Re: Your Thermostats or Your Life!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

remember Metricom?

________________________________________
From: Bob Frankston [bob37-2 () bobf frankston com]
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 12:55 PM
To: David Farber; 'ip'
Cc: 'Lauren Weinstein'
Subject: RE: [IP] Your Thermostats or Your Life!

This is indeed nuts. About ten years ago I spoke to PG&E people about their "demand side management" as part of my role 
in home control at Microsoft. It turned out that they only expect about a $5/month savings per house – not enough to 
care about. But it was a great way to maintain customer-awareness as their role devolved to more broker than energy 
provider. As per this list I looked at the Lilco BPL filings – the Broadband-over-powerline is closely related as these 
companies attempt to find another business to be in and presume that the Internet is just another consumable they can 
deliver. The rationale is that they need to read a few bits from meters and for demand side management so might as well 
spend billions on new infrastructure.

A big problem with demand-side management is the naïve assumption that you can reach into people’s homes and just turn 
on and off things without regard to context. This is not just arrogant but stupid – no wonder it hasn’t gotten any 
traction than solving our transportation problems with personal auto-gyros. What if you “medical needs” petition is not 
accepted and …

Yet there is a viable alternative – once again learn the lessons of the Internet and digital systems. If we separate 
the control signaling from the power signaling in our homes we could have an effective marketplace in adaptive 
technologies. One possibility is something akin to congestion pricing wherein the home owner is supplied with 
information, perhaps a dynamic price for energy. The policies can be implemented in the owner’s own house control 
system, AKA, a simple computer, with a marketplace for software that translates polices into goals such as minimizing 
cost and maximizing comfort.

One example of why a simplistic approach is problematic is in energy ratings for appliances. An A/C that is efficient 
when run constantly may be worse public policy than one that runs counter to the demand cycle. A well insulated house 
could take advantage of this. Or perhaps the homeowner might choose a local energy store or local generation.

Putting a thumb on people’s thermostats would be just as bad if not worse than the procrustean telecom act of ’34 which 
presumed that we knew the answers and needn’t allow for any innovation or personal initiative.

The problem here is not in hacking the data stream but the very idea of putting 
Procrustes<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrustes> in charge of public policy as if context didn’t matter and we could 
outlaw ambiguity (and, while we’re at it, that pesky 0 in math and the irrationality of π (pi for you 8-bitters)).



-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 06:02
To: ip
Subject: [IP] Your Thermostats or Your Life!





________________________________________

From: Lauren Weinstein [lauren () vortex com]

Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:12 PM

To: David Farber

Cc: lauren () vortex com

Subject: Your Thermostats or Your Life!



                       Your Thermostats or Your Life!



               http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000357.html





Attention citizens!  Attention to your Telescreen now!  That means

YOU, Roberts88739T, and YOU Debros02935Y.  Attention!



By order of the California State Regulatorium, your environmental

temperatures are hereby and forever placed under our direct command.



Starting next year, if all goes as planned, your new or

substantially modified homes and commercial buildings by edict shall

be equipped with thermostats that will be controlled via FM

broadcast signals

( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/11control.html ).



We will transmit temperature recommendations!  We will override your

temperature settings as we see fit!



You and your equipment will freeze or burn by our dictates!

Oh glorious technology of the 21st century, come to fruition in

reality from the nether regions of bureaucrats' dreams!



You need not fear hacking of this wondrousness.  All associated

Internet connections will be protected with the same sorts of

precision security used for touchscreen voting systems!



And citizens, be warned!  While this will likely be a one-way system

for now -- making it difficult for us to detect simple but illicit

tampering directly -- our vast network of thermostat informants will

be ready and willing to report any and all transgressors, with the

full weight of the criminal justice system waiting like the Sword of

Damocles.



So give glory to the Masters of Megawatts!  All hail the Honchos

of Heat!  Genuflect to the Autocrats of Air Conditioning!



And coming soon, mandated devices that will allow us to control when

and where you have sex.  More details about these in our next

Telescreen bulletin.



Until then, you may return to your designated legal, state-mandated

activities.



This announcement has been brought to you by the California State

Ministry of Environmental Monitoring and Control.  Have a nice day!



 - - -



--Lauren--

Lauren Weinstein

lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org

Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800

http://www.pfir.org/lauren

Co-Founder, PFIR

   - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org

Co-Founder, NNSquad

   - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org

Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com

Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy

Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com





-------------------------------------------

Archives: http://v2.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now

RSS Feed: http://v2.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/

Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com


-------------------------------------------
Archives: http://v2.listbox.com/member/archive/247/=now
RSS Feed: http://v2.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/247/
Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com