There’s An App For That – Technology At Home

Earlier this year we turned a spare room in our house into a giant and beautiful laundry room.  After the construction part was done, we slowly began picking out the finishing touches.  Well, a few months ago our ceiling fan finally arrived…complete with an app.  I haven’t been brave enough to download it and honestly it’s just as easy to flip the light switch but it got me thinking about just how much technology has crept into our homes.

While I am not in a rush to buy a fridge that can email me when the milk is about the expire, there are some pretty cool home gadgets out there.  For example, when we first got married, Justin and I got my parents one of those digital photo frames so they could see all of our wedding photos.  I’m pretty sure that my dad still has it (from ten years ago) but in 2017 they have sure gotten an upgrade – both from an aesthetic and performance side.  I recently came across these Aura Frames which are not only a beautiful way to display your favourite photos but also come with a variety of fun features.  For example, you can advance to the next photo with just a wave of a hand!  Aura Frames auto-dim depending on time of day and won’t suck up a ton of energy.  My dad might just have to get an upgrade!

Every year we close the shop for Christmas and last December while visiting my parents Justin and I stumbled onto the Philips Hue lightbulbs at Best Buy.  I immediately started thinking about replacing all of our light fixtures to accommodate the new bulbs!  You can change the light levels and colour of the light depending on your needs plus you can set a timer so you’ll never have to fumble for the light switch after coming home from dinner.

A couple of years ago we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner and they made the most delicious roast using their sous vide gadget.  For those of you not familiar, it’s a contraption that fits inside a large pot and keeps the water temperate constant.  You then essentially boil your meat but since the temperature never changed beyond your set point there’s no danger of overcooking.  Your roast will remain medium rare for hours – no overcooking possible!  While there are several varieties for both restaurant and home use, the Joule comes with a handy app to make sure dinner is always perfect.  I love cooking so this immediately went on my Christmas list.  I am embarrassed to say that while I got one, I have yet to use it.  But now that the weather is getting cooler and serious cooking is back on the schedule (I can’t bring myself to roast anything while it’s 90 degrees in the kitchen) the sous vide is going for a test drive.

How has technology changed your home in the last ten years? Leave us a comment below!

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