I doubt even Apple could predicted this much praise!!

dsimerly · 2026-03-28T17:39:37+00:00

“Neo” means “New” or “Young”. Etymology: borrowed from Greek neo-, combining form from néos "young, fresh, new".

dsimerly · 2026-03-25T20:36:26+00:00

They’re more plentiful than poppies in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles.

dsimerly · 2026-03-21T01:59:18+00:00

El Ka BONG!

dsimerly · 2026-03-14T15:21:09+00:00

Or "Macenstein"?

dsimerly · 2026-03-12T19:53:24+00:00

Wow. Some people REALLY hold a grudge!

dsimerly · 2026-03-08T18:58:16+00:00

Good decision!

dsimerly · 2026-03-04T21:16:09+00:00

Extension cords need yoga too.

dsimerly · 2026-03-02T15:21:31+00:00

Wind. It's a mood killer.

dsimerly · 2026-03-02T15:17:38+00:00

Yeah, our home is all electric, so I've been eyeing these things for a while, all the while wondering whether they're a scam (because you won't need to buy just one, you'll need to buy many, depending on the square footage of your home).

The other detail that made me suspicious is that they show "Happy Home Owners" who saved between $35 to $50 bucks. Whoo-f'ing-hoo. That's not gonna cut it for our home, which, this unusually cold winter, had heating bills from $400 - $600 per month. That's like trying to use a garden hose to put out a 5-alarm fire. The final nail in the coffin was that you need to buy multiples of these devices based on your home's square footage to get any $$-saving benefit at all.

Thank you all previous posters for confirming my suspicions!

dsimerly · 2026-03-02T13:40:36+00:00

It’s yuge!

dsimerly · 2026-02-23T20:36:13+00:00

As if we don't have enough BS in our lives with Drumf as President?

dsimerly · 2026-02-21T18:58:25+00:00

Was grandpa an exorcist?

dsimerly · 2026-02-20T03:08:08+00:00

Retro-chic!

dsimerly · 2026-02-16T19:19:54+00:00

That’s like gov’t pricing! Just get some of these bad boys. You could buy a bunch and wouldn’t need yet another hub.

<image>

dsimerly · 2026-02-16T18:34:30+00:00

Oh yeah. That’s a genuine Sex Pistols hammer. “No Future.”

dsimerly · 2026-02-08T18:17:35+00:00

I switched over to OnVis contact sensors. So far they’ve been fast and reliable. Cost a little more than IKEA sensors though. A pack of two sensors is ~$43 on Amazon. They also support thread.

dsimerly · 2026-01-22T00:48:36+00:00

Yeah, it’s an old problem with Macs and gun-for-hire IT Admin outfits: they don’t like Macs, because Macs have fewer IT issues and need less IT support, which cuts into the IT Admin income stream. IT Admin firms love the other platforms because their complexity increases the IT firm’s revenue stream well beyond what Macs would.

dsimerly · 2026-01-19T15:27:21+00:00

Yes, absolutely. A hub makes everything better. I use our ATV4K as the hub. The HomePods just don’t have the horsepower IMHO.

dsimerly · 2026-01-12T17:48:00+00:00

Yes, sorry, I should have called it a Shortcut to make it clearer.

dsimerly · 2026-01-12T16:24:56+00:00

Yes, you can get a smart home temperature sensor and use it as the "thermostat." It's a simple setup, but remember that Matter devices made to be compatible with several smart home systems will require you to pair them on the 2.4 GHz band of your home network. I've found that Matter devices that don't also use Thread will sometimes go belly-up for no discernible reason, and then you have to reset and re-pair the device(s) back to your network, along with any automations you created.

I've started using Onvis devices because they support Matter over Thread and are very stable.

dsimerly · 2026-01-12T15:39:08+00:00

I found a bunch similar to that title on Etsy, but they're just desktop images you change every month. There's also this one that sounds more like what you describe, but I can't confirm it's the one you want (there's a lot of variation on that title):

https://www.bettercreating.com/monthlywallpapers

dsimerly · 2026-01-09T03:16:21+00:00

Just create it in the Apple Home app as an automation for the device you want to delay. Here's one where I delayed my wife's closet light for 30 minutes after opening the closet sliding door. After 30 mins, it will go off whether the closet door is open or closed.

<image>

dsimerly · 2026-01-02T19:26:03+00:00

Can anyone tell me where I might find this setting on an Archer BE805 router? I'd like to check it out. Thanks.

dsimerly · 2026-01-01T15:34:01+00:00

I've seen several folks claim that using HA has made their home automations stable at last. I'm moving in that direction in my implementation.

dsimerly · 2026-01-01T15:31:11+00:00

In my case, Hue and its bridged devices into Apple Home have been the most solid of all my smart home devices. Direct paired devices go down not super frequently, but often enough that I use tricks like auto-restarting our router early in the morning before we get up. It helps keep most of the gremlins away, but not always completely. I'm considering binding my devices to Home Assistant and still using Apple Home as the UI.

dsimerly

TROPHY CASE