Is A 'Smart Home' Worth It?

 #355: I Describe Minimal-Tech Easy

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Gizmodo ran a column recently by Andrew Liszewski that gives us a peek into the world of 'smart homes', where things like lights, music, temperature, even doors are all automated.  A tech geek can park his vehicle in the garage, have the porch lights come on, the door swing open, house lights turn on, with dinner and music on cue as well.  Robot vacuums have cleaned the floor and the air is purified and appropriately cool.  

Our columnist strikes a negative tone, though, discussing the hassles involved with set-up and coordination.

Since I use near-zero gadgetry, enjoy the spontaneity of doing things myself, and have long wondered how people have time to set up and maintain their gadgets, here's a short list of how I view the promise of the smart home:

1. Music.  Having grown up in an age where people actually sat together to listen to music, I wonder whether relegating music to a background roar that's barely heard--as other things are ongoing--makes sense.  I have Radio Paradise on, sometimes, when I'm sitting at my computer.  I occasionally listen to music when driving.  That's it.

2. Vacuuming. Since I often walk barefoot outside, my feet bring grass (often freshly mown) into the house.  Is this worth cleaning up?  Every once in a while I'll vacuum, but in that case, I'm in the mood,

3. Lighting. The idea of lights coming on automatically when one enters a room seems like such a small victory.  It's just the flip of a switch one is short-cutting.  Besides, I prefer no-light or next-room-light for places like the bathroom.  And turning off a light when you leave a room becomes second nature--especially if you care about conserving.  Plus the dramatic turning on of a light is stripped of all context when it's automatic.  What if a voice behind you says lazily "let's leave the light off".

I could go on, but you get the idea.  

The concept of a 'smart house' is perfect for selling us things we may not really need.  And for futurist writers who need something spiffy to point to in the future, the idea of the dumb servant, performing our chores for us, seems like a logical next step in civilizing our homes.  

Maybe I'm doing too many chores for my own good, but I doubt it.