
Netflix socks detect when you've dozed off and pause your TV show - ChrisArchitect
http://makeit.netflix.com/netflix-socks
======
floatrock
I RTFA, I know this an arduino-based DIY hobby project. But if something like
this ever comes out for real, the ability to doze off and pause your TV show
will be a trojan horse...

You've seen those charts where people use their smart watch to record their
heart rate during the game of thrones finale? (No? Here you go:
[http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/08/13/what-game-of-
thrones-...](http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/08/13/what-game-of-thrones-does-
to-your-heart-rate/) )

Sure, downloading the Netflix pause-your-stream-when-you-fall-asleep app is
comfortable, but it also provides a treasure trove of audience response data.
Forget focus groups, now you have the real-time emotional response of many
thousands of people A/B testing your original content in real environments.

And this ain't old-media Nielson, this is biggest-user-of-AWS technology-first
Netflix.

~~~
ChuckMcM
Oh its a lot more sinister than that, and its already here. An app I tried to
run on my Android phone would run a video ad before it started, it used the
front facing camera to determine if someone was looking at the phone. I looked
away and started typing on my laptop and the ad paused, I looked back and it
restarted, I looked away and the ad paused. I looked back and deleted the App.

~~~
biot
This is why I don't use Android. On iOS, you install the app and at some point
you see a prompt "This app would like access to your camera. Allow?" and you
can click "Don't Allow" and keep using everything else. Versus Android, which
at install time asks "This app wants access to these 37 different things.
Allow everything and install, or would you prefer to kindly fuck off?"

~~~
johnmaguire2013
Android is implementing this in 6.0. No reason to make this a fanboy war.

In any case, the app would probably say "Oh, I can't have camera? Well you
can't have app."

And it's not like you weren't warned on the page with "37 permissions".

~~~
siculars
Fandoy war? This basic privacy/security feature has been in iOS since forever.
It is as common sense as you can get. Not having it is actually outright
hostile towards users. I've used both Android and iOS for some time and I can
tell you without a shadow of doubt that iOS is far superior.

In the meantime... talk to me when Android gets this basic feature in 6.0.

~~~
tarblog
>has been in iOS since forever

Granular permissions have only been in iOS since version 6.0, which came out 3
years ago. The first version of iOS was 8 years ago. For a feature that's "as
common sense as it gets" we sure got along fine without it for half a decade.

~~~
JoBrad
I wouldn't say we were getting along fine without it. There were some pretty
big privacy breaches[1], which helped move Apple forward. I think Google and
Android are great, but on this topic they have held out for as long as
possible, it seems[2].

[1] [http://www.cnet.com/news/path-shares-photos-oh-and-
uploads-y...](http://www.cnet.com/news/path-shares-photos-oh-and-uploads-your-
contacts-too/)

[2] [http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/20/android-
ap...](http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/20/android-apps-
permission-app-ops)

------
bpicolo
I'm mostly sad that Netflix detects nothing and pauses my show anyway after a
couple episodes. : (

~~~
slavik81
That really only became possible when they decided to auto-play new episodes,
which is a bad feature in general. There are quite a few shows with really
nice music videos in their ending credits. Shrinking the video to the size of
a postage stamp and kicking me into a new episode is a rather annoying.

They also have a terrible habit of skipping the opening credits. The credits
are often funny or beautiful. Every time I watch Futurama, I need to start the
show and then rewind back to the beginning to see the opening joke. It's like
VHS all over again.

Opps. I'm ranting. You know, I never noticed how much the interface annoyed me
until I stopped to think about it.

~~~
Pxtl
Different strokes for different folks - I like watching the opening credits
for the 1st episode, but not the 3rd.

~~~
gleenn
I totally will re-listen to Mad Men's jazzy intro music every time...

~~~
dllthomas
It's "A Beautiful Mine" by RJD2, incidentally.

------
JeffreyKaine
But let's be serious here... WHO WEARS SOCKS TO BED?!

~~~
dysfunction
People who live in climates where it gets cold in the winter, turn down their
thermostats at night, and get up in the middle of the night to pee?

~~~
illegalsmile
slippers man, or a quick trip to the bathroom.

~~~
azinman2
Doesn't solve warmth.

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entilzha
My cheap/effective solution is doing a

    
    
      $ sleep x && pkill Chrome
    

if I think I might fall asleep after x seconds.

~~~
tomsthumb
See, this has been a solved problem for literally decades and this is the only
comment in the whole thread that has gotten anywhere near it. The idea that I
need socks that can talk to my TV for _any_ reason is just nuts.

~~~
thejaredhooper
> the idea that I need socks that can talk to my TV

when you put it that way I really don't see the appeal anymore

------
cafard
In Thomas Pynchon's novel _V_ , there is a fellow who has a switch on his skin
that detects whether or not he is awake (by the resistance? I forget), and so
controls the TV. Judging by the Wikipedia article, this is Fergus Mizolydian;
I don't have a copy lying around the office.

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OJFord
By IR? So this is for 'smart TV's' or bluray players etc. with Netflix on them
- and those with IR.

Hmm. I was too hopeful for a Sock API.

------
emerongi
Instead of flashing an LED, the socks could warm up. That way, if the socks
start getting warm and you're still awake, you can react to that, but if
you're asleep, your feetsies will be nice and warm.

But this would be hard as a DIY project.

~~~
Vraxx
Sounds like the hardest part would be making sure it isn't a fire hazard. That
being said I don't like my feet being warm while I sleep, so this project
misses for me by being a sock. So close.

~~~
33W
I'm sure the same benefit could be gained through a leg band. For me, I tend
to move around in my sleep, so I wonder if it would work.

~~~
Guvante
Pretty much no one moves around during deep enough sleep, it is just when your
sleep cycle lightens up that you move around in your sleep. The same tech
still works, it just might not be able to detect all the stages of your sleep
as effectively.

------
cwt
Most of the people I know who watch Netflix at night want it to keep playing
after they fall asleep.

~~~
blhack
I'm one of those people. Falling asleep on the couch under a big blanket, and
waking up every hour or so to catch a few seconds of some Star Trek TNG is a
pretty profound sort of comfort for me.

It reminds me of watching old James Bond marathons with my dad when I was a
little kid, and falling asleep during them.

~~~
robertcorey
I think you may have sleep apnea.

~~~
blhack
Huh, my dad has sleep apnea. What about waking up to Star Trek makes you think
that, though?

What I mean by waking up is like: do you ever wake up in the middle of the
night to the dog wanting to go out, or a noise outside or something? You come
awake _just enough_ to process what is going on, and then go back to sleep
right away.

For instance: sometimes I'll wake up to the really faint sound of somebody
jingling keys outside the kitchen door, but I can figure out that it's just
our roomate, and to go back to sleep. Like a very low thread priority or
something.

~~~
swang
The way you described it sounded like you just randomly wake up in the middle
of the night, which _can_ be related to sleep apnea. If you're waking up that
easily it _could_ also mean that you're not going into deep and REM sleep
because your brain needs to keep you at a certain level to wake you in case
you can't breathe.

Edit: or you're just a light sleeper, but generally waking up several times a
night is not common.

~~~
furyofantares
> or you're just a light sleeper, but generally waking up several times a
> night is not common.

Especially if the TV is on

~~~
furyofantares
^ I didn't actually intend to word this sarcastically, my apologies.

------
matt_heimer
The website, [http://makeit.netflix.com/](http://makeit.netflix.com/) asks for
us to submit our own ideas. Most of the things I think would be cool to do
with Netflix involve having some form of API access to its catalog or apps. IR
socks are not Netflix socks.

------
11thEarlOfMar
I thought NFLX was up today due to the Fed raise. Glad to know it was the
socks.

~~~
vinceguidry
#ThereIsNoGreatStagnation

------
dheera
I suspect something more accessible to the general public could be done with
the heart rate sensors and accelerometers already in Android watches, Apple
watches, and Fitbits.

------
ubercow
Was sad to read that there's nothing Netflix specific here. The hidden
requirement is your box running Netflix has to support receiving IR signals.

For example, I use an Xbox One, which to my knowledge doesn't have an IR
receiver.

~~~
iwasakabukiman
It does. I use my Harmony remote with it and that only does IR, not Bluetooth.

------
CaseyM
What about socks for truck drivers to detect if they are dozing? Have them set
off a phone alarm, etc. Better yet, can FitBit, etc. detect dozing and use the
vibrating alarm to alert?

~~~
ncallaway
While I think an alertness sensor is probably a good idea for drivers, I don't
think an accelerometer is a useful way of going about it. These don't really
notice that a user is asleep until they have entered a fairly deep sleep,
which is fine for pausing a TV show but far too late for alerting someone who
is operating a motor vehicle.

With Netflix if the accelerometer doesn't notice you've fallen for 5 minutes
before pausing, that's totally fine. If the user is operating a motor vehicle
and has been asleep for 5 minutes it'll be a miracle if they're still alive.

~~~
jdmichal
Not to mention that being in a moving truck will probably muck up the
accelerometer readings...

------
emeraldd
Ok ... so how do you wash them without blowing the electronics?

~~~
samstave
You don't, you just knit new ones, download the pattern, do a little
programming, solder some electronics and configure your remote and VOILA! New
SOCKS!

~~~
emeraldd
Engineered obsolescence at work!

------
pingou
It's cute, but is it a joke or something more serious ?

I don't see any use for it, except perhaps saving bandwidth.

Surely it must takes some time for the device to find out that you're actually
sleeping, then you anyway have to rewind back to the point you stopped
watching, so I don't think it makes a big difference to go 10 minutes or 1
hour back.

~~~
hundchenkatze
This is part of Netflix's "makeit" projects[0]. People can submit ideas for
DIY projects that incorporate Netflix in someway, and they pick ones they
like. So I believe this would fall under community engagement.

[0] [http://makeit.netflix.com](http://makeit.netflix.com)

------
Animats
Aren't there systems for that already? Vizio's connected TV watches you, with
a camera. Kinect watches you, with cameras and LIDAR.

Orwell saw this coming. Winston Smith watches his exercise program: "6079
Smith W! Bend lower! You're not trying."

~~~
nandemo
Nobody's forcing you to watch Netflix (or use Kinect, Facebook, etc) at
gunpoint.

If anything the trend of tracking/surveillance with consent is Huxleyish
rather than Orwellian.

~~~
gkop
It's probably hopeless generally, but thought you might like to know that
Huxley himself rejected BNW later in life and offered a new take on things in
Island. So it's not really fair to the author to use Huxleyish as a synonym
for BNWish. Sorry I don't have a cite, read this in a biography of Huxley that
had a cite. The wiki page for Island hints in this direction though:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_(Huxley_novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_\(Huxley_novel\))

------
njharman
I thought title meant some socket library or socks proxy? Came here to mention
how, out of context, people would be confused wondering what Netflix foot
underwear has to do with networking.

Only to realize I was the fool. ;)

~~~
jzzskijj
For a moment I stopped to wonder what kind of mind reading capabilities their
clients have, if even their sockets could tell when the viewer isn't receiving
:)

------
Zekio
This is pretty damn awesome!

~~~
Artistry121
You missed the pun opportunity...

This is pretty darn awesome! (Darning socks?)

:)

~~~
analog31
You're knit picking. ;-)

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potassiumk
lazy-ass first world problems Good lord, what hackers have become...

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TeMPOraL
They refer to the method used as "actigraphy", which apparently is commonly
done with wrist-watch packages. Sounds like an idea for a Pebble watchapp!

[0] -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actigraphy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actigraphy)

------
schwap
Maybe netflix could consider partnering with SparkFun for some of this
stuff... the colours even match already.

------
ljw1001
Who says Silicon Valley isn't solving the really important problems any more.

------
pla3rhat3r
I'm more afraid if it knows I'm doing something else.

~~~
Nononce
Why? It's almost as if you have something to hide...

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peterwwillis
This is clearly overengineering. All you need to do is hack your kinect to
look for eyeballs; no eyeballs for a minute? Pause the show.

Might not work if you have cats.

------
jchendy
Are these instructions thorough enough for somebody with no hardware
experience? How long might this project take for such a person?

------
marshray
I found this part rather ominous:

 _However, there are ways to increase your socks’ accuracy. More on this
later._

~~~
CardenB
I think they were referring to the "extra credit" portion at the end

------
fmax30
Quick Question: Who is responsible if the battery blows up and you have burns
on your foot ?

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mesozoic
Great invention for narcoleptics.

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pknerd
For a moment sounded like a April fool joke

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whacker
webcam + motion detection would be a way to do this without additional
hardware.

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kbart
Wait, this isn't a joke?

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markm248
Your move Slack.

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potassiumk
first world problems....

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idop
Featuring auto pause and nail fungus.

------
joncp
Or Netflix could just prompt the viewer to continue to the next episode.

...but then they wouldn't be able to sell you special socks.

~~~
cstavish
It's a DIY project. They're not for sale.

~~~
cowsandmilk
yep, I was overjoyed when I saw that; great way to get someone interested in
building stuff.

------
anonymfus
Please don't use Netflix and other paid streaming services. By doing this you
support Digital Restrictions Management development and finance copyright
lobby.

[https://stallman.org/netflix.html](https://stallman.org/netflix.html)

If you want to watch their shows too much, download them illegally via file
sharing services. They can arrest a very limited number of people, and by
engaging in such activity you lower other people's chances to be persecuted.

~~~
rjtobin
I hate DRM, but I'd personally rather legally pay for something with DRM than
illegally torrent.

~~~
Grishnakh
My position is that I don't really care that much about DRM on something that
I'm not buying in the first place. With Netflix, I'm not purchasing TV shows
or movies, I'm just paying a flat monthly fee to have access to view their
entire catalog whenever I want. So to me it doesn't really matter if there's
DRM, because it works, and when I want to watch it again, I can do so for no
additional cost. I just have to pay the monthly subscription fee.

For something I _buy_ , it's another matter altogether. I don't want something
that I own to be limited in how I use it, like only playing on certain
devices, or a certain number of times. So as a result, I'm not real wild about
spending any money on Blu-Ray discs, which had strong DRM and can only be
played on certain players or with certain software. (AFAIK, you still can't
watch Blu-Ray movies on Linux, which to me is pretty much a deal-breaker since
I use my laptop for things like that constantly, including watching Netflix.)
Worse, because of DRM, these limitations could change in the future, which is
entirely unacceptable.

I know it's a bit of a gray line, but I just don't see subscription services
the same way, because I don't actually own anything there, I'm just buying
access to a store of online content.

