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CNET
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- CNET
I Spent Weeks Testing Robot Lawn Mowers. Here Are 6 Things That Surprised Me
I spent the end of my spring and the beginning of my summer turning my backyard into a parking lot to test the best robot lawn mowers. In the process of doing that, I learned a lot about their benefits and their shortfalls. One of the biggest lessons was that, like most forms of automation, they can be a real pain to set up initially, but once they're ready to go, they save you a ton of effort and time compared with regular electric lawn mowers. I didn't expect that initial annoyance going into that project, but I think it's important to document those pains so you can avoid them in the future. Here are some of the lessons I learned about the obstacles you'll have to overcome if you decide to pull the trigger on a robot lawnmower. Way more wires than I expected The wires running through my yard for the robot lawn mower. It's not the most attractive sight. Adam Doud The 800-pound gorilla in the room for robot mowers comes in the instructions that every mower company sends along with the robot. First, there are a ton of wires. You might need to run power to the base station or to the RTK beacon or both. If you're unfamiliar, RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic, a beacon that corrects a mower's coordinates to improve accuracy. The mower companies tell you not to place the mower within 7 feet of a building or under a tree. They also tell you not to run wires through the grass. But if you're not supposed to place the base station under a tree or within 7 feet of a wall, where exactly are these wires supposed to go? I also ran into an issue where an animal chewed through a wire to an RTK station, and I had to drive 70 minutes (one way) to a service center to get it repaired. You'll want to protect your wires where you can. Burying them is one way of doing this. Since I had to run them around a garden, I ran them through pool noodles. It's crude, but effective. I had to use a pool noodle to hide the wires. It's not attractive, but it works. Adam Doud Not all yards will work well My backyard is almost entirely covered by a large tree, so it was difficult to find an appropriate installation space. Ultimately, despite instructions to the contrary, I had to line the mowers up next to my house. Only the Yarbo Lawn Mower and Airseekers Tron couldn't handle that; the rest were all fine. My yard isn't the simplest one for a robot lawn mower to navigate, with a large tree, trampoline and other obstacles. Adam Doud Yard boundaries are another thing to consider. Do you have a fence? Will the gate need to be opened to let the mower through? Do you have an insane neighbor who will set your yard on fire if a robot dares tread upon his property? Is there a boundary between your and your neighbor's property, like a fence, sidewalk or driveway? These are all important things to consider before taking a four-figure plunge into the world of robot mowers. I hope you have power outlets outdoors If you don't have an outdoor power outlet, you'll need to install one to set up your robot lawn mowers. I had to jerry-rig this one out of my outdoor light. Adam Doud One other important factor to consider: Do you have outdoor power? These mowers all need to be plugged in. In my case, I converted an outdoor lighting fixture into an outdoor plug; that may or may not be an option for you. The cords that mower companies provide you may not be long enough to get from the power to where the base station or RTK beacon needs to be, so you might have to buy extra cables, or you may need an electrician to come out and install a new outdoor outlet. Staying in bounds can be hit or miss The Eufy E15 was one of the easiest robot mowers to get working out of the box. I really liked its simpliciy. Adam Doud/CNET All the mowers I tested handle boundaries using GPS and an RTK beacon. The only exception to that is the Eufy E15 mower, which uses GPS and vision systems to navigate. Boundaries are typically set by manually controlling the mower around the property and saving a map. Obstacles are a different issue, though. Various mowers handle obstacles differently. Most robot mowers handle obstacles using vision sensors, and those that don't are not my favorites. The Sunseeker X3 has a bump sensor, like what you'd find on a robot vacuum, but I found it to be too sensitive and it would prevent good mower coverage. Others use a radar module, which I also came away less than impressed with -- or at least my toes did, since it wouldn't always stop before hitting my foot. The Sunseeker X3 was one of the best robot lawn mowers I tested. Adam Doud All the mowers allow you to set no-go zones for areas where additional sensors don't quite do the job. If a mower consistently gets stuck or otherwise has problems, you can set a no-go zone and the mower will ignore that particular patch. The common theme is that the more sensors you have working for you, the better off you'll be, but my favorites in order are: GPS, vision sensors, radar sensors and bump sensors. Maintenance wasn't demanding, aside from blades The mowers will need their blades replaced periodically as they wear down, but that's not too difficult to do. Adam Doud Robot lawn mowers are generally easy to maintain because they're designed to be outside. The most maintenance you'll have to worry about is blades and winterizing. Blades are fairly easy -- every mower I tested included a set of replacement blades. Keep in mind, these are small razor blades, so they may start to get dull a lot more quickly than a traditional push mower. They also might be more prone to breakage, so be sure you pick up any sticks or other debris in your yard, especially after a bad storm. Speaking of blades, these tiny razors that ship with the mowers make the mower more efficient by drastically reducing the weight the motor has to spin, but it comes with the trade-off that the blades may not last long. Upon concluding my first round of testing, I noted that most of the blades were starting to show signs of rust, which is not encouraging after only two months of use. That said, summer in Chicago is only about four to five months long, so one set of blades might make it, but if you live in an area where you're cutting the grass year-round, your blade budget will need to be higher. One of the blades of the robot lawn mower started picking up rust already after just a month or two of use. Adam Doud Beyond that, the main thing you have to do is bring the mower in for the winter. Preferably, before the first frost, you'll want to pack up the mower's components and bring them out of the elements. Each mower has its own set of steps and recommendations, but in general, you will want to store the mower in an environment that won't get frost. Your garage or shed may work. If possible, you may also want to remove the battery and store it inside your home at room temperature. You can also take this opportunity to clean the mower and the base station and even change blades. Your work is not done, most robot mowers will miss spots Just remember that a mower won't do all the work for you. If you have any narrow paths of grass in your lawn, the robot won't handle those well. You'll also still need to go out and trim the grass around the edges. You might also find some area the mower decided to skip for some reason -- maybe a sensor was tripped and the mower skipped an area. You'll still need to stay on top of things to make sure your lawn stays the best it can be. Our best overall, the Segway Navimow X390, is the most expensive robot mower you can get, but it offers the best performance too. Adam Doud/CNET Are robot lawn mowers worth it? Overall, the main thing I learned from my experience is that robot lawn mowers are ultimately worth it despite their foibles, an opinion I share with other CNET reviewers who've taken them for a spin. They eliminate a task that many homeowners don't like in the first place. Plus, they're easy to adjust. When the summer started getting too hot, I adjusted the cutting height higher to help the grass thrive. One day, when we were hosting a party, I just shifted the automatic mow time to a different day. Once you power through those initial steps, the mower takes care of itself. Just make sure other people in the family have access to the mower, so if you're in London, and the mower gets stuck, they can go help it out — and yes, that's based on a true story. But other than that, kick back and enjoy your perpetually shorn grass and your neighbor's envious glances.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Northwestern Mutual buys parking lot next to its campus--and next to the Gas Light Building
Northwestern Mutual has purchased a parking lot next to its Milwaukee campus from a well-known downtown office tower's former owner. The company paid $600,000 for an 8,040-square-foot parking lot at 723 N. Van Buren St., according to a deed posted by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. It has 18 parking spaces. Northwestern Mutual plans to use it "for our local parking needs," said Julia Fennelly, senior director of strategic communications and corporate reputation. Fennelly told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the company has no plans for developing the site. The seller was Gas Light Parking LLC, an affiliate of Chicago-based M&J Wilkow Ltd., according to the deed. It was posted on July 22. M&J Wilkow lost the neighboring Gas Light Building, 626 E. Wisconsin Ave., through a foreclosure auction. An affiliate of Miami-based Rialto Capital Advirors LLC recently acquired the 20-story office building for $4 million. Developer Kendall Breunig, known for redeveloping historic Milwaukee buildings, has shown interest in a possible purchase of the Gas Light Building to convert into apartments. The Gas Light Building has an occupancy rate of just 37.5%, according to a building receiver's report filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. The 134,000-square-foot building is anchored by the U.S. Forest Service's eastern regional office. The agency leases 24,035 square feet, the report says. Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@ and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Northwestern Mutual buys parking lot next to its Milwaukee campus Sign in to access your portfolio
The Review Geek
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Good Boy – K-drama Episode 15 Recap & Review
On The Ropes Episode 15 of Good Boy begins with us back in the parking lot as Jong-gu squares off against Dong-ju. Unfortunately, our titular character is struggling and it doesn't take long for him to eat a stiff right hand, knocking him clean out. Jong-hyeon shows up to try and save Dong-ju but he's beside himself and rabid. Dong-ju is shocked when he realizes that he's fully blind, and urges Jong-hyeon to keep this a secret from Han-na for the time being. The pair head out together, where Dong-ju tries to downplay his issues and refuses to go to the hospital. If anyone is going to empathize and understand this Punch-drunk syndrome, it's Jong-hyeon and thankfully he knocks (figuratively, not literally!) some sense into him. Jong-hyeon tags along and helps Dong-ju out as he gets checked out. Several floors up, the Commissioner is taken out in an ambulance after being shot. Unfortunately, someone needs to step up and interrogate him, and that falls to Man-sik. This time though, Man-sik stands up for himself but he doesn't really get anywhere with the crooked official. Speaking of corrupt, Ju-yeong manages to get out of town and forces the Insung Mayor to do his bidding. He reminds the guy that he'll only get out of this alive if Ju-yeong does. If not? Well, his entire family are going to die. In his absence, Ju-yeong speaks to one of his Russian gangsters. They want to move quickly, securing the Candy for this deal because if it falls through, the Japanese are not going to be happy. This means he needs to get the gear back from Baek. Ju-yeong immediately tracks him down, and Baek is like a deer in headlights when he sees the boss. With the jig up, he decides to split the winnings fair and square, but instead he sends his men in and decides whoever lives will get the share, causing gunshots to erupt across the warehouse. In the morning, the team show up at the warehouse having heard reports about gunshots being fired. Jae-hong is concerned because somehow they've managed to get past at least seven different checkpoints to get there. Unfortunately, this means there's at least one more mole working for the police. Once again, the gang are forced to search for another police mole. However, they also realize that there's more to this than just money. Ju-yeong is unhinged, as we know, and it would appear that he's got dirt on individuals, forcing them into submission. Everybody on his payroll has made their money through overseas trade, including the chief prosecutor's father. Interestingly, all of these companies suddenly started growing faster right after involvement with Ju-yeong. When Ju-yeong worked at the Customs office, he started in the Intelligence Management Division. His job at the time was managing the integrated database, moving paper records across to the digital system, whilst then destroying the originals in the process. When Cheongil Shipping was investigated for fax tax invoices, the investigation started from a tip inside the customs office. Ju-yeong was the one who phoned it in. With similar documents for the other companies, he used these to blackmail people, used Leo to wipe out Oh Dollar, and then dismantled the other gangs before taking over, These documents are way more significant than the money, and Dong-ju decides they should trick Ju-yeong into falling into a trap, laid out for him meticulously by the group. They intend to use the informant from the investigations unit, and given they can't trust anybody right now – not even Dae-yong – they bug the radios and get to work listening in. This works a treat and they figure out who the mole is, including his burner phone. This officer is also the one who informed Ju-yeong at the Construction site what was going on, along with being responsible for Jong-hun's death. With the mole caught, the gang track down Ju-yeong, knowing that he's rattled. They find him in one of the tunnels. It's not the same tunnel they had a huge brawl in earlier in the season, but it's no less troublesome. In fact, our antagonist manages to hijack a car and take off. Having escaped capture (again), Ju-yeong rings the Mayor and tells him to burn all the documents. Han-na does her research and realizes that the documents are being held in the Yeonsang-gu Public Library. This was the first place he wanted built when he took office and it doesn't take long for the group to race over and find what they need. With the evidence in hand, the gang manage to capture the Mayor too, who's attempting to high-tail it away with a bag full of cash. It doesn't go to plan, as he's wheeled out into the middle of the entrance hallway and forced to answer to reporters. Deok-Gyu can only despair at what's taken place. Unfortunately, Dong-ju is not doing well and he's clearly struggling. Jong-hyeon does what he can to try and cover for him but Han-na is starting to cotton on that something isn't right. This is only compounded further when she receives a call from her mum, informing her about insurance documents. However, there's no time to waste as the team get a hit on Oh Jong-gu's whereabouts. Dong-ju is the one who tracks him down and with a steering wheel in hand (thanks to Man-sik handcuffing him to the car and Dong-ju breaking out), he fights with Mr Oh. This time, Dong-ju comes out on top and after knocking him out cold, Jong-gu is arrested. Han-na shows up not long after though, rattled over Dong-ju's condition and not being informed. With Ju-yeong's circle of influence growing ever-thinner,Ju-yeong shows up to see the Japanese gangsters and offers a whole truckful of Candy. But in exchange, he needs to do something for him. He's determined to cover his tracks, and some of this stems from him destroying the truck full of Candy. Yeon-ha helps give a tip-off about this, and the group head out to try and stop it before this happens. The gang manage to corner the truck but unfortunately, the explosion goes off just as they get there. The Episode Review Ju-yeong's empire is crumbling around him and Dong-ju is determined to see this one through to the very end. However, his blindness is obviously a big sticking point here and the fact that he's still not taking this seriously is more damaging and foolhardy to his character than endearing and brave. Now that we're onto the last week of episodes, I think it's fair to say Good Boy's story has been a bit middling and dragged out. A tighter 8 or 12 episode script would have done a lot of favours for this show because right now, we're spinning wheels and getting the same plotlines repeatedly constantly. If it's not a hunt for the money, it's a hunt for sordid documents. If it's not a hunt for the police mole it's… well, another hunt for a police mole. It's almost as if the writers know what story they want to tell but because they need to stretch it out to 16 episodes, plots are being recycled. However, the action is certainly keeping this one watchable. Some of the fight choreography is excellent and there are some genuinely impressive segments. When the show leans into that, it helps to paper over some of its issues, but with episodes like this one – which swing back in favour of police work and character growth – it really shows the extent of this drama's problems. Still, we've got one more episode left so we'll have to wait and see how this one finishes. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Neighbors in Little Italy concerned of proposed 12 story high-rise building
A parking lot at the corner of President and Fawn Street in Baltimore's Little Neighborhood is a hot topic once again. Lisa Regnante is the president of the Little Italy Neighborhood Association. She explained that many neighbors have been concerned about a developer's proposed plan to construct a high-rise building at 301 President Street. "That land, as described in the zoning code, is 125 feet max, which is about 12 stories. And why did they zone it that way? It's meant for low-density neighborhoods of historic and traditional character," Regnante explained, "The developer who would like to develop the land wants a rezoning change to a Which is a most intensely developed portion of downtown, with no height restrictions." Baltimore's Planning Commission was scheduled in 2024 to consider legislation to rezone this parcel of land after months of discussion with the developer and the community. But it was taken off the agenda at the last minute. Now, the conversation continues once again as neighbors and the developer work to find common ground. "If you look at a map and you look at zoning, our character is low density. That has been that way for over a hundred years, and this would be a parcel of land that would stick up twice as high as it is zoned for over that land," said Regnante. "The difference is, should it be twice as high? That's all that the disconnect is. How tall should the building be?" Regnante was clear that the neighborhood association is not against the new development; their priority is to protect the historical charm of their neighborhood. "And the majority of Little Italy residents said last year, as we had meeting after meeting, and we did a survey that they would prefer the current zoning," said Regnante. District 12 city councilman Jermaine Jones explained to WJZ that the rezoning process is long and complex. But he wants to see the community on the same page before anything can move forward. "I would like to see a combination of those folks coming together and have a meeting where their larger membership of the neighborhood will have a say in whether they support or oppose the re-zoning to allow the project to happen of the size in which the developer is proposing," said Jermaine Jones, Baltimore City's District 12 councilmember.
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Police investigating after man found shot inside a vehicle in Etobicoke
Video Video shows a large taped-off area around an SUV in a parking lot at a plaza near Renforth Dr. and Rathburn Rd.
