You know what - I can actually see them as a (partial) benefit for people with physical impairments, and I wasn't having a pop at you personally, earlier, Stuart (really, I have no beef with you at all and I think you know that without me having to prove it).
...but, for the general population, I find it alarming how willing people are to accept 'smart' devices into their home, in the sense that it's the thin end of the wedge, in terms of loss of privacy.
It's not about 'is such and such really interested in trivial aspects of my life', in the here and now. It's about EVERYTHING being recorded and AGGREGATED for later opportunity to
profile a person.
Anyway, with that said, Happy New Year to all!