What is Smart?

We live in an incredible place. It is a place of doers, achievers, and makers. “Smart” is the status quo. I can’t get coffee at Philz without overhearing an intense conversation about the future and how a particular application will shape it.

It seems that every place I visit is bursting with breathless optimism. Even products showcased at my drugstore are bursting with promise –foundations guaranteeing glow, shampoos pledging shine, and lotions promising to defy nature and revise the inevitable.

In our attempt to be more efficient and more productive we look to the next best thing to provide us with the answers. But how many times have you been swept up in a claim only to be disappointed by the results?

The home automation market is changing at a breakneck pace. Daily there are new solutions that promise nirvana. There are thousands of developers and companies churning out apps and support for new devices every day. Hence the existence of apps with names like “Ridiculously Automated Garage Door” and “Undead Early Warning” (which turns on the lights when zombies –or others –approach).

Whatever the promise, not everything goes smoothly. Many devices are not officially approved to work with these applications so connecting seamlessly takes incredible effort and functionality is sketchy. We, at Intuitive Environments, spend a considerable amount of time vetting products and applications to ensure bulletproof installations. We raise home IQs by properly applying technology in an intuitive way. The end goal is an exceptional experience that is tried and true.

Sadly, just because a device is labeled “smart” it doesn’t make it so. Your home’s true intelligence is measured by the thoughtful and holistic system design that takes into account your preferences and lifestyle and allows you to obtain an exceptional experience every time.

Last week the SETI Institute announced that for the first time, an Earth-sized planet was found in the habitable zone of its star. This discovery not only proves the existence of worlds that might be similar to our own, but undoubtedly shapes future investigations of exoplanets with possible terrestrial surface environments. How amazing is that?

I can’t think of anything more optimistic than the human spirit and its continuing quest to explore its universe (and surrounding universes). Given our location, we are at the epicenter of innovation and discovery and feel privileged to be at the axiom of “smart”.