The Lay Technologist ™

Smart Home is a misnomer. At best, saying that it is “smart,” suggests that it’s somehow intrinsically-advanced, which is far from the truth. Until we can 3-D print homes within a few weeks or use advanced materials for walls, we’re still fundamentally building using centuries old methods. Alternatively, calling “smart” can also imply that it has somehow “graduated” and reached an endpoint. Given the continuously-evolving ecosystem of devices, network hubs, and platforms, this would also be untrue. Thus, we are left with the “Learning” Home. A home that continues to evolve and improve as software advances and hardware is added. And that’s also where this tech journey starts.   Homes Weren’t Born Smart On the heels of first-time home-ownership, savings drained, and at the peak of Nest -frenzy, I was eager to make our new place not just our own on paper, but also in function. Fresh paint? Check. Adventurous accent walls? Check. Self-learning Nest thermostat?–...