Sierra Kilo

Here’s what went down last night:

Laura:
what are you doing?

Steven:
reading

Laura:
where?

Steven:
oklahoma

Laura:
i mean, upstairs or downstairs, [smartypants]!

Steven:
down

Laura:
ahh
ok
are you watching tv too?

Steven:
yes

Laura:
ok
i want to watch the office but it recorded down there

Steven:
that’s fine…i’m not really paying attention to it

Laura:
ok
you should update your status

I don’t see anything wrong with communicating via IM. I sometimes chat with coworkers in the next cube over IM (usually because we both have headphones on). I just though it was funny that my wife didn’t just come downstairs to see what I was up to and relies on my Twitter status. Not sure if that reflects badly on her, on me, or on us both

In a related topic, I’m starting to get back into my home automation hobby. I’m hoping that Apple will update the Mac Mini soon (hopefully at MacWorld in January). When they do, here’s what I’d like to do:

• Install Indigo to handle some Insteon components
• Driveway lights
• Front Door lights
• Entry (or Kitchen) light
• Door sensors (later – Front, back, patio, garage)
• Roaming lamp modules (later – for Christmas lights and other stuff)
• Set up some rules for Adium Instant Messenger
• If IM is from trusted source, parse message and execute commands (turn on/off lights, return status, etc)
• If IM is from trusted source and contains a Torrent link, begin downloading (for movies, TV shows, etc)
• Set up webcam to either take snapshots every few seconds or stream live video of downstairs
• Create a mobile-friendly website to view home status (secure, of course)
• View webcam shots/video
• Display light status
• Display current download status
• Display router status
• Display family status (Twitter/Facebook/etc)
• Display family calendar
• Upload/Browse/Download files (web-based FTP?)
• View/Edit a Wiki (I love my slightly-modified version of W2)
• Set up Plex/XBMC/Boxee media server
• Integrate with Indigo
• Integrate with Hulu
• Integrate with Netflix (queue and streaming)
• Integrate with Google Reader
• Integrate with Adium (I wonder if that’s possible with some simple AppleScripts?)

So, it’s a pretty ambitious project, but I’ve been trying to merge all of this stuff for a while now with different projects and levels of success. I think Mac is a good solution. I only wish .Net was fully compatible with Mac (the IDE and the runtime…yes, I know about Mono, but it’s not a very user-friendly setup) so that I could use and build on what I already know (ASP.net/C#) instead of using what little I know of PHP or having to learn Objective-C. Buffing my HTML/CSS/JavaScript skills will carry over to my professional life, though, so it’s not all bad. Now, if I can only get Laura to use a shared calendar for family stuff that can sync with our phones…