Jonathan Oxer is well and truly the king of Australian geeks and not just because he is an ex-president of Linux Australia. There is more to Oxer’s geek status than the love of the penguin. The RFID chip that was surgically implanted in his arm to allow him to open his house without a key has something to do with it. Then there is the magnetic switch inside the letter box that notifies him via computer, email or SMS when a letter has been inserted. Garden irrigation, wired, curtains, doors, lights and windows, wired; he can turn any of the lights in his house off using a cell phone or a telephone keypad. Despite the level of technology in his house, Jonathan lives for “having everything work invisibly”, and conceals all of the wiring out of sight.

There is no ding-dong of the doorbell at Jonathan Oxer’s house. You press the button, and video is streamed to the TVs in his house. If he’s not home, a picture is sent to his phone. Even the bathroom is wired, by issuing the command, “shower”; the lights will be turned on, windows closed and water temperature set to a perfect 41C.

In case you are wondering, Mr. Oxer is married (with two children) and his wife not only endures his tech obsession, she supports it. The cost of wiring just about every aspect of his house came to a “couple of thousand dollars,” thanks to his passion for DIY. One can only guess how many hours have gone into the project, but building it is half of the fun, isn’t it. Jonathan Oxer, king of the geeks, I salute you.

Source: The Age, Images, JonOxer.com.au

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