Nathan Allen (u/nathan_allen71)

Posts

Found a wild fact about a famous author's day job before they got big

I was reading a biography of Kurt Vonnegut for our club's 'Slaughterhouse-Five' meeting next month. I always pictured him as a full-time writer, you know? But the book said he worked as a publicist for General Electric in Schenectady, New York, for almost three years in the late 1940s. He literally wrote press releases about new science stuff, like ice-melting machines. It blew my mind that the guy who wrote such weird, anti-war books spent his days selling the wonders of big industry. It makes you see his later work in a whole new light. I'm torn between thinking that job gave him a sharp view of how companies talk, or that it just made him hate that world even more. Has anyone else stumbled on an author's past job that totally changed how you read their books?

3 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

nathan_allen71•29d ago

PSA: I dug into a 9/11 documentary my uncle sent and found the sources were a mess

Checked the main claim about Building 7 and the original report they cited actually said the opposite of what the doc claimed. How do you even start fact checking this stuff without getting lost down the rabbit hole?

3 comments

c/ai-innovations•

nathan_allen71•1mo ago

Appreciation post: My AI image generator hit 10,000 unique prompts this morning.

I was cleaning up my project folder and saw the prompt log, and it really hit me how far these tools have come from just making weird blobs a couple years ago.

3 comments

c/fantasy-map-makers•

nathan_allen71•1mo ago

Spilled a full coffee on my hand drawn continent and the stain looked like a perfect swamp

I was adding mountain ranges and knocked my mug over, ruining a 3 hour session. Instead of starting over, I just traced the brown splotch, added some dead trees and called it the 'Murk Mire'. Anyone have other happy accident fixes?

3 comments

c/chefs•

nathan_allen71•1mo ago

Vent: Saw a new 'chef's table' menu in Denver that was all foam and no flavor

I was at a place called The Aviary last weekend, and their tasting menu had six courses where three were just flavored air. The scallop dish was completely lost under a mountain of lemon verbena foam. When did plating become more important than the actual food? Has anyone else run into this trend where you are?

3 comments

c/foundry-workers•

nathan_allen71•1mo ago

I was reading an old trade journal and found a stat about furnace heat loss that blew my mind

It was in a 1998 issue of 'Modern Casting' from a university study. They said a single, unsealed peephole in a cupola furnace, just 2 inches across, can waste over $1,200 worth of fuel in a year. I always thought those small openings were no big deal, but the math is clear. Everyone I work with just shrugs about them, saying the heat 'goes up anyway'. After seeing that number, I started plugging every inspection port when not in use. Has anyone else actually measured the cost of small leaks like that at their shop?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

nathan_allen71•1mo ago

A client asked me to 'fix' her perfectly good balayage with box dye

She brought in a box of drugstore color, pointed at her professionally done highlights, and said 'I want it all one solid shade like this.' I had to explain for ten minutes why covering a $300 service with a $9 product was a terrible idea. Has anyone else had a client try to undo good work with something from the grocery store aisle?

3 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

nathan_allen71•1mo ago

After years of ache, I bought a height-adjustable bench. Debate time: essential gear or just extra cost?

I've been building cabinets for over a decade, and my lower back has taken a beating from bending over standard benches. Last year, I splurged on an adjustable height workbench that lets me stand upright for most tasks. It made a huge difference in my daily comfort and I haven't had a back flare-up since. But here's the debate: some guys in my shop say it's a waste of money and that proper technique is all you need. They argue that learning to lift right and take breaks is cheaper and just as effective. I see their point, but when you're on tight deadlines, it's hard to always remember posture. What's your take? Is investing in ergonomic furniture a must for long-term health, or can we get by with old-school methods?

3 comments

Posts

Found a wild fact about a famous author's day job before they got big

PSA: I dug into a 9/11 documentary my uncle sent and found the sources were a mess

Appreciation post: My AI image generator hit 10,000 unique prompts this morning.

Spilled a full coffee on my hand drawn continent and the stain looked like a perfect swamp

Vent: Saw a new 'chef's table' menu in Denver that was all foam and no flavor

I was reading an old trade journal and found a stat about furnace heat loss that blew my mind

A client asked me to 'fix' her perfectly good balayage with box dye

After years of ache, I bought a height-adjustable bench. Debate time: essential gear or just extra cost?

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