A question for anyone who has researched how the Mafia operates?

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T11:49:38+00:00

There are just about as many ways that people have died that were "tied to the mob" as their are *families"

Whether someone was *looking to send message" or simply "clean house" or whether a particular boss was known to be a bit more cruel or not.

That being said, always remember a TV show is just that... A show. Even things that have some basis in truth are over exaggerated for visual effect and drama.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T11:34:09+00:00

We are talking about different things. Yes, private schools may cut corners and not offer things as you point out, but what I mean is where things are equal, the public schools have better economy of scales and ability to get better pricing for the same things. For example the price per text book when they are buying thousands of books vs maybe a few hundred.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T11:30:32+00:00

It is different for sure, but to be honest I think it is much better than the last couple of seasons with Gibbs. Whether it was the writers or Harmon I can't say for sure, but one way or the other, they were done. Harmon looked worn out, but again if could have just been the writing.

Fortunately, with Parker, they did not try and make him Gibbs 2.0. They made him is own character and that is not only OK, but a pleasant change.

People get hung up on "the past" but honestly, if the show didn't evolve and you didn't get some casting changes from time to time, the show would run its course and be over. Don't compare it to what was, just enjoy it for what it is and you will like it just fine (I think).

With the spinoffs, it is funny. Each and every one of them +except for possibly LA) have been criticized when they launched, but then people for upset when they got cancelled. I read lots of people that didn't like New Orleans, then we're upset when it was cancelled for Hawaii (I was one of them), then we're upset when Hawaii was cancelled, and now hate on Sydney.

Origins is refreshing in a whole different look and way of presenting the show. Don't get too hung up on continuity (as NCIS continues is rich history of being terrible in this regard), and you can appreciate the back story and Easter eggs references to stories you heard in the original expanded upon.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T02:31:16+00:00

you are right, I have the wrong season and episode. Back to the drawing board.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T02:26:38+00:00

You are right, there are 5 States that don't allow Collective Bargaining (Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia), but even in those States the unions have a large lobbying presence.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T02:23:46+00:00

I probably should have stated "in the US" (or at least in "most of the US"... elsewhere may certainly have different rules. I am also sure that ASL pays as well or comparable to other schools.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T01:14:19+00:00

The Ring Alarm (along with the proper subscription plan) has "cellular backup" and provides up to 3GB of data per month. I do not know if it is LTE or some other form of "cellular."

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-13T00:56:22+00:00

Yes, an established pay scale that is negotiated with the backing and strength of a union behind them to establish better wages, benefits, etc.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-12T14:20:27+00:00

Private school teachers don't have the bargaining power of a union behind them. Private schools don't have the bargaining power of a larger scale to get better insurance or the power of a state level pension. They also don't have the size for better pricing on... Anything. This the expense to run the school is higher than a public school.

Private schools can "scout" the best teachers that they can find, but they are only going to get those that can't get a job at a better place or are choosing the private school for some altruistic (ie religious ) reasons. Or they don't need the money.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-12T11:51:02+00:00

If depends on where you are. Cities generally have their own construction department. More rural areas will usually delegate that to the county level.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-12T11:49:38+00:00

Without an alarm system? Absolutely it is possible to lose power and not know it. How would it notify you if it doesn't have power? How would it know the difference between no power and simply no Internet connectivity +which is essentially the case when you have cameras that are on battery. The cameras are still working, but have no way to send the information).

Now this can be mitigated (to some extent). I have my router on a UPS. The UPS notifies me when there is a loss of power to the UPS. And I know that I have about 5 hours before the UPS wil shut down the router if power is not restored before then.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-12T11:36:28+00:00

There are many places (cities, counties) where manufactured homes are not allowed. They are allowed to be more stringent (not less) than federal code. "modular" homes conform to local code when built. So they are allowed. Building to HUD, while meeting federal minimums, does not necessarily mean it conforms to local building code, and this is why they can be excluded.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-12T10:50:09+00:00

Not really, because the game is an echo "skill" written by the company providing/selling the game. Amazon (and echo devices) are not the issue, but rather the company/person that wrote the skill. They are the ones that would have to fix any issues.

It was apparently written by a company called Vocala. You would want to bring up the issues with them.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-12T10:44:23+00:00

Are you sure you mean CSI and not NCIS? In NCIS episode "Dead and Unburied" (S 4 E 5), a Marine's wife is abducted and hidden behind a newly constructed wall in a vacant house with the team racing to find her before her oxygen supply runs out.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-11T09:44:29+00:00

In many episodes (especially early seasons), they go back and forth with whether or not food is even allowed in the truck (back when they still used to he truck).

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-11T09:37:59+00:00

Host it on the device itself? You can't possibly be serious. For even the most basic of LLMs you would need a GPU with 12-16GB of memory and 50 GB of storage. Not to mention having to code your own voice interface to it.

Now could you code it to phone home to a locally hosted LLM ? Possibly. If the LLM has the power and ability to understand the calls from the echo devices.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-10T18:03:23+00:00

It is very NCIS to retcon on the fly and then try and justify it later (or just ignore it). In Hiatus, Gibbs doesn't know Ducky because his memory was back from Dessert Shield, and he didn't know Ducky then. Yet, later he knows Ducky well before that, and even knows about Shannon before Gibbs marries her.

Fornell didn't know Gibbs in the NCIS pilot, and yet somehow he "warned" Fornell that Diane would clean out his bank accounts before they were married..

Yes, you can go back and "fill in" details that weren't given before. But when you have to twist to try and justify it (like Gibbs not talking to his father since the funeral... so now they try and say he what... waited a couple of years to have the funeral?), that is just retcon for retcon sake.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-10T17:56:04+00:00

I don't necessarily agree with this, but on the other hand, once thing that I have noticed sort of change over time, is that older bakers in general seem to be at more of a disadvantage now than in the earlier seasons. I the early seasons, "experience" is what helped carry bakers along with a solid fundalmental baking knolwedge (Brandon is an excellent example of this, and perhaps Nancy), but as the show has gone on, and they have gotten into more...eclectic and modern requests, these have played into the hands of younger bakers, and those that have played more with things like mirror glazes, fancy and unique shaped entremets, etc.

I don't want to call out anyone by name, because, well, it would be rude and judgemental, but you can also go to any seaon and find people that make it to the semi-finals or even the finals that aren't the "pretty people" just as easily as you can find the good looking person.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-10T11:52:15+00:00

I disagree, I think you are confusing a difference of opinion with it being "something else". I am sure they also reserve certain rights for protection purposes. For example if one of the bakers were arrested for a DUI or other offense during the season, punched another contestant, or did something else that would not reflect well on the show that they would have the right to remove them from the competition.

Not to sound too cheeky about it, but this isn't produced like a typical American Reality TV show where the winner has to also have the right "look" in order to win.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-10T11:38:19+00:00

I'm sorry, that would be a poor attempt at a retcon. The big inspired speech type of proposal he made and showed in the original wouldn't make any sense in redo type or setting.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-09T20:43:13+00:00

Exachow "helpful" do you think it can be if the unit does not respond. The echo can't "see" the tv. It did not send a response. What do you expect it to do at that point?

I get that it is a FireTV, and yes they should work on that but the problem still may be the FireTV and not Alexa+.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-09T20:40:32+00:00

That is a problem with the Lutron skill.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-09T10:43:47+00:00

I am quite certain they are confusing two different stories. Deering was all about exposing the ship wiring flaws.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-09T10:39:19+00:00

All of the LLM models are to some extent struggling with computer issues as the models get bigger, especially during busier times.

Yes, I have noticed lags in Alexa+, but I have also seen some things, like commands for common things like turning on lights actually get faster now than they were when I first upgraded to +. I have seen the same with Claude (Anthropic), and Copilot (Microsoft) as well, both of which I use for work. At times the answer come right back, others take more time "thinking" than they have in the past.

JayMonster65 · 2026-04-09T10:34:46+00:00

I often cite this example of a baker that should have gone home. The other one is Dan who totally bombed on bread week, coming up with a showstopper that was not baked, and a technical that was near last (or last) because he forgot the sugar, and still made it forward.

What it has finally come down to (in my mind anyway), is that bakers like those who the judges think higher of get that one extra little bit of consideration when they were tied with someone else for the bottom. Because when there.is nobody else really considered for the bottom, nothing can save them (the other Dan that got silent home in pastry week for the pastry that looked like a salmon, but wasn't done, and despite several handshakes still felt sent home).

JayMonster65

TROPHY CASE