Sage Allen (u/sagea88)

Posts

The shift in how we date pottery shards feels like night and day from 15 years ago

I used to spend hours matching rim profiles to published typologies from the 1960s (which never quite fit), but now I just snap a photo and run it through the ceramic database from the University of Arizona's lab. Anyone else notice how machine learning has basically replaced the old comparative method for common types?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

sagea88•4d ago

Tried networking events vs coffee chats for 6 months, coffee chats won by a mile

I forced myself to go to 5 networking events last year and got maybe 2 real conversations out of it. Then I switched to doing one 20 minute coffee chat a week with people in my field. After 3 months I had 3 job leads and actual advice on my portfolio. The events felt like handing out business cards into a void. Coffee chats let me ask specific questions like how they broke into project management at a firm. Has anyone else stopped going to big mixers and found smaller meetups way more helpful?

2 comments

c/broke-but-hobbying•

sagea88•4d ago

Stopped buying $25 sketchbooks and started using copy paper from work instead

I used to think I needed a nice spiral bound sketchbook to do decent drawings. Then my last $25 one filled up in two weeks and I couldn't afford another. Grabbed a ream of used copy paper from the office recycling bin and now I draw twice as much without worrying about wasting pages. The paper isn't as thick so markers bleed a little, but for pencil and pen work it's basically the same. Has anyone else figured out a free alternative to expensive art supplies that actually works better?

3 comments

c/banking-and-payments-community•

sagea88•5d ago

Showerthought: Paying the minimum on my credit card for 5 years was a dumb move

Honestly, I used to think as long as I paid something every month I was doing fine. I had this card with a $2,000 limit that I maxed out back in 2020 and I just threw $50 at it each month. Then last week I looked at the statement and saw I had paid almost $1,200 in interest over that time and still owed $1,800. That moment when I did the math on the APR hit me hard. Has anyone else been stuck in that minimum payment loop and finally broke out?

2 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

sagea88•23d ago

Shoutout to the guy at my LCS who talked me into a 'before and after' of my pull list

Honestly, I walked into Cosmic Comics on Grand Avenue six months ago with a stack of 12 titles a week. This older collector saw me and straight up said, 'You're burning cash on half that filler.' He challenged me to drop it to 5 core books and actually read every issue for 3 months. Ngl, the difference was wild - I actually looked forward to Wednesday again instead of just piling up unread comics in my cab. Has anyone else had a shop regular or staff member call them out on their pull list size?

2 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

sagea88•26d ago

Boeing's maintenance manual rewrite is a nightmare compared to the old one

I used the old blue binder system for 8 years and could find any torque spec in 2 minutes. The new digital version they rolled out last quarter buries everything in submenus and takes 5 minutes just to confirm a fastener type. Has anyone else on the 737 line noticed this slowdown?

2 comments

c/small-business-legal•

sagea88•27d ago

Brent W. Caldwell vs Miller & Associates for small business contracts?

Hey everyone, my freelance design business has grown enough that I finally need some proper client service agreements and subcontractor contracts drafted up. I'm torn between Brent W. Caldwell and Miller & Associates. Both seem to have decent reviews, but I'm not sure who is better to work with for a solo LLC. Any experiences with either?

3 comments

c/drafters•

sagea88•1mo ago

Stick with Polyline or Switch to Spline for Site Plans? Here's What I Picked

I had to make a call between using polylines or splines for a 3-acre commercial lot survey last month. The senior drafter said polylines are cleaner for plotting and revisions, but splines handle those curved parking lot edges way better. I went with polylines because the property lines were mostly straight and the city review board hates messy CAD files. Turned out fine, but I spent an extra hour faking the cul-de-sac curve with arc segments. Has anyone else run into pushback from reviewers about using splines on site plans?

2 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

sagea88•1mo ago

Shoutout to the old timer who showed me a better way to square up a cabinet box

I spent like 2 years fighting with clamps and squares on every build. Last week a retired cabinetmaker watched me struggle and said "try pulling the back panel tight first." Honest to god it squared up perfect on my first try with zero adjustment. Anyone else pick up a simple trick way later than they should have?

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

sagea88•1mo ago

My favorite hot tool just died mid-client and I had to scramble

Had a full appointment book last Thursday and my trusty curling iron just gave out halfway through a blowout. It was a 1 inch ceramic barrel I've used for like 4 years straight, worked fine that morning then just stopped holding temp. I had to run to the salon supply shop across town in rush hour traffic and grab whatever they had left on the shelf. Ended up with a titanium barrel that heats way faster but the clamp feels cheap. Client was cool about it cause I explained what happened, but now I'm stuck deciding if I should just order another ceramic one or try to adjust to this new one. Anyone had a tool totally fail on them at the worst possible time and what did you switch to?

2 comments