Sometimes, even despite our best preparation and attention, things go awry:

We’ve worked hard to make Shion as robust as possible, but despite our best efforts, there are a circumstances where Shion will fail and give you a message like the one above. Perhaps you have an overeager puppy who pulled the USB cable from a PowerLinc, you received a faulty controller from the factory, or we did not find a hidden bug in our code.

This recipe shows you how you can configure Shion to respond to these events by taking action to let you know what’s going on.

Shion 2.0b11 is now available.

This is the first feature-complete version of Shion and also the first 2.0 release candidate. If I find no problems in this version, I will release it as 2.0 proper next week. So, in the interest of robust code, please report any issues that you identify.

Changes

1. More robust thermostat support.

2. Sunrise and sunset events have been deprecated in favor of a more configurable “Solar Event”

3. Snapshots now work in remote mode.

Beta Licenses

This is the last release for which I will make available complimentary beta licenses. If you would like a free license for evaluating the software, you should e-mail me before I release Shion 2.0 next weekend.

This is the first in a series of posts highlighting how Shion users around the world use the system to automate their homes and other environments. If you are using Shion and would like to show off your setup, please send an e-mail to shion@audacious-software.com.

Several months ago, I began working on Audacious Software as a full-time venture when I rented a small 7 foot by 9 foot space from my friends at The House Theatre of Chicago. It was a nice environment to bootstrap the development of the new version of Shion and it had the advantage of also becoming Audacious Software’s first live testing lab.

Last month, the theatre company and I relocated to a new space down the hall and I tripled my space in order to handle the growing amount of computers, test equipment, and other devices that this growing enterprise is generating. Along with the desks and computers, came the automation equipment as well. Once I hooked everything up, the new office became Testing Lab 2.0.

Welcome to the inaugural recipe of the “Shion Cookbook”. Every week or so, I will post a short blog entry that describes how to use Shion to solve a problem.

I have a problem. Starting a business, wrapping up graduate school, keeping up with the family, and everything else in my life keeps my mind busy and I often overlook the simple and basic things. For example, on Monday, I retired to bed early in order to get a head start on the next day, while my wife chatted with an out-of-state friend on the phone. Since she was still up, I left three lights on in the living room, assuming that she would turn them out herself.

Now, my wife’s conversations with her friends can be somewhat lengthy, and when I awoke the next morning to find the living room lights still on. I hadn’t told her that I left them on, and she went to bed herself after wrapping up her conversation.

Given that I had three (3) 60 watt lamps on for an extra seven (7) hours that night, we consumed an unnecessary 1.26 kWH at a cost of at least $0.13 (rates derived from a Chicago Reporter article). While thirteen cents may not be a lot of money, over many months, it adds up. Furthermore this cost does not include related expenses such as the decreased lifespan of the bulbs, the power required to cool the room to offset the heat generated, an increased carbon footprint, and so on.

Using Shion, I made these forgetful moments a relic of the past using the simple technique described below.

Shion 2.0b10 is now available. This release adds (beta) support for INSTEON thermostat devices as well as “Shion Remote” mode. I’ve also included a variety of bug fixes and UI tweaks that should provide a more enjoyable experience. Thermostat Support This release of Shion includes suppport for INSTEON-enabled thermostats. I’ve been testing with the Venstar […]

A brief update on Shion progress: 1. As some of you have already noticed, the USB device performance is noticeably better in the latest version of Shion. A slight delay introduced to the communication between the Mac the PowerLinc USB solved the problem. 2. Thermostat support will be available in 2.0b10. I’ve been testing this […]

Shion 2.0b9 is now available. This release includes some reliability improvements to the INSTEON subsystem as well as some aesthetic changes to the icon and look and feel. I’ve also included a network health indicator that helps you stay apprised of the status of the local powerline network. If you have any questions or comments, […]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update on Shion and I wanted to send out a few tidbits to let everyone know what’s going on. 1. Shion going on sale: The Shion codebase is sufficiently mature at this point that I’m ready to put version 2.0 on sale. The major blocker at the […]

Shion 2.0b7 is now available for download. (New to Shion? See this page.) This release includes a variety of minor bug fixes. Since I’m still working on getting the licensing infrastructure in place, I’ve extended the beta testing period from Mar. 13 to May 1 with this release. Enjoy the extra month! Remember that the […]