JamesInTahoe

@BillDA @wtogami I've used this brand for several years, never had an issue - 3 switches that control exterior outlets for roof heat tape, 3 smart plugs like these that run fans.

@wtogami I’ve had good luck with these Kasa Matter Smart Plug w/ Energy... amazon.com/dp/B0BYGMR4DX?…

I was quoted $10,000 to install two dehumidifiers in my crawlspace. I saved $7,500 by designing a DIY custom crawl space dehumidification system with Claude 🤑 I am not an HVAC professional. Here’s how I did it. Our story begins with the discovery that our new home needed a dehumidifier installed in the crawl space to prevent mold. The professionals told me it would cost $10k, since I’d need one unit on each end due to the size of the space, plus a second drain line installed. “Can’t we just use fans to move the humid air from one side toward the dehumidifier?” They wouldn’t do that. Enter Claude… I uploaded a floor plan of my crawl space and air volume dimensions, telling Claude what I was trying to do. It researched the best dehumidifier sized appropriately for my air volume (100 pints apparently). Found me the best price - $1,500. Now it was time for fans 💨 I had originally envisioned the single dehumidifier at one end of the space, with fans on the opposite end. Claude taught me that would just draw more moist outdoor air in through the vents on that side, creating a linear flow through the crawl space. Instead it modeled the air flow and suggested a circular vortex with 4 fans, one on each wall, in a circle. That sucks in minimal outdoor air, keeping cool dry air circulating. I told it to research appropriate fans. It found four 20” sealed bearing fans on Amazon (impervious to dust), with DC drive motors (more energy efficient than AC apparently). $120 each. 🔌 It told me to buy a smart plug for each fan and a few internet connected humidity sensors. Another $200. Claude mapped where to install everything in the crawl space. Here’s how it works - the humidity sensors monitor the crawl space air continuously. If it ever exceeds 60% humidity, the smart plugs switch on all 4 fans, circulating the air in the crawl space past the dehumidifier until the humidity is below 50% 🔃🔃🔃 Total cost ~$2,500 for everything and one Saturday of work for me. I saved $7,500 vs. the original quote because I didn’t need two dehumidifiers, and Claude tells me my version is nearly twice as energy efficient. Plus I learned a ton about my home and had fun. I didn’t know anything about dehumidifiers, fans, or air flow dynamics before starting. AI can do so much more than write code - the applications are endless.

@jennyrozelle Whether the regulation is good or bad, the logic of the decision seems weak if the blanket $10k cash reporting requirement for banks is valid.

Update: A US Disctrict Court judge in Texas has struck down the FinCEN Residential Real Estate Rule that just went into effect on March 1, 2026. The decision in the case (Flowers Title Companies, LLC v. Bessent) came only last week. FinCEN has not yet released a statement on this ruling.

What I owe in taxes is governed by Fed/State law. TT is asking me questions and advising me of my legal obligations based on my answers. If that isn't practicing law, how is what an AI chatbot does practicing law? And per Citizens United, the 1st Amendment does apply to companies. So a company operating an AI chatbot has 1st Amendment rights - the scope of those rights may be up for debate, but a blanket statement that the 1st Amendment only applies to humans is simply wrong.

@W6THO @jennyrozelle Turbo tax isn't practicing law when it helps you with your taxes. And given that the 1A isn't a defense to humans committing UPL, it won't be for AI. Nor is AI a person with a right to 1A protections.

Historically, unauthorized practice of law (UPL) enforcement has been sparse. But as chatbots, online platforms, and non-attorney professionals expand access to legal help, the line between permissible and prohibited feels increasingly arbitrary. Either enforcement needs to catch up and give us meaningful guidance, or the rules themselves need to evolve.

@Eli_Albrecht Ask Claude? Sorry, couldn't resist.

I have a friend selling her business for $1.5M - $2M. don't typically do stand alone deals that size (only add ons). What is a typical sell-side broker fee for a deal like that?

@StockMarketNerd Given that every public company closes its books monthly, this doesn't really save companies much effort. It just gives investment firms who can get non-public data (channel checks, etc.) even more of an advantage over retail investors.

👎

This is driven by insurance. We live with this in CA for all homes, not just new build (although really no enforcement yet where we live). I'm sure it helps some, but based on the fires here, the reality is that in a wind-blown fire none of this matters unless you've got a firetruck parked in your driveway.

Austin is poised to be a top 3 city in America if we can just get out of our own darn way... Gosh city policy is so so dumb.

@itsdannypereira Silicon fab (Micron, GlobalFoundries, IBM, etc.), advanced glass (Corning), aerospace/communications (L3, Saab), precision optics (a legacy of Kodak), etc.

@W6THO What are they making around there?

The future of American Manufacturing lives in the Midwest and The South

@bobbyfijan We're building "single family apartments".

Cottage Courts

@BillAckman @NYCMayor So the combined Fed and NY marginal tax rate for high value estates would be 90%?

.@NYCMayor Mamdani’s strategy appears to be to make NYC an unattractive place to live and to die.

@SinaiLawFirm Glad I'm not the only person who doesn't get this. Literally the last thing in the world I would want is a stranger living in my back yard. Okay for an in-law suit or something.

Why are there so many homes for sale with an ADU? What am I going to do with a detached two bedroom that’s taking up yard space? Rent it out? I bust my ass to finally buy a house to become a landlord? Why are people doing this?

@rossiadam Yet the tramp stamp lives on.

Wisdom comes too late for most men.

@jennyrozelle @Laura_W_Gieseke I think younger generations underestimate the traditional leaning of older generations to be married if they're living together.

@Laura_W_Gieseke Oh my gosh! 😂 First comes relationship, then comes moving in, and then comes “sooo … I think we’re going to get married…”

One thing that’s surprisingly common in estate law: Clients getting remarried in their 70s+. It happens way more than people realize.

When done well, it's great. When done poorly, it's business-killing. I've had both: - SiriusXM: Entire conversation was with AI, it understood my issue, offered a solution, and implemented the solution. Couldn't have been better. - Booking . com: Entire conversation was with AI, it couldn't understand my issue, asked what the issue was before transferring to a human, but couldn't understand the issue so I never got to a human.

Yesterday, I called a local upholstery cleaning business to get a quote on having some furniture and a rug cleaned. Given it was a Sunday, I assumed I’d leave a voicemail. Instead, an AI agent “answered” the phone. 📞 I would soon discover “she” had access to a CRM, appointment scheduling, price quoting, and contact tools - she perfectly and fully handled my call. After answering “hello” with a natural voice, she asked my name and why I was calling. She didn’t say she was AI, and it took me a beat to figure it out. I explained I needed five chairs and a rug cleaned. She asked guided follow-ups about size and stains. Once I answered, she said it back to me and instantly quoted me a price. I then said I wanted a change (updating the rug’s size). She quickly accommodated and confirmed the new request, and gave me a new quote, asking me if I wanted to book the service. I agreed and she went right to booking, asking my zip code (presumably for scheduling logistics). The first available appointment was too soon (today), so I asked if she had any time Thursday. She offered me the first available slot on Thursday, which worked. She took my home address and email addresses. When she read back the email address, I corrected one mistake; she fixed it, reading that back. My appointment was confirmed and, as soon as I hung up, I received both a text and an email outlining everything we talked about (time, price, address, what work would be done, etc.). It was a perfect interaction that only took a few minutes, and I left with an appointment booked. In the past, maybe I’d leave a message. Maybe they’d call me back. Maybe I’d call a competitor in the meantime. Instead, a patient and easy to interact with AI listened to my issue,, quoted me a price, made adjustments at my request, booked an appointment, and sent a follow-up email and text confirming the details. I left completely satisfied, all without interacting with another human. Incredible. Honestly, talking to her was already superior to talking to a person, and we all know it’s only going to get better. I’m not sure what this AI agent is worth to the SMB upholstery cleaning franchisee, but it’s meaningful: Huge personnel savings AND she’s revenue generating. And this tech was in a carpet cleaning franchise. smh Welcome to the future.

I suspect almost all brokers are low asset businesses, so they really aren't deep pocket defendants. They'll carry the minimum insurance required to comply with the law on top of requiring that the trucker add them as an additional insured. Maybe they'll put some effort into knowing who they're putting loads to. This sounds like mostly a nothingburger with some potential positives.

If the Supreme Court rules that brokers can be held liable for accidents, it will be a doomsday event for most brokers. We could see 90% of freight brokers wiped out due to nuclear lawsuits, which they are significantly underinsured to protect against. And it’s not accidents that happen from the decision forward, it’s any trucking accident that is currently in litigation.

@investing_law His passive-aggressive way of reprimanding you for taking a day off.

Was on an airplane today and sat next to someone doing something *worse* than watching videos w/o headphones. He spent half the flight angrily dictating voice notes reprimanding his employees. Not ideal for anyone involved.

@SMB_Attorney Think I'm confused by the "pretended to be a lawyer." Did she not know she was using ChatGPT? It's not like ChatGPT calls people out of the blue like someone trying to sell her a car warranty?

Who could have predicted this

@Eli_Albrecht This is one of those things that makes you wonder whether the internet would be a better place without Section 230?

I have heard from a few home services clients that there is Google Review extortion going on. A non-US person posts a 1-star Google review, then reaches out to offer their "services" to remove it if they are paid. Google, of course, is not helpful at all. Anyone else see this?

@StockMarketNerd Introducing Claude France - works 32.5 hours per week.

Maybe focus on better up-time before talking about curing every disease & making software engineering obsolete.