Smart devices and technology are reaching a new zenith of revolutionization. More and more people are now working on making their houses smarter to attain a more comfortable lifestyle. And true enough, smart homes can improve the quality of your life by increasing convenience and security.
What is a Smart Home?
In a smart home, one can easily monitor all the appliances present in it via Wi-Fi using a smartphone. It provides complete convenience and control.
What Does a Smart Home Do?
Have you ever stepped out of your house, only to worry hours later whether you were able to turn off the coffee maker or switch on the security alarm before leaving? A smart home can help you avoid these. It’s an excellent way of monitoring your house using a tablet or smartphone, whether you’re at home or away.
All smart appliances and devices can communicate with one another and do all their tasks efficiently. Not only can they follow your commands, but they’re also usually energy-efficient, making them a great investment for both your home and the environment. If you want to build a smart home for yourself, then you must have Top Reveal‘s smart home must-haves below.
Good Internet Reception in Every Part of the House
If you want to have a smart home, you will need a good internet reception. Invest in a Wi-Fi router with a proper network and ample data to avoid latency. All your smart devices should work in perfect synchronization if the internet reception is good.
A Nixplay Smart Frame
A Nixplay Smart Photo Frame is a brilliant photo viewing smart device that you can use to fill your home with images of your favorite moments. This is a Wi-Fi and cloud-enabled photo viewer which can sync your images from any device and display them at your house in real-time, wherever in the world you may be.
Smart Home Hubs and Controllers
Smart home hubs and controllers, like Amazon Alexa, are the brains of the smart home operations. These tools help connect different smart home devices, providing complete home automation. They will allow you to control all the appliances and smart devices in your home from a single app.
Smart Doorbell
Replace your regular doorbell with a smart doorbell as it is a safer and a smarter move. A smart doorbell will have HD cameras in it, letting you view the person standing in front of it using your mobile phone. It is an excellent way of keeping tabs on the people ringing the doorbell and entering your house.
Smart Door Locks
Enhance your home’s security by installing a smart door lock in place of regular door locks. This way, you can avoid forgetting the keys or missing them–you’ll just need to use your fingerprint to enter your house.
Smart Lighting (Smart Light Bulbs)
Smart light bulbs are a major component of a futuristic home. These will be connected to a hub or any platform that can be regulated by using a smartphone. You can also control the color and the level of brightness with your smartphone.
Smart Kitchen Appliances
Smart kitchen appliances, especially the smart refrigerator, are very important in every home. An intelligent refrigerator allows you to easily monitor its temperature and status, and it can also send you alerts for situations such as if the door of the fridge was left open. Make sure you are investing in smart kitchen appliances as these will make your meal prep faster and easier.
Smart Cleaning Appliances
Smart cleaning appliances are equally crucial for a smart home. These cleaning appliances will not only save you a lot of energy, but they are very efficient. Depending on your lifestyle, you can pick a smart cleaning device that can cater to all your household requirements.
Smart Washers and Dryers
Smart dryers and washers are not only energy-efficient, but these will also reduce the time you spend doing the laundry to just a few minutes, allowing you to do other tasks while waiting for your clothes to be cleaned. They are easy to use and they will save a lot of space in your house.
Smart Coffee Makers
Coffee is essential in nearly every household, which is why your smart home would be incomplete without a coffee maker. These machines are sleek and energy-efficient, and if you can’t live without your daily cup of joe, then you’d be extra thankful for a machine that can let you enjoy your brew hassle-free, just the way you like it.
Smart Surveillance Camera
If you’re converting your abode into a smart home, you should definitely install some smart cameras inside the house to make it more secure. Ensure that your smart surveillance camera can catch every everything at FHD 1080 p, leaving nothing blurred or indistinguishable. It must also have the ability to send motion notifications and display a live feed.
Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector
A smart carbon monoxide and smoke detector are significant in every smart home. Just think: If your house catches fire, you’re more likely to die from smoke inhalation than from actually catching fire. With a smart smoke detector, you will be able to prepare for and prevent this scenario.
There are indeed several smart devices which are available in the market, but picking the right ones for your home is a tough task. Know your priorities and choose the ones that will make your home more efficient and help you save money.
College is one of the best times of a person’s life–it’s when you can explore what the world has to offer while still tethered to a safe, supportive community. Once you get your diploma, you’ll truly be on your own in the big, bad world, and a fruitful university experience will arm you with the necessary skills and street smarts to handle whatever life throws your way.
Professors are valuable sources of wisdom, and you should take advantage of their availability to consult with them on academic and co-curricular (maybe even personal) matters. Moreover, you should get to know better (but don’t suck up to) the professors who made an impact on you, maybe even ask them to mentor you. Whether you need a better explanation of the day’s lesson, a recommendation letter for your internship, or sensible life advice, a good professor will be an indispensable ally as you journey through life.
Work part-time.
Having a bit of real work experience that isn’t your internship before graduating isn’t just good for your resume–it’s also great for your character. It’s a great opportunity to learn soft skills, network and find a mentor, and find a job you can take on after graduating. The extra cash doesn’t hurt, either!
Be a leader.
It’s high time you get out of your shell and try running for office! Being a leader on campus is guaranteed to make your resume stand out come job-hunting season. You’ll also learn how to manage people, resolve conflicts diplomatically, and be a great networker–all crucial skills you’ll need in your career.
Be a dean’s lister.
High grades will always be impressive, and even the bullies who taunted the nerds back in high school will grudgingly agree. Aim to be on the dean’s list, even for just one semester. The knowledge that you aced that statistics class you pulled several all-nighters in your dorm for will give you a confidence boost like no other.
Make lifelong friends.
Being apart from friends and classmates you grew up with can seem like a daunting prospect. But instead of viewing college as a lonely experience where you’ll be surrounded by strangers, think of it as an opportunity to meet people whom you wouldn’t get to know otherwise. You’ll meet people from all walks of life, so take this chance to expand your circle and forge new friendships!
While each person’s college experience is unique, one thing’s for sure: You’ll always wish that you took more pictures while in university. Get your camera or smartphone and capture each moment, especially the ordinary ones where you’re just enjoying life’s little pleasures.
Make sure to make your memories count by uploading them on a Nixplay Frame so you can easily reminisce about your college memories with your loved ones! For a limited time, get 25% off on selected Nixplay Seed frames, only until September 15!
It seems like only yesterday when you were dropping your kids off on their first day of elementary school. Now, they’re high school graduates on their way to college, eager to experience a whole new life.
While going to college is the most exciting time in your kids’ lives, it’s a bittersweet time for you as a parent. You’re so proud that they made it, but you’re also sad that you have to say goodbye.
Most parents will agree that coming home to your kid’s empty room after they’ve moved out is the worst part. But once you’ve cried some tears and tidied up the last of their mess, you should be thinking about how you can celebrate. Your child succeeded in getting into college and they’ve started living independently for the first time. This means you can sit back, relax and start indulging in some self-care—maybe for the first time in 18 years!
We get that sending kids to college is an emotional time, but these tidbits of advice for parents of college freshmen can help.
Keeping In Touch
Whether your child has moved to the next state or to the opposite coastline, you’ll want to stay in touch with them regularly. Keeping up to date with how they’re doing at college, their extra-curricular activities, their grades, and their general day-to-day life will give you peace of mind and help you in supporting them over the next four or more years.
It might be that you have other children too, who will want to speak to their brother or sister every now and then. So, what are the most effective ways to keep in touch?
Other than the obvious ways like calling and texting, there are a few things you can try as a family that might be easier, particularly if there’s a time difference between you now.
Using social media messaging will allow you to create your own family social network with a group chat, where you can all send and view videos, photos and texts. It’s also more immediate than a text message, as you can see who is online at what time.
Video calling is another great way to catch up and see each other at the same time. Why not try and schedule a weekly or bi-weekly Skype or Facetime call with your son or daughter? That way, you’re respecting their private life and college schedule, but you’re not constantly missing each other or having a relationship with an answering machine.
For something a little more personal or special, you can mail them a care package with all the small, homey touches that they’re likely to be missing out on. For instance, you can put together a box with toiletries, candles, their favorite snacks, comfort food packets, and flu medicines. This is something your child will really appreciate, particularly if they started the semester feeling a little out of place or homesick.
Gift Ideas For College Students
What can you do if you want to treat your graduate to something special to celebrate their huge achievement?
Our gift ideas for college students will help you to give them a great send-off. Whether it’s a family heirloom that they can keep in their dorm or apartment to remind them of home, a set of handy digital gifts, or something practical to help them settle into college life, a goodbye present will never be wasted.
You could give them a comforter for their dorm room, or offer to buy their first set of textbooks. Or perhaps you could get them some sports equipment to keep fit, or a new laptop to use for college work. Whatever you’ve got in mind, something that will be truly valued is a memory keepsake, such as a smart digital photo frame.
With a digital frame, you can share, send and display family photos or videos to your son or daughter at college. This is a priceless way to stay in touch and be a part of one another’s lives, even when you’re in different places.
How To Support Your Child At College
Supporting and encouraging your child from afar sounds difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Even when you’re not around, you can point them in the direction of other adults who can support them such as college lecturers, guidance counselors, or upperclassmen.
But sometimes, the best way to lend a helping hand after sending a child to college is to simply leave them to it. If you trust them to find their own feet, they’re more likely to come to you if anything does ever go wrong. University freshmen need time and experience to learn how to be college students and adjust to their new surroundings. College is all about new experiences, finding out who you are and becoming an adult, so being patient and understanding is the best way to ensure that they do this in their own way.
How To Spend Your Free Time
Now, what are you supposed to do while your kid forges his or her own path in the world?
Sending a child to college doesn’t need to be all doom and gloom. On the bright side, you’ve now got an abundance of free time, which you can use to pick up a new hobby or spend quality time with friends.
During your child’s senior year at high school, you likely spent a lot of time attending university open days, helping them with applications, supporting them through their SAT prep and finals, and everything else that comes with the big college move. So, if you have other children, now is a great time to give them some extra attention—before they disappear for college too!
You can focus on having more ‘me’ time, such as taking a nap in the middle of the day for no reason or treating yourself to a shopping spree. New interests can also fill the void—it’s never too late to pick up a new skill, so enroll in lessons and learn a new craft!
There is no way to know how long it will take for any parent to adjust after sending kids to college, but by keeping busy, being there for them when they need it, and focusing on yourself, you’re doing yourself and your college student a big favor. To make the distance a little easier, Nixplay digital photo frames are the perfect way to display family photos and share memories no matter where you are. And don’t worry—they’ll soon be back for Thanksgiving so you can dote on them once more!
College is one of the most interesting times in your child’s life. It usually entails leaving the shelter of the community they grew up in, trading the comfort of familiar people and surroundings for a new environment and the challenges that come with it. It’s no walk in the park, but it’s definitely a path that leads to self-improvement.
Fort his blog entry, we’d like to take a trip down memory lane by rewatching some of our favorite movies about college life. Read on for our picks:
Mona Lisa Smile
A few decades ago, college campuses served as hunting grounds for women who wanted to nab a suitable husband. In Mona Lisa Smile, Julia Roberts plays Katherine Watson, a progressive art history professor at an all-girls college who encouraged her students to pursue their real passion and not be defined by society’s norms.
Good Will Hunting
You don’t really see a lot of math geniuses moonlighting as janitors, but that’s how the story goes in Good Will Hunting, which Matt Damon wrote and starred in. If you’re in the mood for a movie that will make you want to seek out a mentor, embrace your potential, and create a brighter future for yourself, this is it.
Legally Blonde
When Elle Woods’ boyfriend Warner dumps her after revealing that he intends to attend Harvard Law School, she follows him to Harvard to win him back. When Warner dismisses Elle and says she’s not smart enough, she resolves to prove him wrong in her own way, bending and snapping at every step of her journey.
Monsters University
Before they joined Monsters Inc, our favorite monsters Mike and Scully were scare majors at Monsters University, getting into several mishaps and hijinks while at school. It’s funny and silly at times, but it’ll definitely tug at your heartstrings, especially since we already know the strides the duo have made in their respective careers. If there’s a lesson to be learned from this movie (and the ones that chronologically come after it), it’s that success really depends not on the things you learned in school or the number of As you got, but what you make out of the opportunities life gives you.
Pitch Perfect
Catchy bubblegum pop songs and choreography aside, Pitch Perfect teaches great lessons about friendship, teamwork, and competition. You’ll inevitably meet people with different personalities and backgrounds in college, and this movie is an example of how to work with your differences and use them to your advantage.
Six days, 18 hours, two tire punctures, one crash, and around 730,000 pedal rotations–that was what it took me to complete the Race Across America, an endurance event that involved cycling 3,070 miles across the United States. It was an adventure unlike anything I could have ever imagined, and I don’t regret any second of it.
The Race Across America (RAAM), founded in 1982 and nicknamed “the Everest of Cycling,” is a non-stop, ultra-endurance event that starts in Oceanside, California and finishes 3,078 miles away in Annapolis, Maryland. Crossing twelve states and involving over 190,000 feet of climbing, the race encompasses a multitude of challenging environments, including the Arizona desert, the wind-swept plains of Kansas, the magnificent Colorado Rockies, and the unrelenting Appalachian mountains of West Virginia.
Needless to say, it did not fail to provide a seriously tough race which left its mark on all who took part.
Preparation
Preparing for a long-distance race such as this was a lesson in suffering, routine and self-discipline. I would be up by 5 a.m. to train, and though I would often look at the bike with some discontent through tired and blurry eyes, I embraced the monotony that turbo training brings.
Each time I climbed onto my bike, I reminded myself that this exercise was going to strengthen my legs while ensuring that my mind is adapted to what was to come. These early morning sessions were then combined with a host of strength work, cross-training, yoga, and long rides after work and at weekends during what many would consider unsociable hours. My diet was closely monitored, as was the amount of sleep I was getting each week. All these was to ensure my body was at its most optimal for the biggest sporting challenge of my life so far.
I developed a passion for adventure and the great outdoors, physical endurance, and human performance at an early age. Some of my fondest childhood memories involved shuffling my way through green fields and hiding from my brothers among the high corn stalks in farm fields, enduring the summer heat and biting bugs for what seemed liked hours; an early test of endurance.
I have spent most of my life training for, being involved in, and recovering from various endurance challenges, which encourages many to ask the truly sensible question, “Why would you put yourself through that?”
Personal motivation and having a reason for taking part in an endurance event is of fundamental importance. Like an assassin, the question of why slowly creeps on you leading up to the beginning of a race, and by the start line, it has you in fight or flight mode.
Flying out to San Diego with my finely tuned bike marked the moment that I realized the true enormity of the challenge ahead. I was feeling good, although I kept questioning if I had everything I needed for the bike through security check-in, as well if the bike would even arrive stateside in one piece.
The support from family and friends is of the utmost importance when committing to compete in the Race Across America. As such, it was essential for me to keep in contact with my loved ones while I was in the race. Nixplay generously provided my family members with a range of 8 and 10-inch Wi-Fi frames, allowing me to share photos and memories while out in America and providing me with the opportunity to show what life was like on the road. It was not always possible to make a call or even send a WhatsApp message, especially as my moments off the bike usually involved a quick wash before eating as much as possible, then passing out in anticipation of the next shift on the bike. The Nixplay App was easy and simple to use, and my photos would reach everyone at the same time.
During the days before our departure, I got together with my family to set up a shared playlist through the Nixplay App, and we began setting up the frames in key locations in the various houses. The idea was that each morning, afternoon and evening, I could simply upload images and videos on the app, and my content would then seamlessly appear on all the screens. This proved to be an incredibly important part of the race, and one which allowed my family to stay connected, feel included, and follow me on the race journey.
It is worth noting at this point how simple and intuitive Nixplay Frames are to set up and use. It was reassuring to me that the technology would work in the way we intended to use it within minutes of unpacking the frames from the boxes. It was not only the software that reassured me, but also the sturdiness of the design and the elegant aesthetics when placed in their location.
I am endlessly grateful for the support that Nixplay provided and I feel humbled by the generosity and time given by the Nixplay team in getting me to the start line. As I walked through London Heathrow Airport pushing my bike box, which proudly displayed the Nixplay branding on it, a passerby stopped me and explained that they have also been using some of the frames. Shortly after we had gone our separate ways, this person was following me on social media and became another participant in the adventure to come.
Upon my arrival stateside, I met the race team for the first time and I confirmed I would be racing with individuals who were all high-caliber in their own right. There we all were, congregated in a downtown motel a little shy of the race start line, and it dawned on us that we knew little of each other’s character and motivations. Despite this, a bond was cemented after the first team briefing, thanks to a slightly discolored and aged swimming pool that even the leaves avoided being blown into.
We were all there to get across as fast as possible, stay safe, and in the end, try to remain friends. Signing the liability waiver was a poignant reminder that, although competing in a superbly organized race, we were dependent purely on each other to get out of any tight spots.
Bikes were built, support vehicles prepared, and the range of compulsory media and inspection events commenced without delay. Special Nixplay branding stickers were applied on all three our of race vehicles, and these were seen by thousands of people while out on the road.
The almost festival-like atmosphere around Oceanside was almost enough to make us forget that we were about to spend seven days (or more) willingly putting ourselves through arduous tests of both physical stamina and mental fortitude. The evening before the race, we joined in the pre-race presentations. The jovial atmosphere was quickly squashed as the Race Director took us through the risks, dangers and sheer enormity of the task ahead. Shaking hands with the other racers, amplified our competitiveness. Strong grips and unwavering eye contact was the norm, along with a nod of recognition that the next conversations would take place out on the road.
The Race
A few days later, after a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner and a stiff espresso, we were off. Nervous, excited, and tremendously grateful for getting this far despite not knowing what awaited us on the vast journey, we were focused on the task at hand. I had written the words ‘Dig Deep’ on my hand before the race; I knew that, for this particular race, I would be needing a bigger spade.
Hours later, I awoke from the metronome of tapping bike pedals and found myself cycling through Death Valley in 130 degrees Fahrenheit. With the reflective and absorbent black Tarmac flying below me, it felt close to 150 degrees Fahrenheit and the hot air singed the back of my throat. It’s a misconception that the desert is flat, and before too long I found my heart rate racing at 180 beats per minute while overtaking a host of riders on a 5,000-feet climb. Getting blurry-eyed and worried that I might pass out, I forced myself to slow down slightly. A direct hit from another team’s iced water pistol helped immensely.
In a race of this duration, I quickly learned the value of patience. Passing other teams was best kept as a long-term aim, wherein you slowly chip away at any lead as each mile passed. The risk of heatstroke was always high, and listening to your body and watching for the warning signs were fundamentally important in averting a tragedy. The support crew worked tirelessly to keep us as cool as possible, although our faces still resembled sun-worshipping lobsters before the first day was done.
The support team played a crucial part in keeping me as a rider safe on the road at all times. The value of being in a motivated, well-trained, conscientious and driven team cannot be played down. Without the backing of the incredible people around me, surviving the first 48 hours would have been near impossible.
Sleep came and went in the blink of an eye, with some shifts only allowing two hours in a moving RV, providing perhaps the biggest challenge. Without adequate rest, the body is unable to heal itself fully and repair the damage done to the muscles. This results in an uncomfortable return to the saddle, and each shift becomes a torturous moment which you simply have to endure knowing it will eventually pass. Despite being delicious, food was also difficult to stomach. Forcing down 6,000 calories a day became almost an art form, thanks to a mix of high-calorie chocolate spread and sport-specific powdered fuel.
It is worth noting that until this year, I have not had the pleasure of stepping foot in the wonderful and beautiful country of America. I found no greater distraction from tired legs than the incredible people and the ever-changing spectacular scenery—Utah’s sacred deserts; Colorado’s imposing mountains framed by fir trees; Kansas’ vast rolling plains; Mississippi’s floodplains; West Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, with its terrain similar to my beloved Dorset, where I live in the UK; and finally, the iconic state of Washington and the relief and exuberance provided by the finish line in Annapolis, Maryland.
Crossing The Finish Line
We completed the race on June 22nd with a time of six days and 18 hours, climbing 175,000 feet over 3,070 miles with an average speed of 19 mph. Approaching the finish line felt surreal. A team of strangers from many different parts of the world had done it with no injuries apart from a few minor falls; our bikes all in one piece and big smiles on the faces of all the cyclists and crew. With the prospect of a cold beer mixed with a great sense of bewildered pride, arriving at the docks to cheering crowds and then passing through the branded archway of the Race Across America was an unforgettable moment.
Even though the final destination of all the race finishers was the same, the journey taken by each competitor in the RAAM was different. The shared experience of taking on such an endeavor enabled us to move forward with a new purpose regardless of future challenges, incorporating the valuable lessons learned in life as we go.
Throughout the journey, the Nixplay Frames performed tremendously and have become a talking point for family and friends back home, with many requesting a frame for upcoming birthdays. Linking the frames with social media platforms also proved to be a huge success, and friends were able to share how they are using their frames with others around the world.
Enduring hardships, demonstrating leadership, having trust in those around you, showing resilience at times of impending failure, and working tirelessly towards a shared goal: These are moments to be enjoyed and cherished. They make us stronger and give us the confidence to search for greater horizons, all the while raising much-needed funds for causes close to our hearts.
I plan to dedicate some time now to reflect on what we achieved and this epic journey that formed friendships for life. I’m not sure it would take much to encourage a return to the race as a pair in two years’ time, but for now, the priority is to rest, spending time with loved ones and thanking those who gave support and made this possible.
Nixplay was fundamental in allowing me to take part in such an endeavor, and I was immensely proud to endorse the brand across the entirety of the USA. I very much hope to work with them again in future challenges in becoming an ambassador for their superb business and excellent frames.
