Perhaps the best part of this anecdote was Swenson’s incredulous conclusion that the situation “could have been worse.” But he’s right that it was nice of the hacker to let him know his vacuum was hacked instead of spying on him indefinitely.
The most common issue people have with so-called “smart” home devices is that they often require a software subscription to access core functionality, and if the manufacturer goes under or stops supporting the device, it simply becomes a paperweight.
People think I’m weird for rejecting all smarthome tech. No I do not want that Alexa. No I don’t want a camera system connected to the Internet.
But it seems so clear to me it’s a bad idea… Like the line is funny but also not wrong. Yelling slurs is honestly barely on the list of the worst things someone with access to a house full of iot devices could do.
yeah and its always the dumbest shit that’s the most egregious. This vacuum cleaner had a CAMERA and INTERCOM lmao
Or like smart plugs could so easily be a fire hazard but as uber-cheap consumer devices are some of the worst for design and security
Features your vacuum definitely needed…
I just vacuum my house using a normal vacuum cleaner that’d like 25 years old. It blasts straight into a kitchen bag and is also a wet vac if you remove or change the bag. It takes like maybe an hour tops to vacuum a pretty bug house, it takes me like 15 minutes for my apartment. I consider a vacuum cleaner itself to be a bit of a luxury cause until pretty recently I just used a broom. A robot doing it is still weird and silly to me, let alone one that can yell slurs.
Seriously. I barely get the point of an vacuum bot even not connected to iot. Probably helpful if you are mobility impaired or possibly like hyper busy parent? But outside of specific use cases ya vacuuming ain’t hard.
But seriously don’t hook it to the net
I’m a bit of a weirdo about digital stuff to a certain extent. I believe there’s a value in tangibility and friction. I don’t want s robot to clean my house cause it’s my house(not really it’s my rented apartment but if anything this makes me feel stronger about my point) and it’d my mess, cleaning it myself gives me a sense of ownership of both. Cleaning my own apartment is my responsibility and I reap it’s rewards by having a nicer space to be in. That’s the kind of labor joy can be found in, those are moments of genuine experience even if they suck at the time at least the reward feels rewarding and proportional to the task. I’d hate to let a robot take it away from me even if it is a chore. It’s MY chore. Let the roombas sweep up my work instead. It’s not a glamorous or pleasant part of life but it is part of living to do your own maintenance. Hold on to any unalienated labor you can afford to
Totally. It’s not like I like doing dishes exactly but damn if I don’t feel excellent standing in my clean kitchen. Way bigger feeling of accomplishment than I get at work. I’ve accomplished something with a clean kitchen and I’ll accomplish more worth what labor when I dirty it up again by cooking.
It’s the a reason that I’m always weirded out by rich types with servants doing the most basic tasks. Like I don’t feel comfortable having someone clean my house for me… And a personal chef?? Couldn’t be me
It’d sorta why I get where og protestant work ethic come from, day to day life was laborious but you did reap.the fruits of a solid amount of it. Working is good. Going to work sucks.
Exactly. I wanna contribute. No not to billionaires pocket book but to myself and my community