As a disabled person “Smart Tech” can be a lifesaver! It’s hard enough just being able to move around safely at home, fear of falling is a major worry. If you fall, can you get up? Can you reach a phone? With many smart devices you can control lights, doors and communications with just your voice. This stuff enables someone like me to stat in my own home safely. I embrace the freedom this technology gives me. Just want it more secure from internet intrusion from bad actors.
@jkawaguchi
A lot of the tech developments recently that are aimed at disabilities are actually freaking amazing! Even if it’s “just” mobility issues like arthritis as you get older there are tech solutions that will allow you to stay in place a lot longer than people used to be able to.
Glad to hear you’re finding ways to help your quality of life.
@jkawaguchi My dad is blind and the VA has trained him on using a smart phone and tablet. He has always had a device that can read text to him. However recently they provided him with Meta glasses that can read text but also help him find his newspaper, tell him what is in front of him when he is walking, take photos, send a text to me, etc. It’s pretty amazing.
There is still a lot of room for improvement but it is so much better than even a year ago.
@cbatte@jkawaguchi
Wow, wish we would knew about something like that for my dad. He passed away a year ago and had lost his vision due to glaucoma and eyelashes growing into his eyes scaring his eyes. The dr said it was like looking through a shattered mirror for him. He knew how to get around the house bc he lived there for so long but everything always had to be in the exact same place for him. I had set up ropes to guide him from his bed to the bathroom and then from his chair to stairs (which were right next to his bedroom door). The blind people agency that came out and helped with him were pretty impressed with that, they had never seen somebody do that before. He was still extremly independent, was on a feeding tube (couldn’t swallow from throat cancer operation) and could still fill up the bag and feed himself, give himself insulin, knew what tv channels he liked to listen to, etc. I just pre drew all the insulin and filled medicine cups and put them in certain areas for him. He was a good guy.
@jkawaguchi@Star2236 Smart phone accessibility functionality still leaves something to be desired but it is certainly better than it used to be. He is still learning how to use the Meta glasses to help get around. He only got them a few months ago.
Prior to getting the glasses he would go putter around in the yard even though he couldn’t see. I called one time and my mom said he was outside trimming the bushes and that was before the Meta glasses.
My dad’s resilience blows me away sometimes! He didn’t go completely blind until he was in his 60s. He retired a little early and couldn’t drive anymore but other than that, it hasn’t slowed him down much.
@jkawaguchi I can remember probably 25 years or so ago maybe more a device called merlin. He had to be professionally installed but it allowed you to verbally control your lights your TV and a few other things in your home.
I have smart lights and plugs. I have alexa turns on/off my lights including plant grow lights. I also have it programmed to play “when the bodies hit the floor” and turn all of my interior lights red and flashing when I say “alexa intruder” good times! My favorite thing is the galaxy smart tag I have attached to my bedroom TV remote. I tap an app on my phone and I can easily find the remote under the bed or under a pillow. My finest achievement honestly.
I have smart outlets plugged into one outlet in six (?) rooms in my house to turn the holiday window candles on & off for me.
I think that’s about it.
I don’t even own a cellphone, let alone a smart phone.
@jitc well, there are not a lot of people I “need” to keep in touch with. if there were ever a “true emergency” (as opposed to the dipshits who have to call home from the grocery store because they don’t know if they were supposed to get skim milk or 2%), the funny thing is" nearly every other person on the planet has a phone and would probably make the call for me.
@ekw@jitc
I hear you. Looking back over my phone records I made 7 phone calls … In the past week! And two of those were butt dials while mowing and listening to music.
@ekw@jitc
No. But I’m sure it was well under the 100 range. It’s my main form of contact with the kids/grandkids these days, plus a couple of birthday gifs that got sent out. Used to be email, but I don’t even know that they open theirs any more…
In all honesty I probably post here more than I text!
YW!!!
I have a smart watch that tracks all my fitness junk, other than that I am a luddite when it comes to smart tech. Big tech has enough of my info already, they don’t need help.
@Catholicizer I’m afraid your smart watch has already assumed control of your entire presence on Earth. It is tracking where you go and when you get there. It has knowledge of all your bio data and can and will develop a computer model of you. With the data it collects every second of every day it builds algorithms and shares data with other AI controlled databases aimed at making you a marketable product. It’s really part of the model to allow you to think you’re a Luddite. The uncomfortable reality is, you have been assimilated and your data is owned without your consent. Well, in legal context you did consent when you agreed to the 47 page digital contract. It was required before you could begin using the smart watch.
We don’t have smart everything, but we have smart a lot of things. My favorite are our Lutron switches. Reliable AF, and they work like normal switches for anyone who isn’t part of the smart home. They’re also great because a second switch for the same light can be installed anywhere within wi-fi range and make it easier to turn off something that has a really inconveniently placed switch.
I wish I could say nothing. I have a smart phone, tablet, watch, smart tv, all are samsung so at least i keep it to one company tracking my life, well and windows laptop
I refuse anything else I don’t consider the remote to my ceiling fan smart because it does not hing but turn it on and off.
That being said, I stayed in an AirBnB back before they went to hell that had some smart stuff. The ONLY thing I liked (which would not really require it to be ‘smart’) was that the dishwasher door could be set to pop open when it was done and the frig would beep if the temperature went up more than i forget how many degrees or if the door was open more than 5 minutes.
There are components of a so called smart home that could be adapted without the fancy interfaces but likely won’t because where would there be money in that?
Ain’t no one hacking my toaster.
/showme a smart home that has been hacked by a black hat hacker
Smart tech? No idea what that is.
As a disabled person “Smart Tech” can be a lifesaver! It’s hard enough just being able to move around safely at home, fear of falling is a major worry. If you fall, can you get up? Can you reach a phone? With many smart devices you can control lights, doors and communications with just your voice. This stuff enables someone like me to stat in my own home safely. I embrace the freedom this technology gives me. Just want it more secure from internet intrusion from bad actors.
@jkawaguchi
A lot of the tech developments recently that are aimed at disabilities are actually freaking amazing! Even if it’s “just” mobility issues like arthritis as you get older there are tech solutions that will allow you to stay in place a lot longer than people used to be able to.
Glad to hear you’re finding ways to help your quality of life.
@jkawaguchi My dad is blind and the VA has trained him on using a smart phone and tablet. He has always had a device that can read text to him. However recently they provided him with Meta glasses that can read text but also help him find his newspaper, tell him what is in front of him when he is walking, take photos, send a text to me, etc. It’s pretty amazing.
There is still a lot of room for improvement but it is so much better than even a year ago.
@cbatte @jkawaguchi
Wow, wish we would knew about something like that for my dad. He passed away a year ago and had lost his vision due to glaucoma and eyelashes growing into his eyes scaring his eyes. The dr said it was like looking through a shattered mirror for him. He knew how to get around the house bc he lived there for so long but everything always had to be in the exact same place for him. I had set up ropes to guide him from his bed to the bathroom and then from his chair to stairs (which were right next to his bedroom door). The blind people agency that came out and helped with him were pretty impressed with that, they had never seen somebody do that before. He was still extremly independent, was on a feeding tube (couldn’t swallow from throat cancer operation) and could still fill up the bag and feed himself, give himself insulin, knew what tv channels he liked to listen to, etc. I just pre drew all the insulin and filled medicine cups and put them in certain areas for him. He was a good guy.
@jkawaguchi @Star2236 Smart phone accessibility functionality still leaves something to be desired but it is certainly better than it used to be. He is still learning how to use the Meta glasses to help get around. He only got them a few months ago.
Prior to getting the glasses he would go putter around in the yard even though he couldn’t see. I called one time and my mom said he was outside trimming the bushes and that was before the Meta glasses.
My dad’s resilience blows me away sometimes! He didn’t go completely blind until he was in his 60s. He retired a little early and couldn’t drive anymore but other than that, it hasn’t slowed him down much.
@jkawaguchi I can remember probably 25 years or so ago maybe more a device called merlin. He had to be professionally installed but it allowed you to verbally control your lights your TV and a few other things in your home.
I have smart lights and plugs. I have alexa turns on/off my lights including plant grow lights. I also have it programmed to play “when the bodies hit the floor” and turn all of my interior lights red and flashing when I say “alexa intruder” good times! My favorite thing is the galaxy smart tag I have attached to my bedroom TV remote. I tap an app on my phone and I can easily find the remote under the bed or under a pillow. My finest achievement honestly.
@BelleGunness That’s Hilarious… Let the bodies hit the floor! I used to blast that song!
Just some basic stuff, but I have grander plans that I never get around to.
Home Assistant sounds like a fun project.
One on my list is gutting an Amazon Echo and transplanting it into a 1:1 scale model of HAL’s eyeball.
I have smart outlets plugged into one outlet in six (?) rooms in my house to turn the holiday window candles on & off for me.
I think that’s about it.
I don’t even own a cellphone, let alone a smart phone.
@ekw
What are you using to control them?
@chienfou I have a Samsung tablet.
@ekw
Makes sense. I’m using mine now!
@ekw I’m curious, without a cell phone, how do you keep in contact with folks if you’re not at home, since pay phones aren’t really a thing anymore?
@jitc well, there are not a lot of people I “need” to keep in touch with. if there were ever a “true emergency” (as opposed to the dipshits who have to call home from the grocery store because they don’t know if they were supposed to get skim milk or 2%), the funny thing is" nearly every other person on the planet has a phone and would probably make the call for me.
@ekw @jitc
I hear you. Looking back over my phone records I made 7 phone calls … In the past week! And two of those were butt dials while mowing and listening to music.
@chienfou @jitc but, did you send a thousand texts?
that seems to be the main form of commo these days.
@ekw @jitc
No. But I’m sure it was well under the 100 range. It’s my main form of contact with the kids/grandkids these days, plus a couple of birthday gifs that got sent out. Used to be email, but I don’t even know that they open theirs any more…
In all honesty I probably post here more than I text!
YW!!!
I have a smart phone and my front door can open by entering a numeric code.
I also have two ceiling fans that have remotes.
I have a smart watch that tracks all my fitness junk, other than that I am a luddite when it comes to smart tech. Big tech has enough of my info already, they don’t need help.
@Catholicizer I’m afraid your smart watch has already assumed control of your entire presence on Earth. It is tracking where you go and when you get there. It has knowledge of all your bio data and can and will develop a computer model of you. With the data it collects every second of every day it builds algorithms and shares data with other AI controlled databases aimed at making you a marketable product. It’s really part of the model to allow you to think you’re a Luddite. The uncomfortable reality is, you have been assimilated and your data is owned without your consent. Well, in legal context you did consent when you agreed to the 47 page digital contract. It was required before you could begin using the smart watch.
We don’t have smart everything, but we have smart a lot of things. My favorite are our Lutron switches. Reliable AF, and they work like normal switches for anyone who isn’t part of the smart home. They’re also great because a second switch for the same light can be installed anywhere within wi-fi range and make it easier to turn off something that has a really inconveniently placed switch.
I wish I could say nothing. I have a smart phone, tablet, watch, smart tv, all are samsung so at least i keep it to one company tracking my life, well and windows laptop
I refuse anything else I don’t consider the remote to my ceiling fan smart because it does not hing but turn it on and off.
That being said, I stayed in an AirBnB back before they went to hell that had some smart stuff. The ONLY thing I liked (which would not really require it to be ‘smart’) was that the dishwasher door could be set to pop open when it was done and the frig would beep if the temperature went up more than i forget how many degrees or if the door was open more than 5 minutes.
There are components of a so called smart home that could be adapted without the fancy interfaces but likely won’t because where would there be money in that?
Ain’t no one hacking my toaster.
/showme a smart home that has been hacked by a black hat hacker