THE BYTE
Welcome to the BYTE where we serve up the latest home and tech news from the last week for you to sink your teeth into.
This week we’re taking a BYTE out of the number one home trend for millennials, a bus home, using AR for directions, a new morning alarm, and the newest Twitter feature. Dig in!
Generally
What Millennials Want in a Home
The National Association of Landscape Professionals did a recent study on important home features that millennials are looking for when buying a home, and the results might actually surprise you.
… A Lawn?
Yes, a lawn. Not a Jacuzzi tub or an open floor plan concept, but a yard with grass and trees. While this revelation might seem mind-blowing for some, 82 percent of millennials are looking for a home that has a yard. Why? Well for starters, having a yard means the ability to have a garden and invite friends and family over for a barbeque. Oh, and most millennials are just now starting to have kids, so having a yard provides free entertainment without leaving the house (an added bonus!). The takeaway? Make sure you include a yard with every home built in order to appeal to this particular demographic.
An Upgrade to the Yellow School Bus
Most of us remember taking the bus to school and back when we were kids. Imagine living in one. That’s exactly what this one couple did. Spending over a year completing renovations, both Robbie and Priscilla wanted to travel to all the states without the camper feeling like an RV. The bus has many stunning features, including a farmhouse sink, LED lights, and a tiled shower. Some even say the kitchen is larger than most New York studio apartment kitchens.
Take Notes
Navigate the Indoors with Augmented Reality
Have you ever gotten lost at a mall? What about inside a conference center? U.K.-based studio, Dent Reality, aims to solve this problem with the use of AR – augmented reality. Their software development kits integrate with IOS apps to help users find their destination at malls, airports, and even retail stores. This emerging technology could shape the way GPS is used in the future.
An Easier Way to Sleep and Wake
Have you ever been woken up abruptly by an alarm clock that beeps at you every five minutes? Or what about trying to sleep to no avail but can’t because the lights are still on? Meet Gentle Sleep & Wake – a Google Assistant device powered by Google Home and Phillips Hue Lights. This feature gently wakes its user by gradually raising the lights in the morning and vice versa for nighttime. The best part? You don’t have to leave your bed to activate the process – just talk to your Google Home device!
Twitter is Releasing a New Feature
Aiming to give more power to its users, Twitter is rolling out a new feature in June that allows followers to hide replies in their conversation threads. Just like users are able to hide replies on Facebook, the same will apply to Twitter. Although this new feature will help followers keep a well-balanced conversation going, users can still block, mute, or report anyone who is trolling these threads or who are violating Twitter’s policies.
Totally Unrelated
Female Astronaut to Spend Almost a Year in Space
NASA Astronaut, Christina Koch, will spend 11 months in space aboard the International Space Station. Koch will be the first female astronaut in space for longer than 300 days. Her mission? To study and take note on how well her body adapts to being in space for an extended period of time. The results of this experiment will help scientists determine whether or not space exploration to other planets is possible.
