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Ask Dr. Dopolis - Q1

Dr. Dopolis is our on-staff "Technology Psychotherapist." Dr. Dopolis helps heal the relationships between users and their technology. We consider him one of the top (not to mention the only) Technology-Psychotherapists in the world.

One reader writes . . .

Dear Dr. Dopolis,

I have had it with my Hawkeye II Motion Sensor! I set it to turn on the lights when I have to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. When I walk into the bathroom, the light goes on. Just long enough for me to walk in, and then suddenly it shuts off. And before I know it I’m careening into the bathtub while my eyes try to adjust to the sudden changes in lighting. Tell me what to do please, before I accidentally flush myself down the toilet.

Signed:

Bruised and Confused!

Dear Bruised,

I feel your pain, I really do. I too have made many a wrong turn and have received many a knock whilst treading the hallway still mostly in dreamland trying to take care of that ever nagging call of Mother Nature that no matter how hard I try, will not be ignored. There is almost nothing worse than being rousted from slumber by a sudden bump to the noggin because you weren’t quite awake yet. But do not give up on the Hawkeye Motion Sensor. I’ve done some research, and I’ve learned of possible reasons you might be experiencing this dilemma.

My first discovery was this. Care should be taken not to place the Hawkeye II near the light it is controlling, as when the light turns on, the Hawkeye then becomes confused by the brightness of the light, and it shuts the light back off. This is especially the case if the Hawkeye is set turn the lights on when it’s dark. The other problem you may be encountering is that you’ve set the timer too low. You can set the timer so that it shuts off only a minute after it stops sensing motion, or up to 255 minutes. I would check out these two conditions first, before you do any harm to your motion sensor.

Remember, technology is easily confused. It is given a fairly simple task to do, but it doesn’t have the human capacity for reason if that task isn’t done properly. Therefore your Hawkeye cannot simply think to itself "I just turned the light on, I shouldn’t be turning it off so quickly." That’s your assessment to make. You are the reasonable party in this relationship. Try to use patience when dealing with your technology, just as you would when dealing with a child or a pet. After all, their understanding is far more limited than yours.

And Remember, technology is your friend.

Dr. Dopolis.

If you have a question for Dr. Dopolis, then send him an email at  xzone@x10.com