Fw: [misterhouse-users] Bizarre Behaviour

["Stuart Grimshaw" <stubby@xxxxxxx>]

I got this from another HA list I subscribe too...


The (Future) Diary of a Mad Digital Homeowner
TechnocopiaT, www.technocopia.com
August 8, 1999

November 28, 200?: Moved in to my new digitally-maxed-out Hermosa Beach
house at last. Finally, we live in the smartest house in the neighborhood!
Everything's networked. The cable TV is connected to our phone, which is
connected to my personal computer, which is connected to the power lines,
all the appliances and the security system. Everything runs off a universal
remote with the friendliest interface I've ever used. Programming is a
snap.
I'm like, totally wired.

Nov 30: Hot Stuff! Programmed my VCR from the office, turned up the
thermostat and switched on the lights with the car phone, remotely tweaked
the oven a few degrees for my pizza. Everything nice and cozy when I
arrived. Maybe I should get the universal remote surgically attached.

Dec 1: Had to call the installers today about bandwidth problems. The TV
drops to about 2 frames/second when I'm talking on the phone. They insist
it's a problem with the cable company's compression algorithms. How do they
expect me to order things from the Home Shopping Channel?

Dec 8: Got my first cable invoice today and was unpleasantly surprised. I
suspect the cleaning woman is reading Usenet messages from the washing
machine interface when I'm not around. She must be downloading one hell of
a
lot of GIFs from the binary groups, because packet charges are through the
roof.

Dec 3: Today, the kitchen CRASHED. As I opened the refrigerator door, the
light bulb blew. Immediately, everything else electrical in the room shut
down -- lights, microwave, coffee maker -- everything. Carefully unplugged
and replugged all the appliances. Nothing.

Called the cable company (but not from the kitchen phone). They referred me
to my utility company. The utility insisted that the problem was in the
software. The software company ran some remote telediagnostics via my house
processor. Their expert system claimed it had to be the utility's fault. I
don't care, I just want my kitchen back.

Turned out the problem was "unanticipated failure mode": the
network had
never seen a refrigerator bulb failure while the door was open. So the
fuzzy
logic interpreted the burnout as a power surge and shut down the entire
kitchen. But because sensor memory confirmed that there hadn't actually
been
a power surge, the kitchen logic sequence was confused and it couldn't do a
standard restart. The utility guy swears this was the first time this has
ever happened. Rebooting the kitchen took over an hour.

Dec 7: The police are not happy. Our house keeps calling them for help. We
discover that whenever we play the TV or stereo above 25 decibels, it
creates patterns of micro-vibrations that get amplified when they hit the
window. When these vibrations mix with a gust of wind, the security sensors
are actuated, and the police computer concludes that someone is trying to
break in. Go figure.

Another glitch: Whenever the basement is in self-diagnostic mode, the
universal remote won't let me change the channels on my TV. That means I
actually have to get up off the couch and change the channels by hand. The
software and the utility people say this flaw will be fixed in the next
upgrade...

Finally, I'm starting to suspect that the microwave is secretly tuning into
the cable system to watch Bay Watch. The unit is completely inoperable
during that same hour. I guess I can live with that. At least the blender
is
not tuning in to old I Love Lucy episodes.

Dec 9: I just bought the new Microsoft Home. Took 93 gigabytes of storage,
but it will be worth it, I think. The house should be much easier to use
and
should really do everything. I had to sign a second mortgage over to
Microsoft, but I don't mind: I don't really own my house now--it's really
the bank. Let them deal with Microsoft.

Dec 10: I'm beginning to have doubts about the Microsoft product. I keep
getting an hour glass symbol showing up when I want to run the dishwasher.

Dec 12: This is a nightmare. There's a virus in the house. My personal
computer caught it while browsing (without my permission) on the public
access network. I came home and the living room was a sauna, the bedroom
windows were covered with ice, the refrigerator had defrosted, the washing
machine had flooded the basement, the garage door was cycling up and down,
and the TV was stuck on the Home Shopping Channel. Throughout the house,
lights were flickering like stroboscopes until they explode from the
strain.
Broken glass everywhere. Of course, the security sensors detected nothing.

I checked my personal computer and found this message throbbing at me on
the
screen: "Welcome to HomeWrecker!!! NOW THE FUN BEGINS... (Be it ever
so
humble, there's no virus like the HomeWrecker...)."

Dec 18: They think they've disinfected the house, but the place is a
shambles. Pipes have burst and we're not completely sure we've got the part
of the virus that attacks toilets. Nevertheless, the Exorcists (as the
anti-virus SWAT team members like to call themselves) are confident the
worst is over. "HomeWrecker is pretty bad," one tells me,
"But consider
yourself lucky you didn't get PolterGeist. That one is really evil."

Dec 19: Apparently, our house isn't insured for viruses. "Fires and
mudslides, yes," says the claims adjuster. "Viruses, no." My
agreement with
the installers explicitly states that all claims and warranties are null
and
void if any appliance or computer in my house connects in any way, shape or
form with a non-certified on-line service. Everybody's very, very, sorry,
but they can't be expected to anticipate every virus that might be created.

We call our lawyer. He laughs. He's excited!


===== Original Message from Bob Kressley
<misterhouse-users@xxxxxxx> at 1/27/00 12:09 am
>Has anyone ever had an X10 system go berserk?
>
>I ask this because all of sudden, all of my units (on multiple house
codes)
>just started turning on and off. Other than a few macro's downloaded
into
>the Activehome interface, nothing was running.
>
>It was completely self standing, no MisterHouse, etc.
>
>I have two of the rf unit, but they are on different codes. I also have
a
>x10 bridge unit to past over the two legs and isolate the house from
the
>public lines.
>
>I pulled the rf units and the Activehome unit and it stopped. Plugged
them
>back in and all seems fine.
>
>Could the RF be taken over by some other transmitter? what are the
>frequencies? No one was within 200 feet that I could see, but it's dark
<g>
>
>
>Bob Kressley
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>List options: http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=1365



------ Jerry Shenk, Master CNE ------
D&E Computer Networking Services
(717) 569-5800, http://www.dect.com/jas
Snail Mail: 248 Granite Run Drive * Lancaster, PA 17601
Internet E-mail: jas@xxxxxxx
Alternate E-mail: jshenk@xxxxxxx
Office Fax (don't fax me here): (717) 560-1682
Personal Fax via www.efax.com: (603) 250-1453


_______________________________________________
List options: http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=1365




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