A Lot Going On:

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this blog. It isn’t just that I’ve ignored it, I have, but it’s also because I’ve had other pressing issues on my mind. I’m not one to turn to social media for opinions about what I consider to be personal issues. I’m used to keeping very exclusive counsel, which tends to be none other than myself. 

So, though I’m still dealing with my private issues, I’ve found enough mental capacity to talk about stuff I can air publicly. And I’ve got a lot to talk about.

First and foremost, after a year of waiting, I’m finally in my new house! I’ve been in it about a month now, and I’ve got a lot to do. But here it is.

It’s nothing grand, just a small 3-bedroom, 2-bath home that’s a tad under 1500 square feet. Perfect size for a guy looking to keep life simple. 

The problem with moving into a new house (or any house that’s new to you) is that you have to somehow make that space your own. That’s what I’m up against. I gotta figure out what furniture to buy, what colors to paint the walls, what bed and mattress to get, and on and on. Of course, me being me, I want my new house to have some smarts, but I don’t want my private life a hackable password away from being on the Internet. So, I have to pay closer attention to the smart devices I intend to put in my house.

Giving My House Some Brains:

Today’s builders, in an attempt to offer buyers “smart home” options, really don’t give buyers much choice. At least that’s true for us on the cheaper end of the buying spectrum. That tends to mean that the devices they offer aren’t privacy-oriented. For instance, my supposedly smart thermostat from Honeywell will only function in a smart way if I connect it to the Internet and create an account on some server. I can do things manually, of course, and that’s how I’ve set it up, but the damned thing keeps popping up an alert screen begging me to connect it to the Internet and an account so that I may enjoy the benefits of controlling the temperature in my house while I’m not in it. 

Again, I’m all about a smart home, but why do I have to create an account for every device I install? My garage door opener wants an account, my doorbell wants an account. Heck, even stuff that’s not smart begs me to create an account so that I can activate my 60-day warranty. As you may well have guessed by now, all of these accounts are just ways for these companies to gather information about you and your buying habits. It’s not like I have anything worth hiding, and I’m not a conspiracy theorist who believes some dark and nefarious entity is using my data to mind-control me into buying more Chinese-made stuff. (I don’t need mind control, I just need a free afternoon, my Amazon account, and a credit card.) It’s just that it’s MY data, my privacy. It’s not something I want to just throw around the web and hope no bad player takes notice of it. 

So, to minimize my exposure as much as possible, I minimize the number of accounts I create and I use Apple products. 

Before you Android and Windows fanboys start yelling, let me say that, while Apple products can and do fall prey to hacking and other such nefarious activities, it’s been shown time and again that Apple’s focus on security and privacy exceeds what is available on Windows and Android systems. 

The problem, however, is that, because Windows and Android systems try to put gee-whiz technology in the hands of the general public quickly while being less concerned about privacy (see Alexa’s ability to do far more than what the current implementation of Apple’s Siri can do, but also note that Siri tries to keep your requests and data local and in your control), there are more smart devices available for those systems than for Apple’s HomeKit smart system. Luckily, that’s changing.

A new standard for smart systems, called MATTER, looks to unify smart systems and the devices they support. Apple has wisely started supporting the MATTER standard. Now, instead of having to download an app and create an account to install and set up a smart device, you simply scan a QR code on the MATTER-compatible device. HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, or other smart systems that support MATTER will recognize the device and integrate it into your system automagically. You can then interact with that system to set up the device’s features and functions. Truth is, currently some features and functions are only accessible through the device-exclusive apps, but that’s changing as the MATTER standard evolves.

For example, smart camera doorbells offer advanced features like face recognition, activity zone alerts, and more. Those advanced features that are currently not accessible through HomeKit, Google Home, or Alexa, which only offer access to basic functions, like an alert when someone rings the doorbell. If you want to use the more advanced features, then you must download the device’s app and create an account. As I’ve said, MATTER fixes that, or will fix it. The MATTER standard for camera doorbells will be in the next release. With all of the more advanced features, it is a bit harder to work up a standard for more complicated smart equipment.

Anyway, it’s happening.

BTW: Reach out if you’re thinking about giving your house some brains. I may have a few suggestions for you that might help make that move easier.

Projects, Projects, More Projects:

Back to my new house.

Another task one must complete to make a house a home is to decorate. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no good at decorating. The décor in my last house might be called ‘Modern Man-Cave’. I painted the walls colors that I liked and put in furniture that appealed to me. The place was clean, spartan, yet comfortable, at least to me it was. And I guess that’s what’s important. Now, however, I want a bit more than clean and comfortable. 

If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, then you may remember me talking about following the Mid-Century Modern design ethic, and while I was tucked away in that tiny apartment waiting for this house to be built, I bought a few items that I thought would work well once I moved into my newly completed house. 

It turns out that the pieces I bought, a credenza and two chairs, do indeed follow the Mid-Century Modern design, but the chairs are a bit too big for the space they were intended for. Even so, it’s starting to come together, albeit slowly. That’s okay; I’m in no rush.

Since moving in, I’ve bought a nice dark brown leather couch, a small black coffee table, and a cool, small, black swivel chair. I had only bought one chair because I wasn’t sure I’d like it. Now that it’s here and definitely fits the space, I want to buy another, but the price has increased by about $200. I suppose I have the current administration’s tariff policy to thank for that. Now I need to wait to see if it will ever go on sale. 

Every day I try to check an item off the very long list of things I need to do. One project I recently completed turned out great. 

At 14 feet by 16 feet, the large bedroom is easily the largest room in the house. With a nice-sized walk-in closet and a large bathroom with a large bathtub, tiled shower, and a closeted toilet, the bedroom is more like a suite. 

I wanted to do something interesting for this bedroom, to elevate it to a sanctuary yet remain in keeping with my minimalist Mid-Century Modern ideology. While browsing design articles and sites, I saw a dining room that had a floral mural on one of its walls. The wallpaper mural set the tone for the whole room, and that gave me the idea to try to find something like it that might work in my bedroom. It took a while, but I settled on a foggy early morning forest scene. It took me, and it took a friend, and me an afternoon to put it up. I’m quite happy with the results.

Now I’ve got to paint the other walls, put up window treatment, find a suitable area rug, set up the bed, and so on. It may never be completely finished, but it has a great start. Once I get the room further along, I’ll post more photos.

More on my new house adventures in a bit.

Stay tuned.

Vern