Entry 26: automated burgler prevention with out using an alarm during night hours. lights going on and of at preset schedules. -- Henrik m vindahl

Entry 27: use a software to convert house blueprints into a map on your computer using a scanner and by plugging the dvice into an electricity outlet to a computer the computer will automatically detect all devices connected in the house without using any units on every lamp and appliance.then by point&click method every appliance will have different functions such as on off do coffee open door customized by the user. -- Maher

Entry 28: to brighten or darken lights (depending upon the partner) during intimate moments to control the view! -- James l. rowe

Entry 30: automate pool/hot tub filtration using pc control to optimize maintenance periods to coincide with peak usage and off hours reduced energy rates. -- Gregory bottoms

Entry 31: controlling power to my detached garage- safety for the the kids becasue they can't use power tools without supervision! -- Charles plott

Entry 32: automated feeding/watering system for pets or small animals. pc based control provides total flexibility in scheduling. -- Gregory bottoms

Entry 33: i will be able to program different appliances and lights turn on and off when i am away to make my house appear as though someone is in the house. -- Bradley k berghuis

Entry 34: a good way to use it would be to shut or dim your lights to your liking. lock your door electronically. or while you are on your computer you can warm up a pot of coffee or tea thats on the stove, also shades could be open and closed(all over the house). what would be really cool, to make it teach the telephone to identify which phone numbers ring in each room, this way all the people that regularly call you, their telephone ring will only ring in the room that you are in. -- Eli a safdieh

Entry 35: i have a small shop a few feet from our house and it has been broke into once, i would like to see to it that doesn't happen again without a little surprise for someone. -- Harlan l. mckillip

Entry 36: i plan to use it as creatively as i can. -- Nancy w gabler

Entry 37: turning on the alarm clocks in my teenage daughters' rooms so i don't have to face them in the mornings! -- David gilbert

Entry 38: not very creative or unique sorry. -- Richard roderick

Entry 39: i'm not sure yet. probably the first thing will be to turn on the coffee from bed in the am. what i'd really like is something to control my satellite dish and vcr so i can program it via the internet from my office to tape for me when i have to work late. -- Mark zinzow

Entry 40: we have a snoppy nieghbor and i'll use x-10 to drive her nuts turning lights on and off at all hours of the day and night. -- Bob clouse

Entry 43: i am in a wheelchair paralized from my neck downwards with limited use of my arms. firecracker will make life very easier for me controlling everything electrical with one remote. -- Adriaan kruger

Entry 44: i use it to control my xmas lights. i have mnaged to get them to blink at about a 1hz rate. x10 is to slow for much more. -- Richard mccord

Entry 45: i had envisaged the idea of home automation 15 years ago. but, i am really happy that this idea is now a reality not a fantasy. it is a good way for all the white collar and blue collar people for they dont have time and resources to do it manually. -- Khang wong

Entry 46: i realy do not know what the product can be hoocked to but im sure i would find some odd ways to use it -- Challen r. bertran

Entry 47: id use it to fire up my home entertainment system when either playing some online games, or watching tv, or just to listen to music -- Jose ramirez ii

Entry 48: notify me by cell phone of any anomalies -- Edward e kilmartin

Entry 49: here in ny state where electricity prices are .14kwh day rate and .5kwh night rate the x10 system could pay for itself in less that a year. if you have an electric water heater and are on day/night rate with the utility company, the x10 system pays for itself. you could heat your water at night for .5kwh insted of keeping hot water hot all day long, how many people do you know that are home all day long, so why keep the water hot when no one is around? you could also use it to control your water pump, pool pump, all the high energy devices that are real power ****ers. -- Patrick onesty

Entry 50: install an electromagnetic lock on the pet door. the animals are outside while at work and the lock unlocks before your arrival home. you are then greeted by man's best friend curled up on the hearth - and he had no significant time to chew up the house. -- Frederic r. bennet

Entry 51: use x10 to control home darkroom equipment. rather than using an expensive enlarger timer, use x10 and a laptop to control the enlarger for photo print making (and also be able to store enlarging times.) one could also use x10 to control safelights in hard-to-reach locations, allowing you to switch between room light and safelight by remote control anywhere in the darkroom. -- Martin knowles

Entry 52: can i use it to start my coffee machine before i get up so it is ready after i shower. that way i wont have to go downstairs to start it and then back upstairs to shower. -- Lawrence kotrys

Entry 53: switching on lights for romantic encounters -- Dave perdue

Entry 54: the x10 controller will 1) turn on of the old computers 2) activate a mindstorms robot 3) the 'bot will dump acup of water into the dogs dish at 11 pm yawn. -- Wayne kauffman

Entry 55: i am usualy up vary late working on projects and forget how late it is. with this i can have it progresivly dim my lights untill i become aware and head to bed. -- David freed

Entry 56: i could use it to cut off my security in my shop and it set all my power tools in a setup ready to run mode. -- Craig s. ridlon

Entry 58: you could use firecracker to start the coffee maker in the morning! -- John rosenberg

Entry 59: to turn on my computer for 5:00 am automaticly ever day except on saturday and sunday. have it start the computer at 8:00 am for saturday and sunday. plus turn by indoor garden on and off each day. -- Howard mcintee

Entry 60: to make my dogs think someone is in the house so that they won't chew things while we are at work. -- Matt shively

Entry 61: too save on the utility bill. -- Harford ellis

Entry 62: i have a wonderful and unique way to use the fire cracker system. i plan on taking all my old computer parts and some other electronic gizmos and combining them with this system to build a remote controlled robot. the robot would then be able to be controlled from my pc and also would be able to control other appliances itself! -- Lloyd mann, jr.

Entry 64: i would like to use the rf remote control as a "remote" for the mp3 software on my pc. i have a programming language which i can use to interface with the x-10 equipment, as well as control mp3 software. -- Mark pells

Entry 65: also good for handicap person in all aspects....to be able to turn on tv/lights/stereo etc. -- Dennis james

Entry 66: if possible, i'd have firecracker lower and raise the light level as i walk through my house. especially for my dog, as he's prone to bump into things. it'd also look pretty cool. -- David lewis

Entry 67: an automated burgler detection unit. movement detector detects movement and fires up the pc a web cam automatically starts taking shots every 10 secs or so and x10 turns all the lights on to get a realy good shot of the burgler. -- Dean kelly

Entry 68: outdor lighting control. -- Jean b. cliche

Entry 69: as firecracker controls appliances, i envision myself starting breakfast with it while i read zdnet's anchordesk morning delivery. -- Roy cole goodwin

Entry 70: remote open/close of pet doors. may take a little work to rig up the door to electrically open/close, but it can save alot of agravation for those people who are unable to get around very well. -- Patrick mullenax

Entry 71: i don't know about everyone else, but where i live (i have roommates and a daughter) no one can get their act together, much less remember anything, so i thought about a schedule minder or alarm clock that sets off a series of beeps or a bell at specified times throughout the house (apartment). my daughter and 1 of my roommates have difficulty remembering to set their alarm clocks and end up relying on everyone else to wake them up, and my other roommate is constantly missing appointments etc. the most appealing aspect is the security and having the lights come on at certain times -- Julie m broxterman

Entry 72: restricting access to the outlets in a room. for example ensuring the tv goes off at a certan time, or that is wont be turned on before a certain time. also disabeling unused outlets. enabeling safer rooms for curious children weilding the butter knife. -- Jeff elder

Entry 73: to control the sound system from outside. -- Gloria templin

Entry 74: using alot of contacts. -- Ginger lynch

Entry 75: hey i work a lot of hours, so i don't have enough time to get things done around the house. this type of equipment will allow to me to me more productive in the hours i am at home. -- Mario r.linares

Entry 76: my dog is an inside dog, but we let him out by himself when he has to go to the bathroom or play awhile. he usually comes to the door when hes ready to come in, but sometimes we dont know when he comes to the door, so i would like to use firecracker along with the motion detector, which i would mount outside the door, and install the chime inside. so when he comes to the door, the motion detector would pick him up and the chime would go off inside,letting us know hes ready to come in. -- Mike gress

Entry 77: i am one of those xmas lights freaks. with "intelligent" controls the possibilities are mind boggling. -- John cody

Entry 78: to turn on ouside bug light -- Louis j maciog

Entry 79: i travel quite a bit for business, x10 sounds like a perfect way to give my home the appearance of someone being there. also i would like to use a few cameras around the house to upload pictures of my house/animal sitters to my internet site. this way i can see that my pets (and house)are being taken care of when i'm away. -- Scott baker

Entry 80: a bad habit of mine is leaving lights on all over the house - i will program this system to turn off or dim the lights in other rooms when i am on the computer - this will also be great for times when i am on vacation; to give the appearance of someone being home -- John montgomery

Entry 81: we own a 1906 home and because of the porch step layout it is diffucult to navigate the steps in the dark. i used the hawkeye/lamp module to turn on the porch light. i found that the hawkeye also works well when mounted inside my mail box (rural type box, mounted on the back wall) to turn on a small lamp when the mail arrives or someone opens the front door of the mail box. your imagination is the only limit. thanks for a great, long lasting product that makes our life easier. bill -- William beckerson

Entry 82: i am a horse rancher, and i would use fire cracker to keep me out of the elements by automating the barn lighting, and patching into my water, and heating systems both which are electrically controlled. so i don't have to go out into the cold, and snow, to refill water, and keep it from freezing. also automating the lighting will keep me from getting bounced on the head by anyone or thing that might be hiding in the darkness of the barn. -- Robbie taylor

Entry 83: imagine i could control lights and tv in my teenage daugther's room. no more waking up at 2:00 am because of a loud tv. -- Thierry steenbergh

Entry 84: have coffee being made as i'm reading e-mail -- Thomas alosso

Entry 85: i'm lazy. we moved into a new house with stairs, now i hate stairs. i'm hoping firecracker will change all that. if not, i will have to resort to another product called dynamite, which i understand can also be an effective way to make the second story more accessible. please help! -- Michael vandemore

Entry 87: the idea of coming home from work everyday and going through the same procedure is silly: turn on the living room light, turn on the stereo, turn on the fans (depending on the time of year), et cetera. i want the process to start before i touch the doorknow. when firecracker, it would be done and i could save time for doing more interesting projects (like new firecracker ideas). -- Dennis jackson

Entry 89: turn on pool pump. turn on sterio. turn on/off front porch lights. sounds neat!!! -- Lois bodycote

Entry 90: we want to monitor our secondary house during the winter. the idea is to set up a webcam on the pc there to have visual confirmation of the situation inside using a remote access porogram. we will set up the lights and tv to go on and off at intervals, so the house will look lived in. we also plan to have a thermometer in range of the webcam to verify that the house is maintaining its heat. -- Judith wilson

Entry 92: i would like to see x-10 create a smoke detector that could send signals to alert you if in a remote location there was a fire, such as in the garage, attic, kids room or other end of the house. being able to create a macro to turn on lights or sound a alarm in other areas to alert you of danger. -- Robert theil

Entry 93: 1. use the wireless link module to control a ceiling fan in a location not wired for three wire control. 2. use computer programming to control lighting in children's rooms to provide early sleep security through dimming gradually fading to off. 3. use palm pad & computer control for front and rear security gate control. 4. use computer control for zone lighting security control. 5. use palm pad for fountain & exterior mood lighting. 6. use hawkeye motion sensor & security light for exterior perimeter control & walkway lighting at night when coming & going. -- J. taylor

Entry 95: i would use it to control the lights and stereos in both the boy's rooms. they fight wanting to get up in the morning so a nice background of music & light ought to do the trick. i would use it to turn on the coffee maker for me and to warm up my wife's curling iron. the coffee would be used to get me going & my wife takes her shower first so her stuff would be ready for her to go. last, i would have it programmed to automatically shut things off as everyone is off for their day. make sure no one forgets. on the weekend, i would make sure the television in our bedroom is set for all of the outdoor sporting shows. a good start to the weekend. -- Jamie phelps

Entry 96: i would like to use it to control temperature settings in the home. -- Ian journeaux

Entry 98: moniter and opererate electrical devcies in the home -- Bob smedley

Entry 99: my current tv has no remote control. i could use firecracker to turn it on and off without having to get out of my easy chair. everything else electronic i have has remotes, so i'd be set. -- Chad williams

Entry 101: i have developed a small park in the rear of my home. this includes underground wiring to stereo speakers, lights, and in the future fontains etc. hopefully this product will allow me to control all electrical devices from my pc. -- Fred shoemaker

Entry 102: i own a small bait & tackle shop. i would use the software and module for switchng a small circulating pump in my bait tank. -- Thomas m. james

Entry 103: using the computer interface, i'd be able to control any of my connected devices from work, if i just dial into my computer from work. i'd like to be able to control lights, hvac, security, and be able to turn lights on/off as i leave work to be greeted by the lighting i choose when i arrive at the garage. -- Robert gallop

Entry 104: after a long day at work, when i'm coming home, it would be nice to have a pot of coffee or something defrosted and ready to cook when i get home, that way i can relax. also, having the thermostat automatically set to a comfortable degree would be nice. -- James mulholland

Entry 105: home security -- Michael sawyer

Entry 107: i want to set up a control for our cat door to keep them in when we are away for a few days. -- Arthur thomas

Entry 108: my favorite thing to do with firecracker would be to link up my hot tub with it. this would allow me to click it on right before i go outside, so when i got outside ready to hop in, it would be toasty warm thanks to firecracker. -- Derek perkins

Entry 109: i would use it to control the fountains in the pond. to make sure my favorite tv program was on when i got home from work. in the winter i would have it turn on/off the roof defroster, also turn the christmas lights on and off. -- Jon schultz

Entry 110: turn off sprinkler system when pouring rain -- Sue williams

Entry 111: control pool and hot tub filtration systems, arm and disarm home security system, interact with home intercom system, control thermostats, control lights and small appliances, and control sprinkler system. -- **** whetstone

Entry 112: 1) just so i can have more gadgets. 2) i watch tv in my living room during large internet downloads, and i forget to turn it off half the time. (in other words it helps me be more lazy then i already am) isnt that what this is all about. 3) i have all sorts of mood lighting it would be nice to control it all with out having to fiddle with switches, plugs and all sorts of gadgets.. lets me expeirment with differnt combinations of lighting. (black lights, softlights, colored lights, stobe lights, and (soon to be added) neon lights) -- Felix dominguez

Entry 113: finally a computer appliance-controller product for regular people, not just bill gates 'n all... -- John joyner

Entry 114: i live in a house with architecture known as "california contemporary" and among other features, it has a cathedral ceiling in the living room. in the highest wall of the living room, i have windows with openers that simply cannot be reached without a long ladder. it occurs to me that this would be an excellent application of x10 technology. -- Frank g. russell

Entry 115: i collect antique motorcycles and have to take the train into work at the head office three days a week. there's always a problem with battery tenders cooking the batteries in my car and bikes (which gets expensive). i would use a module out in the garage to turn the battery charger on and off on a fixed schedule. now, if i could just program it to take the train to work and let me go riding ... -- Charles lipton

Entry 116: enforce kids bedtime by shutting off tv at pre-determined time. -- Patrick murphy

Entry 118: my motor home is stored next to my home and pluged in to the house 110 current, to keep battries charged, with the module i can turn on the rv interior lights before i go out in the dark to check it's, condition. -- Jack d. newman

Entry 119: automaticly turn every thing off when i go to work at 7:15am -- Mike rott

Entry 120: i intend to use the product on my boat. i can turn on and off the 110volt battery charger, hot water heater, lights, etc. remotely. when your away from a boat or rv some appliances automatically operate off of 12volt and can draw the battery down, the automatic systems that are onboard are not very reliable and when they break down they can cause severe damage to the batteries that in turn kill the bilge pumps. this can be expensive. but having full manual control remotely allows me to turn on and off the necessary components without going to the boat to check it and waiting for things to charge. remote monitor of boats and rvs seems very useful. -- Errol davis

Entry 121: i have a summer camp and spend weekends away from home. i would like to be able to rotate lighting (differnt lights going on and off) and water the lawn while away. i'm also not sure how i'd do it but i bet the fish in the pond would enjoy eating before the weekend is over ( they go 2 days without food) -- Russell cook

Entry 122: to feed and water the dog -- Wolfgang m. dunker

Entry 123: to feed and water the dog -- Wolfgang m. dunker

Entry 125: control my lawn sprinker system from indoors, and as alternate remote garage door opener. -- Robert b. casey sr

Entry 126: i would set it up to activate my kids alarm clocks because they have a hard time getting up in the morning. also have it set to turn the patio lights on for those long summer nights when you just don't want to get out of your lawn chair. -- Chris beggs

Entry 128: while sitting in the dormer office of my woodworking shop,i can overlook the driveway and woodshop entrance door, which is kept locked to protect my investment. i always have friends and neighbors dropping by to check-out my recent woodworking projects.it would be very nice to greet them by turning on the soft glowing lights along the sidewalk,un-locking my electronic dead bolt so they may enter the shop,turning on the shop lights,the coffee pot and a little classical music, all from the comfort of my cosy dormer office,more than likely they will end up in my office to check out my newest project design and discuss old times over a few beers, and when they are ready to leave, i can reverse the process of shutting everything of as they leave, without leaving my office. i just hate getting up from this comfortable office chair. -- Timothy a pacholke

Entry 129: controlling my pool filter and charging my electric lawn mower while i relax on the porch having a beer. this way i know all my household runctions are being handled so i can enjoy life to the fullest! -- Tom watson

Entry 130: the couple of units i have i have used to control an older stereo that isn't remote control...at least now i can turn it off and on with my remote unit -- Robert detwiler

Entry 131: illuminate flower beds if someone or some thing gets to close -- Albert epple

Entry 132: i get home from work at 2am. it would be great if my house could turn on just before i get home -- Richard simoneau

Entry 133: make sure the little electric heater is on or off :), in the greenhouse. when the heater isn't needed, the plants need to make sure the fan is on. -- Rick ward

Entry 134: my son will not turn off his tv before he goes to sleep, so i can wire it up to firecracker and shut it off automaticaly. -- Douglas gehlsen

Entry 135: start my coffee maker from the computer so i don't have to get up until the joe is brewed. and to freak out my fiancee... -- Ken ashcroft

Entry 136: i have a garden pond that has several fountains attached. i want to add decorative lighting and be able to control these individually from my living room. in addition i can use the remote to control lighting in the pool area. then of course there is the coffee pot and other obvious accessories... -- Rick bonneau

Entry 137: i will be using firecracker to turn on my hot tub and outdoor lights for a night of relaxation -- Debra schuhle

Entry 138: the addition of temp sensor could allow the control of hvac, swimming pool , outdoor sprinklers, driveway thawer, attic fan, etc. also, livestock feeders, water tank fillers, horse excersizors, barn ventilators, etc -- Russ robbins

Entry 139: being that we just bought a newer home with a good sized above ground swimming pool i want to control the filter pump with it. it sure would be easier than crawling underneath the pool deck and placing the on-off tabs on the timer. -- Robert petrolito

Entry 140: once i've mastered the system at my residence, i'd like to try to incorporate it into my business and see how it does. -- Randall l. daggett

Entry 142: with our small home network, any computer in the house (a multi level home) can log on to the server, which will have firecracker, and adjust temperatures and lights. for the older members of our family who have problems with the stairs firecracker is the answer we've been looking for. -- India hamner

Entry 143: make my home a realization of sci-fi impossibilities by speeding up house chores with a simple click -- Siow wee fang

Entry 144: basic uses: controling lights, etc, if there is an audio module, would like to use it to control my barking dog, as a good yell "quiet!!!" does quiet her down. . -- Robert berman

Entry 145: take control of all electrical products in my home, from lamps to the vcr -- David a. voron

Entry 146: a reminder service to help me remember times to take medications would be nice. i have to take so many meds each day. then if there were some way i could verbally note/record what meds i have taken, it would keep me from forgetting what i took and when. alternatively, an automated pill dispenser that presents preprogrammed meds at specific times would really be helpful. -- Serena m. giddens

Entry 148: at 4:00 am the garage heater kicks in (it's winter), at 7:15 the garage doors opens, the auto-start fires up your engine, the garage heater shuts off. at 7:30 the house lights turn off (unless the motion sensor still senses movement), driveway lights come on. at 7:00 (you've just left your driveway) lights all go off (except for those on security setting). -- Brian j. wimmer

Entry 149: with young kids, they are always leaving the lights on - garage, basement, etc. turn them off at regular intervals to save energy. -- David levine

Entry 150: i would use firecracker as a safety aide, by eliminating electricity to areas of the house not in use. this will prevent the children from getting into trouble, and reduce the chance of accidental electrical fire. it ensure lights are on when i need them, and i don't have to worry someone has left unnecessary lights on somewhere in the house; firecracker will see to that! i would use it for home security. with pets in the house, a motion detector is not as practical, but the flexibility of firecracker will allow me to work around that issue. i would also use it as a money saving device. electrical objects, such as the hot water heater can now be shutdown during the day. this could result in long term savings on my electrical bill. firecracker will do the little things for me so i can now spend a little more time with my family and friends. -- Adrienne donatelli

Entry 151: y2k bug! this year we are having a big year 2000 new years party, and i'm sure everyone will be wondering what sorts of problems we may have in store once the clock strikes midnight. regardless of the actual problems we may have in store, people attending the party will be in for a surprise when things start behaving strangely. you see, i've replaced all the light switches in the house with x-10 controled switches, and i plan to have my pc (in conjunction with my firecracker controler) set up to dim the lights and bring the house to complete darkness, silence the music... then ramdomly turn different lights off and on throughout the house. with all the hype about the y2k issues, people just don't know what to expect... so this should really be fun! -- Jeff sohler

Entry 152: we are in the process of building a new home and it makes sense to implement a smart home approach from the ground up. we will have a home recording studio above the garage. the studio room will be able to interface with the home theater in the living room of the main house. this will allow great flexibility. for instance we could complete a home recording in the studio, announce to the family via intercom that a new recording is about to play in the main home theater and they can sit in the comfort of the living room and listen. then they can give us feedback about how the sound parameters are in the main listening room and from the studio we can tweak the mix so that it will sound optimal for living room listening. this is exciting. -- Michael a. howard

Entry 153: i would use firecracker to help keep an large number of eyes on my 3 boys -- Joann d mcintyre

Entry 154: up here in the frozen north (canada) it can get very cold during the winter months. we have to plug in our vehicle block heaters so the engines will start in the morning. running a 750 watt block heater every night for days on end can be quite expensive. the firecracker system could be use to time the heater to come on in the early morning (say 4 a.m.) which would allow it enough time to do it's job and save electricity costs too. -- Steve laird

Entry 155: i have used x10 for the standard functions, but what about opening the back door so the dog can go out and turning on the porch light for her at the same time and then reversing the process when she returns? opening the curtains automatically on a sunny day and watering the plants when they need it? how about letting me know when someone drives into the driveway and taking their picture? yeah! that would be cool! -- Joe brouillard

Entry 157: i will use firecracker to turn on my organ when i need to practice. -- Charles st. john

Entry 158: route generator power during y2k. -- Larry anderson

Entry 160: use motion detectors to turn off lights and appliances when home is unoccupied. -- Allen henry

Entry 162: to monotor and operate aquariums -- Keith a. powers

Entry 163: for controlling the block heater on my car in the winter -- Daniel payment

Entry 165: turn on outside lights. -- Joan e pendergraft

Entry 166: to give a little bit more workout for my pc (other than number crunching and surfing) and making it a hosesitting pc to serve and protect. -- Kumar

Entry 167: turn on outside lights. -- Joan e pendergraft

Entry 168: we will use this system to control a simple relay, that turns our heating/cooling system and water heater on in our weekender home. the connection will be made through our secondary computer and phone lines. it will be nice to have hot water and a cool/warm weekend retreat after a 3 hour drive. -- Jerry semifero

Entry 169: i have a green house that is attached to my house. it provides heat in the day in the winter time through the window that connects it to the house. i would like to be able to use firecracker to control fans and external heaters with feed back from temperature monitoring equipment. it is possible it could also control watering devices. -- Carl darby

Entry 170: i would automate everything that i possibly could. how about the washing machine? -- Dona branch

Entry 171: i want to try to monitor my hot tub. if it gets too cold, i would like to get something turned on like a lamp flashing! -- William c. miller

Entry 172: use it to for a on and off light from outside as in. outside light going to the back yard. plus befor enter the house. -- Michael david

Entry 173: i intend on using this system to control my security system, lights (indoor & outdoor), coffee, sprinkler system, thermostat from home & work. i actually intend on installing indoor and outdoor cameras, so that if the alarm does go off or while i make "adjustments" to the house remotely, i can see what is going on at the house as well (added security & better control). although, i had not previously considered this, i do like the idea of the mood settings presented on the web site. (music, dim the lights, etc). -- Larry montague

Entry 174: monitor bird feeders -- Orby parker

Entry 175: run dishwasher while sleeping so dishes are ready to put away in morning. -- Steve forslund

Entry 176: to turn the lights on and off at specified times in different locations. to turn the clothes washer on at specified time as well as the dish washer. towork with the alarm clock and gradually increse the lights with a dimmer to wake you gently. to automatically fade the lights when it's time to retire. to turn the toater on in sync with the coffee pot in the morning. -- W.r. james

Entry 178: monitor wildlife -- Orby parker

Entry 179: turn my tv off and on with lights to make my home look occupied. -- David cowart

Entry 180: control home lights during trips -- Craig eaton

Entry 181: to control the small water pump that feeds the water distribution system to my handing plants in my sunroom. -- James brewer cox

Entry 182: automate my dvd to show movies thru the house -- Jeffrey walizer

Entry 183: add infrared sensors to determine when there is a person in the room and turn on and off lights automatically as you move around the house. -- Mark davis

Entry 186: to get coffee going in a.m. before i wake up. -- Don doornbos

Entry 187: to turn on an alarm every time my cat jumps on the dining room table. -- Stephen alpern

Entry 188: we are building a new home and intend to make it as automated and secure as possible using products such as firecracker. -- David stitt

Entry 189: to start up car of the morning durring winter so as to stay warm while the car gets warm inside -- Paul bryant

Entry 190: remotely turn on lights when arriving home late at night. -- Donna salmi

Entry 191: i have an 11 week old son that requires a feeding late at night. he isn't very patient, so i would use a motion detector in his room to automatically turn on his bottle warmer. this would save 5 minutes of time, which when a baby is crying late at night is an eternity! -- Joe kerns

Entry 193: i am a volunteer firefighter and often get calls in the middle of the night. i will configure the firecracker in conjunction with the hawkeye to turn on a light at the base of my steps when it senses motion at the top of the steps. -- Leeon pezok

Entry 198: i would like to use it with speech recognition software to create the ultimate wired office environment. -- Russell olson

Entry 199: i will create an interface with voice recognition technology and equip each room with high performance microphones so that i can voice control everything that firecracker currently can control. -- Stephen hodgdon

Entry 200: i would use it for home security and controlling the lights, etc. in my studio. -- Rosanne c. king

Entry 201: i remodeled our basement to give our children a playroom and let me have control of the family room tv. i constantly find the lights and tv on after they go to bed. i would control the lights and tv to turn them off at night. now if i could only find a way to use this to clean up the mess behind them. jim bullock -- James t. bullock

Entry 202: turn off my son's night light in the middle of the night. -- Joe selfridge

Entry 204: 3.pm turn on the automatic oven (meal set in at breakfast time) 4.pm turn on central heating 6.pm turn on tv, garage/kitchen/family room lights (its dark here this time of year) 6-15 arrive home to warm house, hot meal and the tv news -- Murray nicolson

Entry 206: i think my application of firecracker will be to automate the fertilization of my salsa garden. -- Dean l smith

Entry 207: i would like to be able to attach to my computer remotely via the internet using ms's vpn(virtual private network) or nt's ras (remote access server). -- Brian palombo

Entry 208: i would use firecracker to start and end my day. in the morning, i would have it turn on my radio to wake me up (i hate the alarm). at night, firecracker would turn on my tv, to let me know it's time for bed (for me to get off the computer), and after 45 minutes or so, when i am asleep, it would shut off the tv. -- Joe h. mcdaniel, j

Entry 211: we are building a new log home overlooking with a view. we plan to use firecracker to control accent lighting. changing the accent lighting will provide variety and will show the beauty of the log design. -- William m. brown

Entry 212: to use the system to remote control over the internet security cameras ect. -- Fred pugh

Entry 213: pet feeder automation, possibly have a electronic feeder that automatically fill cat (pets) food dish, while away. automatically check fuel consumption (such as oil) and place order on line automatically. -- Silvana palm

Entry 216: a great way to use firecracker would be to opereate your home entertainment system without ever leaving your computer or just use the free palm controller if you have to leave your computer. -- Leonel bersamina

Entry 217: a. definite - turning on pool pump on a more frequent but lesser duration basis. b. maybe - activate recording of a dog barking outside so that darn cat won't wake us up at 4:00am to go outside. c. (b. alternate) - activate the barking on my wife's side of bed so that she wakes up to let the darn cat out. -- Scott brock

Entry 218: i would like to use x10 controls to create a ambience for watching movies with the single click of a remote control button. by pressing that button i want the blinds to be drawn, the lights to dim and the tv,vcr, and stereo to turn on. -- Scott riccon

Entry 219: primary use will be to turn all sorts of lights on and off so as to give a truly "lived in" look whenever we are away from our house. in addition, i plan to turn on the stereo at different times to further reinforce the impression of a "lived in" house. if the tv will work with it, i will turn on the tv at certain times for that familiar "tv glow" visible from the outside of a house in the evening. -- Robert duggan

Entry 220: hmmmm: to keep out the unwanted... -- Joseph nelson

Entry 221: keep track of the house interface to computer -- Leslie carter

Entry 222: to turn off the lights when i get into bed ! -- Steven rulifson

Entry 224: i would use it to lock the kids in their rooms at night, turning off their tvs at their bedtimes. hook the system up to a smoke detector in case of fire to unlock the doors and let them out. while they're locked, the wife and i would get our well deserved "alone time", and we wouldn't have to leave the bed to dim our lights, play the stero, and ... (heh,heh,heh);) -- George garman

Entry 225: pool guard to sound alarm during day (toddlers) and lights and alarm at night (animals & neighbors?) -- Gary k. sewell

Entry 226: use sensors and switches to provide lighting and automated door opening and closing for the dog and cats. -- Michael patterson

Entry 227: i wish to use x-10 technology to expand my video observation system which is now en***bered by cables running through the house. these cables go across the floor and present a danger to myself and my family. x-10 could keep us out of the emergency room with a broken leg. -- Scott d. phillips

Entry 228: turning off ceiling fans, which for some reason we always seem to leave on when leaving the room. -- Thomas m. wilcox

Entry 229: i would like to connect it to a motion sensor and when it detected motion turn on the lights in sequence as if someone was there 9the bedroom lights first, then hall light, then downstairs light, then porch light) and hopefully make the burgler think some one is there when they aren't -- Cy pruszko

Entry 231: i would try to use it to control "maintenance" items, such as: flushing the water softener, controlling ceiling fans based upon temperature, closing the drapes to protect the hardwood floors when the sun reaches a preset intensity level. i would also love to turn the dryer on 45 minutes before i shower, and get a warm, fresh towel every morning! -- Patrick harrold

Entry 232: i'd like to be able to turn on outside lights based on the sunset. -- Larry sanderson

Entry 234: i intend to program my appliance activation to a tape recorder and speakers located on the street outside my home. when the low riding teenagers drive up at 1am with thier 7000watt car stereo blasting they will recieve a firecracker promotional warning they won't forget. sometimes you have to fight fire with fire, it helps to have technology on your side. -- Dan welter

Entry 235: controlling hvac when i'm away. lighting up my house when the garage door opens (i hate coming home to a dark house!). the illusion that someone is home even when we are far away. -- Greg tyndall

Entry 236: i will use the x10 to control my sprinkler system while i am out of town. i will coordinate the timer with the weather forecast off of weather.com; thus adverting a double watering (sprinkler system and then natural rain). -- Thomas selgas

Entry 237: interlink with secondary computer and home entertainment system to provide costumized wakeup in the morning after turning heat up in the bathroom, starting the morning coffee and the lawn and garden sprinkler systems, and checking for email. -- Gabriel

Entry 239: connect it to a switch by our bedside so that if we here baby # 4 start to cry, we just press a button and the lullaby music will start playing over in baby's room. also, a button in the bedroom to get the coffee going early if baby has been up all night. -- Jim walker

Entry 240: control the light in my greenhouse to make sure the plants get enough during the winter months. -- John marsh

Entry 241: you could used it to turn on your coffee maker ans have your coffee readly for you when you wake up -- Mickie perkins

Entry 242: i can see the fish jumping outside my kitchen window. each time i catch one i'm going to x10 my frying pan while i'm still reeling in the fish. -- Paul holman

Entry 243: run the appliances while my wife takes care of our baby. -- Rodney holloman

Entry 244: i would use it to turn on our electric blanket at night before we go to bed and the bathroom heater before we wake in the winter - it gets cold here in the winter -- Cy pruszko

Entry 245: i prefer to sleep in a dark house. a couple of my children prefer to fall asleep with the lights on in their room, then want them turned out after they fall asleep so they can sleep more soundly. option 1) give me manual control so i don't have to get out of bed to turn out their lights so *i* can sleep soundly. option 2) motion detection with a software programmable delay. 15 minutes after last motion, turn out lights for the night. -- Gregory t stovall

Entry 246: sprinkler systems on/off. -- Thomas p. firth

Entry 247: to control a door to let our dog out while we are away -- Gordon thompson

Entry 248: i get home at 4 am and it would be nice to have the driveway and front door light turned on when i get home. then when i'm in my house ,have the lights turnned off so to keep the elec. bill down. -- William p. giber

Entry 249: i plan to use firecracker for turning lights on and off, turning the coffee pot on, and some security. -- Angela robinson

Entry 250: i guess a novel use would be to set an aoutomatic are on a cradle for a newborn baby if it starts crying a voice activated detector could start it rocking untl the baby stops crying. another use is a vibrating bed, the bed starts vibrating when you get into the bedput a motion detector in the room at bed level. or connect the motion detector on the outside of a house (to scare prowlers) to a computer and a timed sequence of lights that make it seem that someone gets up in one room and then makes there way to the fron of the house turning on all the lights along the way. -- Marc sardy

Entry 251: the plan: using firecracker to not only automate my home but help out in the barn as well! eradicate the days of walking out to water the pets, or turn on the heaters, turn off the lights etc. then train the dogs & horses to hit a button & feed themselves! set up a monitor so we can actually take a vacation & keep an eye on them!! what bliss it would be so please pick me! -- Ginger danner

Entry 253: to save time and get things done without a hassel -- Frank hamner

Entry 254: by using weather forecasts and lawn water sensors, program the your lawn watering system to use the lowest water consumption. program reports to show monthly savings and results. you could also program to water during the day when very hot to keep the lawn from burning out. would work great on golf courses, areas where watering is costly and areas where water is scarce. -- Paul liedel

Entry 255: lites,sounds,taped to have those outside hear what you want them to hear for security reasons. call for details 973-373-3307 -- Michael thompson

Entry 256: unlocking the door from work to let my dog out. -- Daniel j. mahoney

Entry 257: wake my kids by turning on a variety of radios and lights and anything else noisy i can think of starting at 7am until they finally get their butts out of bed. -- Steve liberty

Entry 258: add a camera to the front entrance of the home (either funtional or dummy) which either has the capability to move or not. this camera provides added doubt to a potential intruder as to whether a breakin should proceed. -- Joseph f. dymon

Entry 259: having over 10 computers in an office, we are use using manual switches to switch one keyboard and monitor to more than one computer. i would love to have a device that would autoswitch the screen, keyboard and mouse with a remote control button. also would like to be able to determine which computers are "active" or on. if one goes down, an alert on the remote would be pretty handy. -- Todd heinrich

Entry 260: control power to computer peripherals - windows98 handles this for the computer internals (disks, monitors) power control. x10 can do the others - printers, scanners, etc. -- Joe boswell

Entry 261: allows me to save time by making a hot breakfast to b ready when i am. set the toaster oven to go at 6:57and the coffee pot to go on at 6:53. the result is fresh coffee and a hot bagel at 7:00! -- Fred s. golden

Entry 263: to open and close draperies and window shades to avoid sun damage yet permit as much light as possible into home. -- James david jacobs

Entry 264: i've never figured out how to change the time on my thermostat. the thing's more complicated than a vcr. i plan to take control of my heating and cooling system. -- Paul m. pittman

Entry 268: when drinking in the club on a sunday afternoon, it would be nice to stay for an extra few beers without having to nip home and turn the dinner off. simply dialing in from a laptop and a modem at the pub would allow me to do this remotely. -- Dave tatters

Entry 269: sitting out in florida room with your date x10 to the rescue: time: 11:05 tv:officer&a gentleman ends tv off. music:an album of kenny g starts.light over the hot tub (softly)comes on. the hot tub turns on (again softly) can x10 dispense virgra? -- Dave anderson

Entry 270: my home entertainment center "only" has 7 remotes to be operational. x10 has made it an even number. it made my day, better yet, it is making light out of my couching.. no more getting up looking for the light switch in the dark... -- Winfried wobbe

Entry 271: nothing unusual. start out turning lights on and off and see where it goes from there. -- David chateau

Entry 272: wire the kids room to make sure the tv and games do not come back on after 'lights out'. have the bathroom light connected to motion...(they never turn it off). wake up to coffee ready. -- Walter billings

Entry 273: i want to use the pc software to control lighting in my reptile room to simulate day length growth and shrink. this will allow to "fool" the animals thinking it is summer or winter (whatever is needed). this will be excellent to improve breeding results. -- Bristen bourque

Entry 274: turn on stereo in the mornig to wake up rather than a small clock radio. much nicer sound on a chosen cd than from a radio station. -- Ronald moyer

Entry 275: i'm not sure this can be done but 1) since i record my own music would like to pipe this to units throughout the house and 2) transfer computer images to the tv sets to allow business use of the pc from different rooms -- Robert a zarracina

Entry 277: my gilrfriend lives next door, and we control each others houses when we the other to call when the telephone line is busy :) -- Chris

Entry 278: well the setup that i would have is at work, all i would have to do before i leave is place a call to my house and the computer would initiate the following using x10 technology. as i am diriving home, the x10 would have lit up the inside and outside of the house , beckoning me to pull in the driveway. in winter time the house thermostat would rise to 75 degrees so the house would be toasty when i enter from the cold, a pot of tea would already be simmering in the coffee maker, the microwave would have cooked the frozen beef stroganoff leaving an aroma in the kitchen. the stereo would already be playing vivaldi "the four season's) to help me relax from the tedious day. whikle i am eating, the x10 would be filling the whirpool spa and heating the bathroom towels. after the tub, the x10 would already have the chill taken out of my bed by warming it with the electric blankets. at bedtime the x10 would shut all lights off, turn off the water heater, reduce house temperature to 60 degress and automatically close the insulated curtains over the windows (to conserve energy). -- Edward steckis

Entry 279: to monitor total time spent on the computer each day. -- Glen guyer

Entry 280: turn on my waterbed heater so that i when i return from a long trip my waterbed is warm without wasting the electricity to keep it warm while i am away. -- Thomas dodd

Entry 281: to monitor total time spent on the computer each day. -- Glen guyer

Entry 282: i want to create a timed/remote controlled "doggy door" so my pet can get out at certain times, but i don't have to worry about amadillos and racoons getting into my house. -- John stone

Entry 284: giving a neighbor's home that "lived in look" while he vacations. -- Jeffrey c. stockar

Entry 285: press remote in car: open entry gates,close and lock after entry, turn on driveway lights (if dark), open garage door, unlock house door, turn on entry lights (if dark), start coffee making and turn on computer and tv. -- Jim lamb

Entry 286: to start my power generator in case of power failure when away from home for an extended period of time. -- Ben sklar

Entry 287: i live in a basement apartment and the light switch inside my entry door controls the outside light. so, i use a wireless wall switch so i can turn off lights as i leave and a hawkeye ii to have a light come on as i enter. -- W. d. henry

Entry 288: turn my computer on 10 minutes before i arrive at work and have it automatically check my e-mail and investments and display my day's schedule. -- Howard simkowitz

Entry 289: to be connected to a pet feeder and automatically release food either once or twice a day. -- Annette e. varndel

Entry 290: i'd like to automate the opening/closing of my "doggie door" so my pups can go outside before i get up. -- Les bur****

Entry 292: i think it would be fun to use to set up practical jokes on friends in other rooms. i'd like to see my roommates reaction to his stereo all of a sudden blasting while he's just sitting there. -- Nicholas spittal

Entry 293: to implement the star trek ideal at home. i would like to have each room wired for sound, and have a speaker connected to the computer that runs the house. i would like everyone to be able to issue voice commands to run the house from every room, i would also like the computer to respond to requests for information. it would also bo cool to have display screens in every room to display requested information. these should be touch screens. by voice command it would be possible to turn on an intercom from room-to-room, or possibly interface with the telephone. for instance it would be nice to sit in your room and say something on the order of "computer, order a pizza, make it a pepperoni with extra cheese." and it would! maybe i could say something like "computer, call ed", and i could have a conversation from that room without touching the telephone. you could turn on a radio or tv by voice and have it piped through the house. the ultimate control would be either something that recognized that an intruder came in the house, and would say something like "intruder alert, entering intruder eradication mode", and then put on a good show to scare away the intruder. maybe have a fun demo, where you tell the computer to enter self-destruct mode and have a neat show where lights flash, maybe some subwoofers have fun rumbling the house, and ends the show with some type of flourish. it would also be fun to write a cgi app to interface with the x10 software and control the house while away. this all assumes you could wire the house for sound to the computer using some sort of voice command software that was controlling x10 hardware, that could do some of these things! -- David archer

Entry 294: i will use this kit at my condo in palm beach polo club to ward off horse thieves. -- Jon stout

Entry 295: to completely automate a model railway including running of trains, switching, signals and various building functions. like smoke from factories. lights in buildings. there are so many things that can be accomplished with the "firecracker" x10 system. -- Kenneth l. morgan

Entry 296: i am away from home a lot - so i would program firecracker to create all sorts of different ' i'm here now' scenarios, thus allowing the peace of mind that so far has eluded me. -- D. j. buchan

Entry 297: i would use the system to control the lighting in my bedroom and bath. this would allow me to control lights and appliances from the comfort of my bed late at night. with the expansion kits i would then be able to move to total home control of a security system, audio/video, and 'mood' lighting for parties or relaxing at home. -- Robin barnes

Entry 298: to turn on the lights in the basement at a certain time so dogs can find the doggie door at night -- Janelle m. krusper

Entry 299: i use an x-10 module to control my hepa filter in my house while i am away, it is extreemly loud on level 3, so i run it during times when i am not home to clear my home of dust. also accent lighting with switches on the cord, i like to use an x-10 module in place of trying to find the switch in the dark. -- Francis j. duhaime

Entry 300: automatically charge the electric razor so that it is ready to go when i get up in the morning. -- Fredrick f. davis,

Entry 302: to turn on my hot tub -- Gene kauffman

Entry 303: turn on my computer and other devices before i go to the computer room so they are ready when i get there -- Ande taub

Entry 304: i have built powered dog door to let my two little dogs out of the sun room into the yard. currently i must push a switch to let them go. i will use the x10 system to let them out at the same time each day whether i get home on time or not. -- Mitchell lockhart

Entry 305: to protect my home and family. -- William monty simm

Entry 306: it will control the light on the aquarium. we are sometimes away from home overnight. -- Ted carroll

Entry 307: start your coffee and curling iron, turn on the lights and fm, and get ready to start your day. -- Evelyn b. long

Entry 308: i want to hook up my wife, so i can turn her on (and off). -- Brad lauderman

Entry 309: program the electric water heater to heat the water two hours before i get up in the morning and to turn off when leave for work with auto turn on two hours before return. -- G. allan gaboric

Entry 310: realism, realism, realism. i would use the system to truly emulate the appearance of people being in the house. rather than just turn lights on and off, i would use tightly synchronized timings so that lights going on and off would follow the progression of a person coming home (hall light, then kitchen, upstairs hall, bedroom) then bedroom and hallway off in five minutes... also backlight a mannequin visible from an outside window.... -- Steve kaye

Entry 311: we are now in the midst of repairing and remodeling our home. the process begins by us moving our of our home and into our rv. since we live on a small ranch will are going to need lighting available at a snap to get to the barns and other buildings. this new feature will be able to help up feed the animals and also see what is going on around the property. -- Jodi holloway

Entry 312: i'd use it for security and operating household appliances remotely but the primary use would be to wake up my wife in the morning. she has a terrible habit of over sleeping and since she gets up first in the morning it affects everyones schedule. i use it to turn on the lamp by her side of the bed, to turn o the radio, the t.v., hook it to a controller to start her shower, bring it to temp and give her voice reminders until she was up and in the shower....etc...etc...etc...until she was leaving. then i'd use it for normal security. -- Dennis d edler ii

Entry 313: i'd use it to periodically turn lamps, exercise video, radio, coffee pot, washing machine, and bread maker on an off during the day to fool my dog into thinking that i'm magically always just in another room. seperation anxiety, you know. -- Bryan bates

Entry 314: i will use it to regulate the fish tank lighting and heaters -- Jim miles

Entry 315: to turn down the lights and start my wife's favorite cd... just before i pop that cork on the wine. -- Robin brandenburg

Entry 316: i would implement a remote security/pet containment system that would allow a pet to be fed and let out while maintaining site security. -- Stephen hysick

Entry 317: my wife has als and getting around is difficult..this might help -- Robert corby

Entry 318: i would control the lights and turn on and off my stereo without moving away from my computer, this way i might continue my work without interruptions. -- Anthony molina

Entry 319: i guess in each room a different item, in the bedroom a motion detector would turn on the lights, tv, heating pad in the bed and massager for the end of the day . in the kids room turn off the tv, lock the door and zap if they make too much noise. for the pets, feed em and kick em out of the house. -- Marc sardy

Entry 320: i want to use it at my primary residence and summer home to check conditions of the home. -- Rob kirk

Entry 321: our two year old daughter is not tall enough to reach the light switchs in her room. using the firecracker system and a motion sensor we'd set up the room to turn on the room lights when someone enters the room. programmed to a larger lamp during evening hours and a night lamp if someone moves around after bedtime. -- Mark d kellogg

Entry 322: i'd use it to turn on and off the lights in the porch where my dogs stay. -- John c. lind

Entry 323: i am planning to build a water garden. i would use it to control the pump and overflow valve. -- Willie l. crew

Entry 324: use it with a sprinkler system based on the (internet-based) weather forecast for the day. -- Peter i. kania

Entry 325: i plan to use it to turn on the heater and then the jet bubbles to have my hot tub ready for me at the precise moment i arrive home from work! -- Dennis l. guiver

Entry 326: i would like to use x10 to automatically shut off the three tvs that my family members leave on each night when they go to bed. i would suspect that saving 6-7 hours of electricity on three tvs each night could have some favorable effect on my electric bill. -- Kelvin g. foster

Entry 327: start coffee up in the morning and use as an alarm clock with my stereo.... -- Thomas j beehler

Entry 328: intalled an outdoor fountain with no off/on switch. -- William h. blazer

Entry 329: i dont know yet......give me one and i'll see what i can come up with. -- Bryan nemecek

Entry 330: i have several radio programs that i listen to and would like to record them. they are on at different times during the day. i would like to turn the radio and the tape recorder on at the same time and off again until the next program time. -- Bob briggs

Entry 331: at christmas time, turn on some lights downstairs and play christmas music in the middle of the night to make the kids think that santa is downstairs. -- Kim mayton

Entry 332: plug in a tape recorder with a recording of a mad dog barking, set the volume to high and plug it into the lamp module's outlet. link it to the motion sensor when you're away from home, when you have an uninvited guest, it sets off the sensor and the dog barks and barks! -- Nelson yu

Entry 333: water the garden, pots, plant boxes. -- Teag kim

Entry 334: when winter comes and temps go below 10 degrees, i will hook up my car's engine heater during the day and at nite will be able to turn it on without going outside(no garage) -- William becker

Entry 335: would like to automate dog entry door, while resetting air conditioning/ heating settings. -- Donald mcswain

Entry 336: i would have it start my coffee and my stereo in the morning thus awakeing me peacefully and getting me ready to face the day ahead. -- Paul m. brickhouse

Entry 337: you are workin at home the wife is working out of home; it's 4:00 you start the roast in the crock pot, the pie in the oven. it's 4:45; you turn on the music in the den and dim the lights all the while finishing up your days business at your computer. 5:00pm the wife is home she is impressed and you have another beautiful day. -- Charles m. faubion

Entry 338: turn your alarm clock off 5mins before the alarm goes off. -- David stucky

Entry 340: i would use firecracker to supercharge my life. i would use it to control all of the bathroom lights. this way if a sibling or roommate decided to take a superlong shower, i could turn of the lights and force them out, thus proclaiming myself "master of the pot" -- Derek perkins

Entry 341: control heat and a/c. cut lights on at dusk and off when you retire. have fresh coffee ready in the morning with tv or radio on your weather and traffic station. in cold weather have auto start and warm up prior to leaving for work. record all incoming calls and alert when email arrives. monitor all smoke and co detectors and alarm if activated and call emergency services. -- Leonard daniel

Entry 342: turn my computer on before i get home from work so the anti-virus program can be finished by the time i get there and don't have to sit through it -- Betty a kennedy

Entry 343: i'd like to see the system detect when my child needs me, using the audio strength meter of the child monitor and enabling a video feed to pop up an image on my computer screen. with the bedroom on the 2nd floor and my office in the basement, walking up two flights at every noise may be a good workout but not my idea of fun. -- Michael santiago

Entry 344: the company that i work for is involved in aerial maping and surveying, we are planing to instaling an x-10 setup at our hanger so we can phone up and start preheating the hanger, plane and camera. when we get to the hanger we can use the remote to open the hanger doors and turn on the lights, after the plane has left the hanger we can close the door and turn off the lights with the remote with out geting out of the plane. on our return we can open the hanger door and turn on the lights, by using a motion detector we can stop the door from opening if someone is in the hanger and turn on a strob light to let us know that we must check the hanger befor we open the door.by installing the system menchand above we will increse produtivity( the aircraft is ready to go when we get there) and all around safty(no one from the flight crew has to get in or out to play with the door) as well as cuting down on stress on the aircraft(no engine shute down for the door or lights) -- Andrew ziegler

Entry 345: i would use it to adjust window shades for the time of day, and time of year, to make the best use of solar energy (or to block it) -- Greg sweet

Entry 346: my 3 year old son is too short to reach most light switches in our house. he gets frustrated when he can't turn on lights by himself especially in the bathroom where toilet training has him in and out of there all the time. he has a pc in his room so i would like to give him more control over his life, a little more independence. -- Andrew clarke

Entry 348: need to provide light for dog when i expect to be home after dark. he doesn't like the dark! -- Alayne heishman

Entry 350: my office is located in such a way as to allow me a line of sight to one of those 4500sf homes (not including the 40' boat "garage". i will use x-10 to shut my drapery. -- Alexander metrakos

Entry 352: i have trouble with cats using my garden as a huge kitty litter. this happens mostly at night. i would install a motion detector in my garden which would then cause a floodlight to shine and also sound off a recording of a barking dog. i need a way to deactivate this setup during about a 30 minute window each night. during this window period i let my dogs outside to answer the call of nature. the x-10 would allow me to have a program running that would allow me to do this without my dogs activating the alarm each evening. i would also automate the rest of my house to have that lived in look because i do have to leave the house frequently during the evening during the week. -- Eric f. friend

Entry 353: my 80-year-old mother-in-law needs help around the house (she lives with us) and has a hard time remembering when to do things like take her medicine. she would be able to have the 'house' help her with her memory while she's surfing the web (yes, she really does). when she forgets to start lunch at the right time, all she does is punch the remote and the microwave starts (food is preloaded), the tv comes on so she can watch her stories, and the lights in her bedroom go off. she doesn't have to go around the house to finish doing things (like turning off the tv in her room), which helps lessen her osteoarthritis pain, and she can finally have a single remote that controls her tv, stereo, vcr, etc. at her age, remembering what remote controls what device is like asking bill gates to bundle oracle with win2000! -- Mark rider

Entry 354: use it to run my outdoor sprinkler system, alarm system, garage door, control my thermostat, and electronically run the door that lets my chinchillas in and out of the house with an electronic touchpad sensor -- Johnny mullins

Entry 357: i am currently doing a complete renovation/remodel to my home. i plan on a total automation where all electrical/electronic components are controlled from a keypad as well as a telephone link. ulitmately, i would plan to "call the house, turn on the lights, adjust the hvac, fill the jacuzzi and have the security system disarm and unlock the doors as it senses me pulling into the driveway. just a little pretentious ... -- Edmund robbins

Entry 358: we have a long driveway that includes a curve all of which is hidden by trees. beyond the more obvious uses of the home automation it would be wonderfull to relay a motion sensor from the driveway curve to the house to warn us of people "parking" in our drive. -- Keith birchfield

Entry 359: automate the morning routine including having the car started and the garage opened. the palm would be micro size with preferances so that as i walked from room to room the standard activities ( like lights) would turn on and then off when i leave. the dog door would be opened and the food dispensed. upon leaving the house the palm would turn off all non essential appliances . the system would then be transfered over to control the city and it would control the route i take to work so that i never have a red light and i keep a constant speed. arrival at work would mean fully functional pc's and the coffee made. bill gates never had it so good! -- Bruce bain

Entry 360: control outside lights but auto adjusting to day light savings time. -- Steven blumenau

Entry 361: i work on the road a good percentage of the time and, living alone, would like to be able to monitor conditions inside my house from the road. this would include temperature, fire and co alarms, power status (in the country, we have frequent power outages), window and door lock status, and weather station status and data download. also fly model helicopters and airplanes and would like to control the multitude of battery charging devices i have to avoid over-cooking valuable nicad and nimh battery packs. like the idea of totally random light and soft sound system cycling. -- C. alan taylor

Entry 362: will add a little security to my home when i'm away and a little peace of mind. -- Al parks

Entry 363: use it to turn on a cd player to have the scriptures read to you as you are getting up and then play christian music as you prepare for work. -- Barry m. white

Entry 364: a system that could do the following: 1.start shaking the bed vigorously if the kids didn't get out of bed when the alarm sounded. (no more missed school busses) 2. wouldn't allow the tv to be turned on until their homework is done. (the tv could gather dust for a long time on this one!) 3. wouldn't allow the cupboards or refrigerator door to open, starting an hour before dinner is ready. (kids might actually be hungry at dinner time for a change.) 4. and finally! a computer that has a "sympathetic ear" so that when the kids whine and cry about the tv, their homework and missed snacks, i won't have to listen to them! -- Jeri anne simpson

Entry 365: to scare the nieghbor kids. -- Michael mcmenus

Entry 366: firecracker can be used to operate sun shades in a greenhouse/atrium to prevent overheating. -- Robert m. wiens

Entry 367: one of the ways i would like to use the firecracker technology is to control a dss receiver i have located downstairs ( that doesn't have rf capabilities), to turn on and tune it while watching it upstairs. -- John marshall

Entry 368: i would use it to turn on my bedside lamp when it senses a door opening after i have gone to bed. this would help me keep track of my teenager's coming and going when they are "supposedly" in there bed. -- C. ray lux

Entry 369: feed my fish while i'm on vacation. -- Frank daniels

Entry 370: i have two teenagers living upstairs. firecracker would be very useful to shut off the lights after they have gone to school. they are constantly leaving them on. it may also come in handy when the music is cranked up to loud and they cant here you. one click from the remote and thats taken care of. the late night tv after they have fallen asleep. don't forget the curling iron, might save the house from burning down. we already had to invest in a iron that automaticly shuts off. you might say i learned from experience. -- Wayne a. bradley

Entry 371: i have a disabled daughter and would like to set it up to help her around house -- Glen herbert

Entry 372: i spend approximately 8 to 10 hours a day on my computer. being able to bring all the lights and appliances in my home in sync with a click of the mouse would only mean one thing. i may never leave my computer again! -- Tom w desanctis

Entry 373: when we built the casita behind the main house - we forgot to wire it so we could turn on/off the lights, etc. from the main house - this could be a perfect answer & woulld allow things to be turned on for guests, also. -- Joehoeffel

Entry 374: i can use it to control my house while i am away. i can dial into my home pc and change the setup remotely. -- Wally w armstrong

Entry 376: activate remote sensors you don't want to know about. -- Alexander metrakos

Entry 377: to control times children will have access to pc and tv as a means of limiting hours of use. while this would not control what content they could access, it would be tv viewing and pc surfing to a reasonable amount. -- Robert j. rein

Entry 379: the most unique way that i would use firecracker may not be so unique. i would use the product to control all the appliances that i am allowd too. -- Charles richardson

Entry 380: ability to interface with phone - call from cellular phone to put on house/perimeter lights, tv, etc. also, possibility of starting car from inside the house on cold winter mornings. -- Dr. peter g. furno

Entry 381: the most unique way that i would use firecracker may not be so unique. i would use the product to control all the appliances that i am allowed too. -- Charles richardson

Entry 382: i'm handicaped with a.l.s. lou gerichs desease -- Craig riddle

Entry 383: turn on electric heat pad for the ouside cat. -- Jim meier

Entry 384: i'll use it to turn the security lights on/off in a stable which is 75 feet from the main house. -- Robert bohl

Entry 385: as i am often required to work away from home, it would be nice to have the home appear to be occupied. this could be programmed randomly from laptop connection. it could also provide a warm, ready reception for my arrival! -- Terry eggleton

Entry 386: i haven't had an opportunity to know all that it can do yet. anxious to try. -- Eileen jones

Entry 387: to control times children will have access to pc and tv as a means of limiting hours of use. while this would not control what content they could access, it would be able to keep tv viewing and pc surfing to a reasonable amount. -- Robert j. rein

Entry 390: i would like to use is to control a series of cameras that come on when the home security system is activated. the pictures would then be fed to a secure web site that only i will have access to. this way if the alarm goes off i can view and record anything that is happening in my house through the web. i will be able to record a thief from my desk at work. -- David vandeventer

Entry 391: control appliances like the hot water heater not to run during peak hours during the day when i am not home. -- Ann sanborn

Entry 392: the grandfather clock chimes 4pm., kids! ..to your rooms - time to do homework.(desklights on.) 5pm. snack time. (desklights off) 5.15 pm. back to work. (desklights on) 6.00 pm tv time. (tv and tv lamp on desklights off) 7.00 pm. supper. (tv and tv light off.) family time 'til 8.30.pm 9,00 pm. ready or not, ..(bedlights on - self timing 30 min. blinkers, off) 9.30 pm. last chance, ( bedlights on for 5min - off) night lights [photocell] come on. morpheus takes over - tomorrow in on other day for fire crackers. -- Jules unger

Entry 393: to enable me to turn off my daughter's tv at 4:00 am in the morning, for which she forgot to set the sleep timer on her tv, without getting out of bed after it wakes me up! -- Stephen l. pope

Entry 394: besides the usual house uses we use x-10 to control our fish pond fountain, filter pumps, and aerator. we are also starting to use it for our sprinkler system controls. -- Peg moore

Entry 395: live in a rural area. turn off and on the lites when not at home -- William becker

Entry 396: my wife has always wanted a spice garden. yes a small indoor spice garden. well with the time and travel schedules that we have the spices nver seem to get enough water or light. i will use the system to tie in to a electronic drip system and a grow light to make sure they get what they need to grow. -- James domengeaux

Entry 397: to contol all of the left on items in my sons room when he leaves everything on and leaves the house -- Janis jackson

Entry 398: i have used x-10 technologies since 1989 to reboot network computer systems electrically when all else fails on mission critical systems for financial advisory services. i want to try firecracker because during my 10 year experience with x-10, i always wanted to remote control through a computer instead of dedicating a phone line for each telephone responder. -- Lee lasson

Entry 401: turn on computer so a preschedule program will run, log in, retrieve my email, log out and shut down unless interceded by myself. -- A r sanborn

Entry 402: tie a home theater, secuirty system together using x-10. intergrate that into x-10 wireless home network for lan, sercurity, and theater control fom anywhere in the house. -- Paul bunchuk

Entry 403: during the summer my dog gets very hot (we keep it outside). i would use x.10 products, combined with thermometer, video, and sprinkler to remotely monitor the outside temperature, view my dog to check on it's condition, and turn on the sprinkler to keep him cool (and give him some fresh, cool water to drink). this would make my dog very happy :-) bruce grant. -- Bruce grant

Entry 404: morning wake up to music and warm coffee. -- S. j. rybicki

Entry 405: control everything, including a difficult to ignore wakeup call with lights and home theater! -- Larry e. pollis

Entry 406: activate the electronic door lock, when my kids lock themselves out. pcanywhere on my home pc and my laptop from my car or work. -- Al eidam

Entry 407: i am currently building a new home that sits 500 feet off the road into a woods. i am installing a motion detector by the entrance to the drive that is shielded to pick up vehicle traffic. i am then time delaying the turning on of hidden lights that will illuminate the drive infront of the vehicle. this will also activated a notification in the home that someone is approaching. the normal home features such as lighting and hard to reach ceiling fans will be connected. exterior lights in the rear of the home down by the water front can be controlled as well as the music system on the deck and screen porch. i intend to connect the system to a solenoid to control drip watering of our favorite plants whenever a probe in the plant detects a low moisture content. -- James e. roof

Entry 408: to turn on the microwave to start dinner so that it is ready when i get home from work... -- Robert horan

Entry 409: i plan to use the device to water the chickens and cows. it's a pain to go all the way back to the barn to turn on the water for the dang animals -- Lewis

Entry 410: my dog loves to watch tv. he is especially fond of jerry springer. unfortunatly i am not always home to turn on the tv for him. i would like to use firecracker to turn on his favorite tv shows for him while i'm out. -- Ramiro guzman

Entry 411: my bathroom has no windows - it can get kinda stink in there. unfortunately, there is a noisy fan in there, but i hate to leave it running all the time. with the x10, i can leave the fan running for a short amount of time, then shut it off without having to go to the room! -- Ashwin purohit

Entry 412: i would like see the technology used to automatically read the meters (gas, electric, water, etc) and download readings to the utility companies over internet. we have a lot of expensive (human) meter readers running around our neighborhood. thanks, rich teel -- Rich

Entry 413: i am currently building a new home that sits 500 feet off the road into a woods. i am installing a motion detector by the entrance to the drive that is shielded to pick up vehicle traffic. i am then time delaying the turning on of hidden lights that will illuminate the drive infront of the vehicle. this will also activated a notification in the home that someone is approaching. the normal home features such as lighting and hard to reach ceiling fans will be connected. exterior lights in the rear of the home down by the water front can be controlled as well as the music system on the deck and screen porch. i intend to connect the system to a solenoid to control drip watering of our favorite plants whenever a probe in the plant detects a low moisture content. -- James e. roof

Entry 415: this technology would a great way to turn on lights as you arrive home, or when you get up at night to take care a baby. you could also use it to save energy by turning off the hot water heater when no one's home. -- Jeanette bodnar

Entry 416: we have two cats. one cat is a regular cat, while the other is a different cat who, amongst his many other odd habits has favourite videos and hates bright sun. his videos are special cat videos, as you may expect. specifically, budding cat video producers have placed video cameras at bird and squirrel feeders. these videos are, to stanley the cat, citizen cain and porky's all in one. he watches the video in the regular direction and on the rewind (i guess he is into a literal form of deconstruction). i would use firecracker to turn these videos on eraly in the morning as stanley is an eraly riser (about 5:00 a.m). at that time, he starts to patrol arounf the house and shout for people to wake up. did i say stanley has voice of a lion - very loud and gruff. videos hold his attention and, as a result, let us all sleep. as for the bright sun, i would use firecracker to draw the drapes each afternoon so that his catness would not be troubled by glare. of course, i would also use firecracker for all the usual appliance and home mangement purposes, including turning my fax machine on and off so that i wouldn't get all those get rich quick and toner cartridge faxes at night. then i wouldn't have to take noisy issue with teh worst offender - but that is another entry. greg turko -- Greg turko

Entry 417: i'm building a new home and i'd like to wire everything! -- Jeff kerr

Entry 418: i would use it for the normal type of thing to turn the air conditioning and heating systems on and the lights on prior to my getting home in the evenings from work. in the mornings i would have it turn up the heat on the water heater prior to my getting up and have it turn the heat down in the evenings. the control of the water heater could save me the cost of the unit and software in the first year alone, after that i make money from a smart investment. i like having smart investments pay off. -- John d. watson

Entry 419: nothing fancy or exciting, just practical. i will use the system to control lighting while on vacation and business trips. -- Zach scifres

Entry 420: setup to call in and start so it would open the back sliding door and kick off a prerecorded message on a tape recorder that calls the dog to go out side when i am running late at the office. this would make the dog happy and avoid any unwanted surprises when i get home. -- A t sanborn

Entry 422: i want to use it to implement themes such as workday morning, weekend morning, and go to bed. i would like each of these to be tied to a collection of selttings: alarm on, turn off light, etc. -- Jefferson wilson

Entry 424: i use windates software as a computer tool for remembering the many times i need to be somewhere or starting something (my honeydo list is a very active file). the problem i have encountered is being reminded when i am away from the computer and in some other part of the house or garage. i would like to see if i can have firecracker notified by windates (or a similar program) to flash a light or make a sound (like turn on a radio) to enable my computer to reach me at the right time. -- Charles w mattes

Entry 426: i would like to use firecracker for a lawn watering system. this way, i can have the lawn watered during the evening hours when the water would be most effective. -- Keith otipoby

Entry 427: i can use it to shut off the kids music downstairs if it gets to loud or if i need to call them upstairs for a meal or somthing. also i would us it to control an electric valve on my outside water tap to water my yard while i watch movies. -- Tony ***smith

Entry 428: using software and links i would set up a random system of having the lights go on and off sequentially for different lengths of time (i.e. bedroom-just got up, to hall-passing thru, to bathroom/kitchen-doing something, and then returning) from different rooms at different times of the night when we were away. this would provide an occupied appearance when we were on the road. -- Garvin t. nowell

Entry 429: control swimming pool pump, backwash, chemical maintenance and lights. i would also like to have a spash alarm and visual security. -- Robert haynes

Entry 430: intelligent device to live up the house when away. -- Richard routhier

Entry 431: i am going to use the x10 products to control the feeding dishes that i have designed for my cats. i will also try to automate my house using dragondictate recognition software. -- Gary meyers

Entry 432: use it to control my model train layout's electrical applications. -- Karl s. baltz, sr.

Entry 433: open and close the dog door. so fido can come and go without my having to get up. -- Denise j steele

Entry 434: from my laptop in bed -- where i, being a quadriplegic [insert sympathy here.], spend more time than i'd like, unable to get up and flip even the simplest switch -- i could use such a setup to control my vast empire. -- Bob springston

Entry 435: to set the mood in the bedroom -- Jim tudder

Entry 436: use firecracker to control a water sprinkling system for multiple days and multiple zones. -- **** mishinski

Entry 437: it is lit. don't let the firecracker explode before you, the couch potato, control what it will do for you. you make the choice. safe and relaxed or kaboom!!!!!!!!!!!! -- Greg honaker

Entry 438: being fortunate to have a dvd home theater system in my office, i plan to use firecracker to power on the lights in my office, as well as begin the dvd. i will also integrate the dvd anywhere product not this system, or my home system. -- Michael brown

Entry 439: intelligent device to live up the house when away. automate lawn watering according to sunshine conditions. -- Richard routhier

Entry 440: being a mom on the go...i would use the 10x in my home for such things as turning on lights when i'm not home. having coffee made before my feet hit the floor. turning off the electric app. that my children leave on all night. and programing my computer to come on and be set up for my children when they come in from school. in fact i would use it for everything i could...i'm all for anything that makes my life easier, and faster...there's just not enough of me to go around any more... -- Laura ratliff

Entry 441: use the firecracker to control the thermostat on your heating and cooling systems to set-back the temperature at night and during the day when your house is not occupied. lowering heating cost. -- Daniel robinson

Entry 442: have it start and warm up the car in the morning when i am staying in pennsylvania duirng the winter season. -- Mary wolfe

Entry 443: i would set it up so that when unwanted guests show up the lights would all go off and they will think no one is home! >".."< -- Wendy r swartz

Entry 444: i plan to use it to light my swimming pool. -- Herbert r. miller

Entry 445: 1. to turn on the air conditioning in my apartment prior to my arrival so it can be comfortable instead of a sweatbox; 2. to control various items associated with my saltwater aquarium to enhance its beauty and health; -- Michael tillerson

Entry 446: we like to have our house look lived in while we go away from time to time. -- Jay eitnere

Entry 447: i'd have the lights flash on and off in a random pattern that would guarantee my teens getting up in the morning! -- L pape

Entry 448: i want to be able to start the oven from work so that the casserole is ready when i get home. -- Ray simonson

Entry 449: i would use the x10 system to run my lights as an alarm clock. that way i could slowly turn the lights on at a preset time to simulate the sun coming up and avoiding the annoying buzz of a traditional alarm...... -- Dave e. sly

Entry 450: to turn on the block heater in my car an hour or so before i leave on a winter morning so my car will start and i will save on energy costs! -- Philip hine

Entry 451: i have been looking to tie in my computer to my home theater system and make a remote controlled room. i have heard that there is also voice activated software. i would like to also integrate my home security system into a real time system that i can monitor alarm status from work. my neighbor and i have an intranet network, so we could both help monitor our homes when each of us is away. -- John shelden

Entry 452: to be able to turn on and off my home computer, and operating my home computer from a remote location is what i plan to use andy hung tran http://myservice.to/businessowners -- Hung tran

Entry 453: to gain pc control over the tv, so i can control how much my daughter watches... -- Willliam desilvey

Entry 454: place dimmer on light and if-rf converter to stereo and be able to turn down dining room lights and put on stereo in a single click -- Barry bloom

Entry 455: pre set a coffee maker so the coffee is made in the morning upon waking. -- Woody murrah

Entry 456: i have a 14 year old son {and several of his friends} that want me to set this up with them so they can learn how all of the interfaces function and how they could monitor their homes. we're going to submit a paper that they write on the project to their school explaining what they did. this is a great extra-credit project for them this summer. -- Tim lyon

Entry 457: control lighting on fish tanks -- Stan buchanan

Entry 458: turn on proxy server in attick room(3rd floor) while using pc in kitchen (1st floor) -- Don devitt

Entry 460: turn stereo (at home) on and off from work to annoy cat, or perhaps the neighbors. -- John a. stevens

Entry 462: i will use the firecracker kit to control lights so they are on when i get home from work in the middle of the night and when my son does chores in the morning before school. -- Robert wullschlege

Entry 463: total automation. no daily household tasks, of sprinkling, open/close curtains, hvac automated. -- Mark mullins

Entry 464: i would like to use firecracker to control the lights in my living room. -- Bin zhang

Entry 465: i suffer from seasonal affective disorder and have difficulty getting up and getting going in the winter. my doctor recommended i buy a lamp that mimics summer daylight hours by slowing growing brighter in the morning (sunrise) and darkens slowly in the evening (sunset). the cheapest one of these i've found is one hundred dollars!!! for a lamp! the way i see it, firecracker will give me that mock sunrise/sunset - and several dozen more uses. -- Michele harwell

Entry 466: parents with children under let's say 10 are concerned when their kids get up during the night, is it not possible to alert the parent's rooms when a child gets out of bed and indicate where he/she is going and if possible light their way. signialing the parnets may be as simple as a light flicker (on-ff) or a series of flickers. -- John

Entry 467: as part of a perimeter system. when a motion sensor goes off, depending on the time of day, do nothing, turn on the light, or late at night, turn on all outside lights. also, taping in to a sprinkler system to turn on. with a special motion sensor by the garden, to spray any unwanted animals eating your plants. -- Brian harry carlso

Entry 468: turn stereo (at home) on and off from work to annoy cat, or perhaps the neighbors. -- John a. stevens

Entry 469: useful? for a person with a disability that uses a wheelchair, this is slightly imperative... -- Karen g. stone

Entry 470: use the x10 to turn of pirate radio transmitters and avoid capture by the fcc! -- William delaney

Entry 471: i'd like to use it to turn on my computer network and then have an applescript run automatically to get my email, start up html tools, browsers etc. also the usual - controlling lights, etc. -- Mike breeden

Entry 472: living in new england, it gets very cold. i have been looking for an electric dog blanket, but haven't found one my dog likes. she does like to use a heating pad, but my wife and i always forget to turn it on for her, so if we could have it on a smart timer, she would be a happier dog. also, she likes to have lights on, but we don't like to leave lights on in the house all day and night while we are away, so if we could set it up so that she turned lights on from room to room, that would be great. -- Jonathan budlong

Entry 475: use firecracker to make the home look lived in during vacations. lights, radios are programed to go on and off during appropriate hours. -- Katie bicknell

Entry 476: combine x10 with my lego mindstorms and lego train sets to add additional control methods. -- Edward m gore jr

Entry 477: i was thinking of having it turn on a fountain with many lights when someone passes by it. also, since we have a problem turning off lights in our house, so have it turn them off after a while or use sensors to turn them off if no one is presence and a while. also, i will have it so that when i am on vacation or somewhere out of town and want to access one of my files, i will have one of my computers turn on another so that it will be able to connect to the internet so i could get the files. then i could turn it back off so that it doesn't waste energy. -- Farshad hemmati

Entry 478: i envision subliminal, verbal and visual, messages generated by my computer and controlled by an x-10, which would get my teenage son up on time and in a good mood, for his zero hour class. as a last resort, if he was not up by 6am, the x-10 would simply close a switch which would turn his bed over. -- Rob sterba

Entry 479: combine x10 with my lego mindstorms and lego train sets to add additional control methods. -- Edward m gore jr

Entry 480: i would like to use the system to control my home entertainment system. making certain that the system has been shud down each evening, although simplistic, is the first thing i would want. in addition, i would like to send the signal wirelessly to several upstairs rooms -- Ronald j. simmons

Entry 481: i was thinking of having it turn on a fountain with many lights when someone passes by it. also, since we have a problem turning off lights in our house, so have it turn them off after a while or use sensors to turn them off if no one is presence and a while. also, i will have it so that when i am on vacation or somewhere out of town and want to access one of my files, i will have one of my computers turn on another so that it will be able to connect to the internet so i could get the files. then i could turn it back off so that it doesn't waste energy. -- Farshad hemmati

Entry 482: mood control -> in these fast paced times, where work and lifestyle move our bodies at tremendous rates, it nice to incorporate a product into my home that quickly turns my humble home from ergo homestead -> into lushess love zone. x10 will play a critical role in meeting the woman of my dreams! -- Andre van gastel

Entry 483: use it to throw an automated party. controlling lights, music, and blenders! -- Todd kofford

Entry 484: i was thinking of having it turn on a fountain with many lights when someone passes by it. also, since we have a problem turning off lights in our house, so have it turn them off after a while or use sensors to turn them off if no one is presence and a while. also, i will have it so that when i am on vacation or somewhere out of town and want to access one of my files, i will have one of my computers turn on another so that it will be able to connect to the internet so i could get the files. then i could turn it back off so that it doesn't waste energy. -- Farshad hemmati

Entry 485: my wife has a habit of leaving here curling iron on, so i would program the unit to turn it off. :~) -- Michael gates

Entry 486: i would like to automate my doggy door to let the dog out at exactly 5:00am so i wouldn't have to get up so early. then again every few hours after that. he has a bad bladder and can't make it longer than that! he is very elderly. -- Judy mabry

Entry 487: to control the environment necessary for the successful breeding of my 4 pair of parrots -- Kenneth

Entry 488: whenever i get tired at the pc i want a cup of coffe but the coffemaker is in the kitchen downstairs. firecracker let's me switch on the coffemaker right at my screen than type alon a little longer and have fresh coffe ready when i go downstairs -- Bernd lohner

Entry 489: i was thinking of having it turn on a fountain with many lights when someone passes by it. also, since we have a problem turning off lights in our house, so have it turn them off after a while or use sensors to turn them off if no one is presence and a while. also, i will have it so that when i am on vacation or somewhere out of town and want to access one of my files, i will have one of my computers turn on another so that it will be able to connect to the internet so i could get the files. then i could turn it back off so that it doesn't waste energy. -- Farshad hemmati

Entry 490: to control my sons computer on our home network. he likes to stay up late at night in his room instead of going to sleep if we had a way to power down his computer remotely he could get rest instead of staying up all hours of the night. -- Stanley bailey

Entry 491: control of a feeding unit for animals. -- William hyland

Entry 492: i would use it to provide light to my 3 dogs and 1 cat at appropriate times (plus shining a light in my eyes so i don't oversleep).. -- Douglas parsons

Entry 493: i was thinking of having it turn on a fountain with many lights when someone passes by -- Farshad hemmati

Entry 496: i would use a firecracker to start up my cappicino machine every morning at 6am, so i could roll out of bed and sip some steaming java. -- Joel p confino

Entry 497: control of a feeding unit for animals. -- William hyland

Entry 498: i was thinking of having it turn on a fountain with many lights when someone passes by it. also, since we have a problem turning off lights in our house, so have it turn them off after a while or use sensors to turn them off if no one is presence and a while. also, i will have it so that when i am on vacation or somewhere out of town and want to access one of my files, i will have one of my computers turn on another so that it will be able to connect to the internet so i could get the files. then i could turn it back off so that it doesn't waste energy. -- Farshad hemmati

Entry 499: to control my sons computer on our home network. he likes to stay up late at night in his room instead of going to sleep if we had a way to power down his computer remotely he could get rest instead of staying up all hours of the night. -- Stanley bailey

Entry 500: firecracker would make my life a lot easier. when i wake up in the morning, the coffee would already be brewed. i could pour myself a cup of coffee and head into my home office where the television would automatically come on when i walk into the room with the use of motion detector attached. since i may not feel like going outside to water the lawn, my sprinkler system would automatically come on at a designated time and go off as programmed. in fact, all of my lights in the house would be set on motion detector. lights would go off after a set number of minutes if no one is in the room. it's a pain in the rear having to go through the house turning off lights someone has left on. on laundry days, i would have the washing machine scheduled for certain times and different types of loads. my pc would remind me if it was time for the next load and offer the option to accept or not. i would automatically be notified when the cycle was finished on both the washer and the dryer right at my pc. my telephone would be hooked up to the system, and all calls would be picked up by automation. if i wanted to take a call, i would know ahead of time by the caller id and i could answer the phone only when i wanted to. i could program what i wanted to have for dinner each evening and the oven would automatically preheat according to the menu for the meal. my fish aquarium lights would come on and off at designated times. the feeder on the aquarium would automatically dispense at set times. my cats would benefit too. no more meowing and begging me for food and water. i would have their electric dish and water bowl automatically dispensed at set times. all programs i want to record on the vcr would automatically be done as programmed. my daily schedule would be programmed ahead of time and i would not forget to do things anymore. now, if i could only find a way to run the vacuum cleaner, i would have it made. -- Cindy dorsett

Entry 501: we have realtors showing our house to prospective tenants. we want to automate the experience using an multimedia pc centrally located in the home. this will give the presentation extra polish. -- Bill taub

Entry 503: i will connect the firecracker to a little electromagnetic door and my dog can go outside the house only during the day. i will connect the firecracker to a food dispenser for my fish. -- Jean-f gosselin

Entry 505: it would be good to use it to turn on and off the home's security system so that it does not go off when guests are coming around or when utility people are going to enter the home for contract work. a lot of people with home alarm system have occasions when the system calls the police by accident. with a modem one could turn alarms on by remote command from the office or from out of town when it gets forgotten by the homeowner. -- Lionel miles

Entry 506: to control my sons computer on our home network. he likes to stay up late at night in his room instead of going to sleep if we had a way to power down his computer remotely he could get rest instead of staying up all hours of the night. -- Stanley bailey

Entry 507: robotic controlled lawn mower. i remember reading about the pentagon or some security agency that was testing or using a solar powered, turtle shaped lawn mower that constantly moved over the grounds. low maintenance and no top secret security clearance required. -- Joseph langevin

Entry 508: from my home office, i can control the kitchen appliances so my lunch will be ready when i am. -- John morgan

Entry 509: i was thinking of having it turn on a fountain with many lights when someone passes by it. also, since we have a problem turning off lights in our house, so have it turn them off after a while or use sensors to turn them off if no one is presence and a while. also, i will have it so that when i am on vacation or somewhere out of town and want to access one of my files, i will have one of my computers turn on another so that it will be able to connect to the internet so i could get the files. then i could turn it back off so that it doesn't waste energy. -- Farshad hemmati

Entry 510: i would use the x10 system to turn on and off the lights in my 3 childrens bedrooms so that they can feel secure in when they go to sleep. then i can turn the outside lights around the house and dim them inside for an intimate night with my wife. the x10 would also be used to preset my appliances for maximum energy savings to me. -- Robert krzebiot

Entry 511: to operate animal food dispensers and water dispensers for our six cats, one rabbit and one dog. (could possiblyalso run sifter on new windemere automated cat box - that's a job i really hate!) -- John a. reents

Entry 512: when i travel, i would set up my computer so that it would turn on at a specific time. then a script would load a communications program, allowing me to dial in. this would enable me to add a level of security because the pc would not be on and in a wait state allowing anyone to get a connection and possibly hack into my system. -- Bill sims

Entry 513: i work nights, so i set the coffee maker to come on for my husband at 5:00am. but when i get up at 5:00pm. there's no coffee. here's my first choice for the jetson automation. -- Wendy arnold

Entry 514: put a tick tack in your mouth and get a bang out of life with the x10 shopping spreee for me. -- Grenda azhari

Entry 515: i would like to have it control different climate zones in the house, interface with my existing alarm system (adt with voice interface) and simplify the interface for managing the alarm. -- Eric mann

Entry 516: we are moving into a new house abd would love to start out the high tech way! thanks! -- Dana barr

Entry 517: to control current manually-controlled swamp cooler turn-on/off via temperature monitor -- Earl baugher

Entry 518: we are moving into a new house and would love to start out the high tech way! thanks! -- Dana barr

Entry 519: i haven't a clue what firecracker is so..... i guess it's time to learn! why not get wired? -- Steve ganzel

Entry 520: i would use a firecracker to start up my cappicino machine every morning at 6am, so i could roll out of bed and sip some steaming java. -- Joel p confino

Entry 521: any way i want! -- Bettie d gray

Entry 522: automate everything!!! create a preset light schedule based on my movements. schedule my dishwasher to come on at night to take advantage of off peak energy costs. program my home stereo to come on as an alarm in the morning. -- Gerald shroyer

Entry 523: turn on ceiling fan. -- David l. marino

Entry 524: when planning a trip, us the system to turn on and off lights, inside and out, and set the travel routine to duplicate your normal home routine so as to discourage thieves from selecting your home as a target. dark houses and lights on 24 hours a day are a dead giveaway. -- Jim quattlebaum

Entry 525: plug car (oil pan heat up system for winter) into garage electrical system & be able to turn it on and off from my computer. -- Victor fisher

Entry 526: better regulate thermostat for heating and cooling of home. preset temps for different times of day - when absent or at home. -- Tony pogue

Entry 527: when planning a trip, us the system to turn on and off lights, inside and out, and set the travel routine to duplicate your normal home routine so as to discourage thieves from selecting your home as a target. dark houses and lights on 24 hours a day are a dead giveaway. -- Jim quattlebaum

Entry 528: i live in a small town where there are no locks on the doors. the biggest concern i have is whether the heat and hot water is turned on when i arive home from a long weekend/day of fun. since i rarely know when that time may occure it precludes the use of timers. i sometimes arrive from being on the water to an uninviting house. a house that can be prep'd by a firecracker system via a celular phone, befor my return, is ideal. it would make living that much more enjoyable. -- Brian taboada

Entry 529: to control ad-on heaters in my basement offie during the winter. -- Ben m. price

Entry 530: my daughter is scared of the dark at night, so i could use the system with a few motion detectors to automatically turn the lights on and off around the house if she gets up at night. i could also give her a "panic button" to keep on her bedpost that she could press to turn on her lights if she got scared in the middle of the night. -- Gerald damschen

Entry 531: to control ad-on heaters in my basement offie during the winter. -- Ben m. price

Entry 532: the more that i can do from my pc the better -- Ray dardis

Entry 533: my dog is getting older and hard of hearing. i plan to connect up some motion and sound detectors. then wire up lights to go off near where the dog sleeps. this should wake up the dog and hopefully she will bark and wake me up. -- Craig mason

Entry 534: when the pc detects burgler alarm going off (specific sound of alarm by pc mic), flash outside house lights, turn on all interior lights -- Larry beser

Entry 535: i work at home so i need to do all those little tedious tasks like the coffee and turn out the lights myself. it would be nice to tell my computer to brew me some coffee,turn out all those lights that are using up power. and most of all i would like to have the ability to remotely shut down my kids boom box thats so annoying. the possibilities are endless with this product and it would be really cool to try it and discover new uses for it. it might be neat to use it to turn the sattelite dish as well -- Al lamontagne

Entry 536: don't know, but would like to explore possibilities -- Bernie apotheker

Entry 537: not only would i like to use this product around the house, i'd like to manage my pond with it. i have two pumps on my pond. one pump is for the waterfall and the other is for decoration / circulation of water. it would be nice to control the pumps at different key times. i might install a third smaller pump which kicks on at night only. i found that if the water in the pond is wavy / splashing - it's harder for nocturnal animals to see the fish in the water. i have a 15 month old daughter and another baby on the way. i'm wonder how i can creatively find a way to use your product as a security tool to monitor activity around the pond. -- Keith evans

Entry 538: limited only by imagination -- Stephen w waldrop

Entry 539: i would like to use several modules to control the temperature in three diferent areas of my house. -- Larry couture

Entry 541: my dog is getting older and hard of hearing. i plan to connect up some motion and sound detectors. then wire up lights to go off near where the dog sleeps. this should wake up the dog and hopefully she will bark and wake me up. -- Craig mason

Entry 542: intigrate it with my present home network to allow me to use my present video hook up to "see" the house when i'm at another location. -- Arthur eric solash

Entry 543: i would use it to flicker my main floor lights off and on all night. when my neighbors ask me about it, i'll say "i have no idea what you're talking about." my neighbors will then think my house is haunted and stay away. -- Robert d. gilmore

Entry 544: use it to open the pet door to let the dog in or out; adds a little extra security and still give the dog (pet) some freedom -- J. r. stuart

Entry 545: i could use it to turn on my bug zapper at night. -- Richard resler

Entry 546: with the busy lives that we all have now days, it makes sense to automate as many everyday chores as we can with scheduling the x10 to perform the many tasks that we have to do everyday. 1. turn on the coffee maker first thing in the morning so it will be hot and fresh when you wake up. 2. turn on the radio to wake you up, turn on the radio in your children's rooms to wake them up for school. 3. turn on lights and/or the tv for the morning news before you get out of bed in morning. 4. preset the times for your security system, lights, motion detection, alarm so not to trip them when you or your family wake up in the morning. 5. with everyone having cell phones now, you have to have your phone charged and ready. so, use the x10 to turn on the charger to a preset time to charge at night and have it turn off the charger so as not to over charge the battery. 6. have dinner ready when you get home. set the x10 to turn on the crock-pot at a preset time so when you walk in the door, your smell that great roast that has been brewing for the time you set to cook. 7. throw in a load of laundry in the washer and set for a time to wash before you get home from work or up in the morning. 8. using the hawkeye, setup a video camera and using the power cord for the camera and not the battery and record when there is any movement, this is a great way to view anything later that may have tripped this unit on. 9. use the x10 to control a tabletop air filter system so that when someone comes home it has already filtered the air for that room. 10. i have a table top fax machine and it will be set with the x10 to turn off and on at preset times so as not to receive faxes at night time from companies that send faxes in the middle of the night so it doesn't wake up family members. 11. this is a cool one, set your hot tub to be all ready for you when you get home from work. 12. for security, preset the x10 to turn on lights, tv or the radio at different times to give the look that someone is always homes. 13. have a floor or tabletop fan? preset the x10 to turn on at different times during the day to circulate air for the indoor pets, we will use that for our birds (the fan will not be directed at the birds, as that is not good for them) 14. how about this, preset the x10 to open and close your motorize roof vents or skylights. 15. do you have a baby in the house? setup a tape recorder to turn on and off that has your voice singing a lullaby if the baby wakes up by using voice recognition software on your computer and a microphone that is setup in the babies bedroom. -- **** lenahan

Entry 547: ah, the possibilities. the ultimate peace maker, no more arguments over lights left on for days and sometimes weeks on end in the garage, the storage shed, and the basement. no more interruptions in the middle of ' the act' to check out noises from outside. no more getting up to turn off the stereo after the stereo has finished playing. just don't know if i can get used to all the peace and quiet it will bring, whether i' ll miss my old stone age life, but i plan on giving my best shot at it. i wish myself and other users the best luck possible, hey it might even be fun! certainly won't cost much to give it a try" -- Lou licursi

Entry 548: i'd like to find a way to control watering and feeding of houseplants located throughout the house (not in a central location) -- Ron

Entry 549: this may not be creative or unique but it is what i look forward to using firecraker for lights, heat, and sprinkler system. -- Tom brennan

Entry 550: i recently bought a condo and have spent the last 6 months trying to make it as wired as possible while still living in a "backwoods" part of connecticut. hell, i even went out and got the sony remote commander just because it was cool. anyway, i would be using firecracker to scare the crap out of anyone that came to visit. we're talking about people that think a remote control is magic. -- Randy santossio

Entry 551: ah, the possibilities. the ultimate peace maker, no more arguments over lights left on for days and sometimes weeks on end in the garage, the storage shed, and the basement. no more interruptions in the middle of ' the act' to check out noises from outside. no more getting up to turn off the stereo after the stereo has finished playing. just don't know if i can get used to all the peace and quiet it will bring, whether i' ll miss my old stone age life, but i plan on giving my best shot at it. i wish myself and other users the best luck possible, hey it might even be fun! certainly won't cost much to give it a try" -- Lou licursi

Entry 552: i am an assistant professor at the university of pittsburgh and am looking into embedded java. i will be attending a number of conferences in which your hardware will be demonstrated (with proper credit) along with some of my research which is in embedded java. i am also interested in learning more about accessing your hardware directly. my office number is 412-624-5836 and may fax is 412-624-8003. thank, ray hoare -- Ray hoare