@pixelate@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@quanin@mcourcel The problem PDFs still solve, that no other file format is even trying to do, is that it makes it obvious (if you know where and how to look) if a PDF file was modified after generation. That's why they get used for contracts.
@pixelate@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@quanin@mcourcel The obvious solution is just put every file on the blockchain and then something something cryptography hash mining something something distributed something something free market Yay! Success!
@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel Yes, I know. This need to connect everything to the internet is going to kill us before anything else does. I mean, what's next? You can't open your fridge unless you can pass Face ID on your phone? Don't even get me started on why my fridge needs internet access anyway. Every appliance I own is dumb and it'll stay that way where possible.
@quanin@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel Samsung is putting ads on there $3,000 smart fridges. So yes. But sadly, if you want accessibility, you don't really get that choice. Thermostats with just a couple buttons are pretty much gone, for example. It's a touch screen now, and that means an app for us.
@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel And you have no idea how much that pisses me off. Same with the people (and yes, I've heard blind people say this) who say "well just connect it to your Alexa and it'll be accessible". No, that's not accessible. That's lazy. And I'm not buying a fucking Alexa.
@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel I have none of those, and absolutely 0 appliances that require them. Yes, I'm aware that won't be a permanent thing and yes it annoys me no end. I mean look. I get the convenience, ish, though I fail to see why I need the ability to adjust the temperature of my house in Ottawa from Toronto. But I just woke up to no internet this morning for about 2 hours. That already delayed me doing a thing that gets me paid. If it also delay me doing a thing that gets me coffee I will slap someone.
@quanin@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel I did my lights because it saves me money. As a blindy I keep forgetting to turn them off. So smart switches and home automation ended up being a savings. Similarly, when I'm away, I set the temperature to be different than I'm at home. I couldn't really do that with an inaccessible thermostat, and again, it saves me a few bucks. My smart doorbell lowers my home insurance, so again, savings. The oven and laundry and dishwasher and instantpot being connected didn't save me anything, but they're the only way to get access to the touch screens. So yeah, I live in a smart home these days.
@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel I'm the only person in my apartment 90% of the time, so the lights are almost never on. Not that it would save me any money, as I don't pay for heat/electricity here - that's included in the rent. I prefer a lower temperature when I'm home so I can just set my dumb thermostat to where I want it and forget it. It also prevents my pipes from being frozen. I don't own an Instapot because I have no reason to, my intercom calls me, and even if I wanted a doorbell/camera it'd violate my lease so that's out. I dread the day I need to replace my microwave for exactly this reason, because I also dislike being attached to my phone.
@quanin@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel I get both sides here. I think once I'll have an actual home/apartment, not just my little room I'll do the Home Assistant aproach. Yes, it's still relying on internet and phone, but I also see the useful sides, even when it might just be lazyness. Say you forgot to turn the light off, you can just do it from away, same for temparature or anything. The advantages have already been named. But I also don't want my stuff to be forced into one eco system/company whatever.
@jonathan859@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel I mean, that's the thing right there. There should always be at least two ways to do a thing. Like, there are reports of smart locks that have failed closed when the power goes out, and people have had to call the manufacturer from outside their homes or they don't get in. Like, did we forget house keys exist?
@quanin@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@jonathan859@mcourcel Yup. I went with switchbot for that exact reason. You don't even replace the key, so you get to use your current housekeys. And they use NFC to unlock, so they're smart devices, but no actual internet connection is required.
@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@jonathan859@mcourcel See, those make sense and are something I'd use if I were in a place I could use them. But again, these are things that society wants us to connect to a homepod or an Alexa or something so you can unlock your front door from your bathroom or some shit. Like... why?
@quanin@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@jonathan859@mcourcel I will give you a perfect example. this is one I just thought of, not that it is happened, but hear me out. your room mate works, you usually let them in when they get home, oh sure you could make them dig out there keys, and just do it themself, but you feel like being nice. well ah shit! you are stuck on the shitter when they get home. if you could tell alexa, or google to unlock the door for them, that would be a perfectly good example. also what if they forgot there keys? yet again, another good example. so I can see things where it can come in handy, but unlike a lot of people I do my best not to rely on it, meaning if it goes down, don't have a melt down, just do it the old fation way. smile. you can have those things, and they are nice to have, but just know how to do things, and don't panic when things shit the bed.
@JamminJerry@quanin@fastfinge@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@pixelate@mcourcel Simple solution, I don't feel like I' m nice. jk, but seriously though, I don't need Alexa or similar for that. They can just wait, if they've forgot their keys. Or rather, they must. Yeah it would be useful to let someone in while you're away in person, though then I'd want a doorbell to check wether the person in front of my door is actually the one I want in my house.
@jonathan859@dhamlinmusic@lynessence@JamminJerry@pixelate@quanin@mcourcel When I'm away, I give the catsitter an NFC card that will unlock the door. Then I can revoke it when I get back. Doesn't matter if they copied the NFC card, or forgot to give it back to me or whatever. That code doesn't work anymore. Whereas getting a locksmith to duplicate a key is easy and cheap.
