Hello World for Smart Lights

 

I got three Philips Hue bulbs and a Philips Hue Bridge (basically a hub you need to attach to your router) and tried various Python interfaces to control them.  I found one I really like and here is a hello world:

 

 

(Yes, you could in theory run that program and control my bridge, but part of the Philips security is you need to be on the same network as the bridge)

Each bulb is set using HSB system that has (256^2, 256, 256) settings, and the program above cycles through the hues -- here are four stops along there:

 

I  found this to be quite fun and am thinking if I ever teach Intro Programming again I will base it on the Internet of Things-- the execution of commands becomes quite concrete!