Lifestyle

Looking back on what was being said about home automation at the turn of the 21^st century is enough to convince one that smart homes should be the norm by now. Twenty years ago, the most ardent fans of early home automation technologies were predicting that today’s homes would be automated in virtually every way. Reality says otherwise.

So what happened? Is it a matter of the technology not being up to par? No. The technology is there. Rather, it is a matter of a lack of mass adoption based on a combination of public perception and a misunderstanding of the consumer. Address those two problems and the smart home rules the day.

A World of Followers

Research conducted by the Harvard Business Review (HBR) in 2019 looked at smart home products, how they are perceived by consumers, and how they are actually used. Despite the fact that the majority of American households have at least one smartphone device, the HBR team discovered that most of the people who have home automation devices know very little about them.

According to HBR, just 25% of smart home consumers consider themselves early or lead adopters. Another 63% describe themselves as followers. In other words, they do what they see other people doing because they think that is the right thing to do. But they do not know what they are doing. As such, these followers are not likely to invest a lot of time or money in new products. They simply go with the flow as it passes by.

A Perception Problem

HBR researchers concluded that there was a perception problem among consumers. Your typical consumer apparently doesn’t see how home automation and smart home products can have any meaningful impact on their day-to-day lives. Sure, they know that a smart thermostat can save money by controlling the temperature in their homes, but they also know that their programmable thermostats do the same thing. Thus, they see no benefit to making the switch.

Talk to your average consumer about controlling home lighting by voice and you might notice some momentary interest. But in the minutes following that conversation, all is lost. Real life takes over and the idea of voice-activated lighting exits the mind.

Misunderstanding the Consumer

It stands to reason that there must be something behind the fact that consumers don’t see the benefits of home automation. According to HBR, that reason is a misunderstanding of consumers. Research indicates that device manufacturers and marketers do not understand the consumers they are trying to market to. Thus, they don’t put out the messaging necessary to get consumers on board.

HBR makes the case that manufacturers and marketers use customer personas – fictional customers derived from marketing and consumer data – to drive their decisions. This practice is fairly common throughout modern business. The problem is that customer personas in the home automation market are based largely on data provided by technophiles. Your average consumer is not a technophile. Thus, the customer personas the industry relies on are of little value.

This is also the case often for solar panels, which are highly beneficial for your home. They have been around for quite some time now, but the technology is not always something the common home owner is familiar with. It is definitely worth learning more about at Sunly Energy.

Meeting Them Where They Are

Viewed through the right lens, the HBR data suggests that device makers and marketers need to change their strategies. They need to meet consumers where they are with practical information they can use. Until that happens, nothing about public perception will change.

Vivint Smart Home published a post in 2019 discussing whether or not doorbell cameras prevent crime. The post is an excellent example of meeting consumers where they are. Vivint chose a topic that is near and dear to a lot of people, a topic that is on a lot of minds.

Crime is not something that is esoteric or intangible. It is real enough that the average consumer has personal knowledge of it. Many of us even have first-hand experience. As such, discussing crime offers a great opportunity to explain the practical benefits of a doorbell camera.

Smart homes are still not the norm despite an abundance of available technology. If HBR’s research is to be trusted, it all boils down to misunderstood consumers who have negative or neutral perceptions about smart home technology. When those two things change, so will the smart home environment.

Taking care of your mental health is important. In an age where a lot of people have mental health problems, you need to find a way to avoid them. Steering clear of these behaviours will help in being mentally healthy.

Overthinking 

You won’t benefit from overthinking. The truth is that no matter how hard you think about your problems, they won’t go away. Therefore, you need to learn how to relax even in the midst of these problems. Take one issue at a time, and find a way to solve it.

Self-pity

Even if you feel alone or left out in this world, you can never feel self-pity. You’re worthy of everything that you accomplished, and you’re capable of doing so much more. It doesn’t matter if some people don’t recognise your value. As long as you believe in yourself, and your capabilities, it’s good enough. Never strive to earn other people’s respect and admiration. Those who love you will believe in you, and those who don’t will find a way to destroy you.

Working too hard

There’s nothing wrong with being hard-working if you want to provide a better life for your family. The problem is when you spend your entire time at work. It starts to become unhealthy since you’re going beyond what your body is capable of doing. You need to take a break and spend time with the people you love. Don’t feel guilty when you travel to other places or have a spa weekend. You also need to buy the things you love. If you think you deserve steam showers to have a more relaxing experience, you need to buy one. You earned it, and you shouldn’t feel bad about spending on something expensive.

Bearing grudges

You need to learn how to let go of negative emotions. Don’t keep hatred towards another person. If you feel bad, you can speak directly with that person and find a way to settle your differences. You’re only hurting yourself if you decide to stay angry.

Keeping problems to yourself

There are people around you who are willing to listen to you. There’s no point in keeping problems to yourself. Make sure that if you start to feel bad about several issues, you share them with someone else. You can even call some helplines if you don’t have anyone to share your problems with.

With these practices, you will be mentally healthy. If you continue hurting yourself, you will develop severe mental health issues. Don’t wait until it’s too late before taking action. Learn how to smile even if you already face several problems. You will eventually get through them. Go back to the things you love, and meet people who mean a lot to you. Don’t forget to thank those who helped you get through difficulties in life. When you feel exhausted, take a break. There’s no rush to do several things. You can find another time to finish all of them.

You need to make most out of life without having to sacrifice your duties and responsibilities. Spend your time wisely with your loved ones, friends and families by bonding with them during the weekends. If you have no idea what to do during your free days, here are ten tips to help you prep the most relaxing and enjoyable weekend or vacation.

Plan ahead

The first thing that you should do is make a list of the weekend activities that you and your companions will enjoy. Having to prepare all the necessities for your trips or outings is crucial in having stress-free and relaxing weekend breaks in Oxfordshire. You don’t need to worry about leaving some of your stuff behind, forgetting to bring some lotion or worry about getting lost during your trip.

Meet up with old friends or colleagues

The best way to spend your weekend breaks is by visiting the people that you spent your whole childhood with. Enjoy the good old days by reliving the past with the present. Do what you did generally back then. It might be having a reunion party, a good drink or dining in the finest restaurants, do the things that made your days memorable. Spending time with your friends will make your weekends worthwhile.

Get down and dirty

If you’re looking for some thrills or just a whiff of fresh air, then try to partake in outdoor activities. Keep in mind that when preparing to do any outdoor activities, it would be best if you check whether the weather will be favourable for that activity and if you have the necessary equipment ready. It will ensure your safety and security during the whole trip.

Spend some time with yourself

Spending free time at the weekends doesn’t necessarily mean that you must have a lot of people to spend time with. It is all about relaxing and enjoying every moment of your leisure time. Spending some time by yourself is very important, especially if you have a long and tiring day ahead or you are exhausted from the previous week. Optimise your weekends by doing things that you like. Maybe reading a book, watching a TV series or playing the guitar, it’s up to you. If you’re planning to rest and chill out, then it’s best to do it indoors or try visiting nearby spas or salons for a relaxing massage.

Get physical

Everyone doesn’t look forward to spending their weekends doing tiring activities. But it is quite beneficial for your health and lifestyle. If you want to make a change by improving your overall physique, then try breaking a sweat. Visit the gym, play your favourite sport, or go for a morning jog to get your muscles and heart pumping.

Weekends are like your very own getaway from the everyday hustle and bustle of your daily job. Spending your weekend breaks the right way can be very substantial in creating a suitable environment to relax and improve your well-being.

 

Nothing is constant in this world, except change. Whether it’s fashion, fad diet, workout style, dance craze, and so on, change is always happening. To keep up with these changes, we need to be flexible and stay up to date.

The same is true in the jewelry industry, so if you are planning to buy a diamond engagement ring this year, you must first check with the new trends. Why are engagement rings constantly changing though? The answer is simple.

According to some jewelry experts, change is inevitable because there is always innovation in the diamond commerce and high-tech improvements in lab-grown synthetic diamonds. Apart from that, customers are becoming more equipped with a lot of information—thanks to the Internet and social media. Hence, the engagement ring buying capability of many people is also shifting.

Here are other reasons why engagement ring trends are changing in 2020:

1. Knowledge is power. When customers plan to buy a diamond engagement ring, they will do their homework and try to find information ahead. Therefore, when they come to the store, they have already something in mind because they have previously visited the website and saw the photos.

Jewelry buyers nowadays are much more well-informed than the customers five years ago or in the last decade. Because of the consumers’ research skills and the countless ideas on social media, they tend to look for something more—for more invention.

2. Vintage is the new modern. Old style is new. That is what many jewelers have observed. Many modern brides are attracted to old-fashioned diamond engagement rings. It’s because of the intricate workmanship and the idea behind the production of diamonds.

Vintage style has sentimental value and denotes happy memories. This alone can add to the mysterious charm of wearing a vintage diamond engagement ring.

3. Cost is competitive. This is true in almost every aspect of goods—food, shelter, and clothing among others. Because the cost of a natural diamond is much more expensive, many buyers are considering opting for the lab-grown synthetic diamond engagement ring. In fact, the percentage of consumers willing to purchase lab-grown diamonds keeps on increasing.

The Bottom Line

If you are planning to buy a diamond engagement ring soon, don’t forget to check on the latest trends. After all, your engagement ring is one of your most personal acquisitions. Find a reputable jeweler too.

 

A time-lapse film is usually a long, fast-paced video shot to make the video a brief summary of the entire process being carried out in the recording. It ensures that the frames of those images are taken at a much lower rate than normal and it seems to play faster when the film is recorded. You might, for example, have seen many videos in which the clouds run too fast or the process of sunset is fast or traffic is being shown to pace at abnormal speeds. All these videos use the technology of time-lapse. Time-lapse videos differ from regular videos we see usually because time-lapse requires high skills and determination to sit with your camera still for hours recording at a particular angle and if there is even a slight abnormal movement then it could lead to an unappealing time-lapse video.

1. Arrange Properly

Time-lapse videos need to be precise, no amount of laziness will be tolerated if you desire to create the perfect video, in order to make the best out of your video you must time it properly. If you wish for time-lapsing the sun’s movement then you must be well aware of the sunrise and sunset timings as to not miss a single moment of the unique scenery because too late arrival at the scene will lead to a bad time-lapse.

 

2. Tripod is our closest companion

Stop envisioning about exorbitant lightweight carbon tripod. What we genuinely need is that old overpowering tripod that everybody has seemed to abandon.

Recollect that your camera will remain comparatively arranged perhaps for an hour or two. The littlest shake or moving achieved by the breeze during the shots will wrap up in a shaken take which will be highly unappealing in a time-lapse video. Stability is a major component in time-lapse videos and any movement will result in an unappealing video which is why tripods and weighty tripods are an integral part.

In case your tripod isn’t sufficiently strong, you can hang your camera sack on it, or use stones to give it progressively imperative security and inflexible nature. This is fundamental in long exposures as no amount of motion will be tolerated in a long duration of time-lapse video.

 

3. Framing and editing is fundamental

More often than not we don’t picture the scene since we are extremely eager to land at the goal with so much vitality. We simply don’t attempt to locate the correct surrounding. However, the background and surroundings play an integral part in the overall video.

Leave the gear and tripod and take a walk around the spot, explore the scene, endeavor to find the best zone and plan. You should go about as though you were going to take a solitary shot.

On the off chance that we consider exactly how the last video will look, we’ll skirt the nuances that have the impact between a good shot and an epic picture. Frame the whole scenario properly to leave no room for error in your time-lapse video.

Editing is a necessity in every form of media out there and time-lapse video editing services available to users for their editing needs.

 

4. Manual mode and RAW archives Prominent Authority

You may feel that auto/need mode alongside the JPEG documents are the coolest settings to make a period time-lapse video.

Similarly, as no one uses those settings when taking some quality recordings, to achieve capable results in time-slip by we will use manual presentation and RAW reports.

Both manual mode and RAW records will give us progressively unmistakable authority over our camera and while post-production.

We should remember it that the camera will be running for a long time, so if we use any automatism, the camera will endeavor to address every distinction in light and shading in the temperature.

5. Concentrate definitely

It is basic to pick the manual mode in both the camera and the lens. (On the off chance that we have an SLR with Live View, we can similarly focus at the perfect point.) By far viewing, most of the perfect time-lapse videos show that focusing on infinity always helps.

Knowing the hyper-central of our point of convergence is continually critical since tremendous quantities of our shots are of a single scene and are for this circumstance, we need the longest exposure of field.

Conclusion

Creating time-lapse videos is not a walk in the park and people have to work very hard to perfect in this form of video creating and editing.

Calm yourself and try not to worry about it. You’re not by any means the only one who has confronted challenges while creating and editing a time-lapse video. All of us have experienced difficulty in creating a time-lapse video so there is no benefit in giving up at the first sign of failure as there are bound to be ups and downs.

You should simply be patient and practice a great deal. With these five very simple tips, I trust that you can make some astonishing time-lapse videos.

 

If we desire our kids to be globally competent and competitive, we have to provide them with an education that will equip them to do so. It’s given that all of us parents want our kids to be successful. We’ve all heard about the top-notch Singapore International School and institutions that produce world-class graduates, perhaps one or more of your kids are enrolled in such schools. These types of school foster and practices many of the techniques we will discuss here.

In any case, parenting styles have changed over the years. It’s now arguable that focus on participation is more important than effort. Now let’s go over some of the ways that you can instill competency and competitiveness in your child, applicable as long as they are still living with you and attending school.

Let your kids be kids and limit multitasking

A common complaint many of us parents make about the school is that our kids get too much school work. We think that six hours of school work is robbing the kids their childhood. However, it’s more likely that our kids have only two hours of school work in reality, but it takes them six hours to finish it because of the time lost multitasking and the time spent transitioning and refocusing between tasks.

The simple solution is not to totally remove these distractions, like TV and social media, but to give dedicated time for your kids to enjoy being kids and do their hobbies without school work getting in the way. You can then dedicate time for school work with distractions disabled. This will take discipline on both the student and the parent, but the results are less stress, better academic performance, and more sleep.

Give praise for hard work, but don’t put labels

Sounds counterintuitive but solid science has proven that how we praise our kids has a significant impact on their performance. Students who are praised as smart slightly dip in performance on challenging math exams. On the other hand, students who are praised for trying hard see large increases.

As a supportive parent, instead of constantly praising your kids for being “smart” or for good grades, praise their effort and link it to the positive result. Instead of: “I am proud of for the 100 you got in math”. Say: “I am so proud of you and how hardworking you are in math, and the results show it!”

Get your kids thinking critically

Reading is always good, but it has little value if a child cannot retain or relate the information in real life. Encourage your kids to ask questions in their head while reading and then answer those questions. For instance, they can ask what’s the point a certain paragraph. What the tone is. How it connects to what they’re reading. Why is it important. These are all vital questions students are asking in reality quite often. Encourage them to ask these and other questions as well while reading and then try answering them as well. It encourages them to focus and read more critically.

Show that failure is the path to success

The most successful people all have failed in some way before becoming successful. However, many parents who have had a rough childhood look to avoid the same hardships for their children. The result is that a lot of children are now terrified to fail, whether it be due to their desire to live up to their parents’ standards or not knowing how to cope with it.

This can prevent kids from trying difficult things, reducing their growth and likelihood of success. Before you give them tips on overcoming failure, try sharing them your failures and how you overcame and what you learned from them. You need to let them fail so they can learn how to do it, recover and grow from it. In the future, they won’t fear failure since they’ve had failed so many times on the way to being successful that they will see it as a normal part of the success process.

School is hard – as it should be. But with that difficulty comes fun, excitement, and skills that can be used throughout life. Developing a globally competent and competitive student does not happen by accident. It’s seasoned with struggle and followed up with continues effort.

About to play online Umbingo Games for the first time and need some guidance?

Bingo is an easy game to play. You don’t need particular skills to play at it.

You just need to buy some cards, to bring with you your willingness to play and choosing an online casino where to play.

This article objective is to become your online bingo guide. Starting from the history of this game, we are going to highlight some important basic elements you should consider while playing it.

The history of Bingo games

It looks like it first appeared in Italy. With a simpler architecture, the original Italian version ‘Lo Giuoco del Lotto d’Italia’ won the hearts of many Italian people in a very little time. From this very first appearance in 1500, the game has changed a lot.

The French people were the first to refine the game by adding more horizontal and vertical rows.

When the game was brought to America, it was very similar to the modern version. Once the potential of this game was clear to Americans, a mathematician named Leffer was hired to add more winning combinations to it.

It was the end of 1990 when Bingo first appeared online.

The types of UK bingo games

With the advent of online Bingo, online casinos had to find a way to differentiate their offer and make it more appealing. That’s why it’s now possible to find many types (as well as many different patterns). Here you are some of the most popular ones:

The first distinction we can make regards the number of balls in the game:

· Speed: only 9 numbers on a 3×3 card. To win, players have to fill all the nine numbers

· 75-Balls: 25 numbers on a 5×5 card

· 80-Balls: 16 numbers on a 4×4 card

· 90-Balls: the most common version. 15 numbers for 3 rows and three rounds to play.

The second classification regards the kind of pattern to form with your numbers while playing.

· A letter or a number

· Candy, wine or bell patterns

· Animals

One of the best aspects of playing online Bingo is the possibility to share useful advises with a virtual community. You can chat with thousands of players who share this love with you. The game becomes a real sociable game where everybody can share his experience with other people.

Online Bingo bonuses

Online Bingo sticks to the same rules of the normal version.

Like when playing online slots, online casinos offer many bonuses to players who decide to play it online.

The most common offers are:

· Sign-up bonus (Instant Credit, Released and Free Bonus)

· Welcome bonus

· Spin- the Wheel bonus

· Refer to a friend bonus

· VIP bonus

Very profitable and easy to get, bonus offers are among the reasons why people choose to play online bingo. Some bonuses can make you get your deposit multiplied by 100%.

When choosing the online casino, remember to pay attention to the bonuses they offer and also to their policy to get these offers.

If you’ve dabbled in growing tomatoes, chillies, peppers, cucumbers and lettuces at home and enjoyed the rewards as you’ve consumed the freshest salad you’ve ever eaten with the satisfaction that you’ve grown it all yourself and know exactly how and where eat ingredient was grown, then you probably want to scale up your growing. Of course, the issue we have in Britain is that you only really get one growing season, and your harvest can be blighted by garden pests and disease. While greenhouses allow some control over the atmosphere around your plants, and keep temperature levels higher, they don’t give you complete control over temperature, oxygen and Co2 levels, and humidity. You can keep pests out usually, but your growing season is still limited.

This is why with the availability of domestic Hydroponics systems from companies such as Progrow many gardeners are trying out Hydroponics systems and getting amazing results, with their plants flourishing year round and receiving high yields of vegetables, fruits, legumes, herbs and other plants.

What is a Hydroponics System?

A hydroponics system is an indoor growing room, which can vary in size from a tabletop box to a full room, which is temperature, humidity and atmosphere controlled to provide optimum growing environments for plants and keep out pests and diseases.

You might have in your mind a small glasshouse with trays of plants in soil. But Hydroponics removes soil from the growing process because soil often harbours and promotes disease, and prevents high growth rates because oxygen doesn’t have free access to the root system. The traditional soil growing medium is replaced with either a water based solution or an inert growing medium such as clay pebbles, foam, or rockwool with hold nutrients for a short time while still allowing oxygen to get to the root system of the plant.

Are there different types of Hydroponics Systems?

There are three main types of Hydroponics growing systems readily available and all will produce much better growing results than traditional outdoor growing methods. Your choice will likely come down to the size of Hydroponics system you want, and your budget.

The cheapest systems are NFT systems, Nutrient Film Systems, which grow plants directly in a continuously circulating nutrient solution which constantly provides the necessary oxygen and nutrients to the root system. With no soil or other growing medium, pests, disease and weeds are eliminated, and the constant oxygen and nutrient water supply accelerate growth. Housed in a heated, lighted and ventilated growing lab, this is the ideal environment to get maximum yield. The big disadvantage to this system is that it doesn’t support larger plants, so as they grow they have to be trimmed back or removed.

Other solutions use inert growing mediums which physically anchor larger plants and therefore are plants can be keep longer and are able to mature and yield more fruitage. The ebb & flood system, and the Drip Irrigation System are the two most common and can be set up on a scale for domestic usage.

Transforming your bedroom space into a cosy atmosphere requires a lot of ideas, to begin with. You can start with practical ideas by choosing the most comfortable sheets, buying soft pillows and adding a huge rug in the middle of your bedroom. You can also maximise each space by having a fitted wardrobe installed by professionals to make sure that everything is in its proper area. Sprucing up your bedroom can be overwhelming at times. But if you have the right idea in mind, you can accomplish things in a short period. Here are some practical tips for you to begin with.

Rearrange the things inside the bedroom

If you are tired of the same old look that your bedroom has, try to spruce things up by rearranging the furniture. For example, you can move your bed right beside the window. You can easily take a peek at your surroundings and appreciate the beauty of nature. Also, positioning the bed right beside the wall creates extra space.

Install other types of lighting

Aside from the usual bright LED lights or ambient lighting that most people install in their rooms, it would be nice to experiment with different kinds of lighting to achieve a more comfortable atmosphere. Ambient lights are necessary for you to perform tasks like cleaning the bedroom and fixing your clothes. But if you are about to read a book, use your laptop or fix your hair and makeup, it is recommended to switch to task lighting. You should also install dim lights that will help your brain relax and make you fall asleep faster.

Invest in soft blankets and fluffy throw pillows

Giving your bedroom a cosy appeal means that you should make your bed as welcoming as it can be. Adding a couple of soft blankets will help you keep warm during cold autumn nights. Your fluffy throw pillows will make you look forward to taking mid-afternoon naps. You can also snuggle with your loved one while enjoying a quiet and relaxing night with each other.

Try painting your room with warm colours

You may be used to the idea of painting your wall with light colours like white, cream or beige. There is nothing wrong with these standard wall colours because it makes the room look more spacious and bright. However, if you are aiming for a more relaxing atmosphere that would help you sleep peacefully, you should change the paint for darker hues. Colours like brown, dark blue or grey work best for transforming your bedroom into a cosy place to stay.

Add personal and unique designs in your bedroom

You should shop for some accessories that will make your bedroom stand out from others. Visit local antique shop dealers and purchase a large wooden chest that can serve as extra seats with additional storage. You can look for vintage lampshades that will give your room adequate lighting during the night. You can also recycle some of your old furniture by working on DIY projects in your spare time.