Just saw a coffee shop's 'apology' for a rat video that made things way worse

They posted a 3 paragraph statement on Instagram that basically blamed the customer for filming, said 'rodents are a part of city life,' and offered a 10% off coupon. The comments were a total dumpster fire for days. Has a brand apology ever actually made you angrier?

Found out my town had over 200 chimney fires in the 1920s

I was looking at some old city records at the library for a project... and I saw a line about 'chimney conflagrations' from 1925. The clerk said they logged 217 calls that year alone. It makes sense with all the old coal furnaces back then, but I never pictured it being that many. Has anyone else come across old stats like that in their area?

My brother told me to stop buying pre-ground coffee from the grocery store

He said, 'You're wasting your money on stale dust,' and gave me a cheap hand grinder for my birthday. I started buying whole beans from the local roaster and grinding them right before brewing. The difference in my morning cup was huge, way more flavor. Has anyone else had a similar switch that made a big impact?

I used to think a cheap website was fine for getting clients, but a guy at a coffee shop in Austin changed my mind.

I installed a basic system for a client in Phoenix and saw a huge drop in false alarms after 6 months

They used to get 3-4 false alarms a month from their old setup, mostly from pets and loose sensors. I put in a new panel with better pet-immunity tech and did a full walk-test with the homeowner. Now they've had zero false alarms since the install, which makes me think we rely too much on old sensor tech. What's the oldest piece of gear you still install that you know you should probably stop using?

I was sure that using a regular wood glue for spine lining was a bad idea, but after trying it on a repair for a 1950s cookbook last week, the flexibility is actually perfect.

Has anyone else switched from traditional flexible glue for a specific type of project?

Spent $80 on a writing prompt book that was just recycled ideas

I bought 'The Ultimate Prompt Collection' online after seeing ads everywhere. It arrived and half the prompts were things like 'write about a rainy day' or 'describe a character with a secret'. I could have found better stuff for free on any writing blog. Has anyone else wasted cash on a prompt book that wasn't worth it?

Warning: I chose a poly brush over steel for a tough creosote job and it worked better.

Everyone at the supply house said to always use a steel brush on a heavy buildup, but I grabbed a poly one for a nasty chimney in an old farmhouse. It flexed around the clay liner edges and didn't scratch anything, plus it cleaned just as well. Has anyone else tried this on a bad creosote job?

A quart of finish ruined by water in my compressor line

I was spraying a tabletop yesterday and got fisheyes everywhere because my compressor spat water into the finish. I drain it regularly, but a humid day must have overloaded the filter. Some folks say this is always user error for not having a good enough dryer setup, others think it's just bad luck with old gear. What's your take?

Rant: Neck pain from hours at the telescope

Forgot to stretch during my last session and now I can't move. Still waiting for the shots to process, so at least there's that.