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Comment by bennyg | Hacker News Reader

Now if a ton more hardware manufacturers would start designing around automation - like a washing machine that automatically started drying your clothes next, and an app that could see how dry they are and ask if you want to keep going, etc.

Or an oven I could preheat from my couch.

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There are already washing machines that dry clothes - they are common in the UK. There are also dryers that sense moisture - they are common in the USA.

I wish more combined washer/dryer models were imported into the US. Here the only combos seem to be geared towards small living spaces or RVs. I'd love to throw a load of wash into a machine, and have it come out washed and dry.

I've used two different washer dryer combos.

Never again. It's terrible at both tasks, is ridiculously slow and never dries things completely

There is a reason the inside of washers and dryers look different

Sometimes you don't want to shrink your clothes and are looking for like 4% moisture left or something. There are tons of options left for more granular washing/drying of clothes that haven't been explored yet.

Our dryer, which wasn't very expensive, has loads of options - including to what level of dryness you want clothes done to - there are about 10 levels all the way from "completely dry" to "still a bit damp" (not the terms used).

yes but does it notify twitter??

Sadly not, but if it stops working, it will sing to your phone to tell it what is wrong: http://www.lg.com/us/support/answers/washers2012/smartdiagno...

I tried to use fldigi to decode this - sadly wasn't able to.

Our washing machine has the same functionality, but mostly my wife just likes that it sings to us when it finishes its dishes.

Turn my lights on and off or start a fan would be great.

You can even buy locks that will unlock with bluetooth but that makes me paranoid.

http://www.amazon.com/Kwikset-925-Cylinder-Bluetooth-Deadbol...

> You can even buy locks that will unlock with bluetooth but that makes me paranoid.

Honestly, locks are so easy to pick that something with Bluetooth would probably be much more secure. A lock stops people from randomly walking into your house but anyone who actually cared about getting in would have no trouble.

Every software developer in the world should read Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language, and learn the relevance of the appearance of security versus actual security. A lock is only as strong as its context. Better lock? Did you upgrade the door frame as well?

> Did you upgrade the door frame as well?

And the windows?

I strongly second _A Pattern Language_. It's significantly augmented my sense of what in a living space works and what doesn't.

If you liked A Pattern Language, I also recommend How Buildings Learn, by Stewart Brand. I read both of those books during a few months of unemployment suffered in the old dotcom crash of 2001, and they completely changed my way of thinking about software. I recommend them to all programmers.

or just get yourself an android butler...

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