Was trying to think of what to write about this week, and then a light bulb turned on. It’s a smart bulb; it’s programmed to do that every night.
Read on for more great jokes!
Really, though, what ever happened to smart homes? Is it just me, or has the world cooled off on that idea? “Smart” stuff used to be all the talk; there were new blogs and articles every day about making your home smart, and there was a huge display of smart home gear, first thing when you walked into Best Buy. Half the electronics section at Target was smart bulbs and thermostats, and even IKEA was adding “smart” tech to their furniture.
I think the idea for smart homes is still there, and still promising; it’s just had a marketing problem. Somebody in the smart-home advertising pitch to the board members assumed that in the future, everyone would like shouting at their appliances. “HEY SIRI - what time is it?? Ok Google! Play, turn on the microwave! Alexa! Get a job and start earning your keep around here!”
It seems as though we used to share this vision of a future where we turned our homes into Pee Wee’s playhouse, and had personal interactions with every everything from furniture to appliances.
Alas, the craze seems to have faded. What happened? Did we put too much pressure on our homes to be smart and get into the best colleges, and smart homes just had a breakdown? Or is it us who are burnt out on the idea?
I gave that smart home lifestyle a shot a few years ago. I acquired a free Google Home Mini somewhere, and had it hooked up to a few things around the apartment. I just never got comfortable talking to a speaker. Eventually, I packed it away, and moved on, content with an under-achieving home that would, best case, pursue a GED and trade school, and be happy.
I’ve later realized what’s perhaps obvious - you don’t have to use voice commands for everything in a smart home. There’s always an option to control all these speakers, lights, and outlets via timers and apps on your phone. That’s when I started making a little progress in using smart things to make home life better.
The Light Bulb Moment
When my wife and I were setting up our first apartment together, a key lighting fixture was this sort of Pixar-style desk lamp I have. It’s versatile and great. I used to put these phenomenal bulbs in there, that would turn the night to day in any room, filling every corner, from floor to ceiling, with brilliant, heavenly, white light.
You learn a lot of things after you get married. One thing I learned is that not everybody appreciates having their home lighted with 1pm-direct-sunlight levels of intensity, after dinner. Some people find that to be a bit much, for winding down.
I understood my wife’s wish for softer, warmer light tones for evening in our apartment. But I also work from home a lot, and need good light sometimes on my desk. The solution? Simply get another lamp for the room, and have two lamps - one for daytime and another for evenings!
That is far too simple, though. An opportunity to over-engineer must never go to waste.
Enter the smart bulb. I found a smart bulb with a flood light profile that fit well in my Pixar lamp. Specifically, the C by GE, which is still for sale on Amazon. I bought it in February of 2021, and have used it for hours, every day, ever since then. Not only does it still work, but we really like it!
This Actually Solves Problems and Improves Quality of Life
I learned two things with the smart bulb experiment. First of all, there’s a lot of use for smart home technology. It’s a matter of figuring out how to apply it. After my failed, months-long experiment of talking to a Google speaker, I somewhat dismissed smart home technology as a gimmick. I think that’s where a lot of people are, but using the light bulb convinced me to take a second look.
For the light bulb, the first thing I did was program the intensity and color temperature to change at sunset. The bulb has it’s own app, and I’ve also found I can use it with Google Home app (a bit of a struggle, but easier with practice). Either offer all kinds of customization to brightness and hue. Using either app, I could program it to change hues, from daylight intensity during work, to candle light warmth in the evening, on a schedule.
It’s also got a shut-off time in case we fall asleep and forget. You can micromanage this thing in a number of ways. And you can control it from anywhere. You can have it be green on Saint Patrick’s Day and baby blue on Easter. The options are as endless as the color spectrum.
Before too long, I got used to it. I now take it for granted that the correct hue of light will simply manifest when the sun begins to set. With my successes using the light bulb, I went and got some smart outlets. I’ve made another lamp smart, via smart outlet, and have also made my Mr. Coffee a very sophisticated smart coffee maker (he is now Dr. Coffee), occasionally set up with a timer, and more often something I turn on in the morning with my phone from bed before getting up. Nothing better than coming out of the room and smelling fresh coffee.
So the joys of smart appliances has been an epiphany.
The other thing I learned is that it is actually very nice to have warm soft light in your dwelling place after dinner. I was slightly on the sociopath scale, being unphased by nighttime-highway-construction-site illumination at a time when people in the house were brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed. That orangeish glow just makes a place feel like home, and I really like it now. Who knew?
So I highly recommend getting a smart bulb. They’re so cheap, and a lot of fun if you like to over-engineer things, as I do. I also highly recommend not having glaring white light at all hours in your apartment. Hope this helps someone!