Re: fingerprint door looks

[Larry Moss <moss@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 2011-04-29, Josepi <J.R.M> wrote:
> LOL You're a control freak!

Not at all. Well, not too much. Well, maybe a little. :-)

Actually, the kids are just young. I want to give them a little more
freedom, or the illusion of freedom so they can learn to be more
independent. My hope is that in a few years when the first one reaches
high school, he'll know enough and I'll trust that's he's learned enough
that I really don't have to follow him or know everything he's doing. But
I want to give even the youngest one the feeling that it's her house too.
She can unlock the door to get inside (even if we all just got out of the
car together).

The situation I was referring to before though, was one where I'm leaving
work late because I lost track of time, get stuck in traffic on the way to
get home before the school bus and I miss the bus by two minutes. If the
kids can't get into the house, the driver can't drop them off. The bus
doesn't come at a consistent time every day, so I don't actually know if
I've missed the bus when I get back. So far I've never actually missed the
bus, but it's been close. And if there's a babysitter involved, it is sort
of nice to know when they get home. I'm not too much of a control freak. I
won't use a nanny cam to spy on them. I just want small assurances that
everything is ok.

> WIth the combo locks the first thing their friends do is to try to beat them
> and spy when they press the code in. The kids also like to show off to their
> friends and show them. First hint of that and the combos were changed each
> time. They grow out of that.

It's nice to know that they grow out of that.  That's one of the things I'm
worried about. If there are no combos, there's nothing to be shared. It's
not even that I don't trust my kids or their friends. There are times I
give temporary combos out to other people because that's easier than
meeting them at the door. I have no problem with that. Just trying to keep
things simple.

> A webcam with special software may be your answer. Some will "ring" the
> other end when motion is detected but a monthly service fee is always the
> drawback on that one.

Nah.  Don't need special software or monthly service for those. At least
not the ones I'm using. I'm using a cheap linksys wifi cam in my studio
that grabs a shot on motion detection. I use it more to build time lapse
videos of projects I work on than for security (but the latter is nice).
Here's the studio cam:
	http://airigami.com/larry-moss/airigami-studio/
(You won't see me there now. I'm home. The bus already showed up. :-) )
Here's one of the time lapses from that cam:
	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnvqtEbYV1Q
Would it be too spammy a thing to do to mention a kickstarter project I
have going now that shows another cool timelapse? (Link available if it
wouldn't be out of line.)

It's also set up to put the latest pic on my web site for others to watch
what I'm building when in the middle of projects. I could have that trigger
other actions as well. But I don't really like the idea of cameras around
the house. Even if they're just detecting motion, as an artist and
entertainer, I spend my days in front of cameras all the time. Having them
follow me home feels creepy. (And, whatever it may have sounded like
before, I'm not a control freak and don't want anyone else in the house to
feel like they're being spied on.)

> Another cool thing was a "somebody home" macro. If nobody was home that
> night (based on Mot Det  and button sensing all over the house) and based on
> a partial random times sequences of lights went on and off starting upstairs
> and working there way down to the porch light and then back to bed again.
> This worked so well a few neighbours knowing I was away for a week or two
> had a meeting on our front lawn whether to call the cops when nobody would
> answer the door...LOL

:-)

--
Larry Moss, http://www.airigami.com
PO Box 23523, Rochester, NY 14692, (585) 359-8695
Airigami: The fine art of folding air.