Stallman about surveillance

[Stewart C. Russell]

On 13-10-31 06:08 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> I think he's quite insightful
> <http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/10/a-necessary-evil-what-it-takes-for-democracy-to-survive-surveillance/>

Yes, but he's got the bit about smart meters wrong: you can't create a
useful demand management system from averaged results. It's the very
brief peaks that cause system operators to bring on the most expensive
peaking generation. Without realtime reporting back to the utilities and
operators, load shifting would be impossible.

(He'd have kittens about the new smart appliances that are coming in:
individual loads identify themselves and report back to the meter. Each
appliance can be remotely scheduled to run when power is cheapest. Say
goodbye to the power switch; say hello to the "When do you need this
done by?" switch.)

He also assumes that most power meters are able to report their realtime
stats to the homeowner. They don't; meters are owned and operated by the
utility. At best, your utility might give you one of those PowerCost
monitors. Otherwise, you're on your own.

cheers,
 Stewart

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