Apple HomePod

[Lhalo]

Looks like Apple is countering the Amazon Echo with HomePod. $350 but it seems a lot more powerful soundwise.

https://www.apple.com/homepod/

[red321]

Just what we need...useless Siri in the home...can't wait until she calls 911 to order a pizza delivered when I ask her to turn on the front lights.

[nate]

It basically combined a Sonos connect and Siri.  I suppose it isn't the worst thing in the world but I don't see much of a use for it.  Especially because I think Alexa can control Sonos stuff now and google has an audio cast thing as well that you can hook up to nice speakers and probably save a lot of money or get better value.

[Lhalo]

The only reason I'm thinking of buying it is so I could control my Savant system. I could jerry-rig an Amazon Echo to do it, but it won't work smoothly as it's not in the Apple product line. Hopefully they come out with a lower tier model. I just need an average speaker, not Sonos quality sound.

[Blarg]

You guys spend a lot of time, money and effort to be lazy.

[AngelsLakersFan]

5 hours ago, Blarg said:

You guys spend a lot of time, money and effort to be lazy.

It's the new American Dream blarg

[mrwicked]

Yeah, I'm not sure about this either. I have whole home audio with Sonos, so I don't need the speaker.

I want to play with voice controls, but don't trust alexa/amazon. So would rather use an apple product so I'm not inundated with ads on every screen I own every time it hears me say something it thinks it can sell me.

Does this integrate with lutron radio ra2? If so then maybe I'll play with it.

[mrwicked]

Off topic - anyone else playing around with smart home / home automation stuff? 

I am looking to get a power monitor for shits and giggles to add to my setup here, like this: https://sense.com/

Anyone played with these or others?

[AngelsLakersFan]

51 minutes ago, mrwicked said:

Off topic - anyone else playing around with smart home / home automation stuff? 

I am looking to get a power monitor for shits and giggles to add to my setup here, like this: https://sense.com/

Anyone played with these or others?

Looks cool, though I'm guessing it will cost you more than you save by using it.

[mrwicked]

19 hours ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

Looks cool, though I'm guessing it will cost you more than you save by using it.

Yeah, I'm not sure how good it is as a money saving thing. I mean what are you going to do, not use your fridge?

But it seems kind of neat for having window in energy consumption purely for shits and giggles. 

On the same front I kind of want to get solar panels and tesla power pack, those look fun. Probably still takes decades to return the investment there though, though that market is starting to come around albeit slowly.

[AngelsLakersFan]

2 hours ago, mrwicked said:

Yeah, I'm not sure how good it is as a money saving thing. I mean what are you going to do, not use your fridge?

But it seems kind of neat for having window in energy consumption purely for shits and giggles. 

On the same front I kind of want to get solar panels and tesla power pack, those look fun. Probably still takes decades to return the investment there though, though that market is starting to come around albeit slowly.

Talk about overkill with the power pack! I'd be looking into the solar roof though, that looks like a way to make a statement on the block. I wonder how the cost with installation compares to a traditional roof.

[Brandon]

doing loans for people with solar, they have liens on their property (the assholes at the solar companies make it a lien attached to your credit, etc.) they generally run 30k.

[mrwicked]

On 7/14/2017 at 7:04 PM, Brandon said:

doing loans for people with solar, they have liens on their property (the assholes at the solar companies make it a lien attached to your credit, etc.) they generally run 30k.

what's the average monthly PGE bill, let's say $200?

$30k @ $150/mo means 150 months, so 12-13 years would you break even.

but that doesn't count opportunity cost of using $30k that could instead be in the markets. so let's say 20 years to break even.

hard to justify at this point. eventually it'll keep coming down. 

[Blarg]

That's my argument with the solar salesmen that come to my house. I won't be there for the payoff so it's a sunk cost. I'm not getting an additional $30k for the home because it has solar panels.

My best friend bought a brand new home in Encinitas with solar and six years later it crapped out on him. Cost $7k to fix because the company that installed and warranted it was long gone out of business. So there went another 3 years of savings down the toilet. 

[nate]

Don't you get a huge tax break in CA for having solar?

[mrwicked]

Yeah good point. There are federal incentives too.

And just poking around I guess San Francisco has some of the most aggressive breaks in the country, they REALLY want you do go solar. I am gonna chat with them for sh*ts and giggles and see what they say.

http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=133

[Brandon]

8 hours ago, mrwicked said:

what's the average monthly PGE bill, let's say $200?

$30k @ $150/mo means 150 months, so 12-13 years would you break even.

but that doesn't count opportunity cost of using $30k that could instead be in the markets. so let's say 20 years to break even.

hard to justify at this point. eventually it'll keep coming down. 

yeah, there is definitely a math component to find the break even point.

I see dudes that regret it or know they aren't going anywhere and it's a long term investment.

I agree that they will come down.

[Brandon]

2 hours ago, nate said:

Don't you get a huge tax break in CA for having solar?

I think the major one expired at the end of last year, but it looks like some cities or counties might offer something like what wicked provided.