Unlock the front door, turn on the lights, set your wake-up alarm, and even get some tea ready before you get home – all from your smartphone.

A few months ago I got invited by AT&T to come hang out at a house in Capitol Hill. The house belonged to one of their marketing executives. It was a pretty modest looking house situated on a narrow windy street in the neighborhood. There would probably be cheese and wine. What I didn’t expect was MTV Cribs style tour on high-speed internet.

Meet the Seattle man behind the world’s most prestigious espresso machines.

The handmade espresso machines produced by La Marzocco have received worldwide praise since the Florentine company was founded in 1927. More than 30 years ago, a Seattle entrepreneur named Kent Bakke traveled to Italy to glean a little firsthand wisdom about espresso machine production and distribution. Today he is the CEO of La Marzocco, a position that allows him to share his company’s sophisticated products with espresso connoisseurs around the world.