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[dhouston]

I didn't think it would take long for things like these to appear. Note the prices.
https://www.itead.cc/smart-home/sonoff-wifi-wireless-switch.html
https://www.itead.cc/smart-home/slampher-wifi-wireless-light-holder.html

The MQTT & COAP protocols are covered here...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MQTT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constrained_Application_Protocol

[nyc2]

Too cheap, and doesn't look like it's designed for north american market. Wiring scheme looks flimsy.

[HA Dave]

.... Note the prices.

Kind of nice... buying directly from China. The direct on-line shopping is what caused Walmart's plan to close (140???) stores and lay off 10,000 employees. It's a new... and MUCH smaller world now-a-days. Low prices are the tip of the iceberg in this new era direct global shopping.   

[dhouston]

Too cheap, and doesn't look like it's designed for north american market. Wiring scheme looks flimsy.

It's intended to be enclosed within a final product (e.g. your friendly WiFi enabled Crockpot - see below) and it will work in every market in the world (except certain WalMarts - sorry HA Dave but I just couldn't resist).

And, the SocketRocket-ish lamp holder looks like it might work here.

Plus, it looks ideal for the Australian chap who rejected Solar Freakin' Roadways for his Yellow Brick Road type guide at his B&B.

[dhouston]

Kind of nice... buying directly from China. The direct on-line shopping is what caused Walmart's plan to close (140???) stores and lay off 10,000 employees. It's a new... and MUCH smaller world now-a-days. Low prices are the tip of the iceberg in this new era direct global shopping.    

Given that Walmart wiped out the small mom'n'pop shops of central business districts in small towns all over the country by importing products from China and paying substandard wages you'da thunk they woulda seen it coming. But, I suspect it's Amazon who is causing their downsizing rather than direct consumer buying from China - although I have done my part by ordering one each of the above.  
http://fortune.com/2014/07/01/10-largest-retailers-amazon/

I'm going to try to WiFi enable the driveway before next winter.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/conductive-concrete-warms-up-to-melt-ice-electricity/
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/conductive-concrete-melts-snow/433752/?google_editors_picks=true

[HA Dave]

Given that Walmart wiped out the small mom'n'pop shops of central business districts in small towns all over the country by importing products from China and paying substandard wages you'da thunk they woulda seen it coming. But, I suspect it's Amazon who is causing their downsizing rather than direct consumer buying from China - although I have done my part by ordering one each of the above

Did the eggs kill off the chickens? Or was it the chickens that did in the eggs? Or are eggs and chickens both part of a natural process?!?!?

Anyone that didn't see the coming changes in retail.... wasn't paying attention. My Dad complained about Sears and Roebuck trying to dominate the lawn mower retail industry (he owned his own shop) back in the 1950's. Business is competitive... no one can win... if someone doesn't lose.

Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck created a new retail industry (catalog) that turned a vast frontier... into a modern nation. Sam Walton took retail into the small towns of rural America. Jeff Bezos (Amazon) has removed retail bounties. And Pierre Omidyar (ebay) founded a new way to directly and efficiently market... almost anything.

They are all great men. The dark ages saw nearly no change... and it sucked for mankind. Change is good.

 

[dhouston]

...Sam Walton took retail into the small towns of rural America. 

I think Kresge, Woolworth, Newberry and others were already established there when Sam was but a mere lad.

[HA Dave]

...Sam Walton took retail into the small towns of rural America. 

I think Kresge, Woolworth, Newberry and others were already established there when Sam was but a mere lad.

Nope. Sam Walton was the first. He would fly his plane over rural community's and count the church steeples. He believed that small towns with lots of churches were good places to build stores. Crazy? Maybe. But he was a pioneer.   

[dhouston]

Nope. Sam Walton was the first. He would fly his plane over rural community's and count the church steeples. He believed that small towns with lots of churches were good places to build stores. Crazy? Maybe. But he was a pioneer.   

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/walmart-closings/

[nyc2]

Don't know if it's true but he was in his plane one day a saw a Walmart with only 2 or 3 cars in it's parking lot in the middle of the day. He lands in the parking lot, the manager comes out and tells him that the new store was finishing up construction and wouldn't be open for a few weeks. NYC's idiotic elected officials are opposed to a WalMart opening here but thousands of NYC residents shop in Walmarts right over the city line and in nearby NJ, based on Walmart's analysis of credit card purchases.

[HA Dave]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/walmart-closings/

Not surprising. After all Sam started in Rogers, Arkansas... and for years expanded circularly in the Texas/Arkansas area. That would explain the largest numbers and likely also oldest stores.

Times are tough. This may be the year we see Target, Sears, and Best Buy close their doors (all 3 are doing poorly). It is true that on-line sales are picking up much of the lost retail sales... but not all of it. It may be something as simple as the aging baby boomers just aren't spending much... I don't know.

[dave w]

It may be something as simple as the aging baby boomers just aren't spending much... I don't know.

Yeah, we are all hunkering down for the big crash.

[HA Dave]

Yeah, we are all hunkering down for the big crash.

Maybe. I've been retired in America just over 7 years now. And where I'd like to think I am "hunkering down"..... I'd have to say reckless redistribution by a bloated federal government has sucked much of the wealth from middle America.

Retail and better restaurant's (both suffering) aren't boomer supported ventures.

[dhouston]

I received the ESP8266 based WiFi light and appliance devices. The quality is excellent and the threaded lamp socket is secured with 3 small screws unlike the beeswax that X10 used with the initial SocketRockets. It will be awhile before I can play with them plus I still need to find out how to control them. Hopefully, they have published a protocol.

There's an Android app so it should be possible to sniff out the protocol.

[bkenobi]

One of the diagrams shows a phone, router, and the device with arrows suggesting direct communication.  There is a cloud icon there as well, so I'm curious if it is possible to control things without internet access or if you must connect to the cloud when on the local network.  I'd assume cloud is required (usually is), but if not that would be interesting.