What is SmartThings?

SmartThings is like a gateway drug of home automation. Let me warn you now! Once you get a taste of what you can do, you will be hooked and will crave more.

In order to use SmartThings in you home you will need to purchase the SmartThings Hub; this is the brain of the system and of your home. Most people will buy a starter kit that includes the hub along with some other goodies that you will be able to use with it, this is the most cost effective way to purchase the products. 

A hub currently costs $99 USD and shipping to the USA is free, if you are in Canada like me then shipping is just $15 for as many items in your order. 

I should also note that SmartThings is currently only available in the USA & Canada.

Your SmartThings devices will all connect and communicate with the hub as well as other home automation products made by other companies. You can also expect that the list of smart appliances will be growing quite rapidly now that SmartThings was bought out by consumer electronics giant Samsung for an estimated $200,000,000.00  in August 2014.

I bought the Smart Home Starter Kit for $199.00 which came with the following:

• [1] SmartThings Hub
• [1] SmartSense Motion Sensor
• [1] SmartSense Open/Closed Sensor
• [1] SmartSense Presence Sensor

Additionally I also bought:

• [2] SmartPower Outlet @ $105.00 (normally $55.00 each)

I did not think much of it at the time. However, I am very happy that I purchased the 2 additional SmartPower outlets, because without them I would have felt that this kit fell kinda flat as the items that come with it are all trigger devices, meaning that the detect movement or presence but they cannot perform an action, such as turn on or off a light.

With the items listed above, you have the ability to set up programing like:

• Turn a light on when I arrive home
• Turn a light of when I leave home
• Turn on your coffee pot at sunrise
• If no motion is detected, turn off light/switch
• If motion is detected turn on light/switch
• Send alert to phone if door/window is left open
• Control your lights/switches from the other side of the world.

I could go on & on about what you can do with theses few items and that list only grown once you add IFTTT to the equation.

In future posts I will go into specifics about what programming I have set up but hopefully this should give you a basic understanding of SmartThings and what it gives you the power to do.

If you are considering buying SmartThings and you would like to save 10% of any order containing a Hub or Kit, while also supporting this blog. Please use this link: http://fbuy.me/bmxam 

What is IFTTT?

IFTTT (pronounced gift without the G) is an app/website that allows you to automatically perform predetermined tasks based on an event trigger.

The name is an acronym for IF THIS THEN THAT which explains exactly what it does.
Are you confused? Let's look at some examples of what it can do, in particular what it does for me.

IF space.com posts the image of the day THEN change my phone background to THAT.

IFTTT has a simple interface that is very user friendly. You can browse through thousands of user and company created recipes (a set of instructions that run an automation) or write one yourself.

IFTTT currently has 136 connected channels; websites and apps that it works with, and that number is constantly growing, especially as it has become so popular, more and more companies are embracing it.  

IFTTT has become an integral part of my home automation giving me the ability to connect my phone to my home and vice versa.  

Driverless cars

I am amazed that so little people know that since 2010 Google has had a fleet of autonomous vehicles that they have been testing. However, I am sure that in just a few short years it will be common knowledge. As of August 2012 the fleet has driven more the 480,000 kms (300,000 Miles) autonomously accident-free.

In August 2011, while being human-controlled Google's driverless car was involved in the project's first crash near the Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA. A second incident involved a Google driverless car being rear-ended while stopped at a stoplight.

This first video shows the specially modified Toyota Prius in action.

Three states in the USA have now passed laws to allow driverless vehicles on their roads. However, a person must be sitting in the drivers seat in the event that manual driving is required. On March 1, 2012 Nevada was the first to pass the law in a move to try and encourage new business growth through the testing of this new technology. Florida was next in line and most recently Google’s home state of California. The next state preparing to pass a similar law is DC.

In this next video you get a more detailed look at the systems and mechanics that operate behind the scenes while the car is in motion.

It is predicted that by 2040, 75% of vehicles on the road in the USA will be autonomous. So tell me, "Would you buy one?" Leave your comments or creative responses below.

Goodbye 2011 & Hello Broken TV

2011 is nearly over and I have officially watched more YouTube then I have TV,  I have seen different trends rise and fall, seen more footage from space then I care to reveal and I have seen some pretty bad videos become very popular. I have also recommended a lot of videos on this blog that have gone on to become viral hits with the proof being this next video 'YouTube Rewind 2011'.

Before we get to the video, I would like to thank all my readers for there support and comments over the last year, it is nice to know that you appreciate my recommendations. It has also come to my attention that my mailing list that alerts people when I have a new recommendation has been ending up more and more in peoples spam filters. So in an effort to combat that I have set up a Facebook fan page. If you 'Like' the Facebook page, you will get a notification in your news feed whenever I recommend a new video.

Now onto the video. This video is released by YouTube and it takes a look back at the videos that made it big in 2011, with the host being none other then Rebecca Black.



So how many of those videos did you remember? If you kept up with my blog I already know your answer.

As this is probably going to be the last post until the new year I would like to leave you with a short video that i'm sure will explain how we end up with a lot of broken Christmas presents. The sad part about this video is the guy was home with the door wide open, all the delivery guy had to do was ring the bell on the gate.



Here are some facts about YouTube (and more reasons why it is good to get recommendations).

• 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute, resulting in nearly 8 years of content uploaded every day
• Over 3 billion videos are viewed a day
• Users upload the equivalent of 240,000 full-length films every week
• More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the 3 major US networks created in 60 years
• 70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US
• YouTube is localized in 25 countries across 43 languages
• YouTube's demographic is broad: 18-54 years old
• YouTube reached over 700 billion playbacks in 2010
• 800M unique users visit YouTube each month

Facebook Fan Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Terrence-Recommends/101531713262193

Leave your comments or creative responses below.

Simon's Cat

Christmas is nearly upon us and for those of us that have cats it means that the is a lot more for them to play with, including Christmas decorations, presents, wrapping paper and of course the Christmas tree; My little kittens, Boots & Boxie have surprisingly behaved them self, except for claiming Rudolf's nose as there new play toy.

Today I would like to introduce to you Simon's Cat; A simple cartoon series that any cat owner/lover can relate to. Simon’s Cat is a charming, yet mischievous cat that lives with Simon.

The series is hand-animated by an english man named Simon Tofield, who gains inspiration for his cartoons series from his four cats. Hugh, Maisy, Jess & Teddy. 

Simon's Cat made his first appearance in a short film called Cat Man Do. He has since appeared in his own books, Game, iPhone app and Comic strip. 

I encourage you to subscribe to the Simon's Cat YouTube channel, so that you can be alerted when a new video is released or to check out the official Simon's Cat webpage.

Keeping with the season, this next video address the issue of cats and their love of Christmas trees. Enjoy the video and have a very happy Christmas.

   

So tell me, "What have your cats got up to this Christmas?". Leave your comments or creative responses below.