[quote]They have, however, eliminated all music but AM/FM, so I'm obliged to get anything else through my phone via any one of several possible connections (bluetooth, etc.) on the dash. I'm not happy with these elaborations and would prefer the old straightforward ways

Actually I love this about my new car. I have an iPod and use that in the car for music. In my old car I had to make/burn CDs on my computer to play on the CD player. Now I can listen to anything. I also plug it in with a wire as opposed to bluetooth which can be annoying and slow sometimes to get connected.

Also re this new car - the map thing. You don't have to awkwardly punch in your destination, you can just shout it at the machine and it appears (it even understands my English accent) - and not just the address, you can name a store, a mall (we still have them in England).

Wouldn't it be funny of you could change the voice on the navigation thingy? (I'm sure this will happen sooner than later) - I'd choose gayvoice.

I don't own a smartphone, a car, or a TV. I don't allow Gates or Bezos access to any personal information, property or devices. Any information I am required to provide to complete an online transaction is pseudonymous. The person with the name my parents gave me does not exist anywhere online.

Do you have cameras that spy on your dog during the day and relay it to your phone? I could understand this if the dog was aged and sick and you had to be at work, but otherwise it seems pretty creepy; however, it's a thing.

R18, there are lots of GPS where you can change the voice. I've known people who had Yoda, but of course then you have to wait for the end of the sentence to find out which way you're meant to be turning. Gayvoice would be great.

[quote]Gayvoice would be great.

Yes.

My 1740s house is decorated with 18th century or early 20th century furniture. I own a loom and a spinning wheel. Both are used regularly. I bake bread and process fruits and vegetables from the garden. Obviously, I own a computer.

R22 >

I don't know what DAB/DAB+ is, R16, and it appears the US doesn't have it. In any case I've had to download an ap for satellite radio and reacquire on my iPhone such albums as I used to listen to on CD—not only a expense of time and effort, but then the various intermediate connections between the internet, the phone, and the car are liable to turn off, and then I have to wait until a stop to fuss with my phone and see if I can get them to turn on again. Not what I would have expected in 2019 after many years of just turning on my car or pressing a button and hearing my music.

[quote] I don't own a smartphone, a car, or a TV. I don't allow Gates or Bezos access to any personal information, property or devices.

Yikes! Paranoid much, R19?

You people talking about not having music automatically play in your car.

What are you talking about? Every car comes with an AM/FM radio.

R24 DAB/DAB+ is digital audio broadcasting.

It's been around for 20+ years outside of the US, the original DAB system is now being replaced with DAB+ which uses a better codec. Norway has already switched off FM radio, the rest of the world will follow in the next 10 years.

I have four Echos, 2 Amazon Cloud Cams, 2 Google Home units, and Hue lighting. Some smart switches from Amazon that work with Alexa, too (aquarium filter, Zojirushi hot water unit).

But I don't even have a TV. Fire Stick, Chromecast, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV.

All of the streaming services are built into my TV so I don't have boxes/sticks for those. I do have a motorised digital satellite system, but these days that's old tech.

For those of you over 50 who want to learn about new vehicle technology, AARP offers this free workshop (in person or online.) You don't even have to be a member to attend the in-person sessions.

I have an Echo (Alexa) device in every room. I use Spotify to stream music and have the speakers set up in groups and pairs (if you have two in a room, they can do stereo if you set them up that way). I have a garage door opener that can be controlled from an app or Alexa; Ring doorbell and alarm system. Microwave that uses Alexa. Thermostat that can be controlled by an app or Alexa. Two outdoor lights on Alexa; indoors: three lamps and my electric percolator. My car has adaptive cruise control, smart headlights, rear camera monitoring, emergency assistance, lane departure and blind spot warning, forward collision warning. Keyless ignition. (Doesn't have drowsy driver alert or self-parking.)

I'm just trying to avoid as much of it as possible. The compatibility issues mean you're constantly being hassled for updates and upgrades before you can watch your show or do whatever. Or you have to keep buying new stuff. And then the tech gets pulled and you have to switch to some totally new technology. Who the fuck has the time? People lose their photo albums and libraries; if they don't care, fine, but some of us think long-term. Keep it basic.

My car has most of the safety features mentioned and beeps incessantly because of them. It will stop me from rear-ending something. The navigation uses Google Earth technology. It will take up to a 32 MB memory card for music - just about every song and album I have fits on it. Also a USB flash drive for playlists.

None of the home apps or gadgets (renter). I do use the iris recognition to unlock my smartphone. Love Spotify.

I had an Alexa and then it stopped working when the wifi changed. I can’t reconfigure it to the new one. I tried calling amazon support and they weren’t available, so I gave up and now Alexa has joined the cardboard box of obsolete tech gadgets. Every time I asked for jazz vocals, she’d start up with John Denver so I don’t feel that I’m missing out. I bought it for my parrot, who now just listens to the radio I found in the trash.

I am so confused by this thread.

My Bidet has "prostate care" mode

Um, that's called a fucking machine R36.

I want my GPS voice to be Bette Davis.

I don't use Alexa or any smart appliances, and my car's fanciest feature is bluetooth and xm, but I do run a home server to self-host things like media streaming, a private cloud, a personal wiki, and self-hosted email.

The only thing I have is a Roku remote app on my phone. I don’t trust this Alexa or smart home shit for a second.

I don't know why I care, but what is a personal Wiki?

My insurance company just sent me some alarm devices for water, smoke, motion. I guess it gives me a discount on my homeowner's. I just have to figure out how to set them up. It says "only takes 15 minutes,) but we all know that's a lie.

My computer is a typewriter connected to a TV.

R41, a personal wiki is just like wikipedia but only I have access to it... I personally use DokuWiki. I use it to keep notes on things like home projects, travel plans, lists of books I plan to read and series/movies I want to watch, along with other personal reference material and "someday/maybe" lists inspired by the Getting Things Done method. Other people use them like a personal journal or writing tool. I could self-host Wordpress too, but I'm not currently interested in blogging.

I can see that, R38. Technology so often patronises us, it would be good to put a condescending voice to it.