Tried training a small AI model on my own photos and got a weird surprise

I spent last weekend trying to teach a basic image generator to make pictures that look like my old film shots from a trip to Chicago. I fed it about 200 of my own scans, just using a free tool I found online. After a few hours, it started making images that were half my photos and half random stock images of skyscrapers I'd never seen. It learned my style but mixed in data from its base training in a way I didn't expect. Has anyone else had an AI blend your personal data with its pre-trained stuff like that? How do you stop it from adding things you didn't give it?

PSA: I used to draw every single bolt circle by hand on my boards...

For years, I'd plot each point and connect them, which took forever on complex assemblies. Last spring, a guy at the Denver trade show showed me how to use the 'Polar Array' tool in my CAD software. I set the quantity and angle once, and it's done in seconds. What other old manual steps have you guys automated lately?

My grandpa told me to always quench in used motor oil, not new

He swore it made a better hamon line on blades. I tried it on a camp knife last month and the temper line was way more defined. Anyone else have an old family trick that actually worked?

I saw a hawk take a hen at the county fair's poultry tent last fall, and now I'm torn on free ranging.

I used to think soap was a sin for cast iron, but a 90-year-old skillet changed my mind

For years I avoided any soap, just hot water and salt. Then I bought a rusty Griswold from a flea market in Cincinnati. The guy selling it said his grandma washed it with dish soap after every meal for 70 years. I restored it, and now I use a drop of regular Dawn with a soft sponge. The seasoning is rock solid, no metallic taste. It convinced me the 'no soap' rule is for old lye-based soaps, not modern ones. Anyone else make the switch after a similar find?

Someone told me my 'forgotten games' list was just the same old stuff everyone posts

I used to just list games like 'Jet Force Gemini' or 'Vagrant Story' that get talked about a lot. A user here, 'PixelPioneer', commented 'You're just listing the usual suspects, not the real deep cuts.' I started looking for stuff like 'Tail of the Sun' on PS1 or 'The Divide: Enemies Within' on PC. What's a game you think is truly forgotten, not just underrated?

Hot take: I switched from a big bank to a local credit union for my main checking

I got tired of the $12 monthly fee at my old bank just to keep my account open. Last week, I opened a checking account at First Community Credit Union here in town. The process was quick, and they don't charge a fee if I keep at least $500 in the account. So far, the mobile app works fine for deposits and transfers. Anyone else made a switch like this and noticed better service?

I went with a full concrete footer on a vinyl fence job and people thought I was nuts

Honestly, I had a client in Grand Rapids who wanted a 6-foot vinyl privacy fence on a slope. Everyone around here says to just use driven posts with a spike, especially for vinyl, because it's faster and cheaper. The other option was digging and setting in gravel, which is the normal way. I pushed for a third option: a 12-inch wide, 36-inch deep concrete footer for every single post. The client agreed, but my crew thought I was wasting a whole extra day and like $400 in extra concrete. Tbh, we finished it last fall, and that fence hasn't moved a millimeter with all the freeze-thaw cycles we get. The posts are rock solid, no wiggle at all. Has anyone else ever gone that overboard on a vinyl install and been glad they did later?

Finally got that weird hum out of the gearless unit at the old library building

Spent three days last week on a 1980s Otis, and the sound was driving everyone nuts. Turns out it was a slightly worn motor coupling that only vibrated at a specific speed. Anyone else run into a noise that was super specific like that?

Just flushed $300 down the drain on a 'miracle' LED mask

Bought one of those high-end facial LED devices after seeing all the hype online. Used it religiously for two months and saw zero difference in my clients' skin. Anyone have a legit, proven light therapy device they actually trust?