I was swapping out the plate on my TKL last weekend and grabbed a $12 generic aluminum plate off Amazon. Thought it would be fine. But the switch fit was so loose that some keys wiggled like crazy when I typed. Then I spent $45 on a custom CNC plate from a local guy in Austin and every switch snapped in perfectly. No more rattling or crooked spacebar. Has anyone else had that happen with cheap plates?
I used to think experimental archaeology was kinda... a waste I guess. You know, people trying to make flint axes and burning down replica huts just for fun. But last month I went to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman and saw this display about prehistoric cooking. They had a broken pottery piece with visible scorch marks on one side. The caption said it was from a test where they cooked stew in replica pots over open fires. They figured out that if you set the pot slightly off center from the coals, you got that exact scorch pattern. And it matched the original dig site where they found the shard. That little detail flipped a switch for me. Now I get how actually testing stuff out can answer questions you can't get from just staring at broken pieces in a drawer. Has anyone else had that moment where a reconstruction experiment completely sold you on the approach?
I kept dropping shows because the filler episodes felt like a chore, so I started speeding up scenes where characters just stare out windows or recap what already happened. For real, I got through all of Supernatural's later seasons (you know, the angel drama parts) without getting bored once. Has anyone else found a trick to speed through the slow arcs without missing the good plot points?
I was at Cosmic Comics in Austin just trying to grab the new X-Men issue last Saturday and this dude sees me picking up a Storm variant. He literally followed me to the register telling me how the artist's early work was 'objectively better' before they sold out. I just nodded and paid but he kept going on about how real fans don't chase variants. Has anyone else had a fellow customer try to gatekeep what you buy at the counter?
Bought a used hydraulic hose crimper online for $600 thinking I scored a deal. First job with it on a 1-inch suction line and the dies slipped, ruined the fitting and I had to call a mobile service to fix it on site. Turns out the crimper was way out of calibration and I didn't check it before use. Anyone here ever buy used dredge gear that ended up costing you more in repairs?
Ngl I used to just hit the endpoint snap and call it a day for years. Figured it was faster than switching between snaps. Then last week I had a project where I kept getting these tiny gaps at intersections on a floor plan. Took me 45 minutes to figure out it was because I was snapping to endpoints instead of intersections on overlapping lines. Switched to using the intersection snap and everything lined up perfect the first time. Honestly it saves so much rework and makes your drawings look way cleaner. Anyone else stubborn about sticking to one snap and regret it later?
I used to draw everything on a Wacom Intuos hooked to my PC, but I kept losing momentum sitting at a desk after a full workday. Got an iPad Pro last March so I could sketch on my couch or at a coffee shop, and now I finish pieces way faster. Anyone else find that changing your setup to be more mobile helped your actual art output?
I was showing my nephew my latest map in Wonderdraft last weekend, and he asked why I bother with all the hand drawn coastlines when the software can auto generate them. I pulled out my dad's old Silva compass from his backpacking days back in 1987, and it hit me that I was losing the connection between real navigation and fantasy map making. The auto features are great, but they don't give you that feel of plotting a path yourself. Has anyone else gone back to paper and pencil just to shake things up?
I tried making salmon in my air fryer last night and threw a piece of parchment paper in there during the preheat. Big mistake. The paper got sucked up into the fan and started smoking after about 3 minutes. I had to unplug the whole thing and fish out the burned bits. Has anyone else had this happen or am I just the only one dumb enough to try it?
I bought a feeder specifically sold as UV resistant and weatherproof back in March. Figured it would hold up fine through summer sun. By September the clear plastic body was completely yellow and brittle. A woodpecker landed on it and the whole thing just shattered. $40 down the drain. Anyone else have good luck with a metal or glass feeder that actually lasts?