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Welcome to the Internet of Things

I’ve talked about my geekiness before.  I can’t help it, I love gadgets.  I love that they just keep improving our lives. For example, my father had a pacemaker put in last week.  The hospital gave him a box that just plugs into an ordinary wall outlet. But what it does is far from ordinary.  The box gets information from his pacemaker and sends it to the Cardiology group wirelessly.  He doesn’t have to connect to it or hit any send buttons.  How cool is that!

Because of my love of all things technology, I’ve written in the past about home tools like iRobot. Today’s article is a continuation of that theme as it’s about home automation. 

You have probably heard the phrase “Internet of Things” or IoT. It’s currently transforming the way we live. Our lives are no longer connected to the internet through just computers and smartphones – we’re now able to connect to any device in our home, from refrigerators and security systems to thermostats and baby monitors.

The list of IoT devices gets longer by the day and will only continue to grow. What exactly is IoT? According to Business Insider, the IoT is “a network of Internet-connected objects able to collect and exchange data using embedded sensors”. To put it simply, any device that connects to the internet (but isn’t a computer, tablet, or smartphone) is considered an IoT device. IoT devices will lock your front door, activate your sprinklers, vacuum your living room, purify your air, manage your washing machine cycles, start dinner for you, and remind you what you need to pick up from the grocery store.

IoT and Connected Home automation are becoming the norm. Forbes projects that 71% of consumers are expected to own at least one smart home device by 2025. By 2020, there will be over 24 billion IoT devices on earth – that’s four devices for every person (Business Insider). By 2021, according to Statista, smart home revenue will reach $32.2 billion. As consumers continue to buy smart home devices, non-smart options will become less and less available over time.

Transforming your entire home into a smart home can leave a small dent in your wallet. But smart home devices such as thermostats and air conditioners can save you money on your electric bills, meaning bigger savings in the long run.

Of course, there is also a dark side to having all this connectivity. Hackers are using it to get access to homeowner’s personal information or to listen to our personal conversations. Gary Davis from McAfee says that the most vulnerable part of any smart home system is the mobile device that controls it. Make sure your mobile device and any other devices communicating with it have 128-bit encryption or higher.  Because Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices can have security vulnerabilities, Davis says that both baby monitors and home monitors create the most risk.  This is the nature of technology.  The bad guys keep trying to abuse it and manufacturers have to constantly come up with new ways to try and prevent these intrusions. 

What the heck is Gars and Grapes?

Colorado may be more widely known for its craft breweries, but it also produces some great wines. The Colorado winery business is relatively young with the earliest wineries only going back to the late 1960s to early 1970s. Most of the State’s wines come from vineyards on the western slope where the low humidity, long warm days and cool evenings create just the right environment for the grapes to retain the acids for premium winemaking. Today, I’d like to introduce you to one of my favorite sources for wine, the Gars and Grapes/Avanti Winery. 

Whenever I can I try to buy from local producers to return money back to the community, so I was happy to find Avanti Winery one day while at the Farmer’s Market at Southwest Plaza.  That day they were offering tastings of a couple of their excellent dessert wines, Peach Moscato and Raspberry Rose.  I learned they have had their retail location since 2001 across the street at 9046 W. Bowles. They offer local and national wines.  They also have an extensive tobacco and cigar selection-hence the “Gar” in their name.  Inside the store is also a cozy tasting room in the back where they have wine tastings Thursday through Saturday.

You can buy wine from over 30 wines from all over Colorado at Avanti including:

• Bookcliff
• Boulder Creek
• Plum Creek
• Garfield Estate
• Grande River
• Graystone
• Hermosa
• Meadery Of The Rockies
• Mountain Spirit
• St. Kathryn
• The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey
• Talon Winery
• Whitewater Hill

I have tried the St. Kathryn from Palisades and Graystone wines from the Clifton area. I enjoyed both. I can’t wait to try some of the other Colorado wines.

If you are looking for some great Colorado wines, checking out Gars and Grapes/Avanti Winery at:

9046 W Bowles Ave
Littleton, CO 80123
303-904-7650
303-972-9995 (fax)
avantiwinery@aol.com

Hours: Monday Closed, Tues.-Sat. 10-6, Sun. 11-4

Dinosaur Ridge

One of the great things about living in Colorado is the many historical locations that are available to visit. To most people, early Colorado history means gold mines or frontier towns. Today I want to write about a place that is literally filled with ancient history called Dinosaur Ridge. This natural landmark located near Morrison, Colorado features real Jurassic dinosaur bones and footprints.

Early History

• The first discovery of bones was in in 1877 by Arthur Lakes, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden.
• While constructing Alameda Parkway in 1937 workers also discovered hundreds of dinosaur footprints. 
• Up until 1973, the area was not managed. People would remove the bones as souvenirs. That all changed in 1973 when the area was recognized as having historical significance by the National Park Service and was designated as a National Natural Landmark. The State of Colorado has also named the area a Colorado Natural Area. 
• The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge organization was formed in 1989 to work for the preservation of the site and offers educational programs. 

Location

Dinosaur Ridge consists of two locations-the Main Visitor Center Complex and the Discovery Center Location.

Main Visitor Center Complex Location

Located at 16831 W. Alameda Parkway is the Main Visitor Center Complex. This is where you should begin your visit to Dinosaur Ridge.

At the Main Visitor Center you will find:

• Benton Seaway Box- a hands on experience where you can uncover dinosaur bones and try your hand at Sluice Mining.
• Exhibits such as Trek Through Time’s paleo-murals as well see Triceratops skull, T-rex teeth, thumb spikes, and displays of fossils and bones.
• The Main Gift Shop where you can purchase shuttle bus or Trek through Time tickets as well as souvenirs and snacks. 
• The Stegosaurus Snack Shack with items such as granola bars and water. 

Discovery Center Location

At 17681 W. Alameda Parkway is the Discovery Center and the start of Dinosaur Ridge Trail. Located on a 1.1-mile section of West Alameda Parkway the Trail is open to pedestrians, bicyclists, and hikes but is closed to through traffic. More than 15 fossil and geologic sites are located on the Trail.

During the months of May through October, free outdoor events called Dinosaur Discovery Days are open to the public. They are held monthly at Dinosaur Ridge on either the second or third Saturday of the month.

Doesn’t Dinosaur Ridge sound like a fun and educational place to spend some time exploring the past?