Imagine such a scene: you return by bus from work to home, just after entering the vehicle your smartphone vibrates – notification of charging a ticket fee. A moment later, another notification – the fridge kindly informs you that it has run out of milk, so it ordered a new bottle and when you return you need to pick up the parcel delivered by drone to the balcony. She tells you also the expiry date of the use cheese will over tomorow, so you have to eat it today or throw it away. You read the good advice from your own fridge and – by the occasion – give the order to your home, that after your return, temperature should be at 20 degrees, the coffee in the coffeemachine should be hot, and you want the Beethoven’s fifth symphony when you just enter. The instructed house will set the parameters you want, but not too early to save energy. The house “knows” where you are and when you return – it knows your location thanks to geolocation.

Vision of the future? Well, no. Technologies that enable this lifestyle are currently available. They are not yet common (except for geolocation – although for now instead of your home, Google better knows where you are), but in a several years everyday functioning will look like that. This will enable the Internet of Things. Contrary to appearances, this is not a new concept. The name was first used in 1999. At the time, however, it sounded like futuristic fantasy. Twenty years later, no one reacts ironically when you will use this definition. Smartphones, smart-watches, smart-bands, smart-TVs, smart-washing machines, smart-fridges – everything becomes “smart”, that is, equipped with software, applications and connected to the Internet. Every everyday item will soon have a permanent internet connection. Not only all modules included in smart homes – home electronics, household appliances, lighting, heating installation, counters, clocks. Also cars, sensors, readers used in industry, transport or trade – all connected to the network and exchanging information – the Internet of Things.

Of course, this raises dilemmas of a different nature, not only in programming or technological sense – e.g. privacy issues, permanent invigillation (even now anyone with an Android smartphone should know something about it) – let’s leave this to blogs about ethics…