6.2 Devices in the home
Activity 24: exploratory
Take a mental 'walkthrough' of a typical morning in your own home, making a note of all the events and activities that involve electrical devices!
Discussion
My imagined day starts even before I wake up, when the domestic heating system comes on and my alarm clock switches on the radio. If it's winter time I switch on my bedroom light (how nice instead to have a more natural awakening by my bedroom lights coming on at a low level and gradually increasing to full brightness). I go to the bathroom, take a shower (adjusting the temperature to my own preference) then make coffee and toast in the kitchen. I burn the toast and the smoke alarm sounds. I go into the living room and use a remote control to switch on the TV for the morning news. Then I go upstairs and dry my hair. On a good day I might have time to run the vacuum cleaner over the carpets, load and switch on the washing machine or preset the oven so that the casserole I prepared the night before will be cooked and ready to eat on my return.
Activity 25: exploratory
Which of the devices I mentioned in my answer to Activity 24 would you say were concerned with monitoring and controlling?
Discussion
The devices that control my central heating monitor the temperature of the air and hot water, and control the boiler accordingly. My alarm clock monitors the time and controls the switching on (and off) of the radio. The smoke alarm monitors certain chemicals in the air and activates an alarm when these rise above a critical level. If I have one of the more expensive models of toaster, it might monitor the dryness of the bread and control the toasting time to prevent burning. My TV can be controlled with a remote device; the washing machine and oven are both operated by some kind of program controller!