Anyone have a Moen Smart Sprinkler controller?

Our yard has widely-varying moisture needs because lawn/garden/flower beds/raised beds/sun/shade/etc. So, being it's 2025 with AI and all, I figured technology could help with this, and I ran across the Moen Smart Sprinkler controller, which is interesting because you can add a WiFi moisture sensor to each zone which can adjust the watering in that zone based on soil moisture. It's not that expensive. However, I checked the reviews that this controller gets on various sites that sell it, and it gets very mixed reviews. On Home Depot, the majority of the 2025 reviews are 1-2 stars, but it also gets frequent 5 stars on other sites. The biggest complaints are that the controller often falls off the WiFi and has to regularly be rebooted, and also the app/controller is buggy such that it doesn't water the zones as expected.

Just curious if anybody here has one, and what your experience has been.

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Road Game Rankings

Fun podcast by Williams & Blum last Wednesday. Login to view embedded media
I loved hearing them talk about this year's football road trips. Here are their rankings based on the Williams & Blum Fun Meter:

#1 Jonesboro for Arkansas State.
#2 Boulder for Colorado.
#3 Covington, Kentucky for Cincinnati.
#4 Fort Worth for TCU.
#5 Stillwater for Oklahoma State.

So, what do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? How would you rank them? What would you recommend for the road trips?

K-State isn't included because the Ireland trip is in its own category.

hot tubs

toyin with the idea of getting a hot tub. already have pad for it. any opinions on brands you like or that I should avoid? is saltwater the way to go these days? is used worth the risk? I'm not bad with plumbing, but I hear they're kind of a pain to fix.
probably looking for something in the 7x7 or 8x8 size range.

Speed! A deep dive.

One aspect of the Iowa State football program that has consistently seemed to lag behind—especially compared to other teams in the conference—is player speed.

Even during the Campbell era, this was a noticeable issue. However, more recently, coaches like Hank Poteat and Noah Pauley have raised the standard, emphasizing speed in the players they recruit.

Let’s take a look at the high school 100-meter dash times under 11.0s for some of our current players.

For reference:
  • Kene Nwangwu: 10.55s
  • Darien Porter: 10.69s
Current Players:
  • WR Brett Eskildsen: 10.52s
  • WR Dominic Overby: 10.54s
  • RB Aiden Flora: 10.61s
  • S Jeremiah Cooper: 10.65s
  • DB Connor Welsch: 10.66s
  • CB Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman: 10.71s
  • CB Mason Ellens: 10.73s
  • S Carson Van Dinter: 10.73s
  • CB David Coffey: 10.75s
  • WR Karon Brookins: 10.80s
  • LB Will Hawthorne: 10.82s
  • RB Abu Sama: 10.84s
  • RB Carson Hansen: 10.85s
Future Players
  • WR Jeffrey Roberts: 10.69s
  • S Tyrell Chatman: 10.78s
  • S Bryson Williams: 10.88s
Beni Ngoyi and Xavier Townsend never ran below 11.0s

Curtis Jones Signs Two-Way Deal with Denver

Former Iowa State star Curtis Jones is getting his NBA shot on a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

ASMR

For many years I naively thought that I was unique when I got a tingly, relaxed feeling when I heard certain noises like someone eating popcorn or the sound of a spoon on a bowl while someone was eating something out of one or to whispering or other random triggering sounds. Then a few years ago I found out this is a very real human thing called Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. Makes sense that I am not the only one in a world of billions who experiences this. Sometimes to go to sleep I play a YouTube video of a woman reading a cookbook in a whispered voice. For me it is more relaxing than anything on the "Calm" App.

2025 VB Season

It is now a month from the Cardinal and Gold scrimmage, 5 weeks until Drake scrimmage and 6 weeks until the first game (in Ohio).

What are you looking forward to most this season? Any picks for a player to be a great surprise? Any front line combo you look forward to?

Can’t wait till the first serve.

Pet love appreciation thread

I literally love my two dogs like family. That's coming from someone who has five children and two grandchildren. I'm not saying that I love my dogs more than my children or grandchildren, but I do love my dogs the same sort of way. I'm 100% sure that I would risk my own life to save either of them (house fire, gorilla or tiger attack or other unlikely event). I just look at my dogs and I see a real connection. I'm almost fully sure that they totally understand human feeling and feel the same way back to me as far as caring and love. I'm not saying this is a dog only thing as I'm sure others feel the same way with cats or other pets. Just holding my Goldendoodle now and watch him look at me made me thought to gush, I'm sure he "gets" me.

CFTV: Kooper Ebel and Beau Goodwin host camps, an all-time fanatic interview in ‘Boji

On a bonus Friday show, Jake Brend shares his coverage of Kooper Ebel and Beau Goodwin‘s youth football camp at both of their respective Alma Maters. Brend also interviews the man who spent $5,000 on a game-worn Iowa State helmet at the We Will Collective fundraiser in Okoboji.

Friday OT - All My Friends

It may be easiest to explain this one by example.

I have a few different core groups of friends - a few from school, several mom friends, some couple friends and individual relationships that are offshoots, and work/volunteer friends. I think most likely mom friends and couple friends/combinations are my closest.

When you think of your closest core group of friends, are they the same people with whom you went to grade school? Are they friends from a club? Work? How has this changed over time?

Need a sealer for external metal stair treads

anybody ever done something like this? I have an old fixer upper I constantly work on. the exterior stair rail is steel with 1/8" diamond plate treads. clearly haven't been resealed in 40+ years. I pressure washed the entire thing, and 95% of the primer remained intact and probably 50% of the paint. The treads at some point has some sort of rubberized coating that pealed off with the pressure washer.

These things were built poorly and are in kind of rough shape to to how it was constructed. I will have to go over a small amount of rust and existing paint/primer/rubberized coating (still remains in nooks.

Thoughts? heavy duty exterior paint?
truck bed liner?

Cooking myths and other common misconceptions

Cooking myth No. 1 (IMO): It's crucial to let a steak rest before slicing into it after cooking. WRONG! It's not crucial and the benefit of letting it rest is negligible to begin with. The idea is that resting the steak allows the juices, which migrate toward the center of the steak during cooking, can spread out to the rest of the steak during the resting process. The truth is there's just not that much juice involved to begin with, maybe a tsp, if that, and resting the steak adds very little value to the finished product. Thicker cuts may benefit more, but even that is arguable. So next time you hear some high-end chef telling you that you need to rest your steak before eating it, call BS on the guy.

SUMMER SERIES: CW sit down with ISU football’s GM

Chris Williams sits down with Derek Hoodjer, the GM of Iowa State Football, to discuss what the last few off-seasons have been like from his chair. The two look ahead to the 2025 Cyclone football team as fall camp will begin next week. Breaking down key position battles and more on the first episode of our summer series for 2025.


My Crash Davis beliefs

Randomly thinking of the Crash Davis "I believe" speech in Bull Durham here are my beliefs on superficial stuff. I believe in top shelf bourbon, Maduro cigars, stouts of no less than 10% ABV, steaks done no more than medium rare to light medium, dungeness crab is way better than blue crab, leaving no less than a 20% tip at a restaurant ever and no one will ever be as happy to see you come home at the end of the day as a dog will.

Position Preview: Wide Receivers

We are 38 days away until Iowa State kicks off the season against Kansas State in Ireland. To keep getting you prepared for the season, we will continue with out position previews every weekday through July 25. Next up is a group with a blend of experience and unknowns; the wide receivers.

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