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You might have noticed that some weeks have past since my last posting on this web and that's because I was on a long earned holliday. Normally I do not discuss private issues on this weblog as I value my privacy but I can tell you that we went camping in France. And there I experienced some technical aspects that I do not want to keep from you.
Oh and yes: next to Dutch, English and German I speak and read French.
As said, we went camping and we do that with a tent. So we have to use the campings facilities for toilet and showers. And the showers are what interested me direct.
At registrating at the camping site we got a bracelet. And That was needed for showering. Two showers a day were included in the camping price. And that is where the bracelet came in.
In the showers there was a white plastic bulb, a sign and a button. The bulb contains a RGB led (or multiple) that flashes white. When you press the bracelet to the sign in the middle the bulb starts flashing blue. This indicates that the sequence has started. You then have 9 minutes of nice hot water.
Pressing the button starts the shower. The bulb then flashes green. The shower then supplies 1.5 minute warm water. Pressing the button in that time again stops the shower and pressing again re-starts the water supply. This does not limit the 1.5 minute of warm water supply.
Pressing the button anew again you get 1.5 minute of warm water and the bulb flashes again green. After 3 times flashing green the bulb turns orange for 2 pressings and the last time pressing changes the flashing in red so you know it ius the last time.
If you do not need the 9 minutes just do not press the button anymore and after a few minutes the sequence stops automatically and the bulb starts flashing white again.
This involves some clever programming.
The bracelet off course contains an RFID and the shower wall an RFID reader. The clever part is not allowing you to press the button 6 times before your time is up, but allowing you to stop within each 1.5 minute and continue.
You could build such a system using an Arduino, ESP or a Raspberry Pi Pico or any other microcontroller.
But there is more.
Not only can the camping-site owner see how often you take a shower and limit that to 2 times a day he can also keep track of the busiest showring hours. That is also a benefit for you if you hate waiting. Just pick a quieter time. But it allows the owner also to keep track of the average showring time. At this camping site that is 4 minutes as you can see.
This makes people aware of the amount of water they are using and as a result they take less time for showering.
But this also is something I was a bit frowning upon.
Privacy issue 1
The camping site owner (and his co-workers) knowing my showering times, how many showers I take a day and how long they take is some kind of privacy invasion.
Camping entrance
Upon entering and leaving the camping there is a barrier. You can open it with a pin code that you get when registrating.
But then something strange happened.
For reasons I do not want to elaborate over here we had to move from one spot to another. And then suddenly the barrier code did not work anymore.
So I went to the reception and told them my problem. It seemed that when you move spots you also get a new code which they forgot to give me.
And that was something else I was frowning upon.
Privacy issue 2
Each camping spot has a number. And the barrier code is linked to the camping spot.
For entering the camping you need to use the code. But also for leaving you need to use the code. This means that the camping staff knows when you are present.
Privacy conclusion.
I do take these issues lightheartedly, and I never mentioned it to the camping staff.
However in these times when everybody is nagging about privacy issues with Google and Facebook etc this got me thinking.
French magazines.
Nowadays most French people speak english but there were times when this was different. Next to that French are chauvinistic. This manifested a few weeks ago in a french governmental rule that for computer related words the French words must be used. For example a computer is called an ordinateur, a printer an imprimante etc. etc.
So many magazines are translated in French like Magpi (a Raspberry Pi oriented magazine). And there are some magazines that are French only.
And then I found this (again).
I already bought an issue some years ago and the magazine still exists. And I am glad for that. It is a bi-monthly technical magazine that covers electronics and IOT in in-depth stories. Arduino, Raspberry and ESP are coivered. I always buy one of these when I can and I am always pleasantly surprised with the stories they publish. It is only in French though.
French IOT
And off course a large country as France have their own IOT industry. As we have Philips, Tuya etc. they have Avidsen.
At the French stores I saw Avidsen power-plugs, bridges, IP-cams, smart bulbs etc. I had not heard about the brand before but that means nothing. I am sure there are loads of brands I never heard about before.
Avidsen is a French brand https://www.avidsen.com/en/
I have not seen integration with Domoticz or Home Assistant yet but it's a big world out there and maybe I have not searched enough.
Big News !!
And last but not least there was big news while I was on my holliday.
The Raspberry foundation released a new version of the Raspberry Pi Pico. And what a release !! It is the Pico but now with Wifi amd for a killer price of just 7.50 Euro here in the Netherlands. Will this be the ESP killer ?? I have some on order and as soon as I have them on my desk I will give you a first impression.
Till next time.
Have a nice holliday
Luc