Dreas' tech and life posts

We got a (second hand) Volkswagen Sharan. Not a nice SUV model (which is the standard nowadays), however the additional size is worth it with 3 young kids in ISOFIX car seats on the second row (for us). They easily fit together, and we have the third row (with isofix!) if a friend would want… Continue reading VW Sharan MIB2 unlock

Our cats used to live indoor, with a closed outdoor area where we would bring them sometimes. We have a house with garden now, and are not comfortable having our cats go outside the garden on the roads. The setup that has been working very well for us: Garden has a wire around it (mostly… Continue reading Keeping our cats in the garden

Update: 04/05/2022: The sensors keep activating if a cat walls by. So far I have been unable to position them not to activate randomly because of the cats. After discovering I can read the Philips Hue Motion Sensor activation state as part of my letterbox notification system, I am now building an alarm to detect… Continue reading Burglar alarm using Philips Hue

With the growing concerns around potential upcoming inflation, I’ve been wondering if our “money tree” should include additional protection against inflation. I want to avoid decorating the tree with dead matter such as gold or commodities. They may shine for a while, in the long run they’ll just pull down the branches. Equities in the… Continue reading Inflation-linked bonds

Our house has been built in the 50s and uses “natural ventilation”. Essentially this means there is poor isolation and air can escape/get in through random holes. Ventilation is important, so that’s great. However it also means cold air can easily get in and hence we need a lot more gas to heat the house.… Continue reading Ventilation, CO2, humidity, and temperature

Update 26/04/22: Opnieuw slecht nieuws. De Batavus Fier frames worden doorgeschoven naar Babboe, dit jaar (2022) komt de Fier 3 niet meer op de markt. Update 01/02/22: Helaas, alle hoop vervlogen. Leveringen in ieder geval vertraagt tot Q3 22 (dus een jaar!). Huif zou eind april 2022 beschikbaar moeten komen, maar logischerwijs wordt dat nu… Continue reading Bakfiets Batavus Fier 3

Update 09/09/21: Spouw is vandaag geïsoleerd door Vink. Vooralsnog (zoals verwacht) lijkt alles top gedaan. Update 16/09/21: We gaan in zee met Vink Isolatie Culemborg BV. Eerlijk verhaal. SKGIKOB gecertificeerde parels met een transparante herkomst van grondstof en lijm. Gevelonderhoud expert (dus mochten ze de boel verpesten hebben ze zelf de kennis het goed te… Continue reading Spouwmuur isolatie EPS of glaswol

Update 28/03/2022: I did it all wrong! There is no need (anymore?) to activate a light using the sensor and read the state. Instead you can pull the sensor state straight from the API every 10 seconds and set the result in a global variable. Using a second macro monitoring for the variable to change… Continue reading Postal mail delivery notification using  Hue Motion Sensor

I borrowed the Bosch AXT 25 D garden shredder from a friend. It quickly got stuck (multiple times), probably because I had too many smaller leafy branches. I purchased the AXT 25 TC myself now and it has been working great. It so far never got stuck and had no problems to shred lots of… Continue reading Bosch AXT 25 TC garden shredder

Update 20/07/21: It’s actually possible to integrate using e.g. Tasker or MacroDroid and the Bold Smart Lock on Android. If you enable the “Auto activation” feature for your lock, a notification will show when you are nearby the lock. This notification persists until you close it. It also includes the name of your lock. You… Continue reading Bold Smart Lock Automation