Smart Home Products for Living a Connected Life

    What makes something a smart home product? Generally, it's defined by its ability to connect to a Wi-Fi network, allowing users to interact(互动)with it from their smartphones. We've rounded up some cool, diverse offerings that you'll love to have in your home.

    Nest Cam IQ

    walmart.com

    $299.00

    The Nest Cam IQ is a beautifully designed home security camera that can recognize faces. It can warn you if there's a stranger in your home. The device also supports two-way communication via built-in microphones and a powerful speaker.

    Logitech Harmony Elite

    amazon.com

    $249.99

    The Logitech Harmony Elite is one of the best universal remote controls available on the market. It can control just about every piece of electronics you own(it supports over 270, 000 devices！)in every room of your house or apartment, including TVs, streaming devices, and sound systems.

    Apple HomePod

    bhphotovideo.com

    $349.00

    The Apple HomePod has better audio quality than any other smart speaker available today. Available in white or space gray, the Siri-powered device also allows you to control a number of devices with your voice.

    August Smart Lock Pro

    amazon.com

    $279.99

    The August Smart Lock Pro is compatible(兼容的)with most locks. A mobile app allows you to manage access to the lock, check its usage history, and get informed when someone opens the door. You can control it and check on the state of your door with voice commands.

There's nothing quite like putting down roots and tending a garden. But what happens if you don't have a backyard? Or you're suddenly uprooted? Or you decide to go on a road trip and can't get anyone to watch your plants?

Just whip up a portable container garden. Sure, it's not the same thing as a plot of land, but it's easy to build and you can move it on demand. In this design, created by researchers at the University of Maryland Extension, a water reservoir helps keep the plants healthy and watered-even if you forget to water them while you're traveling. 

Tools & Materials

●Two five-gallon food-grade buckets

●Drill with 1/2-inch hole saw and 1/36-inch bit

●Sandpaper

●Cloth strips

●PVC pipe, 3/ 4 - to 1-inch wide, 18 inches long

●Saw

●1b quarts of soil

●Seedlings or plants

Instructions

⒈Trace the mouth of the pipe on the bottom of one bucket, less than an inch from the edge. Drill and sand out that circle. 

⒉Drill the additional 1/2-inch holes—one in the center and four evenly spaced around the edge. For drainage, add eight smaller holes spread around the bottom. 

⒊Tie a knot(结) at one end of each cloth strip. Feed the strips through the 1/2-inch holes so the knots sits on the inside and the cloth hangs down. 

⒋Put the holey bucket into the second one, mark a spot on the outer bucket where the holey base hits, and separate them. Drill a small overflow hole at the mark and restack the buckets. 

⒌Cut one end of the pipe at a 45-degree angle. Push that end through the pipe-size hole in the inner bucket. 

⒍Fill the inner bucket with damp soil and plants, and keep them hydrated by pouring water down the pipe. Stop adding water when the overflow hole starts to leak. 

TIME 2 hours

COST $50DIFFICULTY... 

When you are about to go to a boarding school in England, there are many different questions that may come to mind. But once you look at them with some perspective, you will certainly feel easy. Here is a normal boarding day.

Early Morning:

Usually boarders get up around 7: 00 am and have around an hour to take a shower and put on their uniform before breakfast.

Lessons:

Classes start at 9: 00 am and every lesson lasts for 50 minutes. After two lessons, at 10: 40 am, you'll have a short break. The next period of classes will include two more lessons.

Lunch:

Lunch is usually held around 12: 30 pm at the dining hall, where you'll join your friends to enjoy a hot dish. After an hour of lunch, you'll have three or four more lessons to attend.

Dinner:

At 5: 00 pm you will have finished your school lessons for the day. Most boarding schools in the UK offer their full boarders different kinds of hot meals to choose from.

Activities/ Sports:

All boarding schools in the UK provide many different kinds of activities for their boarders, such as football, swimming, golf or art.

Prep:

An important part of boarding school life is the supervised homework session known as "prep". Although prep might sound stressful, it's a great way for you to keep up with your studies.

Free time:

Once you are done with all your classes and activities, it's time to relax.

Bedtime:

In most boarding schools, the lights go out around 10: 30 pm.

Being nervous just before you go to a boarding school is completely normal and understandable. Hopefully, being aware of the usual routine you'll be following can help you. Once you are there, you will also see how exciting life in a boarding school in England can be.