Quench Soil Moisture Sensor: https://quenchplant.com/   ==========   The Championship Turf: A Tale of Precision and Care   In the bustling town of Riverview, where sports were the heartbeat of the community, there lay a sprawling athletic sports complex known as Champions Field. This complex wasn't just any sports venue; it boasted some of the most meticulously maintained turfgrass that athletes had ever competed on. The secret to their pristine fields lay in the hands of two sophisticated tools: Wesley, the WeatherStation, and Sam, the Soil Moisture Sensor.   Wesley was perched atop a tall post, overlooking the fields with a vigilant eye. His primary task was to monitor the environmental conditions—specifically evapotranspiration rates that influence how much water the turf lost to the atmosphere. With a plethora of sensors and a sophisticated algorithm, Wesley could predict water needs for days ahead, ensuring that the groundskeepers were always one step ahead of the weather.   Nestled beneath the surface of the lush green turf was Sam, who kept a low profile but played an equally crucial role. Sam's world was the root zone of the turfgrass, where he continuously monitored the moisture levels. His precise readings were vital, especially right before big games, to ensure that the turf was neither too dry—risking injury to players and damage to the grass—nor too wet, which could lead to slips and poor playing conditions.   The harmony between Wesley and Sam was critical, especially during the sports season. Wesley's data helped plan the watering schedules, but it was Sam's real-time readings that often dictated immediate actions. For instance, on a day leading up to an important football match, Wesley might suggest a lighter irrigation based on a cool, cloudy forecast. However, if Sam detected that the soil moisture was lower than ideal, the irrigation system could be adjusted to deliver just the right amount of water, ensuring the turf was in optimal condition when game day arrived.   The groundskeepers at Champions Field relied heavily on the data from both tools. They had a central command center where Wesley’s forecasts and Sam’s readings were displayed on big screens, allowing for quick decisions. This setup not only conserved water but also ensured that the turfgrass was always game-ready, providing a safe and competitive environment for athletes.   Throughout the seasons, Champions Field hosted numerous events, from soccer tournaments to track meets. Athletes often remarked on the exceptional quality of the turf, noting how it enhanced their performance and reduced injury risks. This reputation made Riverview a preferred venue for major sporting events, drawing teams and fans from across the region.   One memorable event was the national college soccer championship, held on a particularly hot and dry weekend. Thanks to Wesley’s accurate weather predictions and Sam’s diligent moisture tracking, the groundskeepers were able to implement a tailored watering program that maintained the turf's resilience and vibrancy throughout the event. The championship went off without a hitch, with players and coaches praising the excellent condition of the field.   Through the story of Champions Field, we see how tools, when used in their ideal applications, can achieve results that not only meet but exceed expectations. Just as in any field, be it agriculture or athletics, the right technological tools—like Wesley and Sam—can make all the difference, turning a regular turf into a championship-grade playing field.   Chapter Two: The Power of 'And' at Champions Field As the seasons changed and Champions Field continued to flourish, the complex became a beacon of innovation and teamwork, not just in sports but also in the way it was maintained. The success of the field was often attributed to the harmonious use of both Wesley, the WeatherStation, and Sam, the Soil Moisture Sensor. This collaboration illustrated the powerful concept of "And," where the integration of multiple tools led to outcomes far superior than any single tool could achieve alone.   The "And" philosophy at Champions Field became particularly evident during an exceptionally challenging season. The weather was erratic—unpredictable bursts of rain followed by prolonged dry spells. The old approach of relying solely on predictable patterns was insufficient under these conditions. It was during this time that the groundskeeping team, led by veteran manager Tom Harrison, decided to fully embrace the "And" philosophy—not choosing between Wesley or Sam, but aligning their strengths to tackle the challenges ahead.   Tom organized a series of strategic meetings where data from both Wesley and Sam were analyzed in tandem. Wesley provided the broader climatic trends, which included not just predictions of rain or sunshine but also detailed reports on humidity, wind, and solar radiation—all of which affected the turf's evapotranspiration rates. Meanwhile, Sam offered a granular view of the soil’s current state, providing data that was critical for making immediate adjustments.   This dual approach allowed the team to create a dynamic irrigation schedule that adapted to both the predicted conditions and the real-time needs of the turf. When Wesley indicated a week of high sun exposure and low rainfall, the team planned increased irrigation to compensate. However, if Sam reported adequate moisture levels in the soil before these adjustments were made, the watering could be scaled back, conserving water while still maintaining perfect playing conditions.   The power of "And" was not just about using both tools but understanding how their inputs complemented each other to create a holistic management strategy. This strategy was put to the test during the high-stakes regional athletics championship. Just days before the event, an unexpected heatwave hit Riverview, putting potential stress on the turf and the athletes.   Thanks to the combined insights from Wesley and Sam, the groundskeeping team implemented a preemptive cooling protocol for the turf. They adjusted the irrigation times to early mornings and late evenings, reducing evaporation and maximizing water absorption. Wesley’s forecasts ensured that the water was applied just before the coolest parts of the day, while Sam's moisture tracking confirmed that the soil retained optimal moisture levels throughout the event.   The championship was a resounding success, with record-breaking performances and minimal disruptions. Coaches and athletes praised the condition of the turf, noting how it remained resilient and supportive despite the heatwave. The success underlined a crucial lesson for the team at Champions Field: the best results come from not having to choose between one valuable resource or another but from leveraging every available tool in concert.   The story of Champions Field is a testament to the idea that embracing the concept of "And" can lead to exceptional outcomes in any field. By moving beyond binary choices and fostering an environment where multiple solutions coexist and complement each other, any team can achieve more than what seems possible—creating a winning strategy on and off the field.   Epilogue: Embracing 'And' in Life and Business As the tale of Champions Field illustrates, the synergy between Wesley the WeatherStation and Sam the Soil Moisture Sensor was not just a story about maintaining turf. It is a powerful metaphor for decision-making in business and in daily life. Often, we find ourselves facing choices that seem to demand one solution over another. However, the concept of "And" encourages us to hold two seemingly conflicting thoughts or strategies simultaneously, exploring the strengths and potential of each.   In the professional sphere, this might mean balancing cost efficiency with quality, or innovation with reliability. In personal decisions, it might look like weighing immediate pleasures against long-term benefits. The challenge lies in not defaulting to an easier either/or mindset but embracing the complexity and richness of "And."   The dual approach at Champions Field taught the team to adapt and thrive in changing conditions by integrating diverse data and strategies. Similarly, in business and life, combining different viewpoints and solutions can lead to more robust and flexible strategies. This doesn't mean compromising between two points but rather synthesizing them in a way that leverages the best of both worlds.   For instance, consider the entrepreneur who must choose between investing in growth or solidifying the current operations. By applying the "And" philosophy, they might find a strategy that allows for gradual expansion while strengthening existing processes, thus securing stability as they grow.   In our daily lives, embracing "And" might mean learning to balance work and personal life, not by sacrificing one for the other, but by finding ways to enrich both. It could mean engaging in healthy debate with friends or colleagues—valuing their different perspectives as much as your own, leading to deeper understanding and more innovative solutions.   This approach is not without its challenges. Holding two opposing ideas in mind and giving them equal consideration is an exercise in mental flexibility and openness. It requires patience, empathy, and a willingness to venture into the complex space where innovative solutions live. Yet, the rewards can be significant, leading to outcomes that might never be reached through more conventional either/or thinking.   As you navigate the complexities of your professional and personal life, consider the lessons from Champions Field. Embrace the power of "And," allowing yourself to see beyond binary choices. Explore the potential that lies in the harmony of combining different tools, thoughts, or viewpoints. This might be challenging, but it is precisely in these challenges that the greatest opportunities for success and fulfillment are found.

This episode is brought to you by, PHISH, and the letter 'S'.  'S' is for SPLIT. Split Open and Melt.

In this insightful episode, Andy and Paul reflect on their recent project, delving into the complexities and vital importance of pressure in irrigation systems, especially pertaining to a vast green rooftop. While the specifics of their project remain confidential, the co-hosts openly discuss the general scope, centered around the deployment of wireless sensors for data analytics, enabling the client to monitor conditions of the landscape more accurately. They outline the project's challenges, from the discovery of low water pressure on the rooftop to the absence of water meters and pressure gauges, illuminating how their technology provides the client with crucial insights previously obscured. Emphasizing the critical role of monitoring, they illustrate how their wireless sensors and dashboard platform reveal the "vital signs" of water infrastructure, much like a medical check-up reveals the health of a human body. Paul and Andy share anecdotes from their fieldwork, where they identified a significant leak due to a mainline break, likely caused by inadequate winterization. The revelation of this break underscored the hidden nature of water problems and the need for meticulous observation and the right tools to diagnose and manage such issues effectively. The episode pivots to a discussion about data collection, particularly the innovative use of wireless technology. They replaced a failing wired system with a more robust wireless one, including soil moisture sensors and water meters with both analog and digital capabilities. This transition from wired to wireless signifies a substantial improvement in monitoring and managing the system, with the potential for real-time insights and rapid problem detection. Throughout the podcast, the hosts compare an irrigation system's vital signs to human vital signs, with pressure transducers acting like a blood pressure monitor, providing real-time feedback on system health. They argue that knowing the pressure in an irrigation system is paramount, even more crucial than flow rates in some cases, as it can instantly signal issues such as leaks or system malfunctions. A central theme is the emphasis on the importance of starting diagnostics at the water source rather than the controller and the need for constant pressure monitoring to ensure system integrity. This approach could potentially transform maintenance routines and system diagnostics in the industry. Key takeaways and insights include: The "vital signs" of irrigation systems, akin to those in medical practice, are crucial for diagnosis and management.The conversion from wired to wireless systems represents a significant step forward in monitoring capabilities.Real-time pressure monitoring can reveal issues that flow monitoring might not, highlighting the need for comprehensive diagnostic tools.The hidden nature of water systems necessitates the adoption of visual and digital tools for accurate assessment. Andy and Paul's dialogue underscores their commitment to innovation and their continual learning process, as they seek to enhance their understanding and management of irrigation systems. Their hope is to develop tools that will become industry standards, ensuring that businesses can effectively manage their water systems. As the episode concludes, the sense of partnership and mutual respect between the two is palpable, as they look forward to their next project with anticipation. Listeners are left with a deeper appreciation for the intricacies of irrigation systems and the evolving technologies that monitor and manage them. Key Points: The importance of pressure in monitoring irrigation and plumbing systems.Discovery of a significant leak due to a mainline break on the project's large green rooftop.Transition from a problematic wired system to an innovative wireless one.The utility of wireless soil moisture sensors and dual water meters for both analog and digital monitoring.Comparison of irrigation system diagnostics to checking human vital signs, emphasizing the crucial role of pressure transducers.Importance of starting system diagnostics at the water source for accurate assessment and management.The discovery that booster pumps were cycling without effectively raising the pressure, affecting rooftop irrigation performance.The podcast's emphasis on continuous innovation and the application of new diagnostic tools to improve industry standards.

In this episode, Andy, delves into the nuanced debate of context versus control within the realm of management, particularly focusing on the irrigation industry. This concept, inspired by an episode of the Tim Ferriss show featuring Reed Hastings, co-founder and former CEO of Netflix, challenges traditional management styles by advocating for a more empowered approach to leadership. Through Reed Hastings' insights and his own reflections, Andy explores how setting clear contexts rather than imposing strict controls can lead to more innovative and motivated teams. Highlights Inspiration from Reed Hastings: The idea of context vs. control was sparked by Reed Hastings' discussion on the Tim Ferriss show, emphasizing creative management styles over conventional, control-based approaches.Definition of Context vs. Control: Control is described as a rigid, micromanagement style, whereas context provides goals and empowers employees to achieve them in their own way.Impact on the Irrigation Industry: Andy applies these concepts to the irrigation industry, suggesting that understanding the 'why' behind actions can lead to more engaged and self-sufficient teams.Reed Hastings' Metaphor: The comparison of industrial and creative companies illustrates how context-driven management can lead to innovation and unique customer experiences.Management Philosophy: Andy expresses his preference for a management style that sets a clear context, allowing for autonomy and self-guided decision-making within teams. Key Takeaways Setting the context in management involves clearly defining the goals and the 'why' behind tasks, and empowering team members to make decisions that align with company objectives.Context-driven management can foster a culture of innovation and flexibility, particularly beneficial in creative or service-oriented industries.Understanding and implementing the context vs. control management style can enhance team motivation, satisfaction, and overall performance.

In the episode of the "Sprinkler Nerd Show," host Andy Humphrey and his guest, Paul, embark on a detailed discussion about the technical aspects of irrigation systems, specifically focusing on the importance of flow and pressure monitoring. Andy begins by recounting his observations of inefficient sprinkler systems at a resort, noting that a vast majority are functioning poorly. He suggests that the resort's irrigation system is so ineffective that it might as well not be in operation. This real-world issue leads him to reflect on the broader implications for the irrigation industry, particularly the innovations in flow and pressure monitoring technologies. To dive deeper into the topic, Andy introduces a thought experiment based on the game "Would You Rather?" The game is simple: one person poses a dilemma in the form of a question starting with "would you rather," and the other person chooses one of the options. Andy uses this format to pose a significant question to Paul: Given a choice between flow monitoring and pressure monitoring for a commercial irrigation system, which one would you choose? Paul acknowledges the complexity of the question. Traditionally, the industry relied heavily on flow monitoring, with pressure monitoring being a more recent development. He expresses a preference for both but understands that the question demands a choice. The conversation shifts to an in-depth analysis of the two monitoring methods. Flow monitoring is essential for understanding water usage and identifying leaks through abnormal flow patterns. It is a vital tool for water conservation and efficient system management. On the other hand, pressure monitoring provides diagnostic insights that are not immediately apparent through flow data alone. For instance, pressure fluctuations can indicate issues with the municipal water supply that could affect irrigation system performance. Andy and Paul discuss the scenarios where one type of monitoring may be more advantageous than the other. For example, Paul shares an anecdote about a situation in Washington, D.C., where several irrigation systems under his management experienced a drop in performance due to a reduction in municipal water pressure. This incident underscores the value of pressure monitoring, as it can provide early warnings about changes in water supply that are beyond the control of the irrigation system manager. The discussion delves into the practicalities of managing large-scale irrigation systems. They examine how continuous logging of pressure data can provide insights that intermittent readings cannot. Paul points out that as municipal water systems age, providers often reduce water pressure to extend the lifespan of the infrastructure, impacting irrigation systems connected to the municipal supply. This practice, while beneficial to the municipal system, can have unintended consequences for irrigation, making pressure monitoring an invaluable tool for understanding and adapting to these external changes. As they further explore the nuances of flow and pressure data, Andy and Paul consider the implications of having one without the other. They agree that while flow sensors are crucial for accounting for water usage, pressure sensors offer a more sensitive diagnostic tool that can help explain why certain anomalies in water usage may occur. Andy then offers a perspective that connects the physical observations of an irrigation system to the data provided by sensors. Walking around the resort, he notices visible signs of system failure, such as broken infrastructure and poorly performing sprinkler zones. He posits that either a flow sensor or a pressure sensor could indicate such problems, but each does so in a different way. A flow sensor could detect a broken pipe through abnormal water usage, while a pressure sensor could indicate a drop in performance due to pressure changes. As they wrap up their discussion, both Andy and Paul lean towards the importance of pressure monitoring when forced to choose. They liken pressure sensors to a doctor checking blood pressure—a critical first step in diagnosing a patient's health. They explore the idea that while flow is a measurement of consumption, pressure provides a more immediate reflection of system health. Paul highlights that from a management standpoint, pressure data is more actionable, especially when monitoring remotely. He also notes that installing pressure sensors can be simpler and less intrusive than installing flow sensors, which often require cutting into the mainline. This ease of installation makes pressure sensors a more attractive option for quickly and cost-effectively assessing system performance. In conclusion, Andy and Paul's conversation in the "Sprinkler Nerd Show" episode brings to light the strategic importance of choosing the right monitoring tools for irrigation systems. They discuss the trade-offs between flow and pressure monitoring and conclude that while both are essential, pressure monitoring may offer a slight edge in terms of diagnostics and system management, particularly when faced with the constraints of municipal water supplies and the need for remote system oversight. Their dialogue is a testament to the evolving technological landscape of irrigation and the need for professionals in the field to adapt and make informed decisions about the tools they use to manage water resources effectively.

In the latest episode of the "Sprinkler Nerd Show," host Andy shares his insights on the importance of being unconventional in the irrigation and landscape industry. Below are key thoughts highlighted from the discussion: Embrace Unconventionality: Humphrey emphasizes the need for businesses to stand out by being the "orange in the apple bin," advocating for a distinct approach to conventional industry practices. Question the Status Quo: He encourages listeners to think differently by asking unique questions to clients, proposing innovative solutions, and redefining the customer interaction experience to set themselves apart from competitors. Redefine Industry Standards: By adopting unconventional methods, such as integrating advanced technologies like soil moisture sensors, businesses can lead the market and force competitors to follow their innovative practices. Zig When Others Zag: Humphrey highlights the advantage of going against the grain, suggesting that by choosing less traveled paths, businesses can find shorter lines to success, symbolizing less competition and a more distinct market position. Challenge Perceived Limitations: He inspires businesses to question why certain practices are avoided in the industry and to explore these areas as potential opportunities for innovation and differentiation. Change the Game: Humphrey posits that by being unconventional, businesses can not only set new trends but also change the rules of the game, compelling even large competitors to adapt to these new standards. Seek Opportunities for Innovation: The discussion suggests looking for what is missing in current offerings and exploring unconventional solutions that could potentially change the future of the industry. Encourage a Mindset of Exploration: By sharing his upcoming vacation plans and the prospect of unconventional thoughts it might inspire, Humphrey models the behavior of seeking inspiration from outside the industry to bring fresh ideas to one's business. Value of Continuous Learning: Ending on the note of appreciating his audience for seeking knowledge through podcasts, Humphrey underscores the importance of continuous learning and staying open to new ideas as a way to achieve unconventional success. This summary captures Andy Humphrey’s message of leveraging unconventional thinking as a strategic tool for differentiation and leadership in the irrigation and landscape industry, encouraging businesses to innovate and redefine industry standards.

In this episode of the Sprinkler Nerd Show, Andy Humphrey shares his experiences and insights from Salt Lake City, Utah, where he visits OpConnect and spends quality time with his son at the University of Utah. He looks forward to enjoying St. Paddy's Day weekend activities, including drinking green beer and skiing. Amidst his travels, Andy seizes the opportunity to engage in a thoughtful discussion on the topic of soil moisture sensing technology, its applications, and the broader implications of experimenting in life and business. Andy underscores the podcast's mission to assist irrigation professionals, regardless of their experience level, in leveraging technology to enhance their services and gain competitive advantages. He passionately discusses the experimental nature of life, encouraging listeners to embrace trial and error in both personal and professional contexts. Andy advocates for a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation, particularly in the realm of soil moisture sensing, to better understand and optimize irrigation practices. Highlighting recent conversations on soil moisture sensing, Andy delves into the practical benefits and transformative potential of this technology. He emphasizes the importance of data collection and analysis to validate assumptions about soil conditions, which can lead to more informed decision-making in irrigation management. Through a series of anecdotal insights, Andy illustrates how soil moisture sensors can reveal the nuanced behaviors of soil under various conditions, offering a more scientific approach to irrigation that challenges traditional assumptions and practices. Andy encourages his listeners to adopt an experimental approach when utilizing new technologies, viewing them as tools for discovery and improvement. He stresses the significance of observing and interpreting data over time to gain deeper insights into soil moisture levels and their impact on irrigation efficiency. By promoting an inquisitive and open-minded attitude towards technology, Andy hopes to inspire irrigation professionals to explore new possibilities, question established norms, and ultimately, enhance their expertise. Concluding the episode, Andy extends an invitation for feedback and engagement, emphasizing his openness to connecting with the audience and sharing knowledge. He leaves his listeners with a message of encouragement to remain curious, willing to experiment, and committed to advancing their skills in the ever-evolving field of irrigation.

Self-reflection is the key. It's the process of questioning our methods, our decisions, and our attitudes towards change and adversity. It's about asking, "Am I the bottleneck in my team's performance? Do I resist new technologies or methods that could enhance our service? How can I lead better, communicate clearer, and inspire my team?"

Smart controllers don’t save water. Nozzles don't save water. They CAN, but I believe that Irrigation professionals, who are CURIOUS ENOUGH to know how to use smart controllers have the potential to save water. 20 years is a long time not to have an answer for something that seems so basic, and I've come to the realization that it is easy to connect the dots looking backwards. We can laugh at Steve Ballmer now, but at the time, he MIGHT have been right...so, here is my message for you today - The future doesn't create itself, someone has to create it. I encourage you to stay curious, and to borrow a phrase from Reid Hoffman co-founder of LinkedIn, “things that seem totally Nut Balls, 10 years later, that’s just the way you do it!”

PATENT REFERENCE: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/3b/0b/7d/58dc2a23a7e96e/US3808385.pdf     Background on the Invention: In certain areas of the country where dry climatic conditions prevail, sprinkling and irrigating systems are generally maintained for prolonged periods of time. Obviously, however, means are required for automatically closing down said systems when there is rainfall or when moisture conditions in the atmosphere are excessive. Also, upon completion of the rainfall, automatic reopening of the sprinkling system is desired. Moisture-responsive actuators have been known to operate in response to the weight of rainfall captured in a receptacle attached thereto or in response to certain types of moisture absorptive mechanisms associated therewith. Also, ground sensors and probes have been used. However, such devices have proven to be inefficient, of short life, and relatively costly to manufacture.   Can you guess what the Patent is?   I'll give you a moment to think.   Let me repeat the first sentence: In certain areas of the country where dry climatic conditions prevail, sprinkling and irrigating systems are generally maintained for prolonged periods of time. Obviously, however, means are required for automatically closing down said systems when there is rainfall or when moisture conditions in the atmosphere are excessive.   Can you guess?   RAIN SENSOR. Although for the purpose of a Patent, the name is, MOISTURE RESPONSIVE SWITCH ACTUATOR.   Why am I mentioning this to you?   Because this patent was issued on August 11, 1972   We are still using a device that supposedly makes an irrigation controller, "SMART", that was invented in 1972.   Now I'd like to read you the Patent Abstract to add a bit of clarity.   Patent Abstract: A moisture-responsive actuator is employed for controlling the operation of a fluid-operated sprinkling or irrigating system or the like. The moisture-responsive actuator is provided with hygroscopic material which expands in response to contact with rainwater to de-press a switch to deactivate the sprinkling system, the hygroscopic material contracting upon a drying thereof to release said switch whereupon the sprinkling system is activated.   WHY?   Why are we still using this technology?   I don't have an answer, I'm simply offering you the opportunity to ask.   It is thisexample fo Curiosity, that may lead you to your next big breakthrough. The breakthrough can be anything, not necessarilty a product invention. It could be a new way of doing something in your business, and new way of organizing something in your home.   It is the act of being Curious, to question things, to ask why, the evokes change and growth.   With this in mind, I'd like to propose that Curiosity is a Catalyst for Innovation.   Curiosity as a catalyst for innovation highlights impact of asking "What if?" and "Why not?" "I wonder what would happen if.."   This mindset has the potential to propel us beyond accepted norms, challenging us to reimagine possibilities. Curiosity can breakdown barriers to innovation, urging us to explore the unknown and question the status quo.   It's a reminder that the pursuit of knowledge is endless, and it's through this curious mindset that it becomes possible to uncover new paths to progress and solutions to our most complex problems.   Like, why are we still using a Rain Sensor that was invented in 1972, and doesn't actually "SENSE" the rain?   It is actually more like a Sponge/Switch. When the sponge is wet, it swells, and trips the switch.   Yet, every manufacture today still uses it.   Yes, My own curiosity kicked in and I do have a new apporach to this, but I'm not going to share it with you today. You'll need to come to my keynote speech next week in Ontario Canada to find out..   My final thought for today is on the potential to nurture a world that is continuously evolving and enhancing, and that embracing curiosity unlocks limitless opportunities, showing that the pursuit of knowledge and the bravery to question are fundamental to progress and, even, human advancement

Tim Ferris Show Reference: Episode #721 Master Negotiator William Ury   ==========   William Ury introduces the concept of self-mastery and the critical role of self-regulation in negotiation and conflict resolution. He suggests that the power to influence others is rooted in our ability to first influence ourselves, acknowledging our inherent tendency towards reactivity. Ury employs the "balcony" metaphor to illustrate a mental vantage point from which we can detach, refocus on our primary objectives, and assess situations with greater clarity.   This elevated balcony view encourages a momentary pause between provocation and reaction, providing a pathway to navigate conflicts thoughtfully and avoid impulsive decisions we might regret, like hastily sent emails or messages.   I once received advice never to send an email, make a phone call, or send a text when feeling emotional or reactive. Ury echoes this sentiment, suggesting that such a moment of pause to reflect is not just a learned skill but an inherent human capacity that we must consciously practice.   So, when you're on the cusp of an immediate reply to an email, as you sense that emotional trigger, take a pause. Hold off. Give it 24 hours. Practice this discipline.

Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the Sprinkler Nerd Show. It's been a while since we last spoke. I'm your host, Andy Humphrey, and this is episode 154. You might notice that I sound a bit under the weather today—I've caught a cold. Though I lost my sense of smell last night, which is funny, I don't think it's COVID. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel, from the Consumer Electronics Show to Calgary for a significant event, then directly to Europe for a week with my wife. I got home and the very next day, I fell sick. Despite this, I'm eager to kick my ass into gear, start producing more content, and get back to regular updates. I appreciate your patience and look forward to sharing my thoughts again on a regular basis. If you're a regular listener, you might have noticed my absence. It's been since Friday, January 5, since I last released an episode. Life has been happening—fast and hard. I've been incredibly busy, and today, I thought I would do something a bit different. I'm going to play for you a recording of a keynote presentation I gave for the Canadian Prairie Chapter of the Irrigation Association in Calgary, Canada. I was invited to their annual irrigation conference to give a presentation, and I had to think hard about what I wanted to talk about. It's easy to focus on products, their features, and benefits, but those concepts are fleeting. There's always a new product, a new feature, and such things aren't what truly motivate me. Instead, I chose to share a bit about my journey in irrigation, why I chose this industry—and interestingly, it was indeed a choice. Despite the common joke that nobody intentionally enters the irrigation industry, for me, it was a deliberate decision. I was intrigued early on by the fact that sprinklers operated based on a schedule—Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6 AM—and I wondered why there wasn't better technology to guide water application in the landscape. So, without further ado, I am excited to share with you my keynote presentation. Before we dive in, I'd like to extend a special thanks to everyone in Calgary I had the pleasure of meeting, especially the entire Board of Directors of the local Irrigation Association, the Prairie Chapter. They have built a fantastic community, and I was genuinely impressed by the level of interest and curiosity everyone showed towards the topic I presented. Thank you so much for your curiosity and for giving me the opportunity to speak at your conference. Here is my presentation.

Sprinkler Nerd Unite (theme song) [Verse] We're the nerds of the green, the rulers of the lawn Dressed in flannel shirts, rockin' shades like we're cool With our spray heads and rotors, we conquer all terrain We're the ones who make it rain, oh yeah (oh yeah) [Chorus] Sprinkler nerds, rise up and take a stand (take a stand) We're the smart ones, leading the irrigation land (oh-oh-oh) With our wrenches and timers, we're the heroes in disguise Sprinkler nerds, let's light up the skies, yeah! (ooh yeah)

GET YOUR T-SHIRT HERE: https://sprinklernerd.com/unfuckit --------------------------- Andy (00:46.717): Joining me again today is Paul Bassett for our annual Prediction Show. Welcome, Paul. Paul Bassett (00:53.61): Oh, I'm so happy to be here. This is one of my funniest shows of the year, where we get to banter about the year prior and how our predictions were. So, I was looking forward to this day all year. Andy (01:05.953): And we are going to provide some banter today. This is a guarantee because Paul doesn't have any idea what we are going to talk about today or what this episode is about. I baited him in because we do our annual predictions episode, but I'm going to make a change. Paul Bassett (01:28.254): Okay, this is definitely new. Andy (01:29.029): Because, and this is like a resolution, you know, I want, in 2024, I want to be more honest with myself. Not because I've been lying or anything like that. I just want to sort of lean into my own intuition and try to acknowledge myself and what's interesting to me. And like the prediction episode honestly wasn't that inspiring for me. And I think that it's because it wasn't original. So, and what I mean by that is I didn't come up with the concept for a predictions episode. It wasn't my original thought or idea. I copied the idea from my friend, Andrew Udarian, who runs the podcast, Ecommerce Fuel. And I liked what he did with that kind of approach for predictions and looking back. And so I took it and kind of modeled with it, but... Paul Bassett (02:25.609): And... Andy (02:25.817): You know, as I think about trying to be more honest with myself, I don't think it was that, you know, it was kind of cool and whatnot, but really it wasn't that inspiring to me because I want to create more original content instead of, you know, sort of copying what somebody else has done and try to make it my own. And so with that in mind, I want to make a change. So what we need to do, Paul, is we need to unfuck this episode, this predictions episode. So this is the unfuck it episode. Paul Bassett (02:53.742): Thanks, Bill. All right. Andy (02:55.813): Let's unfuck 2023. You know, what are people still doing in 2023 that needs to be unfucked for 2024? Paul Bassett (02:59.874): All right, that's a good place to start. Paul Bassett (03:10.53): Good thought. It makes my mind spin. Are you asking me, or do you just want me to come up with some thoughts, or are these your thoughts? Paul Bassett (03:38.315): All the time. Andy (03:40.107): Yeah, I... Andy (03:48.65): And just sort of like more rapid prototyping in terms of like, what can we do in our lives, our jobs, our industry, to help move the needle and create that change? And change means you got to unfuck something and change it. Paul Bassett (04:08.826): I love the term. Every time you say it I get giddy like a kid hearing a curse word. Andy (04:15.569): We're allowed to, right? I mean, yeah, I'm gonna tag this episode as not safe for children. Paul Bassett (04:17.59): Yeah, yeah, we're on the internet. Paul Bassett (04:24.718): Oh man, my 10-year-old's not too far from me. And we're gonna say 'unfuck it' at least ten times every minute. Andy (04:34.165): And if you are interested, I'm not saying this to you, but if you're listening and you're interested, you can get yourself a Bill Beckley original 'unfuck it' t-shirt. Visit sprinklernerd.com forward slash unfuck it, and you will find the t-shirt available for sale. Paul Bassett (04:44.542): You can. It's one of the best. Paul Bassett (04:52.278): Well, at least we're going to have more laughs per podcast on this episode than before. Just hearing you say it. Andy (04:56.697): Yeah, right? And this is original, you know, we are not scripting off of a list of shit to talk about. And I think that, you know, it kind of dawned on me a little bit when I replayed the episode number one. So if you're, you know, if you haven't listened to episode number one, and again, I don't mean you, I just mean the listeners, listen to episode number one, which I just put out there a couple of episodes ago, and I was afraid to put it out. But then... Paul Bassett (05:13.023): Yeah. Andy (05:23.961): Once I put it out there and started listening to it, I really appreciated how unscripted our thoughts were, and they were just natural, thought-provoking ideas and conversation, and I want more of that. Paul Bassett (05:38.142): Okay, I mean, dude, that's how you and I live our life. So I prefer that way than any other way. Although I did have some notes, but my notes now that I look at them, going... Andy (05:46.345): Well, we can still use your notes because I'm just trying to like loosen the script a little bit so that we can maybe look at your list and talk about them through the lens of like, you know, unfucking things. Paul Bassett (05:57.45): Oh, and my list was really preparing 10 minutes before our call. Okay, Paul, what are you going to think about? What are you going to do? Like, what are your, you know, predictions or thoughts really? And it's not like I sat for hours at a time and determining, OK, what am I going to think about? I don't need that anymore. It's something you and I do all the time anyway. Andy (06:20.633): Okay, well, do you want me to start off with something, or do you want to start off with something really? So again, I'm just kind of going, you know, the tip of my tongue here. I didn't have a list and I wanted to be a bit more organic, you know, and just have a thought on the fly. So what I'm thinking about first is more like again that inward reflection sort of set of saying, Let's unfuck a thing or widget or a way of doing something. It's like I think we all need a little unfucking of our own meaning. It's really easy to... Paul Bassett (06:24.214): Yeah, go ahead. You start it off. Andy (06:50.365): Grab onto a thought and just ride one perspective, one point of view. And I think we need to carry, we need to think what would it be like if we could carry both perspectives at the same time? So maybe for instance, okay, switching to a matched precipitation rate nozzle might be the right thing to do. We carry that flag, we wave that flag, but what would it also be like if we didn't do that? Is there another way to do it? Would it be okay as well? So can we carry like the two, you know, sort of contradicting thoughts at the same time? Paul Bassett (07:31.318): And I think, Andy, you turned me on to this thought. I mean, another podcast you put in front of me, I don't know how many months ago it was, you know, when this thought came up. But of course you can. And the thing that I when you say that is like, who even cares? Who's even analyzing? Did match precip rate and I'll just make a big difference in the way I water my grass. No. Why is that? You have no way to even freaking tell whether match precip or the regular nozzles infiltrated the soil at a different rate. How do you tell that? Who even cares? How do you know? Does it matter? Andy (08:11.761): And what will even uniform you can do with? Paul Bassett (08:16.114): Exactly. So even if you did switch one zone was matched, precip and the other one was not, how in the world do you tell? Is it just visually coloring of the grass? Or is there another way to that? That's about, that's the only way you don't know. You can, you know, one of the thoughts you, you gave me, and when I think about it now, I'm trying to visualize how the water goes through the air. Andy (08:28.797): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (08:42.25): Hits the ground and then infiltrates into the soil and what that profile of soil moisture moving through the soil looks like. Who's to even know today? I don't know, do you know? No, I don't have a tool to do it. It's just my imagination thinking it's flowing through the soil in the same aspect as it was before. So it is a thought. Good one. Andy (09:06.789): Yeah, and again, I literally came up with the MP, or not MP, match precipitation rate thought on the fly. It could be anything. We tend to like to grab a hold of something, stand on a soapbox, say, this is the way. So I guess my challenge would be, what if we were to unfuck that and say, well, what if it wasn't? Can we carry the alternate thought at the same time so that we have two different perspectives or viewpoints so that... The mind stays open to new thoughts coming in versus trying to channel down a one-way street. Paul Bassett (09:38.774): And that is a very good thought that a lot of people can't wrap their head around, right? Unless you're open, like either you're a Democrat or a Republican, you can't be one or the other, can you? Andy (09:51.921): Why can't you just be purple? Paul Bassett (09:56.071): True that both of us with our purple on today, although because the Ravens are playing right now, but it's true. Andy (10:02.041): Yeah, why does it need more blue? We need more purple. Paul Bassett (10:05.194): We need more purple for sure. So that's a good thought. Because sometimes we all get conditioned to think this way is the right way. Why don't you think the other way? Why can't ear green controllers and sprinkler heads work differently than someone else? Because you've been conditioned that this is the way it's always done and we've always done it. And this is the way I'm always gonna do it. I don't wanna change. I like it the way it is. No, you're right. It's so much better to have an open mind. Andy (10:14.057): Mm-hmm. Andy (10:22.77): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (10:34.891): And be an accepting. Andy (10:34.961): So, unfuck ourselves. I guess that was my first thing is like, before we can think about maybe somebody else or a gadget or a gizmo or a process or a software needs to change, what if it was like we could look at ourselves first and see, unfuck our own thoughts to have, to hold both thoughts to be true at the same time. Paul Bassett (10:57.886): And for you and I, we are open-minded people. We are not red or we are not green. We're certainly purple for sure. I think this thought-provoking is for those of the folks that are listening to Andy and I right now. You know, we're challenging you in the new year to think differently, right? Unfuck the way you think things and think of it another way. Because there are other ways to look at the glass. Is it half empty? Is it half full? It doesn't matter. You just got to have your own perspective on how you see something. And we are encouraging more thought-provoking thoughts. Andy (11:37.741): Yeah, and I'll read a quote that you sent to me recently, which has to do with change. And I guess that's what we're talking about here, to some extent. And the conclusion of this quote, I don't remember who said it, was a story about Nokia and Nokia not changing, you know, and getting eaten alive. And the conclusion was the advantage you had yesterday will be replaced by the trends of tomorrow. You don't have to do anything wrong. As long as your competitors catch the wave and do it right, you can lose and fail. To change and improve yourself is giving yourself a second chance. To be forced by others to change is like being discarded. Those who refuse to learn and improve will definitely one day become redundant and not relevant to the industry. They will learn the lesson in a hard and expensive way. And again, this is not, you don't have to do anything wrong. You just, if you do nothing and your competition changes, that is just like doing something wrong. You don't have to do anything as long as your competition keeps changing and evolving and you don't, you know, that's a problem and you'll learn the lesson the hard and expensive way. So if everybody's switching to Wi-Fi controllers and whatever else and ET and soil moisture and this, that and the other, you gotta give it a shot. Paul Bassett (13:05.57): You know, it's funny you say that and thank you because, you know, every time I see an article or some kind of quote like that, you know, it's good for me to send to you because you and I think on the same wavelength when it comes to those types of things, right? And I'm a little bit older than you, you know, I'm 54 and I like different stuff. I mean, I could change my entire career and profession every other year because it's not that I get bored, but I like new. I like change. Change feels comfortable and good to me. I don't like stasis. So I like it when something changes. I like when there's new stuff out there. I like new things, right? Because I want to test the boundaries of technology. And that's why you and I are on the same wavelength. Andy (13:55.557): And the boundaries of people and industry and it's nice to be able to stick yourself out there a little bit and wonder what it's like to fall off the end of the ocean because if the world's flat you might reach the end. So let's go figure out what's at the end. Paul Bassett (14:11.682): You know, it's funny you say that because, you know, there's something that I see in outside of our business, you can look at other companies and other people and other technology as it comes through and disrupts a company in a business. I'm seeing something similar happening and morphing in the water sector and the irrigation where there's other companies and people entering into our space that is going to disrupt and change the way our irrigation businesses are developed in the future. And that's what I'm seeing, right, Drew, based on the change factor. Andy (14:53.401): Mm-hmm. And even if we don't know specifically, you can kind of, your intuition tells you that it's out there. It may be to be determined who and what it looks like, but it's out there. Wait, it's coming. Paul Bassett (15:07.914): I mean, you could feel it, right? I mean, because as long as I've been in this business, there's always some gut, you know, if you have your finger or your pulse onto, you know, the market, you can kind of sense it. You can kind of feel a groundswell coming on. And I'm feeling this similar groundswell coming on right now, whether it happens next year or not, but I mean, it's happening today. Andy (15:31.593): So let what? Is there anything that comes to mind specifically that you can share? Paul Bassett (15:37.994): Well, to me, it's more about technology now. When I say technology, that's certainly a big broad stroke, but I feel there's a lot of additional technology from outside businesses and outside our space entering into our space, right? Whether it's wireless soil moisture, whether it's flow, it's solar, there's a lot of different tech coming in our space. And the reason I feel it is because I see it, right? Because I'm in it, we're in the top, right? And you can sense it, but you know, as even at the IA show, you can see more tech coming out when you go to different places and do different things. Because fortunately for me and my business, I'm not just touching irrigation. You know, we're touching a lot of other water stuff. So there's so many other technologies that are coming into our space because of the perceived abuse or waste of water in our space. And people outside of our industry want to understand why that is and get into it and help. Andy (16:52.941): Mm-hmm. Yep. I can see that. And so for me, I would agree. And I think that, let's see, what's in my gut and intuition is that there was technology coming, let's say 15 years ago that was new at that time. So let's roll back to like 2003 or four or five or six. You could say that two wire was new and it was technology. You could say that the first ET controllers were new and that was technology. And what I sense that's different is that now users, contractors, people, industry, now kind of questions it more, meaning in order to question it, you have to understand it and learn it. And back in the time, people just said, nope, I'm good, man, doing it the way I've been doing it. And there's a little bit more like, okay, bring it on. What's that? Let me check that out. Bring it on. And 15 years ago, there wasn't really a bring it on attitude. And I'm not saying to bring it on attitude is everywhere, but I feel like it didn't even exist back then. And now there's a little bit of bring it on. In addition, I feel like the technology that was brought on, now people are questioning it. So as it relates to like ET controllers, weather-based, now people want to know why is it doing what it's doing? And in order to have a thought like that, it means you have to be curious enough to want to know and want to understand. And that is, I think it's those thoughts that'll move the industry forward, not just I'm gonna buy this thing and hang it up there, but now we're at a point where users really want to know how it's working, is it working correctly? Is there a better way to do it? And I don't think that was as strong 15 years ago. Paul Bassett (18:49.862): And you're right, even to a point that I think about as I process your thoughts into my mind, and I equate it to my business, I can see that because I'm more curious even to try to understand what do the algorithms that these ET controllers do precisely to a program? Like, I want to see inside and outside, what is it doing and how is it doing and where is it physically saving me water or schedule times or all the above. So you are right on. Andy (19:24.977): Right, do you trust it? And that's really the question, is if you don't trust it, it's maybe because you don't know how it's working. So how can you trust something if you don't even know what it's doing? Why it's doing it. Paul Bassett (19:38.442): So we do, you know, clearly you and I are more curious than most folks in our business. But yeah, I mean, it's true. I personally want to know, I mean, how many times did the device suspend watering due to the ET threshold that we established? Show me where that happened. Right. And why did it do that? Right. So you're right. The technology and the data now that's available allows people who are more curious to really uncover what is going on under the hood of these devices. Andy (20:10.921): Mm-hmm. Yeah, so again, I think that's just the people are different. They're a little bit more hungry for new than they were 15 years ago. Paul Bassett (20:23.306): And when you say 15, guess when the iPhone was invented. So more of us have the ability to see the technology a little clearer with these devices at the end of the day. So Apple's certainly done a lot of technology businesses good because now we can see the information a lot clearer at the palm of our hands too. Andy (20:48.793): Yeah, yeah. All right. Well, maybe just since we're since this is not the end of the predictions episode, maybe we should just talk about when you got on your list that you that you like that you feel more passionate about. Paul Bassett (21:02.722): Well, whether it's a prediction or not, I mean, I think you and I, you know, we're trying to gain the pulse of tech and industry, right? Every day of every year. So it allows us to at least look back on what we thought at the end of the year and maybe look forward, right? One of the benefits of us is, you know, we were looking at tech, whether it's inside or outside of our business. But I know one of the things that I saw, and we talk about it constantly is I feel there's gonna be more and more controller accessories, meaning devices and sensors in the market coming on, outside of the big companies. I do see that. I mean, I feel it. I'm looking at things that are coming in and the IA show even proved it more to me last, here a couple of weeks back. There are a lot of tools and things that we can now use to help us, whether it's... Andy (21:38.737): Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (21:58.498): ...ties directly into a controller or not that are gonna be better for us in the future. So, again, whether it's a prediction for this year, last year, next year, I'm just seeing a lot more of these things and a lot more people getting into our space than ever before. Andy (22:13.081): Yeah, that made me think just as an example, which does not exist today, but it could based on being an accessory to a control platform is what would it look like if a locator, if a locator was connected to a controller so that data that was coming in from the locator could be connected to the same platform. That'd be pretty amazing. Yeah. You know, if there was GPS, so you could track and then, you know, there's just some kind of an integration where you're not, the locator is not being used independently, but it's being used with data coming from the controller and it's sending information back to the control system. Paul Bassett (22:33.898): In the locator like what a wire locator or when you say a locator. Okay. That it had. Paul Bassett (22:56.394): Yeah, I do like that. And that also spurred another thought because again, I'm just going to reference back to, you know, to the irrigation conference. Not too long back, but I did see that one company that is, you know, using this wireless valve actuation technology, which I'm so happy to see. I've been doing, you know, this 30 some years and oh man, how many valves get, you know, orphaned in the middle of somewhere and you can't communicate to it or takes whatever. So I can't wait to see more and more of these wireless valves come into play and allow us to communicate to these things without power. Andy (23:39.113): Cool, all right, that's a good one. More accessories to control platforms. And as right now, that's where most of the tech is, is in the control. But I think, like you said, the tech's moving out of the control and into other pieces of equipment as well. Paul Bassett (23:56.598): I mean, there are technology companies to get into our space where they don't have to build a controller. Really, they can build other things. Even like your the guy that you had on your podcast, it's, you know, was outside of our building those fittings. You know, I thought that was. Thought that was great idea, I mean, hearing him and what he had to say, and that's something that I mean, gosh, I don't know how many swing elves that Andy (24:14.667): Yeah, yeah. Paul Bassett (24:24.842): ...my company's installed over the years. I never thought, oh my God, why can't we make one in the two or two in the one, right? Hello. It just takes somebody from outside to look in to make the change. Andy (24:37.225): Mm-hmm. Very good. Okay. You have anything else there? Perfect. Paul Bassett (24:43.302): Oh yeah. You know how... Ha ha! Andy (24:48.489): Thanks for watching! Paul Bassett (24:48.834): So, you know, speaking of technology, there's another thing that I'm seeing the ground swell in, and we're gonna see a lot more of it is the increase of tech in the R space, meaning IE as I'm gonna get on it, but AI and wireless, as I've just mentioned before, solar and other things, but I do think that there's gonna be an embrace of automated or artificial intelligence into our space. And I think the first company that's sort of spec'ing it or bringing it on into there, I think is CalSense. I saw that they're the ones that are bringing it to market first, I guess, because they got some folks that they brought into their company that are outside of the irrigation and they see it as an opportunity. So again, you're gonna see more things outside of our spectrum come into the irrigation industry and push it forward, whether we like it or not. And Andy, you know how I feel about AI. I think it's definitely a positive influence on us, help us make and do our job a little easier and faster. So I'm ready. Let's see what it brings on. Andy (26:10.821): I couldn't agree more. To me, it's just a tool that makes what you do more efficient. So you can do more things in less time, which is very beneficial to be more efficient. And I think that's really, yes, AI is a huge topic. And we could talk about it forever. And there's certainly lots of risk and scary stuff out there. But for the most part, it's a tool that allows someone to be more efficient in their job. Paul Bassett (26:37.178): And fortunately for me, I have you as a friend and a mentor who just embraces the tech and you know, whenever you tell me about something, I mean, I know it's going to be spot on because we've been buddies and friends and your business associates for more than 20 years. And I don't think there's been anything that you brought to me or maybe one or two, but that we talked about and encouraged and, um, tested that wasn't, wasn't beneficial. So I mean, I heard the groundswell of AI, but it wasn't until you and I started really integrating it or testing it out where, you know, I'm full on, I'm all in on this tech. Andy (27:22.117): I'm learning a lot from my son right now, because he's 20 years old in college and uses these tools all the time, you know, and I'll sit with him here at my computer and he'll say, "No, no, dad, you have to do it like this and ask it like this way." You know, and I'm saying, well, how come let's say the chatbot always, you know, kind of rewrites what I've written and I don't, he's like, we have to say don't do not modify this, just simply correct it for grammar and spelling, but don't modify, you know, what I've written. So he's just, he helps me learn how to do things to make improvements where I was getting stuck a little bit. And certainly I could have Googled it and whatnot, I watched YouTube videos, but just the fact that the younger generation, either it picks it up more intuitively, or they're using it so much they're more advanced users, which also means for us, when I'm saying us, anyone probably over 25 better start using these tools a lot because these young kids, you know, are hungry, quick, smart, and if they know how to use these tools, that is a threat to those who don't know how to use the tools. Paul Bassett (28:23.35): And then too, I like being able to hopefully at some point bring these kids up into our space. It's hard, as you know, one of the hardest things in our industry today is farming the younger generation to come into our businesses. We're a dying breed. I have one of my other associates who works with me. He's in his 60s. He outworks anybody that I know as a human being in his 60s. But it's when he's out, I got nobody to backfill him. Right? We need more people like your son to come into our space. Andy (28:59.793): Good question because of what if again, this is like having two thoughts at the same time. Yes, we need more people ask anyone in our industry, they will say I need more people. Okay, well, what if that was not going to be fixed? Let's just say that wasn't possible. There are not going to be more people. What if that were true? Then we'd have to figure out if one guy can manage five projects, how could one guy manage 10 projects? How could one guy manage 50 projects without the quality of work going down? How could people do more with less if fewer people are coming into the industry, which could entirely be true. Paul Bassett (29:44.726): You're going to need some sort of technology to help you. Andy (29:47.685): You can't keep doing the same thing every day and hoping someone's going to come in and join the company, but that isn't going to happen. Paul Bassett (29:50.794): And expecting the same results or different results. Yeah, yeah, spot on. Andy (29:59.137): Or could it be that the tools help us hire someone who is less skilled because it might be that people in our industry are looking for like, you know, they're looking for the needle in the haystack. I want someone who's been doing irrigation for 20 years as an expert and da, you know, and they may never hire him because that is never going to exist. It's easier to hire someone who knows nothing because the tools are available so that you don't have... Paul Bassett (30:19.774): Right. True. Andy (30:26.109): ...to have read the 600 page irrigation Bible to know everything. Paul Bassett (30:32.862): And even for me too, I don't mind bringing in folks who are outside of our industry, as long as they have a good work ethic and they have a good moral compass, we can teach irrigation. You can't teach moral compass. You can't teach integrity. Those are things that it's inside of you. It's in your heart and your soul. So I'm happy to bring in folks that are not irrigation trained. Andy (30:48.136): Mm-hmm. Andy (31:00.385): Yeah, as long as they're teachable and they like to learn. And that's it because that's all we have. We need the ability to learn because what we're going to need to know in 20 years probably isn't what we know right now. So we're going to need to learn things every single day. Andy (31:18.917): All right, well, so far so good on unfucking ourselves a bit, the industry thoughts and predictions. Should we do one more off your list? Paul Bassett (31:32.278): Well, I kind of, when you started talking to me, I discussed like, I'd started from the bottom up. So I had three initial sort of thoughts, whether we call them predictions or not Andy, when I have thoughts all the time. So it's just a matter of, and I, you know, my last thought really came back to my first thought was that there's just, there's going to be more companies coming into the water space from outside our industry. That was my really first thought, but it came back because I see it and I have seen it and I've seen it in the water business space for the last 15 years, you know, as more tech is generated and created, especially out of the Silicon Valley, more folks want to get into the space. And you can see the hub of tech. Although I can see it morphing now. But, you know, the Silicon Valley, California hub with all of the water companies out there, HydroPoint, CalSense, you know, those creators of controllers came into the big space of Rainbird Hunter Toro, right? And then taking market share. And then there's another move afoot to what I see is the Silicon slopes of the world where coming out of the Utah area where there's a lot of techie guys and gals burgeoning in that space as well. So there's just a lot more people Andy (32:37.193): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (33:02.562): ...folks getting into our space. And you know, your friends too, in our mind as well, the guys coming in from OpConnect, right? That's something that hasn't been in our space where we've had the ability to connect to our own router or modem and transmit data. We've had it to be dependable or dependent on, you know, what the major manufacturers are giving us. So, you know, those are other things, again, that I see that are happening that are coming into our space which again, I embrace, I think it's beneficial. Andy (33:36.473): Yeah, 15 years ago. I just keep saying 15 because it's a round number and it's probably pretty accurate. There wasn't a market for OpConnect because there wasn't any connected controllers and I say there wasn't any, there were a few. And so, you know, that market wasn't ready, even if they had what they had and maybe they did, I don't know. But it's like that analogy that you could have the world's most fastest efficient train ever made. Paul Bassett (33:42.867): iPhone 15 is just to say it. iPhone 15. Andy (34:03.785): The problem in the US is there's no tracks. You gotta wait for the tracks to be laid. And so some of this tech that might be here can't really be deployed or distributed because the infrastructure that it needs hasn't been built yet. So OpConnect needed there to be some tracks being laid for them to put their trains on, i.e. wireless and Wi-Fi controllers. Paul Bassett (34:27.853): Yeah, I mean, it's you're spot on. And, you know, I think what was the last I mean, even with the iPhone, but it was device magic. That's what it was. Remember device magic, that little spur of a business from Apple that bounced out initially in those of you who are on the call or listening to this podcast, fascinating story called device magic. And it was it was it was a spawn by Steve Jobs and some of the really unique, creative people at Apple where they wanted to come up with this really neat device that, you know, at least today we know it as the iPhone, but it failed. Originally in Device Magic, the company ended up folding and failing, although all of the people who were part of that now run and have created some other wonderful business. But there wasn't tracks laid yet when that original device came out. And it failed because as you said, they're, they're just the... The infrastructure was not there and ready for that device 20 years ago. Andy (35:32.361): Right. And that's why timing matters. You know, somebody said once, you know, luck, timing, ability, you get those three things together and it's going to be, you know, fireworks, timing, timing matters. And like Paul said, if you listen, if you listen, when I say listen to the book, that's how I consume content. Now I listen to books, which again, 30 years ago, people are like, you do what? Well, that's not true because there's this book on tape, book on CD. But I listen to books and you can listen to build. Paul Bassett (36:09.661): Correct. Paul Bassett (36:24.694): Because if you're listening to this podcast, you're different than most people, right? You like and you're encouraged by those who are changing and have the ability to change. But yes, Andy and I both listened to Build last year and it was extremely inspiring to me. I mean, we quoted all the time. So if you take anything from Andy and our show today, get that book. Read the book, listen to the book. I actually got it on audio, because Andy recommended it to me, but I had to buy the actual book itself because there's a bunch of really cool artwork that came out of that book from, again, gosh, I'm quoting wrong, the vice magic. I can't remember, something magic that you see all of the new, because Tony Faddo for all you folks, he was the gentleman who came from that. Andy (37:13.413): Mm-hmm. Paul Bassett (37:22.278): And Apple and started Nest and built Nest. And Tony was part of the development of the iPhone and the early iPhone. So part of his book, Build, shows a lot of the initial prototypes that they created and generated when Apple was starting the iPhone project. Andy (37:42.629): Yep. That's Andy (38:12.773): So maybe that's a good way to polish this off, Paul, for 2023. I think we unfucked it enough. Hope that doesn't offend anyone. Actually, I don't really give a fuck if it does. Paul Bassett (38:28.342): That's my boy right there. Love that. You got to the point now, Andy, where you don't really care what other people think of you, which is amazing. Andy (38:38.217): I do. That's the hard part. I do. But again, that's why this show is not sponsored because I want to be able to say and do whatever the fuck I want. That's part about being honest with myself is if I can entertain myself with creative thoughts, surely there's someone else that will be entertained too. Even if it's just you, Paul, I'm good with that. Me and you just entertain. Paul Bassett (38:55.686): You entertain me. I listen to every podcast as soon as you send it to me. I'm listening. I get inspired all the time. So bring it on, brother. Not enough. Andy (39:06.729): Appreciate it. Likewise. And yeah, sprinkler nerd.com forward slash unfuck it. You can find your t-shirt there. Please buy one. Please post a picture of yourself with, you know, your favorite sprinkler brand in your hand with your unfuck it t-shirt. How fucking awesome would that be? And that's a wrap, Paul. 2023 in the books. Paul Bassett (39:26.894): Oh my god. All right, brother, it's been a good year and I can't wait till next. Appreciate you. Andy (39:32.517): Yes, thank you.

Every entrepreneur begins with a dream, a vision that feels timeless, much like creating a classic album. When Smashing Pumpkins, the band behind 'Siamese Dream', started their project, they were sure they were creating something classic. In the world of entrepreneurship, this conviction is your starting point. It's the belief in your idea's potential, in its ability to stand out and make an impact. But how do you nurture this belief, especially in the face of doubt and uncertainty?

Recorded in January 2019 - Episode #1 has never been published, until now.   ----- What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of failure? Does the fear of failure trick you into believing that perhaps perfection is the goal? Does fear prevent you from starting? Why do people have great ideas, but do nothing with them? I'd like to introduce today's episode as something that although was a bit of a failure at the time, was simply the first attempt. And I thought it would be important to show all of you an example for attempt #1. And to encourage you to keep trying at whatever it is you have a vision for. What you are about to hear is Podcast Episode #1, that was never released. Why? Because it didn't meet my expectation, and I was embarrassed, or perhaps scared of failure, scared of what other people might think, those other people being you, and sometimes are not actually afraid to fail, we are afraid to BE SEEN failing. Think about that! It is not missing the shot that is scary, it is being seen missing the shot that is scary. So, this episode is for me. It's my turn to be seen missing the shot. Even though this was my very first shot, I was too afraid to play it, so I'm going to lean in and play my failure for you. This was recorded in January of 2019, before I knew anything about podcasting and I was just experimenting. Before we jump into it. I have 2 thoughts that would encourage you to embrace. #1 is the concept of TRYING: TEN STEPS TO INNOVATION! TRYTRY AGAINTRY ONCE MORETRY A LITTLE DIFFERENTLYTRY IT AGAIN TOMORROWTRY AND ASK FOR HELPTRY TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN HELPTRY TO FIX WHAT IS NOT WORKINGTRY TO EXPAND WHAT IS WORKINGJUST KEEP TRYING UNTIL YOU SUCCEED   #2 is to frame life as an experiment. How can you fail if this is just an experiment. Life is often like a vast experiment, a perspective that holds profound truth. Like an experiment, life is filled with hypotheses, trials, errors, and results—each phase a critical component of the journey. This analogy beautifully mirrors our own experiences, where each attempt, each 'try and try again,' becomes a stepping stone to unforeseen outcomes and valuable lessons.

My special guest today is Chris Sinsel, inventor of Efficient Fittings, the universal sprinkler fitting. FREE SAMPLE HERE >> Free Sample Form  "You know, I wanted to make something universal, and I needed something for a 3/4" sprinkler head and a 1/2" sprinkler head. So I was taking measurements because, and I screwed a 1/2" sprinkler head onto a fitting completely tight and went to take measurements. I realized you only use approximately half the threads on that fitting. And for some reason I just had this idea that I wonder if I could fit that 1/2" threaded portion into a 3/4" inch sprinkler head and see if that worked."

Three irrigation contractors walked into a bar...   3 irrigation contractors, experts in their field, decided to unwind at a local microbrewery after a long day's work. As they sipped their IPAs, they couldn't help but carry their profession into their leisure time. "Did you guys see the irrigation as you walked in," asked the first contractor. "It looked like trunk slammers put that system in". "I don’t know, it's probably due to the crappy soil in this part of town," said the other contractor. "Really? I always thought the soil was pretty descent around here." "Let's make a bet," boasted the 3rd contractor, always confident in his soil identification skills. "I bet the soil outside this brewery is loamy,"  The second, with a smirk, disagreed. "No way, it's definitely sandy soil. I can tell just by looking at the plants growing out front." The third, not one to be left out, chimed in, "You're both wrong. That's classic clay soil if I've ever seen it, just look at all that runoff". The banter continued until they decided to settle the bet: whoever was right would get free beer for the night. Excited, they stumbled outside, each scooping up a handful of soil. But as they examined their findings, they could not agree – each was convinced their assessment was correct. In a twist of professionalism, they decided to send a sample to a testing lab for an accurate analysis. The suspense was intense as they had to wait A WEEK for the results. Finally, by the next Friday, the lab results arrived, and to their astonishment, they were ALL wrong. The soil was a Unique mix, unlike any of the types they had argued for. A smirk of astonishment filled their faces as they realized not only their shared mistake, but also that no one would win the free beer!

My Philosophy     "I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon if I can.   I seek opportunity – not security. I will refuse to be a kept citizen, to be humbled and dulled by having my state and nation look after me.    I want to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed – never to be numbered among those weak and timid souls who have known neither victory nor defeat.   I know that happiness can come only from the inside through hard constructive work and sincere positive thinking.   I know that the so-called pleasures of the moment should not be confused with a state of happiness. I know that I can get a measure of inner satisfaction from any job if I intelligently plan and courageously execute it.   I know that, if I put forth every iota of strength that I possess – physical, mental, spiritual – toward the accomplishment of a worthwhile task ere I fall exhausted by the wayside, the Unseen Hand will reach out and pull me through.   Yes, I want to live dangerously, plan my procedures on the basis of calculated risks, to resolve the problems of everyday living in a measure of inner peace.   I know if I know how to do all this, I will know how to live and, if I know how to live, I will know how to die."     H.B. "Pat" Zachry Founder, H.B. Zachry Company Sept. 27, 1901 - Sept. 5, 1984   A pioneer of a futuristic construction systems, first used to build Hilton Palacio del Rio.

Andy: Hello, all you listeners out there in podcast land. I hope everybody's having an amazing day after Thanksgiving. This episode is going out to the world on Friday, which is the day after Thanksgiving. So I hope everybody had an awesome, relaxing end of season, sort of speak in our world and a season day after Thanksgiving. And this is, we're coming into a big week next week, which is the annual irrigation conference called the IA show. Technically it would be the irrigation association annual conference and at the conference, I will be. Not at a booth or anything formal, but demoing some technology that I've been working on for this last year, which is a long range wireless soil moisture sensor. And if you are able to join us Tuesday evening, which is the night before the show, I will have plenty of sample. And for those interested to join the beta group, some beta devices. And I thought. What better way to prep for next week than to have another discussion with my good friend, Paul Bassett, who has been helping to advise on the development of the sensor [00:02:00] and, uh, the entire, uh, let's call it a project, the entire project. So Paul, welcome back to the podcast. Oh, Paul: thanks for having me, Andy. And I can't wait to be one of the first beta users and testers of of this technology. It's been something that our industry's been needing for. Since its inception. So this is going to be one of those technologies that hopefully everyone's going to embrace because it's now going to have the soil moisture sensing, right? In the palm of your hands. Andy: That's good in the palm of your hand. When, while he's saying Paul saying that I have one in the palm of my hand and what's pretty awesome too, is I would say you are one of our industry's beta testers. You know, there's a probably just a handful, maybe there's more than a handful, but there's a few people that have always had a liking to test new products and seek out new products in just that early adopter sort of way. And you are definitely one of them. And this is not your first time, this will not be your first time beta testing soil moisture sensors because you've actually been testing them for, you know, 20 years at this point. At least Paul: 20 years for sure. And I remember when, when baseline. First came out with their control system and their soil moisture sensors. And I was ecstatic back then and still to this day on how the technology works. And I really like the taking the wired soil moisture sensor readings and converting it over to now a wireless reading, which is just phenomenal being able to transmit. Out of the ground, what the soil moisture is without a Andy: wire and to be able to try to connect the dots, so to speak, in terms of hand. No, it just rained. Let me quickly check my app and [00:04:00] see what that did to the soil profile, right? Or, you know, we adjusted some run times. I had the crew adjust some run times. Let me take a look at the app and see what that did to the moisture profile. I think that most of the time when we set a schedule on a controller, start time, run time, day of the week, it's an educated guess, right, using whatever tools we have ability at that moment in order for us to determine what the run time should be to apply the right amount of water. But there is never been really a tool, I shouldn't say never, there are some, but there's not a universally available tool that anyone could use to then see the results of. What did that adjustment from 30 minutes to 45 minutes look like, or from one hour to 30 minutes? What is it actually doing to the soil? There isn't a universal tool available that anyone can use easily and affordable to start learning. Paul: And I like what, what you've done by taking on this particular project and Finding the latest technology that's available and using the, that technology and intertwining it with soil moisture sensors, specifically, most folks aren't really aware of, you know, how this frequency transmits and how it was received and how it gets moved from the device into the palm of your hand. Why don't you tell us how that Andy: works? Yeah, there's a stack. We won't go right now all into all the details, but there's a stack of of different technologies that when you stack it together, the data basically passes through the stack and it is delivered to you in the web browser on the phone or the computer. So the device pings through a gateway, either private or public. Then it goes up to a network server and the network server passes it to an application server. Then the application server is what pushes it to the U. I. So one data point, one point of moisture has to pass through all [00:06:00] those little channels along the way in order for the user to then see it on their device. And that's been, uh, I wouldn't say it's a challenge, but it makes what seems, it makes what seems so simple, actually quite technical under the hood. It is Paul: very technical under the hood, Andy, for sure. And the way you describe it. Andy: Yeah, and you gotta sort of learn each of those, each of those, you have to learn each of those, um, pieces of technology. Because it's not just one of them. And so one of the things that I've done is, you know, gathered a group of people together, i. e. you as one of the advisors and, uh, and Nate as as an engineer, uh, and then a whole slew of other people that are sort of experts in their line of work. So it might be it's the network server developer, or it's the application server developer, or it's the hardware engineer, or it's the application developer. Um, you know, designer of the actual, uh, capsule, if you will, the hexagon. So there's kind of had to have been a T there's a whole team that's sort of working on this project, uh, to move data from the ground all the way up to the cloud or right into the palm of your hand. And what I think is pretty awesome. Is that where we, where we've landed started from an idea, you know, that you and I shared back in the spring where we kind of said, man, what would it, if sole moisture sensors were easy, what would that look like? And that's where we came up with this, you know, scan it, drop it, connect it. You know, you don't have to call anyone. You don't have to activate anything. You can just. Scan it, drop it and connect it. And, you know, so what people will, we'll see is that that is the trying to make it easy for the everyday person has been our goal and both affordable, [00:08:00] affordable and easy for the everyday person. So you can just. Grab one out of your truck, scan it, drop it, add it to your account, and you're off and running. Paul: Andy, it's phenomenal to hear that because it sounds like it's something that's been really needed in our industry to be able to have something this easy to deploy that it sounds like almost everybody could use it. It's not just for the professionals. Is that right? Andy: That's that's the goal. You know, there are products out there that have 10 X 100 X. The capabilities of what what I've been building because the The point of what I've been trying to build is something that's for everyone. Not something that is extremely scientific, not something that's research grade, not something that has to be connected to a control platform, but just a soil moisture sensor for the everyday user so they can have the tool to learn. So they can have the tool to see what happens as a result of their watering patterns. And I really think that that's a missing, a missing piece is that we don't, we are not able to connect the dots on what happens when you apply the water. We apply the water and then we We imagine what happens to it, and then we make some assumptions based on the health of the plant material. If the plant material is not healthy, then we make another assumption of I either over watered or I under watered, but we don't have a good tool to actually learn about the health. The application or precipitation rate, you know, and as it relates to the runtime on what you do. And so I think that, you know, somebody might say, I don't know really where I want to use this sensor. It's like, well, just go put it somewhere and you'll quickly have some data that will make you more curious. And you'll want to put another one in another spot because you'll get even more curious and then you'll start bringing in more data. You'll start learning and then you'll become. Over time, a better [00:10:00] irrigator because you have the, you know, cause and effect, so to speak, Paul: and, and to one of the things that I've learned through the knowledge lab that you've been working on is that, you know, this, this information that you're displaying, you're putting it in a way that It's easy for people to see it and understand it and ingest it. It's not in major graphs and very hard to see. So that's one of the things that I've really been encouraged about by the way that you're displaying the information on the application. Andy: Yeah. Again, right. It's gotta be easy and understandable and ideally in the palm of your hand, you know, the sensor in the palm of your hand and the data in the palm of your hand and I'm pretty excited about, uh, The level, let's see, how do I say this, the, I'm pretty excited about the level that the application is at for beta, you know, I think that, um, you know, a lot of products come to market as beta and they really are at level one, you know, maybe it's just one, just one graph and it's very simple, but what, uh, What the users will see in the, in the first beta launch is actually a lot of additional features in the software, um, such as notifications, users can set up an email notification that if the soil reaches a certain threshold equal to or greater than equal to or less than, et cetera, they can get an email notification, uh, right in the beta, in the beta version. That is a good, Paul: you're right. I did when you showed that to me, I was like, wow, I mean, it doesn't feel like it's irrigation technology. It doesn't, it's so much different in the way that you're able to bring it into the irrigation field, [00:12:00] um, with this technology is, is really astounding. Andy: And that's, it's interesting that you mentioned that because technology by itself would not be for any one industry because the technology is simply the technology. And so in this instance, it's about taking the technology that's available in the, in the greater world. But then applying it to our industry, using it. Um, you know, such like, uh, for instance, if the user would rather not have an email notification, but would rather have that notification run into a slack channel that they're on. That's totally possible. You know, we can send a notification when the soil moisture sensor reaches a certain threshold and send that notification through slack Paul: and forgive me for being one of the older guys on this call, but I don't use slack and I don't even know what it is. Well, Andy: you use Microsoft's version of Slack, which would be called teams. Okay. Uh, even though they're different, they're similar Slack, you know, predates teams, but, uh, you know, Slack is like, is like a chat communication tool with additional features and threads, uh, similar to Telegram. I know you use Telegram Slack would be similar and used by, you know. Used a lot by corporate America now to message with, with teams and update teams kind of like in a, uh, more efficient way than sending emails, sort of speak. And then how does it? Yeah, another modern tool, I guess. That's why I'm Paul: mentioning it. Tell me when you say that, because, you know, again, how does it interact with this, this slack? What do you, how do you Andy: set this? Yeah, I mean, the beauty of slack is let's say you've got a group of 20 people on a slack channel. And they can all be notified in Slack channel if the soil moisture reaches a certain point, right? So it's just, you know, there's a million different types of examples like that, uh, where you can take data from one source connected to another source. [00:14:00] Um, yeah. Paul: And when you're talking again, it doesn't feel like we're talking irrigation and that's what I like about what you're doing is you're bringing in technology that's not within the irrigation field and you're tying it into our application. So. That's another thing which really amazes me that you've done. Andy: Yeah, cool. Thank you. It'll be interesting. I'm really curious to see what users, number one, do with it. Where do they want to put it? What do they, what do they learn from it? What, uh, you know, what light bulbs go off for them that they didn't know before? And... Those kinds of insights will be helpful in order to, uh, improve, you know, the project, improve the product, the project to figure out which areas, you know, maybe need more focus, both from perhaps the data collection perspective, but also so that I don't have to assume what the users want. Because we need the users to use it to tell us, you know, the reasons and the places and what they need so we can build that. Paul: Well, you know, the use cases that I've started understanding when, when you came to me with this technology was that, you know, when I have a bunch of controllers out there and I'm manning to them and, you know, we have rain sensors on, they're supposed to shut them down when it rains. But we really. The settings aren't great, and you don't really have any feedback loop on those on the, uh, the rain sensor. Like, I don't know what the rain sensor set at. Is it a quarter inch? Is it an eighth of an inch? Um, and then sometimes we have to rely on remote weather stations, and I don't really ever find trust those when it rains or doesn't. So I really needed the ability to understand how the water is being applied at the site level. And I need to know when it [00:16:00] rains, what does the rain do to the moisture that I can shut the system down? So that's where I've been extremely interested in in these devices, having that capability and insight. Into what happens not only when an irrigation cycle applies the water, but what happens when it rains and how long does that take that rain to get to the moisture level in the soil that I don't need to operate my irrigation system. Andy: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Yeah. I like just thinking about what you're saying. It's almost like, uh, those who are curious will really like. We'll probably have a great experience with the sensor because it allows them to say something such as I wonder what happens when blank, you know, fill in the blank. I wonder what happens when it rained yesterday. What did that do? Which you don't have the visibility right now. Rain sensor clicks off, but it doesn't give you any data. It's it's just a switch. But there's there's there's no data coming out of it. Speaking Paul: of switches, I know you and I don't want to get ahead of myself because there's a lot of things that you talk about in your mind that goes on with With regards to what's next and what can you do, but I know you and I've had some discussions about, you know, having this sensor tie into a local like switch in the controller, like a rain switch where that you can suspend that. irrigation cycle on the standard controller with a rain sensor type switch that connects directly to the application. Is that what I heard? Andy: Right. Yep. Uh, yeah, we can hit that for a moment. So I think in any, as soon as, as soon as you have one idea and one idea becomes a product, then all of a sudden it unlocks more things. Okay, great. We can measure the moisture, but then, well, how do we? Turn the controller off or keep the controller off. Well, we need something tied to the controller. Okay, what can we tie to the [00:18:00] controller? Well, we need some type of a receiver switch that can open and close the rain sensor terminal since that's the controllers, you know, external device connection. So if we can open and close a rain sensor terminal, then we can. pause or suspend the controller. So, you know, the idea is, uh, and I guess I'll just share it is after, you know, after the, the, the hex moisture sensor is, you know, finalized beta, et cetera. Then the idea is to have a smart switch and a smart switch would be a universal controller adapter that can be used in combination with the soil moisture sensor or really anything else. Potentially in the world that's connected to the cloud, whatever that device might be, we can connect it to our smart switch, I. E. And then connected to the irrigation controller. So you could suspend the irrigation for any other possible reason, because now the smart switch is connected to the cloud. So, yeah, keep your, uh, keep your eyes open for that one, guys, because that, that, the smart switch would work with or without a soil moisture sensor. It may be the connection to the controller for a soil moisture sensor, but you could use it, you could just use it as a remote control off switch if you want. Now, now that I think about it, Paul: well, Andy, I know, you know, all the things that you're thinking of there are extremely interesting to me, you know, I'm very curious with technology. So I'm glad you're able to, you know, bring this to market, um, and take some of your ideas and it helped enhance and save water in the irrigation industry. Andy: Yeah. Appreciate having the number one beta tester in my back pocket. Paul: Well, I'm the one that's very curious. Andy: Yeah, and so guys if you are curious and you're listening to this prior to the IA show it starts next week Uh, meet up with Paul and I, we're going to have, uh, you know, get some people together with OpConnect on Tuesday [00:20:00] evening. Uh, and then again, you can join me at the baseline brew crew if you haven't registered for that on Wednesday. Uh, but Tuesday I'll have some, I'll have some beta units of the, of the sensor and the application. So if you want to get involved and participate and be curious and join in on the project. Would love to have you. Yeah. Look forward to meeting anyone who wants to come out and say hello at the show. Paul: Well, I'm anxious, Andy, for sure, to be able to get more of these out in the field and, and test them and see what's happening in my soils. Andy: Cool. Right on. Well, thank you, Paul, for the little, uh, the little brain share, and thank you for your support and, uh, being a fantastic advisor, uh, to me and the project really appreciate it. Paul:I'm probably your number-one cheerleader. There's no doubt about that. Andy: Thanks, man. I'll see you. Next week and, uh, catch everybody else, uh, catch you guys next week on another episode of the sprinkler show. See ya