My name is Derek Brooks

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@broox

I let my home automation platform (NUC + Ubuntu + Home Assistant on Docker) slip on updates for a very long time. This morning, I decided to go scorched earth and rebuild it all with Proxmox and Home Assistant OS.

I have regrets. We’ve forgotten how to use a house that is not smart.

It’s so dark.

Recent albums

January Reset. No Gluten. No Alcohol.

I've been dealing with some minor, intermittent skin issues for years. It's been treatable, but last year the eczema came hard, spread further and was a little gnarlier... so I started seeing a dermatologist and allergist. They tested for chemical allergies, environmental allergies, had me change everything that I put on my skin or clothes and none of it helped. I suspected a food allergy or something, but the allergist disagreed, and wanted me to come in weekly to get shots. Yeah right.

Despite everything else they suggested, things got worse toward the end of the year... peak gluttony season.

In December, we did an "advent calendar of beer" from Confluence, so I was having at least half of a craft beer every day for nearly a month - …

Last seen in Des Moines, Iowa

Recent comments

Yea, our lights are based on a combination of time, presence, motion, sun position, and current lux.

e.g. if I walked into my office during the day, but it’s dark and cloudy, bright lights turn on. If I walk in at night, dimmer lights turn on. If I walk in while it’s bright out, nothing happens.
A friend picked up one of these things: www.home-assistant.io/voice-pe/

It's a Google Home Mini but the text to speech, HA manipulation, and speech to text happens locally. So far it's really slow and I'm looking for faster (than my Synology) CPU or GPU.

Do you use presence sensors for lights?
Nice. What will you use for mics? I try to use voice (or any manual) controls as little as possible, but I definitely find voice handy in places like the kitchen.
Not yet, but I'm looking into it more as Google Assistant is getting ignored for Gemini. We mostly use it for kitchen timers and turning lights on or off, so I'm thinking it'd be fun to do all that locally.