"It could have been worse," one owner incredibly concluded.

Perhaps the best part of this anecdote was Swenson’s incredulous conclusion that the situation “could have been worse.” But he’s right that it was nice of the hacker to let him know his vacuum was hacked instead of spying on him indefinitely.

The most common issue people have with so-called “smart” home devices is that they often require a software subscription to access core functionality, and if the manufacturer goes under or stops supporting the device, it simply becomes a paperweight.

  • TomBombadil [he/him, she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    6·
    1 month ago

    Seriously. I barely get the point of an vacuum bot even not connected to iot. Probably helpful if you are mobility impaired or possibly like hyper busy parent? But outside of specific use cases ya vacuuming ain’t hard.

    But seriously don’t hook it to the net

    • GalaxyBrain [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
      6·
      1 month ago

      I’m a bit of a weirdo about digital stuff to a certain extent. I believe there’s a value in tangibility and friction. I don’t want s robot to clean my house cause it’s my house(not really it’s my rented apartment but if anything this makes me feel stronger about my point) and it’d my mess, cleaning it myself gives me a sense of ownership of both. Cleaning my own apartment is my responsibility and I reap it’s rewards by having a nicer space to be in. That’s the kind of labor joy can be found in, those are moments of genuine experience even if they suck at the time at least the reward feels rewarding and proportional to the task. I’d hate to let a robot take it away from me even if it is a chore. It’s MY chore. Let the roombas sweep up my work instead. It’s not a glamorous or pleasant part of life but it is part of living to do your own maintenance. Hold on to any unalienated labor you can afford to

      • TomBombadil [he/him, she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        4·
        1 month ago

        Totally. It’s not like I like doing dishes exactly but damn if I don’t feel excellent standing in my clean kitchen. Way bigger feeling of accomplishment than I get at work. I’ve accomplished something with a clean kitchen and I’ll accomplish more worth what labor when I dirty it up again by cooking.

        It’s the a reason that I’m always weirded out by rich types with servants doing the most basic tasks. Like I don’t feel comfortable having someone clean my house for me… And a personal chef?? Couldn’t be me