• Monument@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    451·
    9 months ago

    I actually have all of the materials to build a motion activated smart light that interfaces with my home’s automation system for my dog’s food/water dish, but the ADHD goblin stole my fixation on the idea before I could design/print an enclosure for the circuit board and sensor.

    Ironically, I got focused on building more storage because the parts were cluttering it up, but one delay led to another and then the weather changed. I don’t have an indoor space for woodworking projects, so now parts from both projects are just more clutter.

  • betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.worldEnglish
    30·
    9 months ago

    You could set up a system where the cat has to travel though a section on a scale and compare the pre/post weight. Add in a camera to capture photos of the cat on approach and departure (but not during the act) from those motion and weight sensor events.

    Put it all together and you could have a bot that posts each trip with the duration and difference between entry and exit weight. There’s probably something useful to learn from those patterns over time (particularly if it shows a sudden change) but mostly I just think it’d be funny if there was an automated system to congratulate a cat for a new personal all-time best or identify their #1 #2 of the week.

    • HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world
      7·
      9 months ago

      Actually a good idea for older cats as they can get kidney disease. One sign is they start peeing super often. Happened to mine.

        • Dicska@lemmy.world
          2·
          9 months ago

          Fair, I forgot about butt litter (I know we’re joking anyway, but it’s the same with solution 1 ;) ). Geez, thanks for the reminder, I was just about to eat. Mmmm, sprinkles.

          • betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            9 months ago

            Jokes or not, that is something I’d been thinking about with the weighing tunnel. Figured the couple extra steps should give most of the material time to drop off before reaching the scale. No idea how much of a difference it makes either way though.

            This is why it’s probably a good thing I don’t have a cat. They’d get annoyed and trip me down a flight of stairs after about a week.

            • Dicska@lemmy.world
              1·
              9 months ago

              You’re amazing. I’m just watching Apollo-13 and as you’re explaining your calculations it has an even more science-y vibe. It’s hilarious.

      • betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        9 months ago

        That had crossed my mind but the problem of figuring out a cat’s weight while it’s moving through the tunnel section seems like it could be interesting. I’d imagined it as something that would post to a Lemmy community with discrete entry and exit events as they happen and cat photos that don’t include a direct view into the shit palace. Internet being internet, people could cheer the cat on or take bets on duration / weight and find other ways to mystify future historians with the things that hold our attention.

    • Bakkoda@sh.itjust.works
      8·
      9 months ago

      A friend let me join my HA bot to their discord and i just had it notify them every time my cat entered the litterbox. They loved it… For about 2 days lol.

  • Coreidan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    163·
    9 months ago

    Oh you’re not working every second of your life? Guess you have too much time on your hands then