Magical Fastener Technology

I recently installed a bike lift in my garage and had some thoughts on fasteners.  The core product is great (a few pulleys, bike grabber hooks and some rope) and works well.  I installed one over a year ago and bought a second because I found the first one useful and I have more than one bike.  When I installed the first one, I used my own screws, leaving the ones provided just to screw the cleat into the wall.  This time, I used the fasteners provided to install the metal brackets to a 2 x 4.  This post is largely born out of frustration with the cheap, crappy fasteners that came with the device.

Here are my complaints:

1. The fasteners do not say what exact Phillips head form they have.  This results in the installed guessing and not likely finding a perfect match.  A couple of potential solutions here:
1. Put in your instructions exactly what form it is.  This is the lowest cost and easiest approach.  I find it inexcusable that it was not done.
2. Include in your installation kit the perfect driver for your included fastener.  This is the most hassle-free approach for the customer and preferred by me.
2. The fasteners provided are not hardened, such that if you catch the screw a little bit off, you will end up shearing off the material and render the screw head useless for further driving.
3. The fasteners are intended to be driven into wood.  Perhaps you don't need to pre-drill a hole, but some folks my want to do this.  The instructions should provide guidance as to the diameter of a pre-drilled hole (i.e., "use no larger than a 3/32" hole if you decide to pre-drill screw holes").  Without pre-drilling, these screws were really, really tough to get into a pine 2 x 4.  This isn't exactly hardwood.

Given that installation of a product is so close to its purchase (and the likely time that a customer will provide feedback in the form of a product review), I find it incomprehensible that product manufacturers don't do a better job at this.  Its not rocket science - in fact, it is in most ways not even a technology issue.  Perhaps it could be universally solved with better technology, but I don't think that we need to go there (nor may the costs be worth it).

Ruined screw head . . . not likely to get fixed any time soon

When Does a Product Stop Being Useful?

Introduction

As my recent post indicates, I just finished installing the last bit of surround sound in my house.  Its pretty cool when everything is working correctly.  When its not, I can be no fun.  Here are some of the problems I have had with my Sharp Aquos TV / Pioneer VSX-1122K / Roku 2 XS / Verizon FIOS Router (core components for this discussion) setup.  You will note that the Roku, VSX and router are all connected via ethernet cable (i.e., wireless connectivity hasn't been one of my problems).

Problem Discussion

1. Easiest one of the bunch: sometimes the picture from the Roku turns purple.  Basically, everything has a purple hue to it.  This is not solved by pulling out the HDMI cable and resetting the HDMI connection.  Solution: unplug the Roku, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in.  Unfortunately, you have to wait for the Roku to boot up, which takes a surprisingly long time.  It is a good thing that Netflix and Amazon save your spot when you are streaming a movie or show.
2. VSX stops responding to commands sent to it via the iPad app.  Whenever this happens, it will also be unavailable for AirPlay.  Sometimes, we'll live with this problem for a while before its fixed.  If you want to change your input source or volume level, it requires walking over to the island (not in the viewing room) and making the change.  Somewhat of a pain, but can be a useful short-term fix if you want to watch something right away.  There are two potential solutions:
1. Most of the time, unplug VSX for 30 seconds and then plug back in.  Give it a few minutes to find itself on the network.
2. Rarely, doing the above doesn't work.  Then I will unplug the VSX, unplug the FIOS router.  Then plug back in the FIOS router, wait for about 5 to 10 minutes and then plug back in the VSX.  There is probably an easier way to do this (force a DHCP reset for the VSX's MAC address - but whenever I've looked, I haven't been able to figure out which device was the VSX).
3. VSX stops sending video whatsoever.  This was the most troubling problem I've had.  I was quickly able to troubleshoot by switching out the cable from the TV to the VSX and putting it directly into the Roku.  So the TV and Roku and HDMI cable were all good.  Then using the remote on the VSX and getting no video sealed the deal.  The source of the problem was the VSX.  Not good.  Solution: power the VSX down for 30 seconds, then plug it back in.
4. While watching the TV, there will be a quick green flicker across the screen.  I think that this is some sort of HDMI handshaking issue.  Sadly, I have found no solution to this.  It appears to be the fault of the VSX - it does not occur when the TV and the Roku are directly connected.  It has been mitigated with the Roku by setting the Roku to display in 1080p, but it hasn't gone away.  It is tolerable, but still an annoyance.  There is a firmware update that is supposed to improve HDMI stability, but after trying 4 different USB drives (and reading a bunch of forum posts about formatting, etc.), I have been unable to make the VSX recognize the thumb drive.

We make due with these problems, but it is far from an ideal situation.  The primary watchers (myself and my college-age son) are able to deal with the issues when they come up, but both get a bit fatigued.  This leads me into the point of the post - at what point does this setup become unusable?  Generally, when do products reach that point for other people?  I have a few other questions that come along for the ride:

• Why is it that cycling the power fixes 90% of problems?  Shouldn't there be an easier way?
• Why don't manufacturers build in error checking routines into their equipment that recognize the problem and allow for a more elegant fix to the problem?
• Finally, why are user manuals so lame?  This isn't a terribly serious question - I have no hope that they get better.  That said, I think that its ridiculous that the best place to find answers is not the Pioneer website.

So back to our key question for this post.  When is your average consumer done with a product or system (i.e., it has lost its usefulness)?  How much pain can they tolerate in the form of the device or system not working?  What are the key drivers for consumer behavior that distinguishes one set of people from another?  Are there variations in people's expectations for one class of good versus another?

Perfect Product

Perhaps one place we could start it by defining the perfect product.  My definition will start out as follows:

The perfect product is one that always performs the function it was designed to perform

This immediately causes some problems for consumers.  Many don't know how to use a product and will blame the product instead of their own ignorance in how to use it.  While I'm pretty sure that my problems as laid out above are not due to my ignorance, they could be.  But maybe, the perfect product definition should be amended to:

The perfect product is one that always performs the function it was designed to perform in a way that a user will always correctly use it.

User interface matters.  We all know this.  Apps will make it much easier for electronics manufacturers to get this right.  The ones that don't, will disappear.  Is that enough?  Probably, if we were living in a perfect world.  Perhaps we add the following:

The perfect product is one that always performs the function it was designed to perform in a way that a user will always correctly use it.  The product is aware of what its output should be and alerts the user to problems when they occur.

Purple screen - Roku, you should know better.  You should be looking.  Let's go a couple of steps further:

The perfect product is one that always performs the function it was designed to perform in a way that a user will always correctly use it.  The product is aware of what its output should be and alerts the user to problems when they occur, automatically correcting the problem, or as a last resort, telling the user how to correct the problem.

Even so . . .

Even if we are able to make a perfect product, it will likely only be able to evaluate its performance and potentially the performance of its input.  In no event is it reasonable for the device to evaluate the performance of downstream devices.  So, if our purple Roku problem was actually caused by the TV, it'd be unreasonable to blame the Roku for the error.  Nonetheless, devices that are intended to work with others, or in a system, should be as aware as possible of their surroundings.  They should be able to evaluate the quality of their inputs and their outputs.  Perhaps I am intending to watch as show consisting of life on a purple world, but probably not.  I don't think that this too much to ask for.  The VSX should be providing a warning on its LED face saying that the video output has failed, cycle the device.

Enough is Enough

I don't have a good answer to the question posed at the beginning of the post.  I think that most folks will stick with a product if it performs the way its intended 90% of the time or greater for tech-savvy people and 98% for non-tech-savvy people..  At least this is my guess for home electronics.  After that, it just gets to be too much of a hassle.  I think most of the change in behavior comes from "abandoning in place" unless the device is critical to your viewing experience - or is the fault of somebody else - like your cable box.

My system is not currently performing at the 98% level.  I'm living with it, but hoping for more.  Its still useful and sounds great, but I'm hopeful.  That said, I have only one real basis for hope.  Pioneer has released an update to the firmware.  I'm terrified to run it, but one of the stated improvements is "stability of the HDMI connection". The other is "Improve the stability of the NETWORK features".  Both need improving.

Odd Expectations

I recently finished up a long-term project of installing surround sound into my TV room.  My son and I enjoyed the fruits of my labor this evening by watching After Earth and Stardust.  Though I had seen Stardust before, I both enjoyed it more and felt that it offered more epic sound than did After Earth.  The surround sound-iness was pretty sweet.

It was a pretty big hassle fishing wires through the walls (see a couple of pictures below) and my son asked two questions:

1. Why aren't all speakers wireless yet?
2. Why aren't all speakers digital yet?  

He was quite flabbergasted that there was an analog/powered signal traveling from the amplifier to the speakers in our setup (with the exception of the sub-woofer -- but that was still a line level analog signal).  

Here are my thoughts as to why this is the state of affairs:

1. There has to be significant advantages for making the change.  
1. For wireless: While there would be a huge advantage in terms of not having to fish the speaker wire through the wall, any advantage there is likely undone by the fact that you have to get 120 V (i.e., licensed electrician) power to the location.
2. For digital: There would have to be a noticeable improvement in the sound to add the complexity of the D/A conversion to each speaker.  I haven't read about this at all and don't know what sort of improvement is possible, but I'm guessing that its not substantial.  I'd be willing to be challenged on this.
2. The new technology would have to work as good as the wires its replacing.  Remember when bluetooth audio first came out?  The headphones were buggy and pretty much ruined the listening experience.  It took years for the kinks to be fully worked out.
1. A bit of an aside, but I will note that the subwoofer that I bought has the option to attach a wireless module to it (900 MHz, I think).  After reading the reviews online, I was convinced that it was unlikely to work very well - and if it did, something could come along and mess with it in the future.
3. There has to be standards for equipment makers - otherwise its just a mess for consumers.  Perhaps somebody can be first and succeed with no standards (Sonos?) but I think it unlikely for the rest of the stereo/speaker industrial complex to latch on to standards for which they'll have to pay high (potentially very high) licensing fees for in the future.
4. It can't cost substantially more than the equipment its replacing.  There will certainly be a trade-off between installation labor costs and equipment costs, but it strikes me that the speakers and system can't cost way more than the existing options.  Putting a high-quality D/A converter on each speaker would have to raise the cost.

I'm sure that I'm missing some of the reasons for this analog world still existing, but on the otherhand, perhaps this is a crazy big market opportunity for somebody.

Here are a few pictures of my pain:

Trying to drill on an outside wall is very much complicated by the presence of insulation!

To make this work, I had to cut a second hold to facilitate getting through the insulation.  And I wouldn't have been able to do it (I don't think) unless I was willing to sacrifice some home security wires (for a system that I'm not using).

Done! (except for the lower drywall repair and some fresh paint - ok, fine, mostly done!)

Its My Data: A Call to a New Data Framework

The more that I see good examples of how we are starting to convert information around us to semi-permanent digital information.  Here are all of the pieces of information around my house:

• Nest: temperature and thermostat settings
• MiCasaVerde: lighting and other scene settings; garage door opening/closing
• Roku: NetFlix (other sources, too) viewing history
• Fios DVR: TV recording/watching history
• Phillips Hue: lighting/hue
• TED: electricity usage
• Automatic: Automobile efficiency / usage
• Fitbit: personal activity monitor, weight and body fat
• Computers: computer activity monitor

And one future tool(s) that I anticipate using:

• Parrot Flower Power

All of this is great except for one thing: we (as the end customer) don't have control of the data.  Our information is spread out among a bunch of different websites being of value only to that particular environment in a way that only they (those running that website) allow.  That is not good enough - it has to get better for us.

Here are the issues:

• What happens to my data when the manufacturer shuts down or loses interest?
• How can I integrate all of this data into a story or picture of my life?
• How would this control of data to be achieved?
• What should the framework look like?
• Will IFTT ever get off the ground?

Ideal Framework

For the individual to keep control of their data, we have to totally change the paradigm in which we operate.  We will need the following frameworks to be in place:

Remote SQL

This should be a protocol that allows external sources of information to post the information to our personal SQL database.  This would include not just datum, but the ability to create the tables in which the data was kept.  The external entity would never have the right to delete data from these tables, only to change the active or current status of the data (the user would be allowed to change it back if s/he wanted to).

Strong Security

The user would have to be able to manage keys as a routine matter.  Therefore, their personal data hosting option would have to be able to create and manage keys.

Infinite Flexibility

There should be no real limitations on what the device databases do, as long as the user has provided the access to the application to do so.  Ideally, there would be six to ten simple questions or check boxes for people to click when setting up an app.  Each would be labeled as essential (if the app can't function without), or nice to have.

Framework Schematics

Here is my initial cut:

Right now, the only boxes that exist are on the left-hand side (and not in all instances)

[Note that Mfg refers to the device manufacturer]

Problems with this Approach

I can imagine that there would be a number of problems with my approach and substantial hurdles to get over.

Speed and Flexibility

The device manufacturers will not likely want to have problems with their app or customer-perceived delays as a result of relying on the information residing in the personal database.  As a result, they will likely want to keep the original data on their servers; unfortunately, this would subvert the whole point of giving the customer control of their data.

Who Pays for It

This is always a problem.  Who wants to end up having to pay $50/year for data hosting?  I would - if it meant that I had control over it.  That said, I realize that I'm not a normal user of technology.

Added Complexity

This adds something else to the mix to go wrong - which the manufacturer will likely feel like they will be blamed for even if it is a data hosting problem.

Benefits with this Approach

Lower Startup Costs

There should be fewer things to do / to setup for the manufacturers.  Maybe this means its simpler?

Ecosystem Integration

If a device manufacturer has a great, but simple product, they should be able to fit into a bigger world of data with some suggested power means of making somebody's life better.

A Way In

I think that the earliest place where this approach can be taken would be with GPS information.  Due to the evolution of the products and the local control of the data, there are several third party applications and strong customer control of their data.  I have a Garmin 405 watch that captures both my tracks as well as my heart rate profile.  I can take that datafile, upload it to Strava and do what I want with it.

Generally, I don't think that this is going to happen unless customers are effective at forcing it to happen.  This will likely only occur when people have woken up to the internet of things.  Think IFTT catches fire and the world is clamoring for more control of their digital and real-world lives.

What's Available Already

While the applications may not be tied together in the way that I would like, there do seem to be cloud-based database services moving forward.  This article has a pretty good top-line review of what is there.  I'll need to spend some time checking them out to see how useful they are, but even if they are, we then need to get them integrated into an environment.

Flower Power!

A few months back I had written about a desire for a set of in situ monitors for gardens.  I had ultimately found some interesting hobby-based tools that could be plugged together for monitor sunlight and other conditions.  While reading my most recent Macworld, I ran across an ad for the Parrot Flower Power and had to investigate further.

There doesn't seem to be much information on Amazon in terms of customer reviews, despite the fact that the product has been available since October.  There is a grand total of one review.  However, there are reviews out there on the web and they seem to be reasonably positive first looks.  See the reviews on The Australian or Futureshop.

It is intriguing enough that I'll be purchasing one and letting you know how it goes.  Probably can delay this purchase until closer to the spring season when I'll be looking to do some planting in the yard.  At that point, I'll talk about how the tool stacks up to what I was hoping to get in my previous blog post.  Already, I think its reasonable to complain that the information that is being collected won't be mine (i.e., I won't have control of it nor access to it excepting through the Parrot app or website and will be subject to whatever limitations exist).

Second Thoughts: Automatic

I ran across this Engadget post a couple of days ago and it inspired me to write a bit more about what I think of my experience with Automatic.  This post is intended to be read after my First Thoughts.  Generally thinking, I have the following complaints, which are organized from most to least significant:

• No generalized access to my data
• Limited insight into their presentation of data
• No ability to customize anything
• Missed rides / failed trip processing
• No Real-Time Statistics
• Access to Child Automatics
• Provide Actionable Feedback

While the list is reasonably wrong, this should not be read as me totally dissing the product.  I'm not totally dissatisfied and will continue to use it for the foreseable future.

No Generalized Data Access

I can't get to my own data.  Until Automatic fixes this, I won't be satisfied with this product.  I should be able to develop either my own tools to examine how I drive, or load the data into an app that will let me do this.  Unacceptable limitation of using Automatic.  This has to get fixed, Automatic makes no commitment to its users to have access to their data.  Anybody figure out how to hack this information out of the app?  Looks like people are using other devices to do this, I'd rather like to avoid the hassle.

Limited Insight Into Data Presentation

Automatic won't share specifics of how they calculate cost per trip except by saying general things like:

Automatic also detects fill-ups and even tracks local gas prices to show you how much you're spending.

While they may think that is helpful, I don't really think that it specific enough.  This system should smart enough to ask me if I've filled up if the GPS coordinate of my car is at a gas pump.  I should prompt me to take a picture of the gas pump before I leave and then process the information.  Ultimately, the system should be able to correct for inaccurate information being reported via the OBD port and calibrate for actual gas usage.  It can't be that hard, though a quick scan (or here), suggests that this doesn't exist yet for purpose built apps, but still.

Also, as the comments on the Engadget post suggest, there is a wide range in the Automatic's estimated mileage calculations.  This could be fixed relatively easily.  Also, prompt the user to enter their odometer reading every so often to help calibrate the GPS data versus what the car thinks.

Lack of Customization

Some of this may be due to a misguided notion of keeping the interface simple, but I don't think that Automatic is making a good choice by not allowing its users to customize the interface.  Hide the complexity, but allow users that care to make changes.  I think all of the following ought to be allowed:

• Customized chirps/sounds: let the user pick the noise when events occur (hard acceleration, etc.)
• Let users define their own events (e.g., X mph over local speed limit, crossing a predefined geographic boundary - also resulting in an email to a parent)
• Let users open trips up in Maps
• Show more trip information, including average speed and traffic conditions

I'm reasonably unimpressed with the current interface, shown for a trip from my office to Reagan National Airport shown here:

The displayed information is too limited.

Missed Trips / Failed Trip Processing

This has already happened a couple of times to me and it doesn't make any sense.  A couple of thoughts here:

• Automatic should alert you if you are moving at a car-level speed and it is not receiving information from the OBD device (but be smart about it, don't send me an alert if I'm taxiing on a runway).  Given me an alert and then try again to reconnect to the device.  Give me some trouble-shooting tips.
• When a trip fails to process - open up the feedback panel right away - Automatic should hear about all of these, not just a random set of failures.
• Recognize failures by the fact that a car is not where it was last time Automatic connected!  This seems obvious.  Allow the user to estimate usage based on best available information (if a commuting route, there will be plenty of information, if non-standard route, then just overall average driving behavior on similar roads).

No real-time statistics

I'd like to see a dashboard similar to other programs out there like Torque.  Should be an additional screen that won't pollute the main Automatic screen.  Should be customizable up to the limits of the information that my car provides.

Access to Child Automatics

This is probably the most vague comment on my list, but still one that could be quite powerful.  Let me install an automatic in the car that my son drives, force him to run the application, and provide me with the ability to:

• Monitor the car's location and velocity in real time
• Set up geographic fences, which if crossed will result in an email or text message sent to me
• Send me a weekly digest of all of the locations that the car went to over the last week

This sounds big brother-ish, and it is.  But we are dealing with a teenage drivers who aren't as mature as we'd all like them to be.  Knowing that they are constantly monitored has to be a helpful incentive.

Provide Actionable Feedback

Give me a weekly e-mail digest of my driving behavior, how it compares to other weeks and three things that I can do to improve my mileage or the safety of my driving.  Think Fitbit.

Update 2013-11-02:

I'm less convinced that its wholesale missing trips.  I've noticed that trips that weren't on the list seemingly pop back up on the list at a later point.  Perhaps this is just an app issue.

First Thoughts of Automatic

I have been patiently waiting for my Automatic for some time.  I ordered it about two months ago and was hostage to them finally releasing it.  It came this past Friday.  Here's the opening:

My key fob for some perspective on size

Open the box

And that is all of the documentation you get . . . good thing that they've given me a sticker

The key piece of hardware.  Note the speaker holes so it can squawk at you when you behave badly

Installation

Reasonably painless.  The app downloads quickly and then walks you through the steps to get set up.  I didn't even have to get down on my hands and knees to find the OBD port.  Once you firmly place the fob in, it will chirp and you can continue through the process.

The view if I bend down to look - my port had no cover over it

I can barely see the Automatic fob when sitting in the drivers' seat

My only hiccup was the Automatic didn't see ignition the first time that I tried.  I went through the process once again, and the second time was a charm.

First Thoughts

Real-time Feedback

The Automatic does chirp as advertised, but unfortunately in a way that is indecipherable.  It chirps when you break too hard or when you accelerate too quickly.  From my limited driving so far, I have found that I have to slow down pretty sharply before it yells at me.  So far, those times have only been when I had to (i.e., somebody in front of me was doing something stupid).  It would seem like a bad thing that I don't slow down quickly enough because I'm somewhat worried about getting chirped at.

So far, I'd rather just have somebody yelling English comments at me.

Details?  Where are the details?

So I know that there are a lot of details being captured by Automatic along side the GPS data from my phone.  None of it is accessible at least from the app itself.  I know its early for Automatic, but frankly this should be the easy stuff.  I'm either going to be their biggest fan if I can get my data, or their biggest detractor.

Here are the details I'd like to be able to get access to:

• GPS track of every trip with the other associated information (fuel usage, braking, acceleration, other car messages).  I assume that this would look something like the Garmin training XML format.  This could open up a whole eco-system of add-on analysis packages to explore the data and provide useful information to the users.
• Access to a website that lets me download all of this information (why in the world is their not a website where I can see the information that I can also see on the phone-based app?)
• Compare (similar to Strava) trips and segments that I drive on a regular basis.  
• Show me my acceleration habits compared to ideal for my car and the terrain that I've passed over - this is probably something that you look at a few times, learn what you are going to learn and then move on.  That said, Automatic could send you emails every month to let you know how you are doing (I'm thinking like Nest and FitBit).
• Sum of all of the tolls that I should have paid based on my trips
• Beep when I'm 10 mph over on all streets.  In fact, let me choose the number of mph over.  Just chirping at 70 mph is only mildly useful.
• Comparison of my mileage against that of others with the same make, model and year car
• Same as above, normalized for traffic, traffic lights, terrain, stop signs.
• To be fair, Automatic does show you your mileage against a theoretical EPA milage for that segment.  The problem here is that I don't know how that is determined.  Does it take into account terrain, traffic conditions, etc.?  I don't think it does based on my limited use.
• Feedback from other Automatic drivers for real-time traffic information (maybe this is already covered well by Google?)
• Ability to see and set gas price levels.  Even better would be to choose my favorite gas station and have Automatic keep tabs on what I'm paying.  (BTW: How does it know how much I pay?  It probably has a good estimate, but doesn't share that with me.)  Maybe this should be as simple as putting in the number of gallons and total cost every time I fill up.  The interface could be as simple as taking a picture of the fuel pump display, no?

Automatic Marketing

I think that they are missing the boat.  There should be a much larger and more interesting segment to market to than their current website indicates.  Why in the world are they not marketing to parents?  This seems like an obvious segment.  The idea would be simply this: force your child to run the app on their phone if they wanted to be able to drive your (the parent's) car.  As a parent, you can:

1. Look at the driving score (particularly speeding issues)
2. See exactly where they went

Even if its only after the fact, this should be a huge deterrent from the kids doing anything stupid.  Better would be the ability to have a parent/child account hierarchy and have real-time or near real-time data available to the parent on-line.  Ongoing access to a car should be a huge incentive for good behavior.  As well as their ability to push back on kids egging them on (i.e., their parents will look at exactly where they went - so they can't go to an unapproved place).  My next Automatic will be for the kids' car.  And that will be a precondition of them having access to the car.  But this would be more compelling with the additional features.

Will Z-wave Survive?

Introduction

I recently got an email from a friend asking for my thoughts:

Do you think zwave will die with the onslaught of wifi?
http://uncrate.com/stuff/wemo-light-switch/

The short answer is eventually, yes.  The long answer is below.

Features

The link above links to the Belkin page with more information about the WeMo Light Switch.  It looks like a pretty standard switch with a decorator style.  It promised to make your life easier by being able to:

• Turn on/off your lights via app
• Turn on/off your lights via a schedule (fixed times or sunrise/sunset)
• Doesn't lose the schedule during power outages
• Has no batteries to wear out (not sure how this works with the last one - a super capacitor?)
• No minimum power levels to allow it to work with all lighting (and ceiling fans)

It looks like an interesting device that could make people's lives easier.  As long as they are handy enough to replace a light switch.  I'm not sure that we are quite to onslaught for wifi-based home automation tools, but we are probably not that far off.  An interesting question to ponder and develop a framework around more generally.

Limitations

From the Belkin web site:

Please note that the WeMo Light Switch is not compatible with lights controlled by more than one switch or with metal face plates. Metal face plates interfere with Wi-Fi® signals and will not allow this product to work correctly in your home.

I think the first part is important, the second part most people can live with.  However, let's say this a different way:

• Neutral Wire Required
• Single pole (Not compatible with 3-way (multi-location control) switches)

Both are meaningful and more limitations of the product and not the technology.  I won't pursue these in my comparison below, because I think that both are easily overcome.

Specifics of Z-wave vs. Wifi

Z-wave has been around for some time, but is still a technology of which most people are not aware.  From what I can tell from the childishly designed Z-wave website, Z-wave has been around for about a decade.  It is described as:

... a next-generation wireless ecosystem that lets all your home electronics talk to each other, and to you, via remote control. It uses simple, reliable, low-power radio waves that easily travel through walls, floors and cabinets. Z-Wave control can be added to almost any electronic device in your house, even devices that you wouldn't ordinarily think of as "intelligent," such as appliances, window shades, thermostats and home lighting.

Generally speaking, Z-wave works with a master controller that sends commands to the devices over (a mesh-network of) radio waves.  The controller can have a good or bad interface for controlling the device.  My experience has been with the MiCasa Verde Vera (I have an older version than the 3), which has some frustrating limitations but is otherwise reasonably reliable and a well-thought out product.  My use has primarily focused on lighting control, for which I have about 12 different switches connected to it.  Most of them are on a dusk-to-dawn schedule for security purposes.  I also have a DIY garage door opener / sensor set up.  My pool controller (an Intermatic PE953) is theoretically connected to my Z-wave network, but won't respond to signals in its current location (the mesh is failing me!)

So what are the differences?

Characteristic	Z-wave	Wifi
Antenna/Controller Cost	Low	Relatively low and declining, given the wide-scale adoption and many embedded wifi applications
Bandwidth	Low	High (with growing potential)
Current Adoption	Limited to home automation applications (very low)	Widespread - most houses have wifi available
Reliability	High, low data rate and mesh networking approach should result in robust network.  However, depends on controller functioning.	High in places with network coverage (though many houses do not necessarily have complete coverage)
Control	Central - requires a dedicated server or box to run the system	Disbursed.  Each piece of equipment has to have the intelligence to control itself.
Available control items	Generally wide: - Switch controllers (2, 3, 4 and no neutral available widely today) - Plug-in modules - Thermostat control - Door locks - Sensors - Pool controller - Security (cams, etc.) not available given high bandwidth requirements	Wide in some categories: - Nest (and others) for HVAC - WeMo for lighting (limited to 2-way with neutral for now) - Others for plug-in modules - Door locks (small companies) - Security-based webcams (common) - Electricity usage monitoring (think TED) - Many new, remotely electronic items are coming with some form of networking built in.
Integration	Modest to high	Low - each system stands on its own
Ease of use	Modest	High for the limited single application uses

When I first started looking at this, my initial impression was that $50 was way too much for an individual light switch (the Belkin WeMo has an MSRP of $49).  Then I searched for the z-wave switches that I've used in my house (GE-branded Jasco switches) and saw that they are $42.50 each on Amazon.  Not terribly different.  I remember having bought most of mine on a good sale at SmartHome, but they were in the mid-$30s.  Of the two switches, my guess is that the wifi one has the greatest potential to get much cheaper than the Z-wave switch due to economies of scale.

Other Technologies

Zigbee is out there, but is stupidly non-standard (i.e., high integration costs).  This will be in single niche products or will serve as just the last 15 feet of control (think Philips Hue) and wifi will be useful for controlling before there.

General Considerations for Adoption of New Technology

• Cost: Cheaper is good.  The potential to become crazy cheaper is even better.  Should be considered on a total system basis.
• Current Embedded Base of Related Products: Tends to reinforce the cost point.  But also should incorporate what people know about the technology and how to implement it (both the user and the designer).
• Complexity: Highly complex (to the user) solutions generally fail.
• Reliability: In the real (not virtual) world, users do not accept high rates of failure.  (I'm not sure how high, high is in this case.  Is a failure rate of 1% of commands to devices too high?)
• Product Features: Ensure that the product solves the real problem that the user has, not the problem that the technology is capable of solving.

What is Currently Missing In Home Automation?

[DRAFT section]
Home Entertainment
HVAC/Hot Water
Lighting/Shades
Physical Access Control
Spa/Pool Equipment Control
- Chemicals not there
Energy Usage Monitoring

Conclusions / Forecasts

I guess its a bit of a cop out to suggest that its still anybody's game out there right now.  Belkin is a big name and has a fair amount of brand power behind it, they could (potentially alone) shift the playing field.  Overall, though I don't think Belkin will be a dominant player here.  My guess is the following:

• Wifi wins:  Wifi will eventually come to dominate the controlled/connected home; wifi networking is ubiquitous and the hardware has gotten very inexpensive.  That said, I think that some support for z-wave will exist for a very long time.
• One at a time: Most homeowners will take a very piecemeal approach to home automation.  A few light switches here or there.  Simple schedules will dominate.  The next five years will be mostly DIY, making even three-way switch replacement a bit tough.
• Physical/Virtual Interface Design:  Apps will be useful for setup, but people like to be able to turn on and off a light without having to pull out their iPhone.  Expect to see relatively small number of "central load control" systems.  We will still have light switches in our rooms.
• Integration will matter: That said, how people interact with the disparate systems will become a bigger and bigger issue as they add more smart items to that home.
• There will be the parallel growth of a home controller that can bridge wifi, z-wave, x10 and all other previous technologies.  Think something like the MiCasa Verde.  
• For these boxes to work, they will have to plug into IFTTT, which I think has the potential for changing how users interact with their digital and real worlds.
• High End will Still Exist: Proprietary systems will continue to reign on the high-end (Control4, Creston, AMX) where systems implementation are a high portion of the system cost.
• These should die out or just serve a smaller and smaller niche as improvements elsewhere in the ecosystem are made.
• Security Matters, Eventually: Maybe after some noteworthy hacking event, security will become a big deal for home automation.
• Where the Control Sits:  There will be some diversity in where the control exists.  Should it exist in the switch or in the device (i.e., lightbulb)?  Obviously as it gets cheaper, the end device gets more and more achievable and in the end, mostly more flexible.  Mostly, because you will note that no matter what control signals are sent to my Hue lightbulbs, they won't turn on if the switch is in the off mode.

End Note: Anybody have a really good WYSIWYG HTML editor for the Mac that handles tables as well as Word?  Blogger has nothing.  Tried SeaMonkey and the results are above - which I'm not terribly happy with.  I've been using Confluence at work a lot and find it to be very fit for its purpose - especially for tables.

Outdoor WiFi

I took the plunge recently in installing an outdoor wifi repeater at my house.  I have a Pioneer VSX-1122 receiver that can do AirPlay hooked up to our outdoor speaker system.  That was great but if you can't get a wifi signal while you are at the pool, it limits the usefulness of the system.  My wife's primary usage of the system was expected to be with her phone, while sitting out at the pool.

I chose to install an Amped Wireless SR10000 along with their outdoor antenna kit.  I finally got around to installing it a couple of weeks ago and it worked out perfectly: what I intended to do actually worked.  Here's how it went.

I have a set of outdoor flood lights (note the Feit LED bulbs) on the back corner of my house, right near the pool, like so:

Normally, this wouldn't necessarily be too helpful.  In this case, there were two reasons why it was:

1. The light box had screw plugs that would leg me attach a standard PVC conduit to it.
2. I knew that there was a hot wire in the box.  I knew this because I was going to install a z-wave switch on the box, but couldn't due to the fact that there was not power at the box.  If power wasn't at the switch, it had to be at the box.

My plan was this:

1. Use an old extension cord from my garage door automation project.  The cord had the female end intact, but the male end was cut off.  Perfect.
2. Buy a plastic outdoor (cable) box and put the SR10000 in it.  I forget where I found this online.
3. Use PVC conduit to connect the cable box and the electrical box.
4. Hang the antenna to the side of the roof.

It turned out well and our new backyard network is up and running and at a good strength.  Here are some more pictures:

Here's a view of how everything will fit into the box when its all set up.  I did have to drill a hole in the bottom of the box to get the antenna wire out.  Some putty is due to seal that up.

This is a view of the box attached to the underside of the overhang of my roof.

The same electrical box, this time with a PVC conduit coming out the back side.

Some perspective of the box's orientation to the floodlights.  The antenna is hanging freely; it is my intention to nail or staple that down at some point.

A view from a little farther away, showing the antenna.

And even farther away, showing the mounting to the roof.  Its not terribly long, but it works well!

Waiting for Technology [Draft]

I had a grand vision about eight months ago of setting up my home entertainment system to be controlled exclusively by my iPad that is sitting next to the couch.  I have a relatively recent Pioneer receiver (a VSX-1022) for which they have thoughtfully created an iPhone app.  However, it is less obvious how I would control my Roku, my Blu-Ray player or my Fios cable box.  Ideally, it'd all be integrated, too.

I looked around and found some options and ultimately think that I'll need some hardware to pull this off (likely a GlobalCache IP2IR box), but then some good software.  I concluded after poking around for several months that there were no solutions that I found reasonably easy and cost efficient.  I will wait for something better to come along.

That got me thinking about how frequently it is the right answer to wait.  Particularly, when you are looking at an environment where multiple devices need to work together (a system).  To not enter into the market because something will come out in the not too distant future that will better server your needs.  If you are going to wait, I guess you probably have to believe all or most of the following:

1. There are people & companies working on the problem you are looking to solve
2. The solutions will likely be better.
3. Its more of an integration issue than the development of any particular technology.

Private Bike Sharing

[I know that this isn't so much a technology or gadget idea than it is a discussion of a business model, but it's my blog!]

So much has been written and done with respect to public bike share programs.  They serve an important need and I think that generally speaking, they are a wonderful idea.  Not a huge fan that the government is subsidizing them in some cases (but better for it to be something like the Citi Bike system in NYC), but no matter, they are a great idea.  I had the most fun visiting DC during the Cherry Blossom festival when I rode my bike over from Virginia and rode all around the National Mall on a bike.  Running and biking are great ways to see a city.

All of that said, I couldn't help but thinking today that if I was visiting a city and really wanted to get a ride in, I wouldn't want to be on one of those clunky bikes.  Today, I was riding down the C&O Canal trail that connects to the Capital Crescent trail.  When I got closer to the core of the city, there were a number of people on bike share bikes.  They were noticeably clunkier than any other bike on the trail.  That got me thinking . . .

. . . There are a number of services out there that are designed to increase productivity out of both capital and labor.  Think Uber, Airbnb, taskrabbit, renttherunway.  Some even set you up to be able to rent people's bikes.  That said, you are dealing with potentially flakey people in unknown neighborhoods when you are in a new city, but sites like GetAble even focus on things like bikes, but as far as I can tell, it appears to mostly be a front for local bike shops trying to rent their bikes.

Similar to house sharing services, why not set up a service to share your bike when you are not in town and then as a virtue of doing so, you get to use a (nice) bike in the city you're traveling in?  Simple idea, and I know that cars are not houses, but maybe something like this could work.  Presumably the bike shop would have to do some tuning/checking that the bike was in good enough shape to rent.

If this works, then whenever you go to a new city and want to ride (a good bike), all you need to do is bring your shoes, pedals and helmet and you are good to go.

Why It Fails

I think that in the end, the benefits for the rental shops have to outweigh the costs.  Here are the costs:

• There are a fair number of coordination costs
• Storage costs of the bikes available for rent
• Maintenance costs of the incoming bikes (and risk that somebody renting lies about the state of bike maintenance)
• Potential (real or perceived) costs related to foregone revenue opportunity for renting bikes (even if that isn't their main line of business)

That said, I think most of the above, except for the last one can be be solved by technology and community feedback and rating systems like ebay and Amazon.

Why It Could Succeed

Local bike (especially rental) shops are up against a variety of pressures:

• National chains (i.e., Performance)
• Bike sharing programs eliminating or severely reducing income and foot-traffic

This could be a meaningful push-back against those pressures (though it really can't stop Performance from doing something themselves).  It really should help strengthen the connection that the local bike shops have with their local customers.  Those customers have to drop off their bike for renting while they are out of town.  That clearly provides the shop opportunities to sell them other goods or services. 

All About Lightbulbs (not really)

[Less of a Draft as of 2013-06-24]
So my wife tells me that I know more than anybody should about lightbulbs. This is likely true, but I do find them interesting and useful to know about. I also like the thought of saving money on more efficient light bulbs. This quest for efficiency can be found in my previous post here. A few thoughts about light bulbs:

1. There are really four lightbulb options at the current time (though most folks are probably thinking only about three). They are LED, CFL, Incandescent and Halogen. The last is the one most people haven't seen in household applications (flashlights and cars, yes). Halogen turns out to be more efficient than incandescent and thus avoids the coming federal lightbulb crackdown.  They also have fair "normal" color temperature.
2. Some perspective, a 60 watt incandescent is equivalent to a 14 watt CFL and a 10 watt LED. That is a 6:1 energy advantage for LEDs over incandescent, but an only a 3:2 advantage over CFLs. See this chart.
3. The big difference between CFLs and LEDs is that the LEDs lifetimes are drastically longer. That is to say 50,000 hours versus 10,000 hours for CFLs (versus a measly 1,200 hours for incandescent).  This, I believe, is even a bigger deal in practice than is the case for the rated numbers.  See 5 below.
4. LEDs typically don't die (see exception at point 12). Their lifetime is considered over when their brightness is half of its initial brightness.  That said, I don't know what LED Lumen calculations are made on: beginning of life brightness or end of life?  (If you know - please write in the comments)
5. CFLs usually don't last as long as they are rated. This is very much dependent on the application, though. If you use a CFL in an area where the light is likely to get turned on and off frequently, the CFL won't last. Apparently, they need time to cool down before being turned back on again.
6. According to the DOE, the average house has 40 sockets in which to put lightbulbs. When I went through my house, I found a few more. To be specific, there are 186 bulbs in my house (not just sockets, but lamps too). That is a bunch.
7. If the average LED bulb costs $20, it would cost $3,720 to fully outfit my house in LEDs.  I am a fair way down that road, but I haven't gone all of the way.  Many of the bulbs just don't get used (or left on) enough to justify the switch.  I'm also positive that the LEDs  won't get reflected in the sale price of the house when I do sell it.
8. A bunch of bulbs in my house is an understatement. If all of the lightbulbs were on in my house and fitted with incandescents, there would be an electrical load of 13.5 kW (or about 112.5 amps).
9. The average household uses 2,100 kWh per year on lighting. That only equates to about $210 per year in electricity costs. Unfortunately, with all of our additional lights, I spend more than that per year just for the outdoor lighting (with the LEDs). Details are here.
10. The coming federal limits are actually already starting to take effect. See here. Best part is the labeling requirements which force manufacturers to provide some easily comparable numbers. The Nutrition Facts box on a box of cereal is a good analogy.  Unfortunately (IMHO), the requirements don't go far enough. They should provide a clear "cost of ownership" tag that shows how much it would cost to own the bulb over a 5 year period.
11. Don't install LEDs in your house if you think that you might move within the next couple of years. Unless, that is, you really really don't like to replace light bulbs. Or if you leave the lightbulb on all the time, like a night light.  Or, if you have turned into your father (maybe mother, but in my case it was exclusively my father) and have started complaining to family members for leaving lights on.  With LEDs, I find myself much less likely to complain.
12. I have used this (finding lights on in areas with no people) as a means of targeting bulbs in my house for replacement to LED.  Wandering around the house when I'm not normally there (middle of the work day) or in the morning or last thing at night is a great way to find the likely culprits.
13. Don't buy cheap LEDs.  I bought a set of three $7 GU10 (this is a reference to the connection type on the bottom of the bulb) at Amazon and the electronics gave out after only three months or so.
14. My go-to brand for LEDs is Feit.  I've never gotten a bad bulb from those guys and they have pretty cost-competitive products.  Costco carries a fair share of their bulbs and I was able to buy some from Home Depot, as well.  I am not paid by Feit, but I would totally sign up to be a "brand ambassador" or some such thing if it were offered to me.
15. LED light bulbs are still not available for every application that I have at home (at least not from remotely mainstream companies).  I have under counter lights that use bulbs typical denoted as "exit sign" bulbs.  They have a candelabra base and straight sides.  I can't use candelabra bulbs because there isn't sufficient clearance (those bow outward).  I will wait until I can buy either Phillips or Feit bulbs for these (burned too many times by off brands).
16. This may be obvious to most, but more efficient light bulbs save you money in two ways during the summer: (1) less electricity to generate the same amount of light (the super obvious way) and (2) less electricity to cool your house from the waste heat generated by your lightbulb.  You should have roughly 1/5 the waste heat to cool.  This isn't a huge downside in the winter when you are heating the house anyway, but heat generated by electricity is typically not the most cost-effective means of doing so.  I don't have good numbers on this, but this post suggests a high cost (as does my childhood where I lived in upstate NY and had baseboard electric and got to hear my dad complain all of the time about it).
17. Don't get hung up on the cooler color temperatures of a LED versus an incandescent.  LEDs have come a long way and you may very find you prefer the slightly cooler temperatures than the (IMHO) overly warm colors from old-school bulbs.
18. Most LED bulbs can be made to dim these days.  Doesn't seem like this should be a consideration for most usage, but they dim and dim well.
19. Beware of noisy LED bulbs.  I know folks who have found this to be a problem with a common buzz of fluorescents in the past, but it can be an LED problem, too.  This is particularly important for bulbs that will be right next to your bed or some other work space, probably less important for recessed lights.  I bought a Philips 12E26A60 LED bulb (reviewed here) and put it in the lamp next my bed.  I had to switch it out; it buzzed.  I swapped it out with a Feit 60W replacement bulb and am much happier with the silence (and its brighter).
20. While on the subject of Feit, I believe that their 40W and 60W bulbs are great replacements for your standard light bulb.  The only thing to be careful of with the 60W replacement bulb is that it is a fairly big bulb.  Make sure it fits in the desired space envelope.
21. Don't worry about the delay in an LED lightbulb turning on.  Many now have essentially no delay.  Others do, but when they turn on, they are all of the way on.  I've had many of CFLs that took way too long to actually brighten.  They were perhaps 30% bright instantly, but only 100% until about 5 minutes in (maybe it wasn't that long, but it sure seemed like it was).
22. Most LED light bulbs weigh substantially more than their incandescent cousins (with CFLs generally being in the middle).  Mostly, I don't think that you should have to consider this as a factor given that most light fixtures have between one and three lightbulbs.  That said, fixtures for which there are many bulbs (I have a chandelier that takes twelve 60 watt bulbs), this can add up to a substantial amount of additional weight.  Hopefully not enough to tear anything out of the ceiling, but consider it.  [TO DO: add actual weights of some bulbs]
23. Essentially all lighting fixtures have a max wattage on the bulbs driven by heat dissipation requirements (and the resulting fire hazard).  Using LEDs, you can turn a fixture that has a maximum 60 Watt bulb into something much brighter (and perhaps more functional).
24. As with all bulbs, pay attention to how light will be distributed from the bulb.  A "normal" light bulb is expected to disburse light in all directions, if not equally, close to it.  LED replacements can have somewhat different patterns and may not look good in your existing lighting fixtures.  For recessed lights, the LED bulbs should say if they are narrow or wide (120 degrees is about the widest you'll find).

Another Set of LED Bulbs

I finally found some GU10 LEDs that look like they should be useful.  Again, its Feit bulbs that seem to be hitting the sweet spot.  $11 per bulb, almost half the price of other brands (found at Home Depot in Reston, VA).  I bought three to start to replace the terrible bulbs I had bought at Amazon.  Read the reviews of that one - you won't buy it.  As for Feit, I'm pretty comfortable that they will last.

Below is my email addressing this subject (LED lightbulb replacements) sent to Tyler Cowen of Marginal Revolution fame.

Tyler,
Long-time follower of your blog.  I don't know if you respond to questions, but in the off chance that you do, I have a question that came up in my mind after I bought some LED lightbulbs at HomeDepot this morning.
I haven't seen this addressed elsewhere, though I will admit I haven't searched too extensively (but Google Scholar has been part of my attempt).  In any event, this might be an interesting topic for discussion given your ability to write clearly and distill issues down to their core.
So, consider the homeowner seeking to manage their lighting needs.  For instance, if a lightbulb goes out at the home, the owner would want to be able to replace it immediately and therefore requires a stock of unused bulbs.  However, on the last trip to the store, the homeowner decides to purchase LED bulbs due to a desire to (a) save money (b) not be the cranky dad that yells at the kids for leaving the lights on (from personal experience, this tendency is much reduced if the wattage is 1/5th that of incandescence) and (c) not change lightbulbs in the future.  (b) and (c) are hard to quantify, let's assume for the moment that their economic value is zero, along with the cost of changing a bulb.  When the homeowner returns home, she determines that all of her lightbulbs are functioning.  She has a nagging feeling though, that it makes sense for her to pre-emptively change bulbs to the LEDs given that her $20/bulb investment will otherwise go to waste.  What is the right framework for her to think about this problem (I suppose a standard DCF analysis could be used)?  Are there other investments that follow the same pattern?
It seems obvious to me that if what I said about (b) and (c) is true, she should immediately change the bulbs.  Relaxing the assumption that changing bulbs has a cost could potentially change that conclusion if the costs were high enough.  Do you agree?  Do you know if this has this been part of the energy efficiency discussion?
Regards,
Mark
http://stepbeyondgadgets.blogspot.com/

(Update 2013-06-15 17:15) Tyler was gracious enough to provide a quick response to my inquiry:

There is clearly some attention cost, and what economists call "S-s" rules seem to apply here, in any case I will ponder this more and blog if I come up with something...

Tyler

Looks like I have some research to do.  I will post later, if I think I have something interesting to say based on that.

Solar Insolation Monitor for Gardens

I just cleaned out a garden / pit of weeds and I am ready to put down some landscape fabric and mulch.  Pretty boring, yes, because I don't know what plants would do well in the sunlight / shade mix that this garden has.  This sparked an idea.

While others have come up with homemade solutions to measure solar insolation (basically, how much solar energy is hitting a certain spot), I propose an easy to use tool for landscape architects (and eventually homeowners, when they get cheap enough) to use for this purpose.  If this video or the The Garden Continuum's blog posting is any indication, there is not an existing tool that makes this easy for a would-be landscape architect.

Sunlite Tracker

The basic tool would look like a stake topped by a round half dome.  It would be a rough crystal ball, with small solar panels on each face.  The dome and the stake are separable with a quick twist of the dome.  The general notion is that you'd pop any number of the Sunlite Trackers in gardens around a residence to determine how much sunlight an area gets.  Consequently, one can determine with some accuracy what plants with thrive there.

In my conceived usage, the Sunlite Trackers would be set out for a week and then collected by the landscape architect.  The location of all of the domes would be recorded prior to their removal.  The Sunlite Tracker would record every minute, the amount of incoming solar insolation.  The architect would then pop a USB cable into the dome and download the information about the sunlight measured at the location.  It would be uploaded to the web-based service www.sunlite-tracker.com.  There, the data would be compared to sunlight measurements for the nearest weather station, so it can be normalized on a historical basis.  I think you do not want to rely on a week period that could have just been sunnier than normal to base your planting decisions on.

Then the website would display the set of trees/bushes/flowers that would thrive in those light conditions.  The architect could be confident that the plant recommended will be suitable for a given location.  If using enough of Sunlite Trackers, that confidence could be increased even in areas partially shaded by branches above.

Who should do this?

I think the business model could work like this:

• Landscape nursery signs up with Sunlite Tracker, enters all of their stock available.
• Landscape architect checks out some Sunlite Trackers and places in a customer's garden
• Landscape architect retrieves Sunlite Trackers and orders goods from the landscape nursery
• Landscape architect returns Sunlite Trackers to landscape nursery.

The key, then, is for the landscape nursery to see this as a means of expanding their sales and integrating more closely with their professional buyers - the landscape architects.  I think that I have a bit more to learn about the industry, though, before I declare this approach suitable.

One (or more) Step(s) Beyond:

Here are some ideas for extensions to the basic idea presented above (organized from least complex extension to most complex):

• The website should allow the architect to put in other filtering criteria, such as deer resistance and low maintenance.  This seems perhaps obvious, but many wholesalers have simple PDFs (some password protected to keep out retail customers like me).  I'm thinking something like the search page on Plant Select.
• Though a bit of a technological leap, one could make the stake smart and have it measure the acidity and moisture of the soil that it has been staked into.  While it doesn't seem like the acidity measurements need to be repeated over time, the moisture measurements probably should be.  And then the moisture measurements could also be normalized for the rainfall over the recent period.
• Also, set up the trackers to transmit back to the internet automatically with a mesh-based network of collecting and sharing information in the base tracker, all ultimately going to a Master-tracker that will be plugged into the home-owners wi-fi network.  This way, there is only the setup trip and the collection trip (with all of the processing and preparation done outside of the time spent at the home-owner's house).

Update 2013-07-02:

So it turns out that I'm probably just bad at doing research.  Folks have developed boards that will do this.  There are fairly well developed tools out there.  That said, I still don't think that they system has been put together in a way that would be easy and useful for professionals focused on the landscape design (rather than hobbyists or enthusiasts).

It looks as if what is needed most here is probably some calibration methodologies and software.  The "one-wire" setup appears easy to put together in the field and would have sufficient flexibility to cover a large or small garden setup.  The logging functionality exists, the computer interface, the ability to attach multiple sensors at the same time.  Its all there.

Though I'm sure it sounds terrible to a techie, good packaging around these products would make this equipment truly useful.

Fitbit fail

Those who have read my other fitbit related posts, know that I've had my fitbit since mid January 2013.  I wear it non-stop, even most nights to bed.  I'm odd enough that I feel like I'm not getting "credit" for physical activity if I'm not wearing it.  I should be fitbit's best & worst customer all at the same time.  I'm not super thrilled about my most recent fail with the fitbit.

OK, so its not the most important failure ever, but its still quite annoying.  The black plastic piece of my clip came off.  I'm pretty sure that this is a problem that should never happen.  We have engineers that can solve these sorts of things!

Nothing to do but order another one for $9.95 + $3.98 S&H.  Fun fun.

Update 2014-07-04:
The second cover that I had been using over the last year has finally given up the ghost.  While it did last longer than the first, the mode of failure was the same (the plastic piece at the end of the clip came off).  Annoying.  Here are the pictures of the old and new one - the design does seem to have been refined, though for me it mostly means its tougher to get the fitbit into the clip.

The rubber ripping and then peeling back has been an annoying issue for some time, but not a big enough deal to warrant replacement.  The plastic piece missing at the end is too painful to live with for long.

New one is on the right

Also annoying is that the price of a new one has gone up.  To $14.95 on Amazon (+ tax in the state that I live in).  I ordered a new one, but declined to get a new sleep wristband (that also needs to be replaced).  I found another product that looks like it will do a better job and cost less.  I'm considering buying this, instead:

Bad Frameworks Limit Us

Just a quick post to remember a thought: Why do we let past paradigms constrain how we use technology?

Specifically, I use Zimbra at work for my calendar (group calendar).  You have the option of showing one day, the week, the workweek or a list.  Why can't this be customized - why to I have to continuously change weeks to work on my Monday schedule?  It seems obvious that I should be able to choose the number of days prior to the date and future to the date with some limitation on the total number of days that can be shown at once (for space/readability reasons).

I'd much rather be able to look at one day past, today and five days in to the future.  So simple, and yet our past paper calendar framework constrains interface designers in non-useful ways.

[Update: 2013-06-01 - Google calendar, I just noticed this, does have the four day view that lets you look at the next four days alone.  Just what I was looking for.  Unfortunately, my firm doesn't use it.]

Boogie Board - So close . . .

I am (un)fortunate enough to get the SmartHome email ads sent to me.  Its a store that have bought a few things at and has an interesting variety of gadgets.  It has been helpful when buying some of my Z-wave home automation devices.  Today, I got an email with a Improv Electronics Boogie Board JOT 8.5 LCD eWriter.  It looked intriguing (and this is not a category of device I've spent much time with), so I checked it out.

Desired Feature Set:

• Long battery life
• Reasonably good writing capture / pen
• Ability to have notes go into a cloud-based account over Wi-fi.  Think, I'm at the grocery store and my wife writes a quick list of items for me to get.  Hits the JOT button, the app on my phone beeps and I see her list.  Instant sharing.  For that matter, allow pictures (via the app or the website) to be shared via Facebook or any other social media network of the day.
• Ability to export notes as PDFs and TIF/BMPs and as rastor images.

Actual Feature Set:

It appears that the first two features are there - though I haven't played with this in person.  However, all you can do is hit the JOT button and store a page.  Then, when you are done writing notes, then you can upload to a computer (via USB).  Wow.

What a big miss.  My scale has wi-fi and sends data to the cloud.  Note that I'm aware that they are integrated in a fashion with EverNote.  Good for them, but its not the same.