Topic: Nest Thermostat

Texas residents discovered that their smart thermostats were being remotely adjusted to 78 degrees by energy companies during a heat wave. The "Smart Savers Texas" program, operated by Energy Hub, allows utilities like TXU and ERCOT to control home temperatures in exchange for sweepstakes entries. Many users were unaware they had enrolled in the program until they woke up sweating.

The terms of service for Nest thermostats include a requirement that users must be at least 13 years old to operate the device. The hardware requires a constant internet connection to function properly, leading to concerns about reliability and corporate control over home climate systems.

The Mycroft open-source voice assistant is presented as a privacy-focused alternative to Amazon's Alexa. Concerns are raised regarding the Nest thermostat's ability to track home occupancy for Google and the advanced microphone arrays used in commercial smart speakers.

A Nest thermostat in the Austin studio went offline, causing the room temperature to rise and requiring a manual override. The device is criticized for failing to learn user patterns despite its marketing as an intelligent, self-contained algorithm. The host expresses frustration with the unreliability of smart home technology and plans to remove the unit.

NBC's Jenna Wolff reported on the "Cold War" in offices, citing an outdated 1960s model for thermostat settings based on a 154-pound man. The segment featured images of "gay couture" short-sleeved blazers as a potential solution for men. The hosts suggest the sudden influx of these stories may be a coordinated PR effort by companies like Google Nest to sell smart thermostats.