1. Entry 223: My home is a "Happy Home." I am paralyzed with Lou Gehrig's disease thus my home is a hospital room. I communicate and control my environment using a computer with various software and hardware including X10 ActiveHome products. I control my computer with my thumb and ActiveHome controls almost everything else. So you see, my home would not be nearly so pleasant without ActiveHome. I am able to "speak" using my computer even though I rely on a mechanical ventilator for life. Using various X10 modules and software, I control all the "normal" environmental factors such as lamps, overhead lights, radio on/off, TV off, fan, nurse "call", and an emergency alarm. Slightly more uncommon or unique, I control my hospital bed head up/down and feet up/down features using four X10 Universal Modules. Even more unique is a urinal drainage system which I operate via an X10 Appliance Module. Thanks to X10, I don't have to ask my care giver or nurse for assistance or interrupt my frequent visitors to use the urinal. Control of environmental factors add to my independence and comfort. My urinal system adds to my dignity. I also take advantage of the more technical capabilities of ActiveHome. I occasionally experience computer "lockup" which leaves me literally helpless. Unable to call for help or do anything for myself, I have been incommunicado for as long as four hours. To overcome this, I programmed my X10 Computer Interface to automatically accomplish several things every thirty minutes during my normal waking hours. Unless I disarm the macro, the Computer Interface automatically alerts my nurse, turns on my urinal drainage,lowers my feet and reboots my computer, all independent of my malfunctioning computer. A timed Universal Module audible alarm set to "Momentary" provides a five minute warning signal to disarm the macro as long as my computer is working as it should. I have a dear friend, Charlie, who helps with many of my projects. He is working on a new project which will use a timed Universal Module's contacts, on "Momentary", to recover certain computer software malfunctions short of a complete reboot. He and my sons are also working on a X10 controllable "excess secretion" extraction system using a pair of Appliance Modules.  I am anxiously awaiting X10's coming infrared control for my TV and stereo. That may even merit purchase of a Bose Wave Radio with its infrared remote control. This will greatly add to my independence. In the words of a certain X10 executive, I hope your home is as happy as mine. -- Earl Aman

To read more about Earl visit: http://www.js-net.com/phantom/earlaman.htm

Read the X10 News Item concerning this Contest Entry and Entry 4

Votes received: 2507

2.   Entry 74: It is 4 a.m. and from the other side of the house my grand-parents begin their morning ritual. You can hear the gripes and complaints as they shuffle around the "mother-in-law" apartment. My grandma shouts "While you’re up, you old bag of bones, get me a drink of water." My grandpa yells back "What did you say?" "Turn on your hearing aid" she yells. Adjusting the small dial, he replies again, "What do you want?" "The same thing I ask every night - a glass of water!" she answers. As grandpa shuffles out of the room the X10 ActiveHome Motion Sensor activates a ActiveHome macro that turns the lights on from their room to bathroom and the kitchen. The heat strips in the floor and the bathroom have energized, again by an ActiveHome module, warming the tile floor, preventing a cold. Grandpa finishes his raid of my daughter’s cookies, followed by a glass of milk. He pours grandma a glass of water, takes a whiff of the fresh bread baking in the breadmaker, also initiated by an ActiveHome macro, and shuffles back to the apartment. ActiveHome is now beginning the morning startup of the house. The coach lights by the mail box are brightened so the paper carrier finds the box. The pool pumps and heater power up so the water is the perfect condition and temperature before I begin my morning laps. As I rise, an X10 ActiveHome macro turns on the patio and pool lights as the coffee maker begins making a pot of coffee. I have rested well knowing that my grand-parents have found their way in the night without me worrying about them tripping or falling. I wake up with a warm house, warm pool and dry newspaper to read with that first cup of coffee. Now if ActiveHome could only figure a way to get my daughter dressed and out the door in time… Thanks X10 for helping to macromize my life! - Janet Burns

Votes received: 1180

3.  Entry 4: I would use ActiveHome while I'm at work to run my household while I'm gone. In the summer, it would automatically turn on the air conditioners at 4pm so the house would be cool when we got home from work. (There is nothing worse than getting home to a  sticky hot house or having an astronomical electric bill.) It would also be busy  at work turning on the bread machine and crock pot so that dinner is ready when we walked in the door. It would also turn on the TV or stereo to entertain my dog during various intervals throughout the day. - Nancy Parker

Nancy wants you to NOT vote for her ... read story

Votes received: 573

4.  Entry 137:  I spend more time in the morning before leaving the house, running around shutting off lights that one of the kids have left on. What a great time saver it would be just to walk outside, push a button and not have to come home later in the day to find that I missed one! -- Robin Kaplan

Votes received: 26

5. Entry 130:  I would like to see home automation take the step forward in to voice recognition. Simply speak your commands, "Evening lights, please." Your lights in the pre-programmed sequence (or macro) reach the correct level and possibly your stereo system starts music. To use the voice commands the X10 system could have a plug-in microphone module that "listens" for commands and processes them. Or repeats the audio in to a personal computer to have the voice recognition software perform the task of running an ActiveHome macro. Another feature of the system is to have the ability to speak back. You enter your home and the system says, "Welcome home John. Would you like to watch TV?" A reply yes would start the TV.  The system would base questions on previous commands executed. If John normally watched TV when he got home the system would know to ask that. The system would also know that at certain set hours the voice synthesis would be disabled or enabled so that it would not disturb someone sleeping when someone arrived home. -- Rob Schmidt

Votes received: 23