Memo on the Concept of Smart Homes on July 7, 2023

On July 7, 2023, I came across some interesting thoughts about the concept of Smart Home. According to a tweet by takalog_, a smart home is about automating the effort of controlling our environment, which can be seen as an extension of ourselves. For example, the air conditioning can be linked to our smartphone's GPS, so it turns on automatically when we approach our home. Similarly, the cleaning can be taken care of by a Roomba when we are away.

In another tweet by takalog_, the concept of "Digital Nature" is mentioned. It refers to the idea of avoiding situations where the Roomba finds it difficult to clean certain rooms. This highlights the importance of considering the limitations and challenges that arise in the context of a smart home.

Contrary to popular belief, a smart home is not just about controlling everything from a smartphone. As takalog_ points out, it is more important to eliminate the concept of screens and buttons, and focus on seamless integration and automation. For instance, switching to the "Focus Mode" on iOS when opening the Kindle app or connecting to WeWork's Wi-Fi.

These discussions reminded me of a book that explores the connection between nihilism and technology, citing philosophers such as Nietzsche and Heidegger. It seems that the topics mentioned in the tweets align with the themes discussed in that book. If you're interested, you can find the book here: . It raises the question of whether these ideas can be categorized as Nihilism.