Glass Nest: Control Your Thermostat With Voice Commands

Are you a fan of Google Glass and Nest thermostats? Then you will definitely want to try this fun application called Glass Nest, which combines the two and allows users to remotely control the Nest using voice commands.

The unofficial app was developed by an Atlanta developer named James Rundquist. After getting the Google Glass last month, he got the idea of developing a special application pairing the device with his apartment’s smart thermostat.

Glass Nest users will be able to control the Nest thermostat by voice commands, even remotely.

Rundquist’s code is open sourced and is up on Github, which means that anyone can help improve the app or contribute to the project in whatever way they can. The app is only available to a select number of Nest users, but the developer is hoping to open registration to anyone who owns both Google Glass and Nest.

The Glass Nest is quite an elegant application that allows you to control your smart thermostat with your voice. The device can be programmed to listen to a variety of voice commands, but so far performs only three functions: setting away mode, exiting away mode and changing temperature.

More specifically, the application will allow Google Glass owners to notify the Nest that they’re coming or leaving home simply by uttering the words. The Nest will then automatically change the house climate accordingly. Users can also fine-tune their home’s temperature, using the same method.

Those interested in giving the app a try can log in the Glass Nest website using their Google login data. After that, they have to enter their Nest credentials, which automatically sends a card to their Glass timeline. The card can be pinned to the timeline. Users can easily send their commands using the “reply” option on the card.

The app is yet dedicated to a small niche, as you have to own both Google Glass and Nest to be able to test it. But Rundquist is hoping that the niche will expand, given that he only received positive feedback so far.

What do you think of the Glass Nest? Would you like to control your thermostat with voice commands?

[Image via Mashable]

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3D Printed Guns Can’t Be Stopped, Officials Say

The successful test firing of the Liberator last month has triggered a massive wave of criticism, but has also led to the expansion of 3D printed gun designs and plans. Over the last couple of weeks, there have been several reports related to the topic, including the manufacture of 3D printed bullets and of a $25 plastic gun.

After US law student Cody Wilson test fired the Liberator, he uploaded the gun’s blueprints online. The plans were downloaded hundreds of thousands of times and even after the US authorities ordered Wilson to take them down, the plans were still available on other websites.

Recently, a leaked Homeland Security Department memo revealed that US officials too believe it is now impossible to stop the world from manufacturing 3D printed guns. Even if they don’t use Wilson’s plans, people will eventually come up with their own designs and be able to manufacture 3D printed weaponry, the memo says.

And this is probably what Wilson wanted to prove all along. Wilson insists that he manufactured the gun and made the plans available in order to allow people access to an advanced 3D printing technology that can have many uses, including for manufacturing various medical devices, and that this can gradually lead to decentralized control.

Leaving the ‘let’s undermine state authority’ rhetoric aside, a problem arises when it comes to how safe it is to use such guns. The Homeland Security memo warned about the public risks of having unqualified gun seekers manufacture or obtain 3D printed guns. Legislators are considering a ban on the manufacturing and use of such weaponry, which cannot be detected by routine arm scans, and this may deter production, but cannot completely stop it, the memo says.

‘Catastrophic’ effects

Australian police have also warned residents not to download designs or try to manufacture 3D printed weaponry. In a YouTube video, New South Wales police explain that they were able to manufacture two guns based on the blueprints, for only $33.

Both weapons were tested. One was able to fire a bullet seven inches into a resin block resembling human flesh, which was deep enough to be lethal. The other came apart when fired, with potentially catastrophic effects for the person yielding the weapon. The police video also underlined that there are no standards in the manufacture of 3D printed weapons, which makes them very dangerous as they are unstable and cannot be detected.

3D printed bullets

As the 3D printing technology is expanding, so are its uses in the field of weaponry. A Tennessee man used 3D printed bullets with a regular shotgun and caused some serious damage with them. The tests were shown in a YouTube video.

This came as a Wisconsin engineer managed to print a gun using a Lulzbot A0-101. This is a relatively cheap 3D printer, costing only $1,725. The materials used cost $25, making this the cheapest 3D printed gun that was also successfully fired.

[Image via Forbes]

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