Entries tagged with “smart homes” from O'Reilly Digital Media Blog

In which I pass one some additional tips about past subjects, point out some interesting links, and say farewell for time being.

If a Mac-based home automation system is on your wish list, but you don't want to hassle with your own configuration and installation, Savant has an impressive system just for you.

If you want to use your iSight-equipped Mac to keep an eye on your home, Periscope provides a solution. Learn about how it worked for me during a recent vacation.

The new Status Screen Saver, thanks to some very clever programming, lets you add personalized status information atop your favorite screen saver. Just the thing for keeping an eye on your Mac, your home, or nearly anything else.

Integrating your Mac with the real world requires a way to get signals from sensors. The ASProxy utility provides an easy method for triggering AppleScript programs using serially-connected devices.

Can your Mac make your smarter? I put three different "Flash Card" programs to the test and tell you what I found. Luckily, there are good ones to choose from.

Thinking Home, an award-winning home automation application from the Mac's past, returns with an all-new version. Its tradition of easy and friendly setup continues, and it has new tricks, too.

The new version of Indigo, a Mac home automation program, offers many new features and improvements. But don't overlook some of the more obscure gems, such as the three that I find most interesting.

If you've got a problem to solve, nothing beats seeing how others have tackled it for themselves. My question is how do I best configure a home office to accommodate multiple, large displays? The answer, it turns out, is found by peeking into the private workspaces of others.

Summer travel beckons, and here's how to make sure your trips to the airport are correctly timed.

A new application for capturing Caller ID information from you phone line offer some very interesting advanced features.

Curious about how advanced hobbyist-level home automation is accomplished? Two brief and well-written articles give you a peek into the types of things you can accomplish by combining logic and Macintosh know-how.

The Ceiva digital photo frame is old school, but a simple way to distribute photographs to far-flung relatives. After a long period of neglect, Ceiva has recently released an iPhoto plug-in.

Square one for automating tasks is to get acquainted with a powerful and flexible scheduling program. There are several to choose from, but a good place to start is Proxi, it's proven quite handy in my home and office.

If you want to try home automation but dislike the idea of having a computer controlling your home, and turned on all the time, then a standalone controller is what you seek. The latest controller is supported on the Mac, so what are you waiting for?

As the baby boomers get older, an industry for using technology to monitor seniors at home is emerging. You can buy a packaged solution, or roll your own, but either way you might just find some peace of mind.

You're resting comfortably on the couch at home. You need to do something on your Mac. Perhaps run an application or change to a different iTunes playlist. Can you do it without standing up and walking to your computer? Of course you can. Here's how...

If you have a home automation that you want to control while you're away, via the web, Mac software developers are ready to help you out. And can iPhone solutions be far behind?

I haven't tried EyeTV recently, but the newest version convinced me to dive in again, and the results have been quite good. But you'll want to purchase carefully if you're thinking of buying right now.

The availability of small, inexpensive sonar rangefinders creates new opportunities to make your home smarter. Discover two ideas for putting them to use, as well as how to use them with your Mac.