On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:59:06 -0700, the renowned Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote:>On 2/22/2015 8:01 PM, Spehro Pefhany wrote: >> On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:12:39 -0700, the renowned Don Y >> <this@is.not.me.com> wrote: >> >>> So, how would you "confound" someone interacting with your >>> door for the first time? >> >> Maybe a trompe l'oeil of some kind? Or a screen with a CAPTCHA? >> >> https://wereallmadinhere.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/keep-off-trompe-l-oeil.jpg >> >> http://www.couturedeco.com/691-1521-thickbox/emergency-exit-trompe-l-oeil.jpg > >Those would be too easily "recognized" and "prepared for" (psychologically). >I want something that has the visitor already committed to his (mindless) >approach to the door -- only to discover that something isn't as he >*expected*. > >E.g., the trivial case is to remove the "doorbell" button. The absence >of a knocker *and* the button usually causes folks to stumble -- but >only momentarily. They resort to knocking with a fist.Doorbell button you have to double-click to get a doorbell to ring? Press it once and it only 'rings' outside (or maybe buzzes or crackles or barks or something like that). . Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
Doorbell "button"
Started by ●February 22, 2015
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On 2/22/2015 8:14 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:> On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:12:39 -0700, Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote: > >> So, how would you "confound" someone interacting with your >> door for the first time? > > Clever. My office doesn't have a doorbell or button. Few offices do. > So, I have a sign "Yell for Service" which substitutes nicely. Also, > my posted hours is a sign I found proclaiming "I don't do mornings". > This also acts as a filter for potential customers that fail to read > or understand such obvious instructions and are therefore not > candidates for my services. > > For a doorbell, I suggest a pressure transducer, that measures the > pressure, duration, and frequency of the button pressings. It should > also be possible to add a quick reading pulse oxymeter and pulse rate > counter with the inclusion of red and IR LED's. Fuzzy logic > computation should offer an indication of the state of mind of the > visitor, which would be used to decide if you want to greet the > visitor, or escape out the back door. With a historical database of > button pressings and visitor names, it should be possible to identify > the visitor.Naw, I've got a cleverer way of identifying The Regulars! :>> Drivel: I recently discovered a few back issues of Make Magazine. > <http://makezine.com> > Initially, I was amazed at the highly innovative designs and ideas in > the magazine. Why didn't I think of those great ideas? Then, I > realized what was happening. The magazine is devoted to those that > would automate and computerize (usually with an Arduino board) common > devices that no respectable market research organization would > consider sellable or even desirable. Does the world really need a > programmable flashlight, kids kaleidoscope, or in this case doorbell?Of course not! Besides food and shelter, the world (i.e., it's inhabitants) doesn't NEED *anything*! I could simply leave the "far" gate closed/locked so folks not familiar with the set up would be kept ~20 ft away from the door -- i.e., no way to even KNOCK! But, there's no *fun* in that! SWMBO ***really*** likes the coin slot idea! I, however, fear it would be too tempting to vandals...
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:36:16 -0700, the renowned Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote:> >SWMBO ***really*** likes the coin slot idea! I, however, fear it would >be too tempting to vandals...Bill acceptor? Credit card reader? I *like* the idea of getting a $5 deposit before the doorbell rings. Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:36:16 -0700, Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote:>But, there's no *fun* in that!Well, if all you want is entertainment, provide them with 3 identical push buttons, and a riddle for them to solve. The 3 buttons are labeled with 3 possible answers. If they fail and push the wrong button, they get soaked with water from above, or swallowed by a trap door below: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx#The_Riddle_of_the_Sphinx> Remember to change the riddle occasionally. If that's too much, just use the IVR (interactive voice response) method. Punch 1 for residents, 2 for friends, 3 for package deliver, and 4 for salesmen. Lacking any obvious reason for cheating, most salesmen are amazingly honest and will punch the correct button.>SWMBO ***really*** likes the coin slot idea! I, however, fear it would >be too tempting to vandals...I also like the coin slot idea[1]. However, my version would be to hand a suitable coin on a string nearby. If they use the coin on the string, they're designated as cheap, greedy, and unworthy of entry. If they supply their own coin, you give them their money back upon entry. [1] When I managed my fathers apartment building, I had access to a fair number of coin op mechanisms from the washing machines. Someone kept vandalizing the tumbler lock on the utility room door, so I installed a 25 cent coin op mechanism on the door. There was no key, but you needed to insert a 25 cent piece in order to open the door. The coin fell into a tin can on the inside so that it could be retrieved. That ended the problem because the vandals apparently didn't carry change with them (to prevent the coins from making noises when they were sneaking around). An amazing number of coins were eventually collected from people forgetting to retrieve their quarter. -- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On 2/22/2015 11:29 PM, Spehro Pefhany wrote:> On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:36:16 -0700, the renowned Don Y > <this@is.not.me.com> wrote: > >> >> SWMBO ***really*** likes the coin slot idea! I, however, fear it would >> be too tempting to vandals... > > Bill acceptor? Credit card reader?Yeah, I have a couple of $1/2/5 validators, here. But, that would be *way* too tempting; most validators "store" the received bills adjacent to the slot into which they are fed. So, unless you want to put it behind some armor, anyone with a wee bit of knowledge would realize they could easily vandalize it!> I *like* the idea of getting a $5 deposit before the doorbell rings.Would be ideal for telemarketers! :-/ Probably end up with a HAL9000 interface as this is consistent with the I/O's that I've already planned for that location. I will have to rewatch 2001 and see if there is enough "HAL speech" to build a large enough unit inventory for a *general* purpose (diphone) synthesizer. It would be wicked cool to be able to use HAL's voice to interact with visitors: "I'm sorry, Spehro, I'm afraid I can't do that..."
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On 2/22/2015 11:53 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:> On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 22:36:16 -0700, Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote: > >> But, there's no *fun* in that! > > Well, if all you want is entertainment, provide them with 3 identical > push buttons, and a riddle for them to solve. The 3 buttons are > labeled with 3 possible answers. If they fail and push the wrong > button, they get soaked with water from above, or swallowed by a trap > door below: > <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx#The_Riddle_of_the_Sphinx> > Remember to change the riddle occasionally.That would encourage "retaliation". You want to discourage people without pissing them off -- else you have to worry about their future actions!> If that's too much, just use the IVR (interactive voice response) > method. Punch 1 for residents, 2 for friends, 3 for package deliver, > and 4 for salesmen. Lacking any obvious reason for cheating, most > salesmen are amazingly honest and will punch the correct button.I have some prototype code that characterizes speakers. So, I can recognize a (regular) visitor by the characteristics of their voice. (possible because you dont have to deal with a large population)>> SWMBO ***really*** likes the coin slot idea! I, however, fear it would >> be too tempting to vandals... > > I also like the coin slot idea[1]. However, my version would be to > hand a suitable coin on a string nearby. If they use the coin on the > string, they're designated as cheap, greedy, and unworthy of entry. If > they supply their own coin, you give them their money back upon entry."Regular visitors" would either know how to circumvent the requirement *or* would be confident that their monies WOULD be refunded. ("Fred, give me a quarter; I'm going over to visit Don...")> [1] When I managed my fathers apartment building, I had access to a > fair number of coin op mechanisms from the washing machines. Someone > kept vandalizing the tumbler lock on the utility room door, so I > installed a 25 cent coin op mechanism on the door. There was no key, > but you needed to insert a 25 cent piece in order to open the door. > The coin fell into a tin can on the inside so that it could be > retrieved. That ended the problem because the vandals apparently > didn't carry change with them (to prevent the coins from making noises > when they were sneaking around). An amazing number of coins were > eventually collected from people forgetting to retrieve their quarter.Years ago, there was an arcade piece (perhaps a shooter?) that cached the player's quarter. If you "won" (beat some score, etc.), YOUR coin was refunded to you. Amusing how often folks wouldn't realize that this *could* (and DID!) happen! Anyone "in the know" would routinely probe the coin mech after a player left the game in the hope that the player was one such "dweeb"! The public lockers in our local "municipal park facility" operate on a similar basis: put a quarter in them to use the locker (key can't be removed/locked without it). *But*, the quarter that you inserted is held in the mechanism and released when you return the key to unlock the door (i.e., there is no "coin box" as the mechanism only handles *one* coin -- which acts as a sort of "key deposit"). As long as the bozo ahead of you hasn't STOLEN the quarter that was sitting in the locker from the previous occupant, it's a simple matter of retrieving *the* quarter, inserting it in the coin slot, closing and locking the door, then withdrawing the key. Later, unlock the door (which GRABS the key) to retrieve your items -- and make *the* quarter available for the next patron!
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On 23-Feb-15 10:12 AM, Don Y wrote:> Hi, > > [Amusing that we tend to call the *button* and the *annunciator* > "The Doorbell"! :-/ ]................> So, how would you "confound" someone interacting with your > door for the first time?What about this: <https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/22/a1/c2/22a1c2bf990172590040e1b7f194a35b.jpg>
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:12:39 -0700, Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote:>Hi, > >[Amusing that we tend to call the *button* and the *annunciator* >"The Doorbell"! :-/ ] > >Anyway... > >I'm looking for an unusual idea as to how to implement the >"button" portion of a (home) "doorbell". I.e., the interface >that is presented to the *visitor*. > >Note that this need not be electronic. Or, could be some >perversion of an electronic adaptation of a *mechanical* >device. > >Goal is to "mess with the heads" of (first-time) callers >(I expect folks who visit often to quickly understand the >mechanism). > >Note that actually *knowing* that a visitor is "at the door" >is not an issue -- I can do that a number of different ways. >What I am actually interested in is how the *visitor* thinks >he has to signal his presence. > >The sorts of things I've been exploring: >- a "knocker" that is not movable (no "hinge") >- a knocker that is hinged at the *bottom* >- a knocker that "fights back" >- a knocker that "makes no noise" >- a knocker that FALLS OFF when actuated >- a "button" that you *pull* (Addam's Family) >- a button that isn't "pushable" >- a *group* of buttons ("which one do I press??") >- a numeric keypad ("what do I *type*??") >- a telephone *dial* ("WTF??") >- a coin slot (or dollar bill validator! :> ) >- a big red "HAL" eye >- "In case of Emergency, break glass" (with LEXAN :> ) > >etc. (I've heard some REALLY off-the-wall ideas that I won't even >mention, here :> ) > >[Remember, I am not interested in how you would *sense* the >visitor's action -- that's typically easy] > >I.e., the point is to force first-time visitors (e.g., solicitors) >to pause and have to think about how to proceed -- set them back >on their heels, momentarily. ("regulars" won't think twice about >any scheme I come up with AFTER their first encounter) > >So, how would you "confound" someone interacting with your >door for the first time?At least you remembered my optical illusion suggestion from last time... ;-) How about making the button capacitate or a pressure sensitive or something, and then painting a poorly* drawn "button" over it. So the button looks like an obvious drawing of a button (and hence "clearly" not the real button), but if you press it, it rings anyway. Or you could make an immobile knocker with a strain gauge, set to sense a *sideways* push. *Perhaps a 1st grader's drawing of a doorbell
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On 2015-02-23, Don Y <this@is.not.me.com> wrote:> - a numeric keypad ("what do I *type*??")Put a sign above the keypad, "for who are you calling": On a telephone keypad "DON" is "366" -- umop apisdn
Reply by ●February 23, 20152015-02-23
On 23/02/15 02:12, Don Y wrote:> So, how would you "confound" someone interacting with your > door for the first time?Why would you need to? They seem to have enough difficulty anyway without obfuscation! My button is on the door jamb at the same height (~5') as the letterbox and 2" from the lock, and black/white on a red background. About 25% of people don't see it.
