What constitutes a smart home? Is it a home that is weatherproof? Future proof? Fool proof? Many of us have found ourselves at an Airbnb, unable to turn on the stove because it is smarter than we are. “Some tech might be cool, but that doesn’t always make it smart,” says Ed Tuchler of Shelter Alternatives. While there may not be a patent definition for the term “smart home,” there are certainly smart people implementing technology that can make our homes safer, …
In the mid-1980s when Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. and Amadeus were dominating the big screen, Johnny Moore quietly bought a small house in Blacksburg. He worked his career as a …
I’ve always envied people who sleep easily. Their brains must be cleaner, the floorboards of the skull well swept, all the little monsters closed up in a steamer trunk at the foot …
Shrubs rarely get the attention they deserve. Towering oaks, blooming perennials and emerald lawns usually steal the spotlight in photos and drive-bys. Tucked somewhere in the background are the quiet workhorses of …
Out of 5,000 names for the new Ford car about to come off the production line in 1955, not one grabbed the attention of the decision-making team. Beaver, Savile, Runabout, Detroiter. Not …
If you surveyed a sampling of American adults, many might divulge that their current career has no roots in childhood dreams. Many high schoolers, in addition, might not have a nailed-down idea …
Chris and Erin “met” in a graduate level Virginia Tech Zoom class in January of 2021 during covid. “He was maybe the only person who kept on his camera the entire time, …
Painting from preschool to high school and onward Her mom first took notice when her daughter painted a beloved cartoon character and her best underwater bud: Flounder and Ariel — a.k.a. The …
Fond childhood memories of the pumpkin patch at Sinkland Farms propelled Taylor Anne [Plunkett] Soulerin to choose the venue for her wedding many years later. “I grew up in Roanoke until middle …
When Joseph Collins was a young lad, growing up in England with American missionary parents, his grandfathers often took him to museums. They both served in World War II, and these museum …