#automated garden system

[asestimationsconsultants]

Including Smart Irrigation and Landscaping in Estimates Through a Residential Estimating Service

Modern homeowners increasingly understand that the exterior of a home is just as important as its structure. Landscaping enhances curb appeal, increases property value, and improves the functionality of outdoor spaces. But as water conservation and smart technology become priorities, landscaping is evolving. Smart irrigation systems, native plant selections, and automated water management features are now staples in sustainable outdoor design. Accurately budgeting for these additions can be complex, which is why a residential estimating service plays a critical role.

Bringing Outdoor Features into the Budget Conversation

Traditionally, landscaping has been left as a post-construction concern, often handled without a dedicated budget. This oversight can lead to either unplanned overspending or underwhelming results. A residential estimating service helps ensure landscaping is part of the overall construction financial plan from the beginning.

Incorporating smart irrigation systems and advanced landscaping features early in the estimate allows homeowners to balance indoor and outdoor priorities. This holistic approach ensures aesthetic goals and environmental performance do not come at the expense of structural necessities—or vice versa.

What Smart Irrigation Really Costs

Smart irrigation goes far beyond a simple sprinkler system. These systems use sensors, weather data, and automated schedules to reduce water use, minimize runoff, and adapt to seasonal conditions. However, costs can vary widely based on system size, control features, and integration with other smart home systems.

A residential estimating service can provide detailed pricing on components like moisture sensors, weather-based controllers, zone-specific valves, Wi-Fi-enabled timers, and mobile app integration. Labor costs for trenching, installation, and setup are also factored in, preventing surprise expenses. This ensures that even tech-savvy homeowners understand the full financial picture of going green with their irrigation.

Regional Considerations and Water Efficiency Standards

Smart irrigation systems must comply with local codes, water usage regulations, and environmental conditions. Arid regions, for instance, may require drought-tolerant planting schemes and more advanced water-saving systems than wetter climates.

A residential estimating service provides region-specific guidance, estimating the cost of compliant systems and efficient plant choices tailored to the local climate. These professionals may also include optional items like rain sensors, greywater systems, or underground drip lines, giving homeowners a range of budget-friendly and high-efficiency choices.

Landscaping Materials and Planting Costs

The costs of landscaping materials—mulch, soil amendments, sod, decorative rock, lighting, and planting beds—can be difficult to calculate without professional help. Likewise, the selection and size of trees, shrubs, and perennials impact pricing significantly.

Residential estimating services rely on updated pricing data and supplier networks to give accurate material costs. They also factor in plant density, growth spacing, and maintenance requirements to prevent over-purchasing or underplanting. This level of accuracy supports not only aesthetics but long-term plant health and sustainability.

Incorporating Hardscapes and Outdoor Living Elements

Smart landscaping doesn’t stop with plants and sprinklers. Many homeowners also want patios, retaining walls, walkways, fire pits, or water features. These elements require permits, excavation, grading, and sometimes structural reinforcements, all of which have costs that can fluctuate based on site conditions.

Estimating services can provide full hardscape budgets, including labor and material estimates for pavers, stone, concrete, and lighting. When included in the early estimate, homeowners are more likely to complete these features rather than delay or eliminate them due to unexpected costs.

Labor and Seasonal Pricing Adjustments

Landscaping is labor-intensive, and costs can rise during peak seasons or in high-demand regions. A residential estimating service accounts for these labor fluctuations and helps homeowners time their landscaping projects for maximum value.

For example, if a project is planned for early spring—when landscapers are most in demand—the service may suggest scheduling installations earlier or later to reduce labor costs. Similarly, off-season planting or phased installations can be incorporated into the budget to distribute expenses more manageably.

Energy and Maintenance Savings as Budget Considerations

Smart irrigation and sustainable landscaping aren’t just about water savings—they also reduce utility bills, prevent erosion, and lower maintenance needs over time. Estimating services can include projected operational savings alongside installation costs, helping homeowners see the financial payoff of environmentally friendly upgrades.

This transparency supports better decision-making and offers a long-term view on return on investment. By comparing traditional systems with smart alternatives, the service ensures homeowners make informed, cost-effective choices.

Transparency for Homeowners and Builders

Builders also benefit from having a clear, well-structured estimate for landscaping and irrigation. It minimizes confusion during bidding and avoids last-minute changes. A residential estimating service provides both homeowner and builder with the same detailed scope, improving communication and reducing disputes.

The estimate may also include optional upgrades, such as low-voltage lighting or app-controlled irrigation zones, so homeowners can make decisions based on evolving preferences without derailing the project timeline.

Conclusion

Smart irrigation and thoughtful landscaping are no longer luxury additions—they are vital parts of modern residential design. Including them in the initial construction estimate ensures they are prioritized, funded, and executed properly. A residential estimating service makes this possible by providing accurate, detailed, and regionally informed budgets for these often-overlooked components. The result is a home that’s not only beautiful and functional on the outside, but also environmentally smart and financially responsible from the ground up.

[paxtonvaldovinos]

Smart Home Solutions at Palm Beach Audio Visions

At Palm Beach Audio Visions (PBAV), we are passionate about delivering exceptional audio visual, home automation, lighting, and technology integration solutions for residential and commercial projects. From the initial concept to the final system deployment, we are dedicated to ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget while exceeding industry standards for quality. Our team of experienced professionals brings a wealth of expertise in the high-end market and a strong focus on building lasting relationships with our clients. Feel free to visit us!

[lmsintmedia]

Smart Urban Gardening: How AI and IoT Are Revolutionizing Plant Care

Introduction Urban gardening is no longer just about planting seeds and hoping for the best. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), city dwellers can now monitor their gardens with precision, ensuring their plants get exactly what they need. Smart sensors can track soil moisture, sunlight, temperature, and more—automating plant care like never before. If you’re…

[juliabush2450]

REVOLUTIONIZING YOUR GARDEN WITH DREAME'S LAWN BOT

Hello everyone,

I recently explored the exciting world of smart home technology and discovered Dreame's innovative lawn bot. This fantastic device is designed to keep your lawn looking pristine without the hassle of manual mowing. Priced competitively, it offers excellent features that make lawn care a breeze.

The lawn bot is equipped with advanced navigation systems, ensuring it can efficiently cover every inch of your yard. Plus, it operates quietly, allowing you to enjoy your outdoor space without interruption. The first time I used it, I was amazed at how well it trimmed the grass, leaving my lawn looking immaculate and vibrant!

Dreame is truly making gardening easier and more enjoyable for everyone. Happy gardening!

[jcmarchi]

Microdosing on Low-Hallucinogenic AI

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/microdosing-on-low-hallucinogenic-ai/

Microdosing on Low-Hallucinogenic AI

The Agentforce is here. Salesforce wrapped another edition of its annual Dreamforce conference this September. Joining the swarms of attendees — and the swarms of Waymos shuttling them around an extra-cleaned San Francisco — we each now have a swarm of agents at our fingertips to transform work, neatly controlled within the Salesforce ecosystem. While Dreamforce is always a spectacle for its marketing-honed pronouncements of the future, this year provided an unexpectedly compelling vision of how AI-based agents are about to revolutionize the workplace and customer experience.

Let’s temper our expectations for just a bit longer. Benioff pondered at his keynote, “Why would our agents be so low-hallucinogenic?” Yes, they have the data, the metadata, the workflows and a vast array of services to connect into; and so long as your systems only live within Salesforce, it sounds pretty ideal. Salesforce may or may not have invented prompt engineering, a claim Benioff also made in the keynote evoking perhaps the “Austin Powers” Dr. Evil monologue about his father inventing the question mark. But can Salesforce meet the Agentforce vision? If they do, it’s going to be a big deal for how work gets done.

Let’s be real though: our systems and data don’t all live within Salesforce. If the future of work is defined by groups of agents working together, how far can walled gardens and closed ecosystems really get us in delivering outcomes across our businesses? Certainly Apple and Microsoft and Amazon and a host of others want to wrap their arms around the massive agent opportunity in front of us. But as each wave of technical advancement has brought forward different flavors of closed vs. open debates, we’re ultimately going to need a standard for agents working together with one another across boundaries. Otherwise only parts of your business will meet this opportunity.

As we often do when faced with the open/closed conundrum, let us look to the open web as a way forward. Just like apps on your phone need a web view to enable an infinite array of mobile app outcomes, the same will be needed in the upcoming multi-agent frontier. Tools like Slack provide UI frameworks like Block Kit that can power the user interface for a simple agent interaction, but it’s not cut out to handle the depth of modern user experiences. Take Clockwise Prism as an example. We’ve built a next-level scheduling agent for finding time for a meeting even if there isn’t any current “whitespace” on the calendar tomorrow. When hooking it up to other agents to land that impossible meeting with your hottest sales prospects, you’ll need a way to either confirm or explore a myriad of sophisticated and powerful scheduling options. Providing a web view for doing this is the clear path forward.

Throughout his keynote, Benioff repeated the mantra that you don’t want DIY agents within your business. And he’s right. Enterprises want controlled and simplified workflows that deliver repeatable value. And yet they don’t want to be stuck in a silo. This is why we need an open standard for the multi-agent future. We need a dependable way for agents to interact with one another, to cross boundaries across applications and ecosystems and do it in a way that keeps businesses in control of their product experience.

You might be just as likely to kick off a set of work agents from within an Atlassian Jira ticket connected to a Salesforce customer case as you would want to kick off a set of agents in reverse originating from within Salesforce connected to Atlassian. For agents to work together regardless of where a work request originates and in any number of directions with a consistent user experience, again a standard for doing this is needed.

What else should be represented in this standard? Outside of Salesforce, the multi-agent ecosystem today is an exciting wild west. On the daily we see new innovations and ways of connecting and constructing AI systems and agentive workflows. One recent tie-in between the AI framework LangChain and a tool called Assitant-UI brought this insight:

“UX is crucial for agents. Everyone wants agents with streaming, generative UI, and human-in-the-loop in their application.”

Indeed, we’ve already covered how crucial user experience is to agents. And clearly agents must be able to quickly stream their responses when working with other agents. But what of generative UI and human-in-the-loop in their application?

Let’s start with human-in-the-loop; another area of broad agreement. While Salesforce and others talk a big game about automation, it’s always grounded in the need to be able to bring a human back into the center when necessary. We learned this lesson as well at Clockwise, and have built our scheduling agent experience around a core concept of being able to check back in with the user with a proposed set of scheduling options. When you are doing complex work, it’s amazing to get to full automation, but it starts on the backbone of involving the user and keeping them in the loop. Any standard must be built around an optional ability to check-in and confirm with the user before proceeding, and eventually allow for full automation when confidence is high enough.

And so what of generative UI? Here I’d propose that what is needed isn’t necessarily generative UI but “native UI.” What is important is that the agent is producing a UI that is native and controlled by the service/agent responding to the request. Only the native service will have the context and understanding necessary to render a user interface that ties into the agent request. Whether that UI is rendered using generative AI or some other non-AI mechanism is left to the responding service as an implementation detail. And so here, we think the open standard must allow for the responding service to control and deliver native UI to an agent request.

What comes next? We’re excited to continue to examine what an open multi-agent future might look like. We’ve created a draft of something we’re calling Open Multi-Agent Protocol (OMAP) and we’re excited to keep pushing the conversation forward. It won’t be long before there are entirely new types of jobs out there where people use agents to do work in powerful and streamlined ways. The age of the Agent Orchestrator job description is upon us, and while Salesforce paints a compelling path ahead, we’ll need a standard way for agents to interconnect beyond boundaries.

[gauricmi]

Revolutionize Your Home with the Ultimate Smart Indoor Gardening System

In today's fast-paced world, where technology continues to infiltrate every aspect of our lives, it's no surprise that even gardening has gone smart. Imagine a home where lush greenery thrives effortlessly, where herbs and vegetables grow bountifully year-round, all managed with the touch of a button.

Gone are the days of traditional gardening methods fraught with guesswork and uncertainty. The Smart Indoor Gardening System integrates cutting-edge technology to streamline the entire gardening process, from seed to harvest. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a novice, this system empowers you to cultivate thriving plants with minimal effort.

One of the key features of the Smart Indoor Gardening System is its intuitive automation capabilities. Equipped with sensors that monitor factors such as moisture levels, temperature, and light intensity, the system autonomously adjusts environmental conditions to ensure optimal growth for your plants. Say goodbye to the hassle of manual watering schedules and fretting over whether your plants are receiving adequate sunlight.

Moreover, the Smart Indoor Gardening System isn't just about convenience—it's also about efficiency and sustainability. By utilizing precise water and nutrient delivery mechanisms, it minimizes waste and promotes eco-friendly gardening practices. With water scarcity becoming an increasingly pressing issue, this system represents a responsible approach to plant cultivation.

Get More Insights On This Topic: Smart Indoor Gardening System

[sexhaver]

at this point the most charitable interpretation of tumblr's moderation is that

terfs on this site (users, not employees) have figured out that they can weaponize the automated banning system with mass reports on trans women

at best, nobody on staff has noticed this pattern of behavior for several years despite it being explicitly pointed out to them multiple times; at worst, there is at least one terf on staff making it so that mass reports of trans women get acted on instantly and are rarely if ever reviewed

Photo Matt has an ego the size of Cleveland and will ban anyone who incidentally bruises it while lying through his veneers about the reasons why when they are blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes

i'm genuinely not sure whether Matt is garden-variety transphobic, or if he hates everyone who shit-talks him and it just so happens (for no reason at all) that the trans women on this site dislike him and his moderation team more than most other groups so he just hates the fact that they keep making him look transphobic when he systematically bans them for hating him

tumblr's legal and PR teams are waking up right now, checking Slack on their phones before getting out of bed, and are probably screaming into their respective pillows

[compactdiscinteractive]

P.A.W.S.: Personal Automated Wagging System (Domestic Funk/Digital Garden/Organa, Mac/Windows/CD-i, 1995/1998)

Posted using PostyBirb

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

"But don't let its beauty fool you. This plant can be processed into a powerful neurotoxin which can cause near permanent madness unless treated!"

Professor Calculus, upon developing a state-of-the-art automated hydroponics and pesticides delivery system, has been invited to judge a prestigious international flower show at the largest botanical garden in Belgium.

Botany experts and amateurs from around the world attend - Professor Zalamea is there to showcase his bizarre genetically modified bioluminescent blue oranges, Nash is displaying some of his explorations into living sculpture, and Castafiore is geared up to perform in the evening. Most controversially of all, Professor Fang Hsi Ying, a world leading expert on mental health, is showcasing his research on the Rajaijah plant, a plant historically used to produce madness poison.

It's this exhibit that causes a stir at the event. Security is on high alert. After the poison was used a few years ago in several high profile drug smuggling cases that were embroiled in politics, the plant is anticipated to be a subject of fear and Orientalism. Protestors calling for its destruction flock the event, and there are rumours of a plot to steal the rare plant. The organisers hope that the controversy will generate ticket sales and revenue.

Tintin and Chang are there to report on the goings on, having just confessed their feelings for each other. They're not sure what they are just yet - but even without a madness poison, Tintin's head is in a spin!

I had the idea to bring back Rajaijah juice for some time and was intially going to set it at a garden party, but I received this message from anon some time ago:

And I just loved the Drama of a botanical garden a whole lot more!

Because of the time it takes for me to make stuff and the planning that goes into my posts I do take a very long time to respond to messages, and sometimes multiple people send similar messages anticipating stuff I already have planned, so if I come across as standoffish I apologise, I just have a lot on my plate (by my own design tbh)!

I love every message I receive, I started this blog intending to respond to every message but that's becoming unrealistic ;_; I keep your messages to read back whenever I need motivation, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you if you've sent me an ask!

[bradleysass]

attempt - @into-the-jeggyverse - wc: 563

James didn’t mean to trespass.

Well. Maybe he meant to. But not like this—not with the blaring siren, the blinking lights, and the automated voice yelling, "INTRUDER DETECTED. AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED."

He just wanted to see him. Not break the law.

The alarm finally cut out with a merciful click, and James froze in place on the edge of the perfectly manicured lawn. A second later, the porch light flicked on, casting a warm yellow glow across the lawn like a spotlight on a criminal.

Then there he was.

Regulus Black.

Wearing black silk pajama pants, a robe hanging loose over his shoulders, and a look on his face that could cut through concrete.

"You know," he said, voice sharp and cold in the night air, "attempting to enter my house is against the law, Potter."

James gave a crooked, sheepish smile and shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets like that might make him look less guilty.

“I wasn’t entering. I was standing. On the grass.”

Regulus arched a brow.

“My grass is armed. I have signs. You know this.”

“I forgot,” James muttered, which was a lie. He remembered every inch of this place—had built half the garden beds with Regulus the summer they moved in together. Had picked out those ridiculous lemon-scented solar lights because Regulus claimed moths were “tacky.”

Regulus sighed, stepping forward onto the porch but not down the steps.

“What do you want, James?”

There it was. No softness. Just James. Like they were back to being strangers.

James swallowed hard. “I—couldn’t sleep. And I kept thinking about… about that night in June. The one with the thunderstorm, when we lost power and just laid on the kitchen floor and talked until morning.”

Regulus’ expression flickered, but he didn’t speak.

“I miss you,” James continued, quieter now, his voice catching slightly. “I know I shouldn’t say that. I know I was the one who left. But I can’t sleep in our bed without you, Reg.”

Regulus stayed quiet a moment longer, then crossed his arms. “There’s no our anymore.”

James flinched. “I know.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because…” James took a shaky breath. “Because I didn’t know how else to remember what it felt like to be near you without it hurting so damn much.”

A long silence stretched between them, filled only by the buzz of the porch light and the far-off hum of late-night traffic.

Regulus exhaled, slow and deliberate. “You’re lucky I didn’t have the system programmed to fire warning shots.”

James chuckled weakly. “Would’ve been worth it.”

“Idiot.”

“Yours, once.”

Regulus looked away, jaw tight, and James took a step forward—just one. He didn’t want to push. Just be closer.

“Can I just… talk to you?” James asked, voice gentler than it had been in weeks. “Not to fix anything. Just… talk.”

Regulus studied him carefully, then slowly descended the steps.

“Stay off the grass.”

James blinked. “You’re serious?”

Regulus gave him a look. “You triggered the alarms, woke me up, and possibly alerted half the neighbourhood.”

“Okay, okay,” James said quickly, holding up his hands. “I’ll walk on the path like a respectable ex-boyfriend.”

Regulus turned away, the edge of his robe fluttering with the motion. “Ten minutes. Then you leave.”

James followed behind, smiling despite himself.

Ten minutes.

He could live off that for weeks.

[empty-movement]

Welcome to Something Eternal: A Website Forum in 2023 wtf lmao

It's 2023, and a single belligerent rich guy destroyed one of the primary focal points of uh...global communication. Tumblr is, shockingly, kinda thriving despite the abuse it gets from its owners, but that I will call the iconic refusal of Tumblr users to let Tumblr get in the way of their using Tumblr. Reddit killed its API, removing the functionality of mobile apps that made it remotely readable (rip rif.) Discord, our current primary hangout, has made countless strange choices lately that indicate it has reached the summit of its usability and functionality, and can only decline from here as changes get made to prepare for shareholders. (NOTE: WROTE THIS POST BEFORE THEIR MOBILE "REDESIGN" LMAO)

The enshittification is intense, and it's coming from every direction. Social media platforms that felt like permanent institutions are instead slowly going to let fall fallow incredible amounts of history, works of art, thought, and fandoms. It kinda sucks!

A couple years ago, I posted about a new plan with a new domain, to focus on the archiving of media content, as I saw that to be the fatal weakness of the current ways the internet and fandoms work. Much has happened since to convince me to alter the direction of those efforts, though not abandon them entirely.

Long story short? We are launching a fucking website forum. In 2023.

If you remember In the Rose Garden, much about Something Eternal will be familiar. But this has been a year in the making, and in many ways it's far more ambitious than IRG was. We have put money on this. The forum is running on the same software major IT and technology businesses use, because I don't want the software to age out of usability within five years. It has an attached gallery system for me to post content to, including the Chiho Saito art collection. It has a profile post system that everyone already on the forum has decided is kinda like mini Twitter? But it is, fundamentally, a website forum, owned and run and moderated by us. We are not web devs. But we have run a website on pure spite and headbutting code for over twenty years, and we have over a decade of experience maintaining social spaces online, both on the OG forum, and on our Discord. Better skilled people with far more time than we have can and will build incredible alternatives to what is collapsing around us. But they're not in the room right now. We are. And you know what? Maybe it's time to return to a clunkier, slower moving, more conversation focused platform.

You're not joining a social media platform with the full polish of dozens of devs and automated moderation. Things might break, and I might need time to fix them. The emojis and such are still a work in progress. Because e-mails no longer route in reasonable normal ways, the sign-up process instead happens within the software, and has to be approved by mods. Design and structure elements may change. Etc. The point being, that the forum isn't finished, but it is at a place where I feel like I can present it to people, and it's people I need to help direct what functions and things will be in this space. You all will shape its norms, its traditions, its options...choices I could try to make now, but really...they're for us to create as a group! But the important stuff? That's there. Now let's drive this baby off the damn lot already!

Come! Join us!!

PS. As always, TERFs and Nazis need not apply.

[paxtonvaldovinos]

Enhance Your Home with Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades

In the era of smart homes, window treatments have evolved far beyond traditional curtains and blinds. Lutron, a leader in smart home technology, offers a revolutionary solution with its Smart Window Electric Shades. These innovative shades combine advanced technology, elegant design, and user-friendly features to provide unparalleled convenience and comfort. In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades, how they work, and why they are a perfect addition to any modern home.

What Are Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades?

Automated window coverings, Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades, can be operated from a distance via voice commands, a tablet, or a smartphone. Thanks to the quiet and effective motors that drive these shades, smooth and accurate adjustments are possible. Lutron shades, which come in various designs, materials, and hues, may blend in with any interior design while offering practical advantages like light control, privacy, and energy efficiency.

Benefits of Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades

Convenience and Control: With Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades, you can easily control the amount of natural light entering your home. Using the Lutron app, you can raise, lower, or adjust your shades with a simple tap on your smartphone or tablet. Additionally, these shades can be integrated with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, allowing you to control them using voice commands.

Energy Efficiency: Lutron shades can significantly enhance your home’s energy efficiency. They automatically adjust based on the time of day and help regulate indoor temperatures. During the summer, the shades can be lowered to block out heat, reducing the need for air conditioning. In the winter, they can let in natural sunlight, helping warm your home and reduce heating costs.

Enhanced Privacy and Security: Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades offer increased privacy and security. You can schedule the shades to close at specific times, ensuring your home remains private, especially during the evening. Additionally, while you’re away, you can program your shades to open and close at different times to give the appearance that someone is home, deterring potential intruders.

Aesthetic Appeal: With many different materials, colors, and patterns, you may personalize these shades to complement your interior decor perfectly. Lutron offers solutions that can improve the visual appeal of any room, whether you prefer the sleek appearance of roller shades or the elegance of draperies.

Smart Integration: Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades integrate seamlessly with other smart home systems. This means you can create custom scenes that involve multiple smart devices. For example, you can create a “Movie Night” scene where the shades are lower, the lights dim, and your home theater system is turned on, all with a single command.

How Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades Work

Lutron shades operate using advanced motorized technology that ensures smooth and quiet operation. Here’s a brief overview of how they work:

Installation: Professional installation is recommended for Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades to ensure they are correctly fitted and integrated with your home’s electrical system. A certified installer will measure your windows, help you choose the right shades, and set up the system.

Control: Once installed, you can control the shades using the Lutron app, a wall-mounted keypad, or voice commands. The app allows you to set schedules, create scenes, and easily adjust individual shades or groups of shades.

Automation: Lutron shades can be programmed to operate automatically based on your preferences. You can set them to open in the morning to let in natural light and close in the evening for privacy. To maximize energy efficiency, sensors can also change the shades according to how much sunshine enters the space.

Why Choose Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades?

Lutron has pioneered smart home technology for decades and is known for its high-quality products and innovative solutions. Choosing Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades means investing in a reliable, durable, and stylish solution for your home. These shades enhance your comfort and convenience and add value to your property.

Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades are a fantastic addition to any home, offering a blend of modern technology and elegant design. With benefits ranging from improved energy efficiency to enhanced privacy and seamless integration with other smart devices, these shades provide a comprehensive solution for today’s smart home needs. Transform your home with Lutron Smart Window Electric Shades from Palm Beach Audio Visions! Experience unmatched convenience, energy efficiency, and elegant design. Control your shades with ease using your smartphone or voice commands. Schedule your consultation today and elevate your living space with cutting-edge bright window solutions!

[just-french-me-up]

Psst psst psst yap about Jayce and Viktor pls give into the yapping desire

consider this my official jayvik greenlight, i shall yap my heart's content!

Jayvik | T | 560W | Post-canon fluff | Domestic | Slice of Life | Cottage by the Stream Minus the Four Kids (for now) Jayce doesn't use his brand new cane much. Viktor has noticed.

Spring was settling in, sunlight spilling in through the ivy framed windows of their house, tickling Viktor awake earlier and earlier every day. He didn't mind. He found it stimulating, if anything. Witnessing the garden in bloom, life returning after long months of dormancy, was nothing short of inspiring. As the grass grew dotted with colours, ideas took root. A brand new hydraulic system to power the heaters more efficiently. An automated watering circuit for fickle crops. A better designed kettle.

Viktor's mind wandered as he cracked another egg in the pan, drawing schematics out of thin air, debating what material was better suited for this or that. There was some scrap metal left in the cellar, it was only a matter of sorting out what could be repurposed and─

A door opened. The sound of uneven steps on the creaky wood floor. In his mind, the schematics stood still, left to revise later. For now all Viktor could focus on was the warm body pressed against his back. Gods, Jayce always brought the forge along with him.

It was a delight. Not that Viktor would ever admit that out loud.

"G'd morning," Jayce sighed sleepily against his neck, wrapping his arms around Viktor's middle.

"Good morning."

Viktor flipped the mushrooms and eggs in the pan, expertly assessing the Maillard reaction on the edges of their soon to be breakfast. He'd never been much of a cook before. He'd found he rather enjoyed mastering the chemistry of it.

"A shame you went through all that trouble making yourself a cane not to use it," he told Jayce, his voice even.

Jayce groaned against him.

"I use it."

Viktor shot him a skeptical look from the corner of his eyes.

He'd never known a time when he did not have some kind of support. For as long as he could remember, he had always been holding something. Reaching for his cane barely required thought. But Jayce... Jayce was stubborn. He favoured his leg brace, even when it dug painful grooves against his skin after a long day, especially in winter. He had taken to leaning over furniture around the house, supporting himself against any surface he could when the brace was off, exerting himself while waving it off, invariably regretting it later lying in bed, sore.

The coat of varnish he'd applied on the oak parts of his cane was spotless and shiny from disuse.

"Thank you for breakfast," Jayce said, hoping to stir the conversation elsewhere.

"Unfortunately it is only for handsome men who make a reasonable use of their mobility aids."

He could almost hear Jayce's eyeroll.

"Mmh. So we're resorting to bribery, then?" There was a smile there, too.

"Positive reinforcement," Viktor shrugged, flipping the eggs one last time.

Jayce muffled a chuckle against his shoulder, gently rubbing Viktor's sides.

"Oh, I see. What else is there in it for me?"

"I'm told the village's hot springs are very nice this time of year."

Jayce hummed in Viktor's ear, his hands teasing the hem of his pajama bottoms, thumbs playing against his hip bones.

"Oh, really?"

"Breakfast, Jayce," Viktor warned, more than aware things would start burning should hands stray any lower.

There was another chuckle against his neck, a kiss, and Jayce's hand slipped away, lingering warmth imprinted on Viktor's skin like a soft brand.

"Fine. I'll get the cane, then."

Send me a domestic Jayvik prompt? ♥

[l-1-z-a]

🎨 Unused Personalization Styles in The Sims 2: Analysis of Hidden Customization Mechanics by Perpexity AI Deep Research

Perpexity AI Deep Research generated a really interesting research about the list of strings "unused - Personal styles" . And I want to share it.

List documented on The Cutting Room Floor:

The development of The Sims 2 involved extensive experimentation with gameplay mechanics, many of which remain as code artifacts. The table with identifier 0x000000D2, containing categories like Natural, Romantic, Dramatic, Classical, Eclectic, and Trailer Park, represents a fragment of an unfinished personalization system that could have revolutionized character and environment customization[1][2].

Evolution of the Style System During Development

Origins of the Concept

During early development, Maxis experimented with a multidimensional trait system that expanded beyond core personality parameters. Internal game files suggest that Personal Styles were intended to complement existing Aspirations and Turn-Ons/Turn-Offs, dynamically generating Sims' preferences for clothing, decor, and social interactions[2]. Unlike the final implementation, where players manually select aesthetics, the original design proposed automated style-based preference generation.

Technical Implementation

Analysis of string identifiers (0x7FE59FD0) and data structures reveals that the style system was deeply integrated into the game’s core architecture. Each style included:

- Unique object interaction animations

- Predefined color palettes for Create-A-Sim (CAS)

- Architecture generation algorithms for Build Mode

- Behavioral patterns for social dynamics[2]

Connection to Other Cut Features

These styles intersected with the scrapped Neighborhood Aspirations system, where neighborhoods would gain thematic specializations (family-oriented, career-focused, etc.). Early builds suggest style choices for households could influence:

- Frequency of specific Townie types

- Availability of exclusive build-mode objects

- Unique random event generation[1]

Analysis of Style Categories

Natural

Focused on organic materials, linen clothing, and outdoor activities. Code references unused gardening animations and nature-related interactions[2].

Romantic

Emphasized Victorian architecture, lace textures, and increased frequency of romantic interactions. Unused dialogue includes poetic declarations of love[2].

Dramatic

Featured theatrical behaviors like exaggerated gestures and conflict-prone traits. Files contain unused stage props and harlequin costumes[1].

Classical

Inspired by Greco-Roman architecture with columns and mosaics. Elements later appeared in the University expansion[1].

Eclectic

Mixed historical eras and cultural motifs. Technical limitations in 2004 prevented implementation of dynamic object combinations[2].

Trailer Park

A controversial "lowbrow" aesthetic with rusted furniture and graffiti. Likely removed due to concerns about ESRB ratings and cultural sensitivity[1].

Reasons for Removal

Technical Constraints

Implementing dynamic styles required:

- Additional 512MB RAM

- High-resolution texture sets

- Complex asset prioritization systems[2]

Gameplay Balance Issues

Playtesting revealed that automated style generation:

- Limited creative freedom in CAS and Buy/Build Mode

- Clashed with Aspiration fulfillment mechanics

- Overcomplicated tutorials for new players[1]

Marketing Considerations

The Trailer Park style risked increasing the ESRB rating to Teen, which conflicted with EA’s family-friendly branding. Internal documents cite worries about reinforcing stereotypes[1].

Legacy in the Final Game

Elements of the scrapped system resurfaced in:

- The Hobbies & Interests system from FreeTime

- Neighborhood-specific Townie generation logic

- Hidden compatibility parameters for social interactions[2]

Conclusion

The 0x000000D2 style table exemplifies the developers’ ambitious vision that outpaced 2004-era hardware. While cut from the final release, these concepts laid the groundwork for later innovations, including The Sims 4’s Lifestyle system.

Citations:

[1] The Sims 2 Cut Content: Unreleased Features, Graphics & More! (YouTube)

[2] The Cutting Room Floor: The Sims (Windows)/Unused Behaviors/Sim Features

[waiitiridge]

Kia ora! Just a wee re-introduction

I'm just another solarpunk in Aotearoa looking for other like-minded friends, inspiration, and advice on other ways I can green up my life. I love sewing, baking, making, gardening, and animals.

I live in an off-grid tiny home I built with my partner in 2016 out of wood and second-hand windows/doors/appliances. We run off solar power, rain water, a composting toilet, and try to repair, mend, make, borrow, and buy 2nd hand or local. Our meat is all hunted, which here in Aotearoa is a huge help for our environment as our only native mammals are seals and bats. Everything else is a pest. We also grow a lot of our own fruit and veggies, but the garden is still a work in progress. This year, i have a new wing of the veggie garden built, but I still have so much work to do around the herb and fairy garden.

I'm looking at irrigating the garden and automating the process. I saw something about https://www.home-assistant.io/ online but would love any advice you might have. I'd like to automate and chart my watering as well as integrate moisture monitors and a weather monitoring system.

I have an electric bike and an old 1996 honda crv. I'd like to switch to an electric vehicle, something like a Pickman 4x4 or another small farm vehicle, as I only need to get to the village bus stop, neighbouring farms, and the occasional trip into town via back roads.

Clothes are me-made with 2nd hand materials, mostly from the dump shop. I've helped start a collection point for alternative recycling like bottle lids and tetrapaks, a library of things, and a community workshop. We are working towards a bike repair hub and time bank but it might be a couple years before they are operational.

Please share all your inspiration, book recommendations, and thoughts around other ways I can make an impact in my community 😊