S11E05 – Smart Homes, Pebble and Robot Vacuums
Chapters
Show Notes
Episode Summary
Mike said he wanted a break from the doom and gloom of recent weeks, so this episode focused on gadgets and technology doing something useful. He began with new displays, then talked with John about keeping up with technology at different comfort levels, and gave his view on how to approach new AI tools without either shunning them or trusting them blindly.
The rest of the hour was a tour of products: programmable LEGO, a robot vacuum that climbs stairs, the return of the Pebble smartwatch, IKEA smart lighting, the Home Assistant smart-home system, a blood test for many cancers, and a protein that breaks down plastic. Mike said he ran short on time and that he would put the items he did not reach in the show notes.
Topics Covered
Displays and keeping up with technology
Mike described an LG TV about as thick as four credit cards, meant to look like art on a wall, and a Samsung tablet that folds three times. John said he keeps his tech simple because researching it takes time. Mike said staying in one spot, like staying on Windows XP, will put people at a disadvantage, but that early adopters can overreach. His example was someone who let the OpenClaw AI tool make trades with his money, which lost money.
Using AI as a research tool
Mike said AI works well as a research assistant: you can ask about products, add a budget or other criteria, and keep refining. He said not to use it for legal or medical questions, because it sometimes makes things up and you want to avoid being the outlier. He said to take everything with a grain of salt and verify it.
LEGO, robot vacuums and a revived smartwatch
Mike was positive about programmable LEGO bricks that are scripted in Python, saying they give kids a hands-on way to learn programming. He said his Roborock robot vacuum, which also mops, was probably the best $800 he has spent, and that Roborock is bringing out a version with legs that can climb stairs. He then described the revived Pebble smartwatch, which he said has a round color e-ink screen, 7 to 10 days of battery, physical buttons, GPS, works with Android and iPhone, weighs 42 grams and costs about $250.
IKEA lighting and Home Assistant
Mike said IKEA has smart lighting that works with Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri and Home Assistant, with a hub around $60. He explained that Home Assistant is a free local controller that runs on a small computer, costs roughly $200 in hardware, and keeps data in the home. His example was a rule that checks the garage door in the evening and closes it if it was left open.
Health and science news
Mike said a blood test called Galleri by Grail looks for tumor DNA to detect about 50 cancers, costs about $950, and is not widely covered by insurance. He said Grail claims roughly 90% accuracy and that the UK’s NHS is running a 140,000-person trial. He also mentioned an AI tool that turns documents into a podcast-style discussion, and AlphaFold 3-related work on designer proteins that could break down a plastic bottle in about 10 hours instead of centuries. He said he is uneasy about unintended consequences.