With our homes and lives swarming with AI-powered devices, assistants and chatbots, a backlash is brewing.
Having just got a vinyl player and a DVD player to deplug and own things again this is real.
I also deleted any algorithmic social media, all part of a New Year’s resolution to not be advertised to constantly and feel drained all the time.
It’s slightly tough right now, but I hope it’ll get easier. At least I’m reading more books!
It only gets easier from here.
The joke goes like this:
People who don’t work in tech: “I have a smart TV, smart doorbell, smart thermostat, smart fridge, smart clothes washer…”
People who work in tech: “The only computerized devices in my house are the Linux PC and the printer, and I keep a gun next to the printer in case it makes a sound I don’t recognize.”
Honestly seeing how companies handle user data was profoundly shocking, and then they complain and act like you’re wasting time when you make sure it’s handled correctly. And that’s before even considering what they do with it.
You don’t have to have smart shit.
I specifically buy dumb things so I don’t have to deal with this spying bullshit.
I buy privacy respecting smart shit
I have smart lights, but they operate off a radio (not wifi) in my house. That radio is connected to my home server, that I fully control. There’s also physical switches on the wall to control them, which IMO is absolutely mandatory.
I’m a massive nerd tho so I don’t expect the setup to be viable for most. Although I think Home Assistant are selling the servers as little ready made kits with the radio and all nowadays. But I’d still recommend some tech proficiency.
Plus my bedroom fan, my TVs, my robovac, etc all controlled locally through my server.
I fully concede it’s all unnecessary tho it’s just my hobby and there are some benefits. My lights slowly get dimmer and more yellow the later it gets. I have a little button on my nightstand that turns on/off my bedside lamp or I can double click it to toggle the overhead light. I can toggle lights from my phone without getting off the couch. It’s nice.
Even if I didn’t care about the spying, the UX is objectively worse in so, so many cases.
No one ever wished their printer could order it’s own ink.
Also, ink printers and printer inks are a scam
Amazing.
Inkredible.
It was an actual issue when I was looking for a dumb ceiling fan that could be speed controlled from a wall switch. I didn’t want a remote, I didn’t want the bullshit non-servicable integrated light, I didn’t want a wireless remote, and I sure as shit didn’t want any wireless or Bluetooth built in… It took going direct to the manufacturer and buying a discontinued model to get that. Absolutely fucking crazy. The light on one of the fans at my mom’s house died and because its a built in led module, on a 5ish year old fan, they aren’t made anymore, and you can’t just swap it with an off the shelf setup because it uses some crazy non-consumer available connector.
Ohh built/custom housed LEDs are a no from me.
A good LED bulb can last a long time, but only the bulbs are interchangable. And often the chips overheat and fail even though in theory these lights can last 20+ years.
Now when there’s an issue you have to throw out the whole housing, which makes you have to buy a whole new set of lights.
There was a an angry nerd guy who had like a 30 minute video on just this, but I have no idea what his name was. He also has a see through dish washer video if that helps you find him.
Technology Connections? It sounds like
That’s the one!
also: he has way more LED light videos since the one I saw, including Christmas lights, which my wife will tell you I’ve been complaining about for like 10 damn years.
This guy is a kindred spirit for me, he has all my gripes but articulates and researches them better.
I bought those lights after his video. Absolutely worth it.
I’ve been patching my old string of incandescents.
I should upgrade now that they don’t totally suck.
There are very few angry nerds with see-through dishwashers and Alex is one of them.
When I got a house in the 2010’s nothing it came with was “smart” and I’ve never understood the appeal quite frankly.
Exactly!
somehow when its coming from CNN, i trust this less
yeah this has nothing to do with ai, people have been trying to get away from digital devices for a while now
In fact, I feel like I see this article about the technology du jour every five years or so!
Apparently they’re not calling it “unplugging” any more.
Alright! Some of the best news I have heard in a while!
