The Internet of Things

Let’s kick off the first of many blog posts on the internet of things with a quick definition, and an even quicker and less educated projection on the future. The internet of things is the cute turn-of-phrase the whole world simultaneously decided to use to describe traditionally network-free stuff which has been retrofitted to connect to a larger network we all know as the interweb. I know, traditionally everything was disconnected not too long ago, but nobody is all that impressed with your Blackberry email checking abilities, so just think of the things that you wouldn’t normally consider to be wifi enabled and go with it.

Now we’re cooking with gas. Speaking of gas, do you know how much you used last month? Well, maybe, but only if you got a bill or had the sudden undeniable urge to go read your meter and compare it with last month’s numbers. Actually, does your gas company even know how much you used? Unless they send somebody around to read the meter, probably not. Enter the IOT. A connected gas meter could just keep track of your usage at all times. Want to know how much you’ve used this month? Just check the logs? Want that creepy guy in the white van with tinted windows and a good inch of crack out of your life for good? The gas company doesn’t have to send any more future criminals into your basement; the meter just sends them the reading at the end of the month. This is your life improved by the IOT.

Okay, great. No more sketchy dudes in your basement. Theoretically a bit more control over your gas using habits (although really does anybody care that much?). Life is good right?

The elephant in the room is, of course, privacy. Not just privacy, but security. Not just privacy and security, but the potential destruction of the human race by sentient gas meters. There’s a whole herd of elephants in the room. Suffice it to say that this is an issue. I’m not suggesting that your gas usage is all that interesting to all that many people, but for that very reason the information probably isn’t very secure. Let’s extrapolate out and think about a whole house of connected stuff. Your medicine cabinet keeps an inventory and you just added fungicide to the mix, is that information you want out there in the world?

So there are kinks. On the upside your medicine cabinet would send you a reminder to buy more fungicide when you started running low.

Like most (all?) new tech, the internet of things will have serious pros and cons. It’s up to users to make the most of the best, mitigate the worst, and above all prevent an apocalyptic uprising of self-aware refridgerators.