My neighbor June changed how I think about sourdough starter

June is 73 and has been baking bread since the 70s. I told her how I was stressing over feeding my starter twice a day and keeping it at exactly 78 degrees. She just laughed and said she keeps hers in the fridge and feeds it once a week, sometimes two. She pulled out a jar that had been sitting for 10 days and baked a loaf that was better than anything I've ever made. Made me wonder if all the complicated rules are really necessary. Has anyone else tried a more relaxed approach with their starter?

Picked WAGO connectors over wire nuts for a 30-outlet new build in Denver

I went with WAGOs on a 30-outlet new build last month and the speed difference was NUTS, has anyone else switched and found it cut their trim-out time in half?

My hostel cost in Prague doubled in just two years

I stayed at the same place near Old Town Square in 2022 for 18 euros a night. Went back last month and the same bunk in the same dorm was 36 euros. The owner said it's because of new tourist taxes and 'dynamic pricing' from booking sites. It's not just a small jump anymore. Has anyone found a good way to beat these new high prices in popular cities?

Honestly, my cheap rice cooker from the thrift store just died mid-meal prep last night

Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about using PVA for everything

I always glued my text blocks with straight PVA, but a repair job on a 1900s family bible in Savannah made me switch. The old paper was so brittle the PVA just made it worse, so I tried a wheat starch paste mix instead and the difference was huge. Anyone have a good ratio for a hybrid paste for modern paper projects?

Can we talk about how long it takes to fix a messed up 401k rollover?

I moved an old 401k to an IRA last month and the check got mailed to my old address. It took 8 days for the check to get returned to the old provider. Then I had to wait another 10 business days for them to reissue it after I updated my info. The whole process took over a month when I thought it would be a week. Has anyone else had a rollover get stuck in mail limbo like this?

Showerthought: I thought those new composite-specific torque wrenches were just a gimmick

A guy at the hangar in Phoenix let me use his on a Honeywell APU access panel, and the difference in feel was actually noticeable. Anyone else made the switch for composite work?

Finally got the old 8-inch cutter head to run smooth after a weird trick with the packing gland

We were on a job in the Sacramento River delta, and the main dredge pump had this nasty vibration that wouldn't quit. The usual checks on the shaft alignment and bearings came up fine. Out of ideas, I decided to try something my grandad mentioned once but I never tried: I backed off the packing gland nuts a full quarter turn and then retightened them in a star pattern, but only to hand-tight plus maybe an eighth of a turn with the wrench. I figured it was a long shot, but the vibration dropped by what felt like half almost right away. It seems the old packing had settled weird and was putting uneven pressure on the shaft. I always thought that gland had to be cranked down tight to stop leaks, but I guess a little play in the right spot can make a big difference. Has anyone else found that a slightly loose packing gland can actually help with pump vibration, or did I just get lucky this time?

Bought a $150 thermal camera for my phone and it found a leak in minutes

I was working on a fridge that wouldn't stay cold. Checked the usual stuff, compressor, fans, thermostat. Nothing. Customer was ready to junk it. Saw a tech online using one of those little phone plug-in thermal cameras. Figured it was a gimmick but bought one anyway. Hooked it up and scanned the sealed system. Clear as day, a tiny cold spot on the evaporator coil, a pinhole leak. Showed the customer the picture on my screen. They okayed the repair right there. Saved the unit and a ton of diagnostic time. Anyone else use these for quick fault finding?

Saw a backyard studio in Portland with a full size disco ball hanging from the rafters

I was walking my dog in the Sellwood neighborhood last week and saw a new studio build in someone's yard. The door was open and I could see straight in. Right in the middle of the ceiling, they had a huge disco ball hanging down. The owner was just sitting at a desk, typing away like it was totally normal. It was a sunny day, so the thing was throwing little light spots all over the walls. Has anyone else seen a studio with a really weird centerpiece like that?