eHome Digial Tools

I know I had touched on this before, but, I wanted to share a real life event that happened today and my thought process that a car maintenance shedule module would have really came in handy. My 19 yr old stepson has a car that needed repair. I had to order the part for it. I remembered that I replaced the engine in the car a year or so ago. But I remembered that the engine was not the same year make as the car chassis. The car is a 1996 and the engine is a 1997. I needed to go looking through the paperwork for the car. Actually I had to ask my wife to find the paperwork that she filed someplace to pull out the engine receipt. I was on the phone with the auto parts store and asked the rep if he recommended any parts that might need replaced while I was in the engine and had it open. He stated that I might consider replacing the serpentine belt. I had to ak hime to hold while I asked my wife to go bring the whole file and look for a receipt that referenced a serpentine belt. She found one and from a year and a half ago. I found that I did not need to pay an extra $22 usd in parts.

Point being that if there was a module in eHome to reference these items:

1> I would no exactly what year engine was in the car
2> I could pull up the pertinents on the car while I was on the phone
3> I would not have to rely on my wife to find the file and bring out one receipt that I asked for, instead of the whole file, like I meant, and should have stated.
4> I would not have to worry about where my wife has stuff filed and not have to worry about her filing system and stand the chance of ruining her filing system

IT would be a lot less less time and aggrevasion in my life to have this automated. I look at it in terms of "Would you rather make a hard $1, or an easy $1, likewise, Would I like to save $22 on a not needed serpentine belt the hard way or the easy way."

I liked the original car maintenance schedule idea, and this is not to be considered to be raining on your idea (it is smart and good sense), but do you already have a pc with a simple database to document these types of things?
I would guess you do have a pc with notepad at 1 end of the spectrum to a spreadsheet, to some kind of database perhaps at the other end of the spectrum.
We all do. (If not Google provides great free items like spreadsheets and documents.)
Yet I don't know anyone who actually copies invoices and receipts to these or even scans them in, which would be even easier.
My guess is we don't need eHome to do this as much as discipline to do it at all. The real question is does anyone really itemize past mechanical expenses.
As I write this I found out that my wife actually does document all her car maintenance expenses via her "My Ford" page , so what do I know?

Hey Steve, erase my post.

Anyway as long as your wife is good about entering the stuff in eHome, then everyone win/win...

Document scanning? hhhhmmmm Sometime of generic db support?

Very valid point on having a PC and databeases. In the environment Where I work, my coworker is an access man. I am an excel man. He can extract data like no one's business but the forms that he presents in the front end make it to where I would rather just pull my own data into an excel spreadsheet and make it more understandable. My point being that I don't like doing that at home. It is enough having to do it at work, then have to come home and feel like I am back at work. I tend to shy away from it. If that is the way I feel being a computer hardware geek, can you imagine that regular avgerage joe feels, when a PC intimadates him, but he would like to make his life simpler, by buying a home automation system that will do most of this for him

I realize that it is a discipline. I aslo realize that it is a discipline that many don't want to deal with. In addition, if there were a module created that make that discipline easier for the person to go about day to day life. they would most likely gravitate to that product. But it has to have an simplistic front end as to not make the consumer intimidated to use the software. Basically it has to have all the thought process behind it, so the user can live by the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method.

This is why we go out and buy those TAX software packages. WE want something to do the thinking for us and all we have to do is input what it asks us. Imagine the revenue that those software packages are raking in.

I don't like this analogy, but I will toss it out.
If people lack the discipline to proactively create databases with their pertinent life information. And you provide them with a software solution that is easy for them to use in order to gain that discipline and they realize how much easier their lifes become, they are much more dependent on your software package to maintain their new found easy lifestyle.

This doesn't only apply to Car maintenance. Have you really thought about where all the important documents of your life insurance policies and will information are and does your dependents really know where it ie located and where all the information is stored, in a file cabinent here, ina a safety deposit box there, ina a fire retardent box stored in a corner of your house. If you died, where would the person that is responsible for burying you have a starting point to find all the hiding spots that you have found for all that info. It would take months for them, only if they took off work in order to find your stashes of info, just to come up with the proper documentation in order to get enough money together to bury your behind. Hence, a module called "Safebox" that woulf be a locked information storage area that is encrypted that is a map to all the important papers od this nature, so if anything happened to you would give your predeccessors the information to take care of your dying wishes in an expedient manner. This way you only have to hide one encryption password and give that location out to your estate excecutor(?).

I did document management for hospitals awhile back so I understand the technology.

I have always seen the importance of scanning your bills into the computer and have thought you create a set of categories (car, utilities, mortgage, etc) and write any extra info on the bills and scan them in.

But... that app is batter an a NON touch screen app but the viewer could be touch screen.

NOTE: If I die, i really don't care about any documents...

Specific documents shouldn't be a concern for the software producer. Let the consumer determine what is important to them as far as the sensitive info. Senditive inf should not be displayed per say on touchscreens throughout the house. But car maintenance could. Or at least different touch screen could be setup like the other modules. Audio/video in the living room. Car maint module only in the garage and kitchen. Dr. and vet appointment notices only set up on the kitchen touchscreen. Like that type of setup.

Just so you know, I am just throwing out these ideas because that is what ir requested right? That is what I gathered by Jake Bullet as follows:

"Yeah, sounds good too me. Let me know what works and what does not. Also, think content. Thats what the browser is for. I don't want to go to external sutes for content, I want to host it myself. eHome recipes, eHome Bar drinks, eHome..."

??????

Yep, keep tossing them out!

Hmm sounds like the website needs a section where jake can list his recorded ideas and give them a priority and status for all to see

Jake states;

NOTE: If I die, i really don't care about any documents... Rolling Eyes

Why do we even have wills then. It is to make it legally binding that your wishes are handled how you want them, not how somebldy else feels they should be handled. I agree with Jake's philosophy, do with my body what you want after I am dead. My wife doesn't have the same outlook however. And look at that Anna Nicole Smith crap that is going on. If she had a one stop map for her predeccessors to reference. There would not be all that TNT (doink-doink) DRAMA goig on.

I agree with Thraka. There should be a listing of what is on the list and priority of content to be addressed. That way things actually get done without tangents thrown in. Also ideas don't get retossed around after a few months of forum posts and new members don't rehash the same ground because it is new to them.

Well, When the 'eHome Gagsta House Software' brings in its first million then I will create a will. But not before!!!

If you have a true eHOMEY automated Gangsta HIZouse. You might need a will sooner than you think.

Lol, if there ever is a side kick program to Ehome to help it do something it should be called eHomey

Well...

I liked the original car maintenance schedule idea

Just add it to the cal - scheduler now. My family is using the scheduler mostly for doctors appt and such and being I do not own a car anymore...

Have not had too much feedback on the scheduler... would love to get some.