I used to just eyeball my salt for sauerkraut, but a friend in Asheville said my jars were looking risky.

She showed me her scale and we weighed out 2% by cabbage weight, and now my ferments are way more reliable every time. Has anyone else made the switch from guessing to measuring, and did it fix your problems too?

Saw a stat about hair color sales that made me double check my own stock

I was reading a trade report from the Professional Beauty Association and it said sales of blue and green direct dyes jumped 40% last quarter. That's a huge jump from the usual pinks and purples. I guess the fantasy color trend is really moving into cooler tones now. Has anyone else seen a big increase in requests for these shades in their chair?

Just spent $25 on a set of security bits and it saved my PS4

My PS4 was overheating and I knew I had to clean the fan, but I couldn't get the case open. The screws were those weird star shapes with a pin in the middle. I went to the hardware store and got a set of security bits for about 25 bucks. Popped the right one in my screwdriver and the whole thing came apart in minutes. Has anyone else run into this with newer consoles? What tools do you keep on hand?

My brother insisted I grind my beans right before brewing and I thought it was pointless extra work.

He gave me his old hand grinder and I tried it with some Ethiopian beans from the local roaster. The coffee tasted way brighter and more flavorful than my pre-ground stuff. Anyone have tips for a good electric grinder under $100?

PSA: The anime club at my old college totally changed how I watch shows

Back in my sophomore year at UConn, I went to the campus anime club's weekly screening. They spent the whole first 30 minutes just arguing about which fan sub group was the most 'accurate' for the show we were about to watch. It was a huge fight over tiny word choices. Now, whenever I start a new series, I always check who did the subtitles first, because that debate showed me it really does change the feel of a scene. Does anyone else have a strong preference for certain sub groups, or am I overthinking it?

Question about using a tarp for shelter instead of a tent

I used to always bring a heavy 4-person tent for solo trips, but after a 3-day hike in the Smokies where my tent pole snapped, I had to rig a shelter with my rain fly and some cord. Now I just pack a 10x12 silnylon tarp and some stakes, which saves me over 5 pounds. Anyone else make this switch and find it better, or do you still think a full tent is worth the weight for the bug protection?

Found a cool trick for cleaning quartz crystals last week

I was working on some specimens from an old dig in Arkansas and they were covered in that stubborn iron oxide stain. Last week, I tried soaking them in a mix of oxalic acid and water for about 48 hours. The red stains just faded away without hurting the crystal faces at all. It worked way better than the vinegar soak I used to do. Has anyone else tried this method on different types of mineral stains?

Watching a guy in Lisbon get his laptop stolen from a cafe table made me switch to a cheap decoy laptop for public work.

I saw it happen at a spot near the Time Out Market last Tuesday, and now I carry a $200 Chromebook in my bag while my real machine stays locked in my apartment safe, so what's your best trick for keeping your gear secure in a busy city?

Vent: I used to fish cable through every wall by hand, now I just use a magnet puller and it saves me like 20 minutes a drop.

Am I the only one who had a main hoist brake fail on a tower crane last Thursday?

It happened during a slow down on a residential job in Tacoma, and I had to use the emergency stop and secondary system. Anyone else dealt with a similar failure on a new-ish machine?