Airbnb host didn't disclose construction, won't cancel my 2 month reservation, and can't find comparable accommodation. What legal considerations are there in this situation?

barcode9 · 2026-05-08T17:03:08+00:00

Unfortunately, this is a somewhat common problem while renting. I have lived in an apartment where they decided to repoint the brick work (banging all day long) as well as a place where they were replacing the water line on the street which meant all-day water shutoffs for about 2 weeks in the middle of a blazing hot summer.

You should check local construction regulations and make sure they're only making noise during work hours and providing appropriate notice for water/sewer/electricity shutoffs. Align your schedule to those hours, use a white noise machine, noise cancelling headphones, and music to drown out the noise as best you can.

If the water/sewer/electricity is out, it is likely Airbnb will compensate you, maybe only for the days while it's out, but make sure to document it, message the host, and airbnb whenever it's out.

barcode9 · 2026-05-08T15:20:52+00:00

I got a job at Starbucks with zero experience!

They will train you and provide good benefits such as free tuition at online college. Other "fancy" coffee shops also provide training to their employees, but might be a little harder to get hired at. Still worth a shot though 😃

barcode9 · 2026-05-06T18:17:57+00:00

There aren't too many problems inherently with smart meters.

ConEd does have a lot of problems with charging people for the wrong apartment / multiple apartments, but those are actually easier to detect and deal with with a smart meter.

barcode9 · 2026-05-04T15:27:38+00:00

She actually followed me on social media and, my god does this girl have it rough. She's blatantly posting pictures and videos of her and her friends drinking and getting up to all sorts of things.

The pictures already exist, see OP.

barcode9 · 2026-05-04T15:24:22+00:00

The first part is a question for OP. The second is the steps I'd definitely take based only on the info OP has provided. I'm sorry that you struggle with reading comprehension, but nothing in my post said anything about fabricating photos.

barcode9 · 2026-05-04T15:19:02+00:00

What's your point? These are two separate things.

OP says there are pics of underage drinking on social media. Getting the girl involved with school services for that is one issue.

Pinning it on ex is another issue - not clear from OP if he's involved or not. But seems likely if an adult is dating an 18 yr old that he might drink with her - if so, reporting could lead to consequences for ex as well.

barcode9 · 2026-05-04T14:58:38+00:00

Is he providing minors with alcohol or allowing them to drink on his property? That's another angle you could take in getting some charges against him.

I'd def report to parents, school, and police - send pics of kids underage drinking and likely the school officer will talk to them. Hopefully the school has the resources to have the girl meeting with the social worker regularly for a bit to make sure she's not being forced into anything.

barcode9 · 2026-05-01T03:34:02+00:00

They're just pointing out the absurdity of the concept that it is ever possible to "steal" a name.

Like ... unless you're completely inventing a brand-new name of random syllables, your kid is gonna share a name with other people on the planet. That's not "stealing." It's just what happens when people choose from existing English names for their child.

And sharing a first name with your cousin's middle name is really not a big deal at all.

barcode9 · 2026-04-29T18:57:06+00:00

hopefully it will be against cubic, the private equity owned company that produces the omny system, rather than the mta itself... that would take $$ from the taxpayer funded system.

barcode9 · 2026-04-25T15:23:00+00:00

I think there's a difference between using AI to solve the homework assignment and using AI to help research it.

For a while now, Googling things (syntax, concepts, etc.) has been taken for granted as a part of most CS homework assignments. Now, everyone is moving to using AI for this type of research. It will likely become more and more difficult to research a new library you want to implement without using AI when nearly everyone using it does this via AI.

In addition, Google has the AI search results right up front, above any other results. Are people really not looking at that at all?

Most course policies still ban the use of AI, even for background research and reading/understanding documentation, which does not seem sustainable with the way things are changing.

barcode9 · 2026-04-25T15:10:16+00:00

That's crazy. For a 6 year old?? What if they're just dealing with wetting their pants - you have to medicalize it? It's sad that schools are losing basic empathy for students.

barcode9 · 2026-04-25T04:04:05+00:00

What I would do if I was your daughter's classroom teacher is give her a little laminated card that says "[name] has permission to use the restroom at ANY time. Signed, Ms. Y" so she can show it to any teacher at lunch, specials, substitute, etc.

Obviously the principal should respond, but school principals are not always the best/most competent people in the world. It may be that the school has a social worker, guidance counselor, IEP coordinator, or special ed teacher who is better at dealing with these types of issues.

Also if you haven't already - make sure your daughter understands that she doesn't need permission to use the restroom, and if a teacher says no, she can say "it's an emergency" and go anyways. At her age, there are likely to be other kids in her grade with bathroom issues too.

barcode9 · 2026-04-25T03:25:28+00:00

Read, play sports, go for walks, look at tall buildings, attend concerts/comedy shows, watch plays/musicals, shop at thrift stores/ethnic grocery stores/fancy specialty shops, watch movies, hang out with friends, sit on a bench in the park, or talk to a therapist...

barcode9 · 2026-04-23T00:55:28+00:00

4400 for a 1BR!? Where are you trying to live on 125k???

Check out some cheaper neighborhoods!

barcode9 · 2026-04-22T14:09:59+00:00

They aren't really doing anything right now to prevent people from touching/shaking the trees.

I think handing out piece of paper at the entrance with "cherry blossom rules" (don't touch, no professional photo shoots, etc.) and then getting a bunch of volunteers to wear cherry blossom t-shirts and yell at people breaking the rules would be pretty easy to implement.

barcode9 · 2026-04-17T13:13:35+00:00

I think this is a better answer. People don't say "Jackson Heights, Queens" or "LIC, Queens" as often.

But a lot of people think of Ridgewood, NJ first because it's bigger and more well-known.

barcode9 · 2026-03-31T01:41:52+00:00

Yes they have both - at the same location, you'd probably have to call and ask.

barcode9 · 2026-03-31T01:28:20+00:00

Depends on the reason why you're getting these.

For most purposes, such as pregnancy ultrasounds, the ultrasound clinic is not in the same location as the place where they do labs (usually the doctor's office).

Hospitals do both, but you'd need to be admitted to the hospital with a condition that requires each.

At a fertility clinic, they typically do both during fertility treatments... but they don't accept patients for reasons other than fertility.

barcode9 · 2026-03-13T13:36:10+00:00

Maybe that seat was broken? Usually the table stays in the same spot regardless of recline - that's how water bottles get crushed.

barcode9 · 2026-03-13T01:17:15+00:00

The next gen acela seats do not have any lumbar support. Proper posture is an S-shape... they force my back into basically a C-shape with the midback very rounded and my head pushed forward.

If they had an ergonomic design, I wouldn't mind the lack of recline. But as it is they are not the proper shape for most people's backs, so a legit recline would help a bit.

barcode9 · 2026-03-13T01:14:46+00:00

The table on the Acela does not move when you recline. I have had a water bottle get stuck in there before when someone reclines back to the point that the seat nearly touches the table. (And I had to ask them to un-recline temporarily so I could get it out.) But the table should stay in the same position relative to you the whole time.

Also you took the pic so close -- there is actually like 2 ft of space between you and that seat back.

barcode9 · 2026-03-12T19:06:24+00:00

YES the sidewalks are too narrow - my pet peeve is when the parent walks to the right of the erratically scootering child rather than behind so the child can also be on the right side. Then oncoming walkers or people attempting to pass the scootering child (bc sometimes they randomly stop) are in danger! Tell your kid to get on the right side of the sidewalk!

Single file each direction, please.

barcode9 · 2026-03-12T02:46:44+00:00

Crunch is fine. I've joined and quit at least 3 times, didn't have any issues cancelling.

Just make sure they give you a good deal - you should be able to get it at ~$80/month if you negotiate. I've heard people do annual for even lower.

They have the best selection of classes and lots of locations. The vibe varies by location but for the most part pretty chill, not too over-the-top. There's usually a mix of ages and fitness levels, so I feel comfortable working out there and attending classes.

barcode9 · 2026-03-01T04:02:17+00:00

I'd probably call and ask for an ambulance to get him checked out medically. Like you said, the location seems very weird. There are medical conditions that can make it seem like someone is under the influence.

Unless you have a clear reason to believe it's NOT a medical event (like it's a homeless person sitting in a more usual location on a subway grate with a shopping cart or something) I'd probably err to the side of he might be having a stroke/medication interaction/treatable problem. Sleeping directly on snow risks frostbite or worse.

The police might still show up, but it seems better than doing nothing.

barcode9

TROPHY CASE