Smart home climate control brings thermostats, sensors, window treatments, and HVAC equipment into one coordinated system. Instead of maintaining the same temperature everywhere, your home can respond to room use, sunlight, and daily schedules. The result feels more natural: bedrooms stay comfortable overnight, empty spaces use less energy, and the living room cools down before everyone gathers. A well-designed setup can also reveal temperature differences or equipment behavior that deserves attention.
Beyond the Smart Thermostat
A smart thermostat provides scheduling and remote access, but it measures conditions in only one location. If that device sits in a cool hallway, it may keep the system running while sunny rooms become uncomfortable. Wireless room sensors give the thermostat a clearer picture by measuring temperature and, in some cases, occupancy. Continue reading Smart Home Climate: Integrating Comfort and Efficiency→
The Death of Munrow (circa 1820 – 30), a glazed earthenware figure group by an unknown artist, records a specific historic event in 1791, in which Hugh Munrow, a British soldier, was killed by a tiger in India. Its composition was inspired by an almost life-size wooden automaton of a tiger killing a European that was owned by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore in India. Tipu’s Tiger was seized by the British army in 1799 and brought to London, where it was placed on public display.
Photographed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.
This elaborate automaton is a reproduction of the original Chess Player (The Turk) built by Hungarian author and inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen. Touted as an android that could defeat chess masters, von Kempelen’s famed illusion debuted at the court of Empress Maria Theresa during wedding celebrations for her daughter in 1769. Over the course of the eighteenth century, the Chess Player (known in its time as The Turk for its robes and turban) won games against Catherine the Great and Benjamin Franklin. When Napoleon Bonaparte tried to cheat, The Turk wiped all the pieces from the chessboard. In reality, a chess master would hide inside the lefthand cupboard. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: The Chess Player (The Turk)→
