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Joined 11 months ago
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Cake day: January 29th, 2025

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  • For sure. IKEA is a great place to start (or stay), as it’s a cheap ecosystem and their app/implementation doesnt require permanent internet access - functions fine during an internet outrage, and quite privacy-respecting.

    HomeAssistant is not anywhere near as hard to set up as it used to be. If you have an old mini-PC retired from work sitting around there are HA images for PCs now, and it’s pretty simple to set up to use your IKEA hub (or whatever you have already), while adding a huge swath of optional features.

    I agree it’s still not something your average Joe will set up, but the continual lowering of barriers will get more people into running a self-hosted local config is a great thing for privacy and expanding the hobby.


  • There’s an xkcd for everything, isn’t there.

    Its not wrong, but the major attraction to Matter is it must allow devices to operate locally (not tying them to cloud services that die every internet outrage, or permanently when the service retires), and it’s an application-layer protocol. Meaning it can operate over WiFi, Ethernet, or Thread.

    Many existing smart home hubs have been able to program support for Matter and simply send out an OTA update to add certified Matter support.


  • The real issue with smart home adoption has been proprietary formats all vying for dominance and fragmenting the market. I don’t think AI has changed much.

    Matter (and Thread) are a huge change to the SmartHome landscape because they’re open protocols and have well-documented standards - and they’ve finally begun appearing in big manufacturer’s line-ups such as IKEA.

    Once their availability spreads I suspect a lot more people will get into running their own local (eg HomeAssistant) smart home because they won’t have to do the ‘ok do I need z-wave or ZigBee or HomeKit or IFTTT or Hue or Tuya or… you know what, fuck this’. It’ll all be the same protocol and communications and config & debug will be much easier.




  • So many commenters have short as fuck memories.

    Biden administration never could have done it because it requires Congress to accept nominations and confirm them - the process is not controlled by the president, only initiated.

    The senate was 48-50 split between Dems and Reps but with two independents generally caucusing/voting with Dems (Bernie and King) taking it to 50-50. However, two of those Democrats were Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin - who both commonly voted against the Democrats legislation and acted as key swing votes for their own benefit.

    There is absolutely no way Biden could have convinced them to expand the court, Joe Manchin voted to confirm Brett Kavanagh for fucks sake - voting against his own party to side with the Republicans and allow a serial rapist into the supreme court.


  • I don’t like Newsom (and am not from the USA), but the context of this Tweet is very clearly a response to Trump and an attack on his behaviour (especially of late), re: insulting/mocking Rob Reiner’s death. His office/PR has regularly used Ronald Reagan’s quotes (as the former hero of the Republicans) to point out how completely embarrassing and perverse Trump’s presidency is to their former ‘ethics’ and values, and to ignore that context as tacit approval for Reagan is disingenuous.

    This article (from a UK publisher) is really clutching at straws.

    Having said all that, personally I think AOC or Bernie would be 100 times better candidates. Original Tweet below.

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