Smart Home Lock Down Matter Provides Security Blanket

As more devices in the smart home connect to the Internet, they become increasingly vulnerable to outside attacks. Developers can now add the latest security measures to their Smart Home devices through Matter.

- Tom Murphy

The old joke starts with the premise of scientists researching human investigating behavior, whether traits like optimism and pessimism are learned or inherited. The group begins to observe a field of younger students in laboratory settings. In one experiment, scientists place a child with noted signs of melancholy into a lab with a new set of the latest toys. In another lab, a child with outward indications of exuberance gets situated in a lab with only a pile of horse manure and a shovel. The scientists leave for 30 minutes and return to make observations.

In the lab with the new set of toys, researchers witnessed the child sitting alone in a corner with the toys untouched.

A scientist asked the student, "Did you know you are welcome to play with anything here?" The child replied, "What's the use? They will all break within a half hour." The lab with the horse excrement gave the scientists a different observation.

The test subject was having a ball using the shovel to sling the manure in all different directions.

A scientist asked the child, "You seem to enjoy yourself here. Can you tell us why?" The child replied, "With all this poop, there's bound to be a pony around here somewhere." The joke was related to give you a perspective on this month's Circuit Cellar editorial theme of Consumer Electronics with equal parts optimism and pessimism. With so many products and categories, how can journalists cover the subject without leaving something behind? So many important innovations today define new expectations and demand cycles for tomorrow. Besides, if I see one more set of "game-changing" earbuds, the trait of apathy might emerge.

What will be the hottest trend of the year in consumer electronics? Who knows? That could be like going to the beach and trying to collect a single, solitary drop of seawater.