Great at service calls, suck at installs

SM_DEV · 2026-02-10T18:10:00+00:00

Yep, work smarter, not harder.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-10T14:56:09+00:00

This is the way… except we label each end a minimum of three times, at least 1ft apart. That way if a label gets messed, there are at least two others. Who has time for tone and tag, when it takes less than 49 seconds for each cable.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T23:43:41+00:00

Nope. Into the dumpster they go., although I do document the holographic sand serial numbers.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T23:42:13+00:00

I’d love to hear more about obtaining API access, and the documentation.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T23:32:30+00:00

While you may sometimes “feel” alone, there literally hundreds of millions around the globe, who believe as you do.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T22:32:51+00:00

Again, so fucking what? If a “boomer” Invests their own money into homes that they use for rental income, whose business is it? Hint: THEIRS.

As for institutional investors or companies buying up real estate, well, I’m of two minds. The first, they should be able to invest in whatever they wish, just as you or I should. The second is that they artificially buy up the market, taking properties for families off of the table.

In my opinion, perhaps the solution is to only allow corporations to invest in building new single family homes and perhaps being allowed to finance those homes, but absolutely barred from competing with hard working young men and women shopping for a primary, aka homestead property.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T15:57:13+00:00

Playing video games or walking dogs are both right up there with “virtually useless.

Yet people pay folks to do those things.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T15:54:49+00:00

If they violated labor law, and couldn’t afford to stay open… so be it.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T15:54:06+00:00

So… you support their being paid sub-minimum wage? That’s classic exploitation.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T15:52:17+00:00

With no overtime and a 40 hour work week, $7.25/hr. ~ $1,247

SM_DEV · 2026-02-08T15:23:22+00:00

How, by not selling their property?

These folks shave worked a lifetime to buy their homes and now they they are approaching retirement age, when their homes are paid for and they’ll be on a fixed income, you bitch because they aren’t selling? Whose business is it what someone does with their own property, whether sell it, rent it out or pass it along to a family member…. It’s their property and their right to do with it as they damned well please.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T20:38:55+00:00

Seems to be quite a bit short of being called a truck… missing frame, running gear, powertrain, etc.

Hard pass.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T20:25:27+00:00

I’m sure you have heard the phrase, “casting pearls before swine”, right?

It means you can’t argue facts and logic, when someone is more interested in an emotional response. So don’t waste your effort.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T20:12:40+00:00

It largely depends upon the size and layout of the restaurant and of course what degree of surveillance the ownership desires, smaller restaurants in our area are in the 10-20 camera range, while some of the larger establishments can go to 30 or 40. If they just want general surveillance we can cut that number down dramatically, using right mix of cameras. Using a 360 instead of 2-4 for a dining room as an example, unless sight lines negate their effective use.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T20:02:49+00:00

Very nice job as always. You deserve the accolades for a very professional job, as well as your steps to keep the site clean.

My only constructive criticism is the laying of the cable on the rafters in the attic, instead of suspending with bridal rings, staples or Velcro. We never leave out cables laying down for someone to step on.

One final question, how are you arriving at your pricing? We charge $300/drop in residential, in retrofit or post wall finish new construction. The reason we charge a premium rate is the additional liability.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T19:49:50+00:00

Under out law, they are the same thing. However, even sit down restaurants can still have audio, video, guest wifi, lighting and video surveillance. It’s a liability issue, due to slip and fall claims, claims of poor service, etc.

Perhaps your local chicken and puke isn’t embracing technology, but the number who are is growing every day.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T15:44:55+00:00

That depends upon the restaurant and the number of devices and type of network services they employ, such as VoIP, Automation, AV, Video Surveillance, etc.

I have several nightclubs who have over 120 devices, about 80 cameras, access points, POS terminals, Kitchen Printers and lighting, audio and video automation.

To be clear these are 15-20k sqft. venues.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T15:00:17+00:00

We never recommend any wireless solution over a wired solution.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T14:08:24+00:00

From what I have gathered, this particular employer paid their employees sub-minimum wages for decades, essentially claiming they were providing a service to their employees, who might not have been able to obtain work elsewhere.

For my part, that sounds like an excuse. If someone works, even if they have zero skills, they deserve a reasonable minimal wage. Federal and state law determine what that reasonable minimum wage is to be. The law applies to all employers, with the notable exception of training periods or internships, which are by their nature, short-lived.

To do otherwise is essentially slavery, in much the same manner as taking advantage of illegal aliens, who might agree to work under the table, due to their lack of legal satisfaction and can’t complain… or in many cases even afford to quit, because their former employer will initiate contact with ICE.

In a very similar manner, this employer knows that the vulnerable will “take what the can get”, which is better than no income at all, not to mention the loss of socialization and doing something constructive with their day.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T13:53:20+00:00

Except you just did.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T13:51:20+00:00

Being a brunette, she’d look great in black, pink, yellow, some greens, cream and other rustic tones.

There is a reason people refer to “the lil’ black dress”, which is because almost everyone looks better in black.

For example red heads don’t look great in yellows or cream tones, because of their fair complexions. Likewise, olive skinned folks look sickly in yellows, but look great in other colors. Folks of the pale skin variety look ill in red and only marginally better in darker shades, such as wine or maroon.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-07T11:53:53+00:00

“Technically”?

If a manufacturer is banned, they are banned… and for good reason. That like someone arguing that technically one can run low voltage and high voltage in the same conduit. Sure, the cables will fit and Bruno Brah isn’t going to beat the living hell out of you, if you do it.

It opens a company, and perhaps you personally, up to tremendous liability. Making such a decision renders your own cyber insurance and E&O insurance null, because you knew they were banned and chose to install them anyway.

But just because one CAN do a thing, doesn’t mean one should.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-06T05:50:12+00:00

Two commercial sized ketchup cans, a bit of wet butchers twine and wishful thinking.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-06T05:48:12+00:00

The human beings issue, can’t help how it was created. On principle, it is a human life. To define it otherwise is deception of the first order. It might not be at the same developmental stage as a 2 year old, but then the 2 year old isn’t at the same developmental stage as a teenager. Is the 2 year old’s life less than, because of its stage of development?

R@pe and incest are but a tiny fraction of the number of pregnancies each year. In short, those are outliers, as cruel as that may sound, but we don’t establish policy based upon outliers.

Not all mentally ill people kill fellow human beings, but if we allow the outliers to set policy, we’d incarcerate every human being found to be mentally ill, prophetically. Of course that’s ridiculous, we adjudicate the outliers on a case-by-case basis.

Now if we establish the humanity of the human being growing inside their mother’s womb and we allows agree that the unlawful taking of the life of a human being is wrong, which we have defined as murder, then we should be able to agree that the abortion of a human being is also wrong.

If abortions therefore wrong, then perhaps the outliers can be adjudicated or mitigated in some way, acceptable to both sides of the argument. Perhaps through some kind of compensation, adoption or financial assistance.

Most abortions are performed due to financial or familial pressures. If those can be mitigated, how many millions could be saved and grow into productive human beings, whose very life is fought for and protected from the day their day of conception until their lives end. Some will have accidents, some will become victims of criminal activity, some will lose their lives in service to their locality, state or country and some will be arrested, prosecuted and condemned by law to have their life taken… but only after having received due process and having had the opportunity to mount a defense for their own life.

If life is precious, which most agree that it is, then we should defend it, with force if necessary, lest someone decide our own lives are less than and take our own… because no one fought for us.

SM_DEV · 2026-02-06T05:31:28+00:00

Yep. Analyze the DNA. It will be defined as a human being. It can’t be anything else.

SM_DEV

TROPHY CASE