AS REMOTE WORK BOOMS, THE DEMAND FOR SMART HOME GADGETS THAT ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY AND CONVENIENCE HAS GROWN WITH IT; LET’S LOOK AT TWO SMART HOME ITEMS THAT WILL BOOST YOUR AT-HOME PRODUCTIVITY AND PEACE OF MIND DURING THE KID-FILLED SUMMER MONTHS

In 2019, the digital conference company Zoom made $330 million. Not bad for a video call platform. However, just last year, they earned four billion US dollars. 

According to Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, 42% of the US workforce was working from home around the time of the red-hot quarantine month of June 2020. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, numbers cited in Fortune magazine, one-third (34%) of US workers were doing " 'some or all' " work in the home in 2022. 

The kids were at home for more than just the summer in 2020. And the next year. And most of the ones after that. 

A liquid-oxygen-fueled grill was actually one of the first viral videos from the 90s. Despite being done by engineering students, it's still not a *smart* way to cook food.

Memorial Day, but also the Fourth of July, Labor Day, and any rando weekend can be an occasion for fun and outdoor cooking.

Let's talk about *smart* ways to barbecue.

And Propane Accessories - the 3 Types of Grills

We know about propane and charcoal. There are also some stylish garden firepit units with amazing smokeless engineering. But let's quickly review anyway.

Propane. Propane is not out of reach, but it's expensive right now and might mean checking several filling stations to hit paydirt. Despite that, it burns "cleanly and evenly" as Hank Hill might say.

Spring has indeed sprung, and Dallas may see a 90+ degree day in the next week!

Pools are one of those things that are good, both hot and cold, like coffee or dessert. They're something that adds to your residential enjoyment and, if they're in the ground, take up no visible room.

And, whenever you want during good weather, you can sign out of the daily grind and enjoy that ageless pleasure of a good swim (or soak).

Your indoor or outdoor pool can have real sensory engagement with audio and visuals. You can control, secure, and cover your pool from home or away. You can even make adjustments to the pool settings from your phone.

But first, make your pool a 24-7 activity--and give it some serious style--with the perfect lighting.

Everyday Speaker Sounds of Audio and Video

Live sports, to Pandora, to FM to on-demand DVR'd reality shows. Broadcast or recorded sound is a century old. 

On-demand sound evolution:

• Turntable records
• Car radio 
• Box-rocker portable stereos 
• Modern-day: stand-alone media room in our pocket or on our wrist 

One-way and two-way audio systems are a non-stop feature in the 21st century. Waking up, working, and falling asleep to a preferred sound, such as music, is a constant for many people. 

Post-pandemic summer: Patios, Backyards, Getting Outside

Last summer was mostly spent indoors (for health reasons). But there are many dimensions to your health: it's more than avoiding illness. Gatherings and community are essential for long-term emotional and mental health. Enjoying the post-pandemic outdoors with family and friends can happen in your own backyard. 

With two summers to pack into one, this will be more than a Sunday afternoon cookout, eating a single slider and heading home to stream something. Set the right mood for your vibrant summer get-together by setting your outdoor space to light and music with flair and convenience. Make it that Texas barbecue where your friends' toddlers fall asleep on them and they're still out there, catching up with each other. 

Usual Patio or Garden Party 

For that kind of celebration, there's more to do than setting the table and lighting the fire pit. Buying and preparing food to host something outback is a feat by itself. If you don't have to charge, set up, and manage the playlist with Bluetooth, that's more time (and energy) to chat it up. If there are kids, dogs (or both), then that's a no-go on the tiki-torches. Open flames in the back of your mind? But music and lighting are a big part of your gathering coming together. Those two parts Evolve can help with. 

Unseen, but Well-Heard

Even without audio wires, music is more enjoyable with a surrounding effect. Conversation is much better with a consistent volume from the pool to the driveway. 

As a Home Technology Association https://htacertified.org/ certified company, we know integrated and smart home technology, literally inside and out. The highest-quality, refined sounds can be a discrete, natural look that blends into the porch, patio, or landscape. 

An Outdoor Audio System is the Essential ForSpring and Summer Backyard Fun

Texans have a lot to be proud of, and one of the things at the top of that list is our barbeque. This is beef country, and we know how to cook up a good brisket. This means that backyard barbeques are an entirely different affair in this part of the South, and you had betterbring your A-game. So how is one to host the perfect barbeque? While the menu is a given, setting the right feel for your get-together means having plenty of music, entertainment, and lighting for when your University Park party goes into the wee hours of the night. And you can impress your friends with a professional automated outdoor audio system from the experts at Evolve Technologies.