X10: 1980s Smart Home Automation & Voice Control! LGR Oddware

Using an IBM PC AT to control the lights in your house? YEP. Enjoy this history, setup, and demonstration of one of the X-10 Powerhouse and the HAL 2000 voice-controlled assistant!

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● Music used in order of appearance:
Whisky on the Rocks, Not That Serious, Streetlight Conundrum

[rushnerd]

"Please say yes or no." Hal isn't amused.

[BrokenSet]

Little did Clint know, in the house two blocks down, Mr. Cruthers's life support shut off seemingly without reason, killing him instantly.

[BobofWOGGLE]

Love how confused HAL gets at the end there.
"Please say yes or no."

[mystica-subs]

My grandfather gave me a whole set of Radio Shack Plug'n'Power modules and remote for Christmas in 1991. I loved it, and it got a good decade of use before we moved. Rest In Peace grandpa Ken, you were the reason I now am engrossed with electronics and computing.

[wakaneut]

This is actually not bad at all. It works. In today's version, when you first install, it'll be like "Contacting server. Sending your private data to server. Downloading patch Do you want to save your data into the cloud? If yes, please create an account..."

[ScottDuensing]

I've got HAL2000 here somewhere with their hardware voice board and extra voices. It really was like Alexa for the 90s. Had the house wired so every phone went through HAL before it went to AT&T. You could grab any handset and say things like, "HAL, remind me to buy rum." When it was time to go to the store, you'd say "Print my shopping list". It announced callers, screened calls, played music, looked up weather, sports scores, local news, and a ton more. He was a bit expensive though. My "free gift" back in about '97 when I bought HAL was a freakin' satellite TV setup!

[JohnSmith-tdhd]

I love that HAL 2000 canceled every time that you said to. The worst possible scenario is it continuously hearing unissued commands and never understanding your "STOP NO" :D

[tiaxanderson]

LGR: "Well anyway, thanks for all the help HAL, it's been a blast."
HAL: "Monday, Friday, Wednesday, Friday at 12 PM; turn on this lamp?"
LRG *Khahahahahahaha-hah aahahaha*
HAL: "Please say yes or no."
LGR *EHAHAHAHAHA* "-no!"
HAL: "Cancelled" :(

[dangerszewski]

When you said things that weren't relevant at all it got odd results but I am AMAZED given the status of voice-to-text even NOW how it would recognize legitimate commands seemingly 100% of the time! As anyone who's ever gotten so mad they start swearing at dragonsoft, then further lose their temper when it translates their tirade as "you God RAM plucking pizza ship" can attest.

[LorenHelgeson]

Seeing this, the way through, I can't get the idea of the movie "Electric Dreams" out of my head. HAL's little breakdown in understanding at the end was the cherry on top... "Please say yes or no."

[EkHatena]

2001: A Space Odyssey would be a lot different with this HAL.
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL." "Monday Friday Wednesday Friday shut off this lamp?? Please say yes or no."

[vipershark]

This is the kind of stuff I love to see on Oddware; early versions of things we take for granted now. Well to be honest I can't think of an oddware video I didn't enjoy, but still.

[Grim]

Hal 2000: "Pirated software detected. Your house will now burn."

[CLK]

Remember when we used to find any product with "2000" in it so futuristic

[TheMax]

"Install it, load it, test it, Run it. Hum, sounds like a Daft Punk song"


I lost it, lol

[Chalky.]

If he doesn't make another video we know he's pissed off HAL.

[ziprock]

Fun fact, I'm apprenticing as an electrician and the x10 is mentioned in one of my textbooks lol

[yvonnerogers]

"Unless registered this product will expire on 11/15/2017." November 15th? Aw, man, Clint! That's only nineteen days from now! You better call! LOL! Thanks again for another awesome video. I really liked this one.

[nicolasrobbe]

Technically dimming the lamp to 50% works, it emits 50% of its normal light as it's at 100% power 50% of the time xD

[xamanto]

>hook HAL up to the garage door
>call the garage "pod bay"
>stuck outside