"Coding the morning wakeup alarm was the most complex as this basically wakes up the house--including me--with the current time and date, weather forecast, new emails, and leaving me with the radio streaming into any rooms I'm in."

Although automating his house has cost Sam around $1200 so far, the end result has been worth the time and money. In Sam's case, his house won't let him forget to reply an email or a calendar event, or let him burn his dinner. He also has the invaluable piece of mind from an apt security system.

Of course, there are also shortcomings. The Mac Mini can be quite slow due to its age. The IP webcams are also sometimes too sensitive, so even a change in natural light can trigger a false alarm.

Sam points out that in the near future he'll be working on voice recognition, curtains that can open and close automatically, and improved "text-to-speech" functions.

Sam says that he has no idea when he'll feel content with his home automation setup, given the constant evolution of technology. Technical advances make home automation both easier, more capable, and therefore even more compelling to try.