Groundhog Day, that quirky celebration, arrived in the Eastern U.S. with German immigrants. In the absence of badgers, they chose groundhogs as the new weatherman for the fun tradition. This holiday comes from medieval and ancient mid-winter ceremonies marking halfway between the winter solstice and the summer equinox. Back then, farming and agriculture could still affect survival, so an earlier, gentler spring meant much more than less snow shoveling. After the birth of Christ, the Candlemas celebration started.

|| BUT TEXAS DOES NOT HAVE EASY ACCESS TO GROUNDHOGS ||

In 2010, Texas began its own lighthearted beef with the famous Pennsylvania weather prognosticator, that groundhog Punxatawney Phil. Bee Cave Bob, a trusty armadillo from the ranching town of the same name, is the Lone Star State's answer to the Teutonic tradition of the Northeasterners.

Just for good measure, an East Texas TV station consulted Longview Senior Animal Control Officer Chris Kemper. He confirmed he has never had to tangle with these squirrel cousins. "I have never had a run-in with a groundhog here in East Texas," he told KLTV.

Whether or not an animal suggests more winter, critters of all kinds will soon return to Dallas lawns as the (usually) short and tolerable winters wind down. The sun will stay out longer, making the grass thirstier, and the furry friends we keep inside will soon be scrambling again for the stick or tennis ball in the backyard.

Evolve Technologies knows that Dallas' local weather-- despite being generally warmer than much of the country--can be crazy and can affect your lawn. This post will look at the best apps to connect all your home automation and smart device needs into an easy-to-use system. With that, your lawn and your pet experience are worry-free.

|| PART 2 OF 2 SMART BATHROOMS: A SANCTUARY, AN OFFICE ANNEX, AND MORE ||

In part one, we talked about the convenience of automated lighting, the wifi mirror, and window treatments for modern smart bathrooms. We also covered the science-backed benefit of a steam bath install for your shower (or spa room). The article also briefly discussed the spike in the popularity of smart bathrooms and related smart devices. Installing smart mirrors and bathroom speakers is a growing trend as well. 

In part two, we'll be talking about smart mirror screens, bathroom speakers and related audio options, and voice assistant/voice control automation from your bathroom vanity (or elsewhere). 

|| A BATTERY-POWERED MORNING ROUTINE || 

International business is sinking big money into the smart bathroom fixtures market as efficiency, sustainability, and water concerns--not to mention sanitation--are forcing their way further into everyday life. The smart toilet market alone generated a third of the industry's cash for 2019! Collectively, on-demand convenience and connection are much more available for the modern water closet. 

|| SMART BATHROOM SPEAKERS: MUSIC LOVERS AND GO-GETTERS' DREAM ||

If you've always enjoyed shouting out your jams in the shower, you're probably used to a tinny, low-volume version from a smartphone or spotty Bluetooth speaker. HTA-Certified Evolve Technologies installs the apex sound quality, internationally-awarded Sonance speakers. We also source Oregon's own, literally hand-crafted Triad speakers. 

The space-saving brilliance of speakers installed in the ceiling is a growing trend in Europe. With all the software, apps, and integrations for every device in Bluetooth and wired options, these brands featuring great sound can be installed as external, stand-alone units or recessed in-wall. And why not? The average UK home is almost one-fifth smaller than the US by square footage. 

THE BIG GAME

The food, fans, fun, or the Superbowl. Hosting at your home is easier than any major holiday. It's one night. The kids don't need a sitter. It's socially acceptable to serve hot dogs. No one argues over what channel or show to watch. Most guests' expectations are a nice TV set up. And beer. A clean house is a bonus. But all sports fans appreciate the immediacy, the crisp HD vision and HD sound, and wifi that delivers at a nonstop 40-yard sprint. Have it year-round.

Range of a Sports Fan for Your Home Theater

• NFL RedZone
• March Madness
• Other college sports (if your kid chooses rugby at college, that's probably not on CBS primetime)
• Hockey
• Basketball
• Golf Simulators
• Kinetic and stationary gaming setups (think Switch)
• Gym (more on that in a minute)

WIDE (RADIO) RECEIVER: ORIGINAL SUPERBOWL FOR LIVE TV

In 1919, one of the first-ever real-time sports broadcasts took place in Dallas. A broadcast announcer read telegrammed updates of a football game over the radio! It wasn't technically live (and someone did the same thing for a Jayhawks game in 1911) but more sports were about to follow.

WATCHING THE GAME HAS CHANGED

A college baseball match between Columbia and Princeton in 1939 was the first sports tv broadcast. There were fewer than 1,000 TVs at the time. Sports is now available on a host of screens (more on that in a minute) and a host of streams.

A long-running dispute between the NFL and a Pennsylvania man over a rough home recording of Superbowl 1 may be about to end--if the Kickstarter works. That original Superbowl 1 scrum was the Green Bay Packers versus the Kansas City Chiefs. And it took place in this year's hosting city: sunny LA.

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. 

Imagine a world where you can control everything in your house with the command of your voice, a tablet, or a smartphone. That means answering the door without leaving the comfort of your couch, monitoring your entire house even when you’re at work, and locking up all entrances with just one tap before you hit the sack.

Now, what if we told you that such a world exists right now?

Welcome to the world of smart homes.

What Is a Smart Home

Smart home technology connects your appliances, thermostat, locks, and more, to one main centralized system. This system can be controlled with a device such as your mobile phone and allows you to manage your house--even when you’re far from the hustle and bustle of Dallas.

To paint you a better picture, here’s what it’s like to live in a smart home.

The New Year is finally here! 

With 2021 finally behind us, many of us are keeping our eyes on the future and focusing on things that are in our control. Oftentimes people set unrealistic New Year Resolutions for improving their life, ultimately falling short when things get difficult and life gets busy. It’s easy to resort to old habits and it's common for people to throw in the towel completely. In cases like these, the most important way to stick to your goals is to hold yourself accountable. With hundreds of apps to keep track of your fitness, screentime, or calorie intake, it can be overwhelming to stay up to date. Although, programming automated controls throughout your home can remind and motivate you to stay on track and achieve your goals. Below are some home automation suggestions to help you. 

Custom Audio Button

When life gets hectic many people rely on music or even meditation to help calm their mind and reset. Rather than fumbling trying to connect your device to your speakers, installing a specific button that is programmed to your favorite radio station or meditation channel can help ease tensions. Whether you want it to play throughout your entire Dallas home or only in a specific room, these controls can be customized to ensure you have immediate access to stress relief. 

Refreshed Lighting Scheme

You’ve made the decision to build a home, now where do you start? 

The process of building a new home is exciting and often overwhelming. You may feel pressure to perfect every inch because after all, you will be the one living in it. While planning the layout, exterior and interior design are crucial factors, the overall functionality of your Texas home is just as important. Identifying your technology needs is the first step to creating a smart home that will complement your lifestyle, rather than complicate it. Once you have outlined your needs, knowing the right questions to ask will lead you to the most efficient and automated home for you and your family. Hiring a specialist like us, to explain home automation topics to guide you through technology options will ensure you have all the answers to questions you didn’t know to ask, as well as help you achieve your smart home goals. Below are our recommendations for our most requested home technology features. 

Lighting

Creating a custom lighting scene is an essential part of improving productivity, security, and relaxation in your home. While most often, people focus on the overall design and look of their lighting scheme, we focus on the control of those lights. The ability to control your lights from your phone, a touch panel, remote, or the old-fashioned switch on the wall is the first of many automation controls in your new home. In this phase of planning, we recommend beginning in the most used areas of your home: family room, kitchen, hallways, etc… These areas of your home with the most traffic will be where you will want to have the most control on a daily basis. 

Installing control switches from Lutron or Control4 will allow you to turn the connected lights on and off and in most cases dim to the desired output. Although, many clients expand to include all the lights in their homes to be connected to one control system. We often hear how much of a relief it is to our clients that with the touch of a single button on the way out the door, they know that every light is turned off, even the kid’s closet!