Re: Automation for Automation's Sake
Zachary wrote about his aversion to unnecessary automation, and some were relatable. His approach to automation is:
... no more or less than is necessary to keep my life distraction free and focused on the things that fill my cup.
I get that and even extend that idea to self-hosting in general. I like the idea of self-hosting, but I don't need another chore. Anyone can search on the web and figure out how to set up a local instance of Nextcloud, but if you don't understand it, you'll be up a creek when it breaks 18 months from now.
What fills people's cup will differ from person to person. Zachary writes:
For example, do I need my front door to automatically unlock itself when I walk up to it? Hell no. This might work now, but sensors break, the internet goes out, phones get upgraded, and all sorts of other things will need to be managed and maintained over time.
But, is there value in automatically managing my finances so my bills are paid and my savings and investments are growing? You're darn tootin', there is. The return on investment (no pun intended) for this type of automation is much clearer.
Oh man. I felt personally attacked by this because my doors do unlock automatically when I come home! There are motion-activated lights in many rooms. The thermostat sets itself based on the presence of humans. I have cat feeders and a cat door connected to my home automation platform. I can voice control the lights and the media players. Does this save me money? No. But does it save me time? Also no. What's my return on investment? Enjoyment.
Don't let other people's opinions ruin your enjoyment of things. Just because someone may think it's superfluous for the front door to automatically unlock when you walk up to it, that doesn't mean it's invalid. It fills your cup and that's all that matters.