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10h ago
inSaw my local coffee shop double their drive-thru speed with an AI scheduler
Read an article in the local paper about how they actually use the system to predict not just rush times but also which drinks are most popular by weather. Rainy days they pre-make more chai lattes and hot chocolate, sunny days it's cold brew. Seems like the real magic is in that kind of detail work, not just speeding up the line. Makes me wonder how many other small shops could pull this off without losing that personal touch.
1d ago
inSpent 4 hours on a paver patio only to have it sink in the first rain
...and honestly, digging out the base is the part everyone skimps on and then pays for later. I've done the same thing before, tried to get away with a thinner gravel layer to save my back, and a good Texas downpour will find that weak spot every time. Hand tamping is okay for small spots but a plate compactor makes a huge difference if you can rent one for a day. My advice would be to pull up all those stones, dig out to that full 6 inches of compacted gravel, and take your time with each layer. It's a pain now but beats redoing it all again next month.
1d ago
inSpent $80 on those magnetic wave clippers and they caught fire on a client
Fire on a client? That's a lawsuit waiting to happen!
6d ago
inMy neighbor still thinks recycling is the answer to everything, been trying to explain energy reduction for years
Flip it around and think about where those recyclables even end up. Half the stuff you put in the bin either gets shipped overseas or just piles up in a warehouse somewhere because there's no real market for it. Recycling is just one small piece of a huge puzzle - you gotta look at what you buy in the first place and how much energy goes into making it. Energy reduction cuts off the demand completely rather than just shuffling the mess around (which is pretty much what recycling often does).
6d ago
inPSA: Don't ignore that ticking sound in your pump like I did in Baton Rouge
Had a buddy working a dredge up in Lake Erie a few years back who did the exact same thing with a hydraulic pump. He said it sounded like a spoon tapping on a glass but he just shrugged it off for like four straight days. Come Friday that pump seized up solid and blew a hose right in the middle of a deep cut. Cost them something like 8 grand in parts and a whole weekend of downtime while they waited on a replacement from Toledo. He still gets crap about it at the shop (you know, the usual "hey hear that? better call the mechanic" jokes).