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I would just quit. (hexbear.net)
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[-] GarbageShoot@hexbear.net 45 points 10 months ago

That's the problem with humans having limited needs while the market needs unlimited growth. The only answer after a certain point is inventing demand.

[-] usernamesaredifficul@hexbear.net 40 points 10 months ago

for example computer chips are now cheap enough to put inside household appliances it just turns out that almost no one needs or wants that

we could use this to create technology to assist the disabled and elderly caring for themselves but that's not a big enough market so stupid bullshit it is

I would have bought so much IoT stuff if they were designed to use open standards and be part of an isolated home network. They could have had a sizable if niche prosumer market, but these companies wanna go public or get acquired, so that’s not enough.

[-] Self_Sealing_Stem_Bolt@hexbear.net 11 points 10 months ago

Like home security cameras are fine if part of a isolated network, but instead we get people broadcasting the inside of their homes to these tech companies that watch the footage and hand it over to the cops proactively.

[-] LGOrcStreetSamurai@hexbear.net 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

we could use this to create technology to assist the disabled and elderly caring for themselves but that's not a big enough market so stupid bullshit it is

It's really frustrating that we have the know-how and resources to make technologies for making all sorts of people's lives safer/easier/better but because it's not "profitable" we don't. It's really maddening to me that we have all the assets and knowledge but not the will due to "THE MARKET©®™" deems it to be unprofitable.

[-] usernamesaredifficul@hexbear.net 4 points 10 months ago

yeah it's pretty deeply tragic like the people dying in Africa of diseases that there are cures and vaccines for but copyright law and the fact they aren't a big enough market to justify the cost of setting up a factory to make the medicine they need means they just die

[-] invalidusernamelol@hexbear.net 28 points 10 months ago

And specifically, inventing demand by removing alternatives. Like with IoT devices. They invent demand by removing alternative designs, raise the price because it's premium, then use those devices to spy on your and sell data to create a sort of rent based model where you pay with your privacy.

Alternatively they just refuse to even sell you the IoT device and force you to rent it from them.

[-] Shinji_Ikari@hexbear.net 25 points 10 months ago

IoT stuff is so frustrating, because the useful aspects are overwhelmed by the need to make it profitable. I DIY'd an environment tracking setup totally local on my network to keep track of things like temp/humidity because I've got some sensitive acoustic instruments and I need to know when they need to go in their case/get a wet sponge/break out the dehumidifier. Now I have a historical graph of temp/humidity/air quality cycles in my apartment.

I bought a "IoT" power strip because I wanted individually addressable outlets for things like lamps and monitors and centralize the interface but fuckin TPlink took away the python API access and requires an account and so it sits in its box until I can possibly reverse engineer it enough to either write my own firmware or just hotwire the relays for my own purposes.

[-] invalidusernamelol@hexbear.net 12 points 10 months ago

Could you get around that API limitation by routing control through OpenHAB or Home Assistant?

[-] Shinji_Ikari@hexbear.net 11 points 10 months ago

The only way to control it currently is via an app you need an account for so it removes any ability to be an offline device. Its within my skillset to dump the flash and try to patch it, it should be running some embedded linux firmware going by the mediatek chip in the FCC declarations.

I've just had other stuff going on and didn't feel like dealing with it after the initial disapointment. There is the possibility of regaining the python api but that still requires making a tp-link account and connecting the device to the internet period, so I'm not a fan.

[-] invalidusernamelol@hexbear.net 9 points 10 months ago

I'm sad that there aren't more "generic" devices out there that just use standard free protocols

[-] Kynuck97@hexbear.net 7 points 10 months ago

For real, so many proprietary applications that will almost certainly just lose support within the decade, rendering the device useless if it can only be used with that particular app.

[-] invalidusernamelol@hexbear.net 4 points 10 months ago

Exactly, and the apps usually suck. I'm planning on just buying a bunch of ESP32 chips and some relays and building my own out of regular powerstrips. I already have a hacky digital switch I spliced into my 3d printer power chord, can't be too hard to slap one in line with a commercial power strip.

[-] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 20 points 10 months ago

They invent demand by removing alternative designs, raise the price because it's premium, then use those devices to spy on your and sell data to create a sort of rent based model where you pay with your privacy.

I HATE SMART TVS

I HATE SMART TVS

[-] LGOrcStreetSamurai@hexbear.net 12 points 10 months ago

Great point man! I didn't even think of it to that sort of scale/perspective.

[-] GarbageShoot@hexbear.net 10 points 10 months ago

For what it's worth, it's not at all an original observation on my part, you can find it in Marx and co and in later writers like Guy Debord.

this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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