Found a cheap way to protect my old comics from sun damage

My Amazing Spider-Man #300 was fading on the shelf, so I tried using UV filtering window film from the hardware store. It cost about $15 and stopped the colors from washing out. Anyone know other ways to keep books safe without spending a ton?

Update: I bought a 'new' battery for my old iPod and it was a total dud

I found a seller online offering a replacement battery for my 5th gen iPod Classic for only $12. It arrived last month and looked fine, but after I installed it (which took me an hour, by the way), it held a charge for maybe 20 minutes. The seller vanished, so I'm out the cash and my time. I should have just paid the $35 for the known good brand my friend told me about. Has anyone else gotten burned by a super cheap part that seemed too good to be true?

Update: My ink experiment turned into a purple disaster on my desk

I was mixing a new batch in my kitchen last night, trying to get a deep plum color with a 3:1 ratio of a blue-black to a burgundy. The bottle slipped from my wet hands and shattered on the tile floor... sending about 30ml of concentrated dye everywhere. It looked like a crime scene. I spent the next hour on my knees with paper towels and rubbing alcohol, but the grout is still stained. Has anyone found a better cleaner for this kind of mess that won't ruin the floor?

I'm seeing a lot of guys skip the torque sequence on head gaskets lately

Watched a tech in our Denver shop just go in a circle, and that engine was back for a coolant leak within a month. What's the most important step you think people rush through?

Just hit 1000 haircuts in my book since opening my shop in Austin

Honestly, I didn't even realize I was close until I was updating my client notes last night. It hit me that I've done that many cuts in just under two years, mostly from regulars and their friends. It's a big deal because I started with just one chair and a lot of doubt. Has anyone else hit a number that made you stop and think about how far you've come?

Shoutout to the time I tried to make a giant cookie cake

I mean, I saw a picture online and thought, how hard could it be? I used my normal chocolate chip recipe but tripled it and baked it in a 14 inch pizza pan. It came out looking like a giant, crispy brown frisbee after 40 minutes. I learned that cookie dough spreads way more when it's that thick in the middle. Has anyone else tried this and gotten it to stay soft and chewy?

I thought our non-compete clause was clear. The lawsuit over it took 18 months to settle.

Showerthought: A shallow dish of water on the ground brought in way more birds than my fancy bath.

My elevated birdbath in Atlanta was getting zero action for weeks. I put a plain ceramic plant saucer on the ground near some bushes and filled it with an inch of water. Within two days, I had robins, cardinals, and even a shy brown thrasher using it. Has anyone else found ground-level water works better for certain species?

PSA: I lost about $40 on a bad bottle of 'mixable' ink

I got a bottle of 'InkCraft Base Blue' last month because the label said it was made for mixing. Tried to add a drop of a red sheening ink to make a purple, and the whole 60ml bottle just turned into a thick, cloggy mess. It ruined the ink and my favorite pen feed. Has anyone found a brand of base ink that actually plays nice with other stuff?

Watching a guy in Chiang Mai try to work from a cafe with a single power outlet for 12 people.

I think a lot of us forget to check the basic stuff like outlet count before we set up for the day, and it really messes with your flow when you have to fight for a spot or your battery dies mid-call, so what's your go-to method for scouting a good spot?