A computer engineer living in the Isle of Wight (UK) has programmed his cottage to send 'tweets' to his Twitter account whenever something energy wasting is happening in his home. i.e., A window is left open, someone uses too much water, etc. The engineer Andy Stanford-Clark states that this method has helped him save over 30% in electric bills.

"using special IBM software that converts the sensor communication to text, the house literally sends messages to a Twitter account that Andy picks up on his mobile phone."

Mr. Stanford-Clark thinks this is just the beginning of things and predicts that, in a few years, everyone will have access to this sort of technology.

Now, I love gadgets. I love learning new technology. It's all very exciting. But, I must admit, a part of me still loves the simplicity in a day, basics without being aware of a big internet world, phones that never stop buzzing, things like that. Sometimes I like to just be. So, a house that in a sense talks to you...a "smart home", I don't know. I definitely see the advantages but it also creeps me out a bit. Reminds me a bit of that Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors episode where they live in a "computerized" home that does everything for them, draws baths, cooks meals, etc., and then turns on them and tries to kill Homer. *lol* Yes I realize this is a cartoon but...well...ya never know...