Who am I?

By PhatPenguin
There are those who call me...Tim!
I am:
  • A husband (I probably should do better at that :-)
  • Father of 7 Beautiful adopted children
  • A self proclaimed "Geek" (the computer kind, not the kind that bites the heads off of things at a freak show)
  • A maker (home automation, robots, video game systems, et cetera)
  • Foster Father
  • Adoption advocate
  • A Mac (and a PC some days when I have to be, but mostly a Mac)
  • A Gardener (intensive gardening)
  • A Python junkie (did you know that the first version of Google was written in python?)
  • Tech toy addict
  • A Facebook slacker (I only use it when I need something)
  • An early adopter
  • A barefoot runner
  • A bowyer/Archer
  • A hammock camper
  • The resident pancake cook (sometimes other things but always the pancakes)
  • and many other things I haven't mentioned yet.
The intent of this blog is to create a single location for my tech walkthroughs.
Lately I have become a little obsessed with home automation.
Between finding Hass.io, moving into a new house that needed a few things but is livable enough I am not just trying to keep it together, and playing with some fun toys (NodeMCU, Whitty Cloud, Arduino, Wyze Cams, Alexa, et cetera) I have gotten a little hooked.
We still have 1 main living space with no smart lights (because it already had a full set of dimming can lights). and I haven't replaced all the bathrooms yet.

My goals with this adventure are:
  • To have every light in the house a smart light or on a smart switch.
  • Get the pool fully automated with smart tech including a solr heater.
  • Automate the "screen time" debacle so that the kids really get what they get and not more (right now it is just too much policing to apply the screen rules to the TV, and X-box)
  • Get real holiday lights on the house
  • Tie in as many automations as possible
  • Alexa, goodnight - to send a message to all the kids that it is time for bed, put their lights in nightlight mode, arm the alarms, lock the doors, turn down the thermostat, et cetera.
  • Alexa, Ciao - Shut off all the lights, arm the alarms and lock the doors in 5 min (once we are all out in the car)
  • Presence detection,
  • Auto garage door
  • monitor doors and windows
  • monitor refrigerators and freezer
  • monitor electricity usage
  • provide dashboards to view the status of things.
  • automate "contribution" schedules and check lists
  • Improve furnace efficiency with smart vents
  • Finish the PHAT arcade
  • and I am sure many other things, but most especially to take you along the ride with me.

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