Smart House?

Imagine, if you will, sitting in your house. You feel a slight chill. It sure would be nice to turn the heat up a bit, but you are in the best part of the movie you are watching. Who would want to get up and leave for something as unimportant as turning up the heat? Certainly not me. Luckily, for all of you lazy folks out there, there is a new technology coming on the horizon. The cell phone company Nokia, is making the ability to "call" your heater, or various other household appliances, so you can control them via cell phone.

Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? The device is called the Nokia Home Control Center. The device is a wireless router that hooks up with other equipment around the house, to create a house controlled by a device wired to the router. It's pretty simple really. A phone is connected to a box which has different appliances connected to it. All you have to do is communicate with the box, and you can control your house. Now, you can control your house with the simple touch of a button, and never have to get up. Currently, the device is only wired for heating, but soon enough, security cameras, and other appliances will be linked to the device. The system has 6GB of storage, more than enough needed for segments of a security video.

Now, it's cool that the device will do things when it is told, but what about Artificial Intelligence? The device is working on the ability to decide things on its own. Say you go on a vacation over the winter. You leave when it is 50 degrees, but when you come back, its -6 degrees. Normally this is devastating for the pipes in the house because they can crack and freeze. What if the house recognized the outdoor temperature, and was able to heat the house, to prevent freezing? Pretty sweet, isn't it?

Many scientists are predicting that more devices will soon come onto the market to be able to "talk" to you. Imagine wanting to make a cup of tea, and suddenly, its already being made. To me, it sounds pretty good. This device is supposed to hit stores in late 2009.

Personally, I think this is quite a cool idea, but it still makes me a little worried. Has anyone seen the Simpson's Episode where the house had A.I. and it took over and started killing the family? I realize it's just a cartoon, but what if the house somehow got the ability to take over? I think it's something that we need to keep in mind. I don't especially want to die, especially at the hands of a refrigerator. What does everyone else think? Is this idea cool? Or does it warrant some apprehension. Keep in mind, though, that I was kidding about the whole "your house is going to kill you" thing. Or was I...?