Automating your life

The human body might not have changed much in the last couple of thousand years (we are a little taller by all accounts), but every other aspect of our life has emerged from an ever-changing game of chess. As a result, the way we approach and solve challenges is more diverse and resolute than ever before.

We are still evolving

In an era where extremely busy schedules have become the norm, the average person often finds themselves with little time to spare. Technological advancement gives us access to possibilities that would have been considered unthinkable just a few decades ago. Activities that used to take minutes are now over in a matter of seconds. When everything goes according to plan, most of us don’t even realize the amount of work we just sidestepped.

Evolution hasn’t stopped for us. Technical science has moved away from simply making our lives convenient and has the potential to alter every aspect of who we are as a species. Whilst some see this as a dilemma, others view it as an opportunity for betterment. This ethical predicament has ensured plenty of attention has been given to the subject of future civilizations.

In the beginning, it was simple ideas and accidental discoveries that catapulted us forwards. Sparks on a handful of dry grass allowed cavemen to survive the winter, and the wheel let them carry around their belongings with little effort. Soon, these primitive inventions morphed into sturdier and increasingly more complex machines. History books are full to bursting with accounts of strange devices designed to make life easier. And with time, wooden wheelbarrows became trucks, and crude wells were fitted with pumps to create intricate networks of pipelines. We were able to master the elements and force them to obey our will.

Server becomes master

As tools and machines grew in size, they also acquired a greater degree of independence. Not all of inventions survived to see the 21st century, but those that still exist rarely need our watchful eye to operate. This allowed us to tackle seemingly impossible challenges while offering workers safer and more reliable tools.

Today, entire systems can function without their creators having to lift a finger: think of the electronics you’re using to read this article. With one successful step after the other, automation eventually got to play a vital and slowly more central part in our daily routines. Regardless of your role and lifestyle, the decision to renounce some of these technologies would greatly impair your productivity.

The perks and benefits of technological advancement are often impossible to ignore. Thanks to everything from instant emails to self-driving cars that react to external stimuli, life has radically changed in the past decade. Nevertheless, only a handful of devices around the world actually retain the capability to adapt.

Unfortunately, as advanced as they might be, most consumer products are only designed to complete an extremely limited amount of tasks. Current approaches aim for mass marketing, not for the satisfaction of individual demands. Were a person’s needs and requirements to change, they’d quickly find themselves forced to open their wallets and add another item to their collection.

On the other hand, our society encourages diversification. The job market, our hobbies, new forms of art, and even the very culture that dictates our existence requires an open mind, and a certain degree of freedom, to be enjoyed in full. Time is also of the essence. We’re expected to always be ready, always be functional, and quickly overcome whatever obstacle we might face.

Needless to say, the current limitations of automation directly clash with humanity’s tendency to shape-shift. Despite the efforts of hundreds of innovators, what was born as a way to simplify our existence risks turning into a binding system of oppression.

Falling short of shortcutting

In their current state, most solutions dictate a person’s life rather than improving it. Even the diffusion of wearables and GPS-based gadgets seems to have done little to free us of burdens. Personal automation tools like the extremely popular IFTTT already exist, but these too succumb to limitations.

More often than not, the customization available is simply insufficient to render said systems fully effective. The current automation market is still unable to offer the right amount of personalization. Should consumers to see this as an early sign of failure? Should tech companies forgo further product releases until more useful outcomes can be derived? Perhaps we ought to get comfortable with conventional surroundings?

Fortunately, the answer to these questions is ‘no’, ‘no’, and, umm … ‘perhaps’, but not because contemporary surroundings are uncomfortable. Just like all computer software, automation solutions also rely on algorithmic logic to decide which action to undertake. With a bit of tweaking and the inclusion of more specific checks, existing products can be given a new lease on life. But don’t go looking for your screw driver and soldering iron. There is a better solution.

Mission accomplished

While popular automation suites make aspects of our life easier, their current constraints can turn them into unreliable allies, not always guaranteeing the desired result. In the long run, what was intended to lift a weight off of your shoulders might result in even greater amounts of stress, frustration, and discontent. Or instead, we can augment their ability to act with Switchur. With Switchur your devices work in unison, and you determine what your devices should do and when. Where IFTTT allows a limited combination of inputs to trigger an action, when using Switchur in combination with IFTTT any desired combination of multiple inputs can trigger an action or multiple actions.

Devices that would ordinarily carry out their preassigned tasks no matter what, gain the ability to evaluate each situation and react accordingly.

For example, imagine a coffee machine pausing to wonder whether you or your partner is at home before it brews a pot, instead of simply doing so because a timer tells it to. A ceiling fan that turns on automatically only when someone is at home AND it’s above 70?F inside AND it’s not the middle of the night AND it’s sunny outside et cetera. The amount of smart you want to inject into your home system has no bounds with Switchur. It is truly giving us the means to be in control.

Were you to go ahead and decide that technology should be a part of your life, take a step back and consider are you curious to experience what Switchur can do? Create your account today!