I guess everything old becomes new again. I built one of my first DIY projects with a 555 back in the early '80s, a variable windshield wiper delay for my car. Back then you only got that feature on really expensive cars so it was way cool to have it in a '74 Volvo wagon.

What does one do to reset a ismart outlet or smart switch?

Turn the circuit breaker off and on.

It was fun in its day, being the first sort of DIY HA gear and I used it for years. But there are certainly much better ways to automate a home now.