Unevenly distributed futures: an interview with @internetofshit


The @internetofshit account posts sardonic observations about the Internet of Things, which is filled with the most depressing array of useless, dangerously insecure, exploitative junk imaginable.


Vice interviewed the anonymous European software developer and recovering network infrastructure administrator about their commitment to exposing and mocking the crapgadgets of tomorrow.

What are the worst examples? Who are you thinking about when you say most people are fucking it up pretty bad and the mind boggling applications?

For the “fucking it up” part, here's an example. My thermostat doesn't work in a number of scenarios: 1) The internet goes down; 2) The temperature sensor loses radio signal; 3) The thing becomes unpaired. There's no backup—if I can't get it fixed, no heat. I think I spent countless hours trying to fix various permutations of that. It's these solutions that are like 60 percent of the way there, but haven't thought of the most basic scenario: will this gadget work if the connection is down?

In terms of the mind-boggling applications, it's when you start to see these things with chips in them that make little sense. Weighing scales that have chips in them but don't connect! Or, even better, a water bottle that has an app because reasons. It's like, why?!? I assume it's an upsell thing.


When the Internet of Things Starts to Feel Like the Internet of Shit
[Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai/Vice]