My dog heels off-leash in busy parks, and I think strict leash rules backfire

I'm really pumped that my dog, Buddy, now stays by my side without a leash in crowded spots. Most trainers say this is irresponsible, but I believe constant leash use makes dogs pull harder. We practiced recall and focus in empty fields for weeks before trying busier areas. Now he checks in with me naturally, and it's like we're a team. This approach turned our walks into a fun game instead of a struggle.

Just realized our family's nightly routine is killing our energy savings

I work night shifts as a nurse, and when I get home early in the morning, I often find lights left on and gadgets plugged in. My kids leave their gaming consoles on standby, and my spouse forgets to turn off the space heater in the living room. We put in solar panels last year, but our electricity bill is still high. I think our habits are messing up all the good from the tech. I'm looking into smart plugs or energy monitors to help us cut waste. Has anyone dealt with similar family stuff and found tech that works? I need something easy that everyone can use without trouble. Any advice would be really helpful.

Shoutout to local news archives. They helped me spot what everyone missed in the Mason case.

Lol, all this talk about automating everything, but my dumb house is just fine. Sometimes simple is better.