Question du jour
Mar. 28th, 2012 03:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vanillafluffyI'm furious that LJ has discontinued the Writer's Block question, so I have one of my own.
The other night, J and I were watching a story on the local news about one of the Florida power companies installing "smart meters", which can send data on power consumption wirelessly. It also does things like temporarily turn off power to high-load appliances like a refrigerator at times of high demand.
I've watched The Crumbling of America---more than once---so I'm aware that this would be A Very Good Thing with regard to our nation's struggling power grid. It would also reduce the need for meter readers to go traipsing through my yard.
According to the news story, there's a public outcry that this will lead to the power companies "spying" on us, which is patently absurd. Unless, of course, they're operating some sort of mega-consuming set-up like a grow house. That would be fairly obvious, and law enforcement would be able to close them down. All the more reason for the new tech, I say.
J, on the other hand, thinks the new meters are a terrible idea. She says new technology invariably has problems, and she's concerned that the wireless units will be full of errors and screw up everyone's bills and accounts and so on. I think that's unduly pessimistic.
What do you think?
.
The other night, J and I were watching a story on the local news about one of the Florida power companies installing "smart meters", which can send data on power consumption wirelessly. It also does things like temporarily turn off power to high-load appliances like a refrigerator at times of high demand.
I've watched The Crumbling of America---more than once---so I'm aware that this would be A Very Good Thing with regard to our nation's struggling power grid. It would also reduce the need for meter readers to go traipsing through my yard.
According to the news story, there's a public outcry that this will lead to the power companies "spying" on us, which is patently absurd. Unless, of course, they're operating some sort of mega-consuming set-up like a grow house. That would be fairly obvious, and law enforcement would be able to close them down. All the more reason for the new tech, I say.
J, on the other hand, thinks the new meters are a terrible idea. She says new technology invariably has problems, and she's concerned that the wireless units will be full of errors and screw up everyone's bills and accounts and so on. I think that's unduly pessimistic.
What do you think?
.