Smart Shavers

[Scaramouche]

Sometimes I think the technology doesn’t really fit the task, but it’s just another useless selling point. We recently moved into a home where the previous owner was an IT guy and had installed a lot of technology. The house has Nest thermostats, which work very well not connected to the WiFi. The garage door opener is also WiFi capable, but not connected and I have RING video doorbell. Why would I need to adjust my thermostats, open or close the garage door, or see who’s at the front door remotely from my phone? Just because it’s technically possible doesn’t mean it’s really useful. I’ve lived here a month and no one has come to the door so spending $3 a month to have the RING doorbell connected is silly. There’s always someone home to adjust the thermostats and closing my garage door from the phone is also silly. If I leave it open my wife can close the door after sending her a text. So far I can’t see any reason to connect these things.

Why do I need an app on my phone to know how effective, how long of time to shave or to determine the comfort level of my shave? I can easily feel my face with my fingers and determine the closeness, feel the irritation and determine which part of my face I may have missed. Bluetooth connectivity to an electric shaver is just another gimmick like cleaning stations to get you to buy a new shaver. My Braun seven series shaver has adjustable speeds which I can’t tell any difference which speed I select. The newer models adjust that setting automatically which is also useless.

Sometimes the value of new technology, or new techniques, or new materials, is not immediately apparent. I have Nest thermostats as well, and the fact that they "learn" my preferred temperature settings during the day and night actually saves me money. They also "learn" when I'm gone, and adjust the temperature accordingly to where I set it. It does require learning what the technology can (and cannot) do, and using it to advantage. There's nothing more basic in "value" than cash, and over the few years I've had them I've calculated I've recouped their price (more expensive than conventional thermostats) several times over. And I have RING cameras front and back. And I DO want to know who's at my front door, or garage, before I go look, for I would assume very apparent reasons. And packages, or groceries. Maybe you live in a place where strangers never call. Or you feel secure behind your door. I can only tell you that you shouldn't, and you're not. My cameras are also networked with my neighborhood - which has a connected network of cameras. Suspicious activity, vandalism, car thefts and package thefts, have all been recorded and reported - time and location. I find that useful information, where I live.

WiFi itself allows you to participate in this forum remotely, instead of corresponding by mail, which would (and did) take rather a deal more time. There was a time when the value of that was not anticipated or predicted: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943.

"If I leave it open my wife can close the door after sending her a text." I assume using your mobile phone and a networked service, consisting of hundreds of satellites and thousands of connected access points, developed over decades. Something I could never even conceive when I started driving in 1963.

So maybe there isn't an immediately apparent value to a Bluetooth shaver. Today. But from a historical probability perspective, there very well might be, tomorrow. And full-blown, useful technology - to include those materials and techniques - doesn’t appear instantly from the forehead of Zeus. It usually happens gradually, over time, and it had to start somewhere, and someone had to use it, see the value in it, and improve it. Otherwise, more to the salient point, we'd all be shaving with straight razors. Or clams. Or not.

 

[Flyboybob]

Sometimes the value of new technology, or new techniques, or new materials, is not immediately apparent. I have Nest thermostats as well, and the fact that they "learn" my preferred temperature settings during the day and night actually saves me money. They also "learn" when I'm gone, and adjust the temperature accordingly to where I set it. It does require learning what the technology can (and cannot) do, and using it to advantage. There's nothing more basic in "value" than cash, and over the few years I've had them I've calculated I've recouped their price (more expensive than conventional thermostats) several times over. And I have RING cameras front and back. And I DO want to know who's at my front door, or garage, before I go look, for I would assume very apparent reasons. And packages, or groceries. Maybe you live in a place where strangers never call. Or you feel secure behind your door. I can only tell you that you shouldn't, and you're not. My cameras are also networked with my neighborhood - which has a connected network of cameras. Suspicious activity, vandalism, car thefts and package thefts, have all been recorded and reported - time and location. I find that useful information, where I live.

WiFi itself allows you to participate in this forum remotely, instead of corresponding by mail, which would (and did) take rather a deal more time. There was a time when the value of that was not anticipated or predicted: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943.

"If I leave it open my wife can close the door after sending her a text." I assume using your mobile phone and a networked service, consisting of hundreds of satellites and thousands of connected access points, developed over decades. Something I could never even conceive when I started driving in 1963.

So maybe there isn't an immediately apparent value to a Bluetooth shaver. Today. But from a historical probability perspective, there very well might be, tomorrow. And full-blown, useful technology - to include those materials and techniques - doesn’t appear instantly from the forehead of Zeus. It usually happens gradually, over time, and it had to start somewhere, and someone had to use it, see the value in it, and improve it. Otherwise, more to the salient point, we'd all be shaving with straight razors. Or clams. Or not.

Yes, the Nest thermostats will still learn regardless if they are connected to the internet or not and they are saving me money without using a phone app. Obviously, I know the advantages of technology and use it everyday in both my business and personal life. However, some things are just not improved by adding connectivity. Having my vacuum cleaner connected to my phone has the same usefulness as a connected electric shaver. It’s gee wiz fun information which has no practical application. Do you know what low level employees at Ring are watching the video recordings from your doors? My front door has a window and I can see who is there and either open the door or not. And, I can save three dollars a month to go twords my retirement.