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I never moved my bank when I moved from California, and check the balance regularly online. I set foot in the bank exactly once, when the account was opened, so living half way across the country hasn't been a problem. And with that ability I can keep absolute watch on spent money and money which goes to bills so there are no oppsies.
I also participate in all the same places I did online before I moved. Just changed the state. It keeps things simple and I like simple. And as we have a walmart here in town and no other big stores, (not counting the cheaper ones which aren't really that cheap), and between them and amazon I get the stuff I'd have to go to a store for. I LOVE free delivery....
I'm able with my new tv to run netflix and amazon on them so easily I can watch their shows as easy as satalite feeds. I have to call and see how I set up hulu. I didn't watch them before much since I HATE watching a show on a teeny little screen.
Modern nets and the availability of things across a broad range has made it possible to move half way across the country, not distrub my bank account, and not miss my favorite shows. I can still maintain friendships with people who still live in California too, with a cell and no 'long distance' charges. I think this move done before the blossoming of tech would have been very different.
The internet and the toys that use it has shrunk a lot of distances which kept people apart in the past since we can move away and not lose touch with those who we call good friends.
We have panel of regular light switches in the front hall. One of them controls the light in the porch and is the one with a timer. This was installed some time ago and the manual is lost. it never worked anyway or we never mastered the whole setting the time etc. I want to replace it with a better, and simpler, thingy.
Any idea for a high tech solution that would work for just this one light source?
I went low tech. I like having the exterior lights in the front of my house on at night, so I had the builder install a photo cell. Now my lights are on from sunset to dawn. For your situation, do you want the light on all night or part of the night? When you want the light on will dictate the solution.
Still employed as an electronics engineer, technology became the centerpiece of my work life and has immensely impacted our lives for the better. For example, it allows us more freedom when unplanned traveling. When we go on a trip, our GPS shows upcoming POIs with telephone numbers so we can call ahead for hotel and campground reservations...hands free from the bluetooth enabled media systems in our car or truck. Vacation photographs are GPS tagged and input onto waypoints/tracks during our vacations so we can remember where photos were taken, and can be linked to maps when viewed on our flat-screen tv.
We recently purchased 10 acres that needs to be excavated for a build, and has some flat and steep sections. Last weekend, walked the entire property with a handheld gps, and created tracks and waypoints across the entire extent. The resultant gpx file is going to be converted into a 3D mesh, then a topo map created for our excavator showing exact distances, map coordinates, and elevations down to ~3m resolution for estimating excavation costs vs topology. This type of technology shows up directly in out of pocket $$ expenditures, and will literally save us many thousands of dollars by planning the residence in the easiest location for the contractors. Some technology is just plane fun, some is very useful.
^^^ This. Speaking as someone who worked 24 years for AT&T/SWBT. I had to jump through some hoops to make sure we kept ONE (out of 5 outlets) dedicated landline connection that didn't require power. A couple of the younger technicians thought we were nuts, we kept on until we found one that understood..
It took a couple of years to get over our fear of depending totally upon cellphones and to unplug our last landline but we haven't looked back since. In the new home we just bought, we didn't even bother to query about copper/dedicated. Cell is better, requires no power to operate, we're good. The first month I was here and DH was hundreds of miles away, I awoke one frigid winter morn to discover the house power was out. Cell service was still strong and I was able to report the problem and receive status reports. My cellphone was amply charged but had it not been, I have a couple of auxiliary chargers for them and if they had failed, I could have charged the phone in the car.
There are many particulars that determine whether the cell(s) serving one's area will continue to operate during a power outage. We are at the edge of an aging portion of the power grid, none of the lines in our area are underground. It's a bit mountainous and cell reception is already a challenge to begin with. Furthermore we have the NIMBY issue vis a vis towers. Most power outages we've had also took out the nearby towers. Meanwhile good old -48 has always kept on going strong.
Late adopter here. No computer or email until 2007. Still have a basic flip phone.
Basically I use technology as a tool for me is I need or want something.
When I needed support for caregiving I was doing, I found City Data. It's the only "online community" I'm in.
No desire for FB, Insta-whatever, or Snap whatever. Etc.
Don't have a phone with GPS -- I just call and ask for directions. Or print a map before I go.
I still send actual greeting cards....none of this Ecards stuff. (Although I'm thinking about getting into that. Because is IS faster.)
My family and friends are dragging me kicking and screaming into texting. Which I still don't really do. (Partly because my old phone has the number pad you have to hit keys three times for certain letters. It takes my ten minutes to text back. more than three sentences.
I do LOVE searching/looking up and "googling" stuff online. And I have ordered stuff online. But I'm not a big online shopper. Mostly for items I can't go get -- or for gifts for people who are states away.
So basically if what I feel is a true need arises -- I'll see if "technology" can't help me. But I'm not on a smart, phone, tablet, or game console 18 hours a day.
I went low tech. I like having the exterior lights in the front of my house on at night, so I had the builder install a photo cell. Now my lights are on from sunset to dawn. For your situation, do you want the light on all night or part of the night? When you want the light on will dictate the solution.
That sounds like a good solution, if it is energy effecient. What is this photo cell?
That sounds like a good solution, if it is energy effecient. What is this photo cell?
It's a sensor in an electrical box mounted on the side of my house. When it gets dark it trips the light switch to turn the lights on. When it's daylight, the lights go off. For the back door I use a motion sensing light. When it senses something moving, it turns on the light, but only when it's dark.
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