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science 3 Home is Where the Smart Is (enabling technologies are all over…
science 3 Home is Where the Smart Is
Amazon and Google - the smart home
is there a limit to how smart and comfortable we should want our homes to be?
the smart technologies making home life more effortless and seamless are a boon for our generation.
As for a limit on how smart and comfortable our homes should be, it shouldn’t be to the point where we are entirely dependent on the smart technology to run our home.
temperature control technologies that enable many of us to live even in climates that may be outside our comfort zones.
Explore how indoor heating and air conditioning work.
Is it worse for the environment when we warm a cold place or when we cool a warm one?
remote Siberian town of Oymyakon, the coldest inhabited place on earth --> Temperatures here can drop to as low as -55°C (-67°F).
to save resources, should governments regulate how much people can control the climate in their private spaces?
Governments probably won’t be able to control the climate in people’s private spaces, since that infringes on a lot of basic human rights when it comes to home comforts.
probably is worse for the environment when we cool down a place, considering that air conditioners release harmful chemicals that contribute millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere every year.
a sort of incentive to offer those who contribute less to global warming by leaving their air conditioners or some sort of tracking system to monitor air conditioner pollution.
in areas with significant pollution.
being able to afford air purifiers - to try to breathe cleaner air indoors, whether at home, at school, or even in hotels and other public spaces.
an ionizing filter or one based on activated carbon?
Ionizing filters work by producing a steady stream of negatively charged ions that electrify the particles in air, causing them to stick to the positively charged collection plates inside the machine.
I would probably seek the activated carbon filter, given that an ionizing filter doesn’t necessarily get rid of the particulates so much as prevent them from escaping into the air I breathe (also people around me who are allergic to ozone would suffer from the emissions of that purifier type).
An Activated Carbon Filter is much more effective at removing odors, gases and even volatile organic compounds from the air in your household.
Air purifiers work pretty simply by dragging in air and moving it through a series of filters which remove any harmful particles of allergens, dust or even microorganisms that can harm the human nasal system.
Basic and HEPA filters (the most common type of air purifier) work off this system and they require filter-changing every couple of months or so.
**will increasing access to indoor air purification cause people of means to disregard increasing pollution outdoors?
obviously the risk that we won’t care so much about the outdoor air quality so long as our indoor air quality is perfectly normal.
governments, corporations and individuals also have the responsibility to avoid that being the case; since a high level of air pollution likely indicates the global mean temperature (a frightening indicator of how close we are to global climate catastrophe) is rising slowly.
All people, regardless of income or disposition, should be able to breathe the same air quality outdoors as well as indoors.
Should rich people be forced to breathe the same air as poor people?**
air conditioning created the modern city.
is inequality of comfort an issue for governments to resolve?
Inequality is obviously an issue for governments to resolve. An air conditioner is nowadays no longer a comfort, but a sign of societal growth and economic development (the very fact that a city has many social spaces with air conditioners is a sign of how developed that area is). Those who still need to face nature’s harsh temperatures need some time to enjoy the comforts of artificially cooled air.
air-conditioned cities separate those who can afford to inhabit air-conditioned spaces from those left on the inhospitable street.
To what degree does access to enabling technology lead to a loop in which those who lack access are less able to gain it?
There is a pretty high degree to which access to enabling technology results in a sort of feedback loop to whose who can’t access it. When the mobile phone revolutionised the way we conduct business and connected with one another, those who couldn’t afford one began to watch as our society excluded them more and more (without the social media or stream of information readily available at their fingertips).
inventors have sought ways to lighten the load of housework.
vacuum cleaners | dishwashers | washing machines | home robots
enabling technologies are all over the modern kitchen.
microwave | toaster | convection oven | rice cooker | coffee maker | juicer
do they have drawbacks?
problems with microwaves, they draw a huge amount of energy per use and they can prove a health hazard if poorly constructed.
Does the rise of such devices make it harder for people without them to cope—and
does it impact typical household roles and employment opportunities?
pressure cooker | magnetic stove
technologies of personal grooming:
hair dryers and straighteners, shavers, waxing, cosmetics, even toothbrushes.
When were they invented, and how have they changed over time?
is a device still an enabling technology if it helps us accomplish that which helps us achieve an aesthetic goal but does not technically make us more “able”?
A device is not an enabling technology if it helps us accomplish an aesthetic goal.