An excerpt of an email to a friend:
Other than that – I’ve started X10-ing our place. Motion sensors, sirens, door & window sensors – lights flash, horns blare, way cool stuff. At 3:14 a.m. Christmas Eve morning, Lynne & I were in Boston. The system went off – I had it set to phone my neighbors (it isn’t monitored – it will call whomever I program ….What’s your number???) – anyhow, they shut it off and took the batteries out. There was no break-in - I think the heating system set it off... I’m still “adjusting”. I put a motion-sensitive floodlight & video camera on the back porch. If you walk up to the back door, you’re hit with two 3,000,000 candle-power lights, you get an immediate sunburn and the video camera takes your picture and emails it to me. The UPS guy is really pissed!