Jake Murray (u/jakem98)

Posts

I laughed at my coworker's file naming system for months until I needed to find something

Honestly, I thought our intern was insane when he set up this whole YYYY_MM_DD_ProjectName_ClientInitial system six months ago. I kept just tossing everything into one folder with names like 'final_v3_actuallyfinal.doc' like I always did. Then last Tuesday our manager asked for a specific budget sheet from March 2023 and I spent 45 minutes digging through my mess while the intern pulled it up in 10 seconds flat. He even had a backup checklist that showed who last edited each file and when. Now I'm stuck rebuilding my entire folder structure from scratch and it's way more work than if I'd just done it his way from the start. Has anyone else had to eat crow over a simple system they dismissed?

2 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

jakem98•2d ago

Just picked a manual brush over a HEPA vac and it worked out better for me

I know everyone in this community swears by those expensive HEPA vacuum attachments for cleaning flues. But after trying both on 8 different jobs last month in the older brick chimneys around here, the manual brush was actually faster and didn't kick up nearly as much dust as I expected. My arms were sore for a day, sure, but I saved about $400 on a vac I wouldn't use that often. The HEPA unit just clogged up on heavy creosote after two houses and I had to stop and clean it out. Has anyone else gone old school and found it beats the newer gear for certain jobs?

2 comments

c/backyard-builds•

jakem98•3d ago

Built a birdhouse with my kid using only scrap wood from the garage...

Pigeons moved in within a week and now they've claimed our entire backyard like some kind of feathered landlord situation, so has anyone figured out how to evict birds without upsetting your 8 year old?

3 comments

c/adulting-fail-stories•

jakem98•6d ago

My $200 fridge repair turned into a $900 mistake last month

I tried to fix the ice maker on my Whirlpool fridge myself after watching a YouTube video. Ended up cracking the water line behind it and flooded my kitchen floor in Austin. Had to call a plumber and buy a whole new fridge anyway. Anyone else try a DIY repair and make things way worse?

2 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

jakem98•7d ago

Had a zone expander die on me mid-install in a crawlspace in Phoenix

I was down in a 120 degree crawlspace wiring up a 16 zone expander for a new build. About 40 minutes in, the unit stopped accepting any new sensors and started throwing random trouble signals. Checked the power supply first, then realized the board had a cracked solder joint near the transformer. Swapped the whole unit with a spare I had in the truck and finished the job. That was a brutal 3 hour lesson in checking hardware before you start running wire. Has anyone else had a zone expander fail like that on a fresh install?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

jakem98•7d ago

Took me 2 hours to find a seized derailleur cable on a 3 year old bike

Customer brought in a bike that wouldn't shift past the middle of the cassette. Figured it was a bent hanger or a dirty pulley. Checked both, cleaned everything, still had the same problem. Finally pulled the cable all the way out and found a tiny rust spot inside the housing near the bottom bracket. That one spot was enough to bind the cable under tension. Has anyone else run into hidden cable corrosion that took forever to track down?

2 comments

c/cosmetic-procedures•

jakem98•9d ago

Rant: That $5,000 rhinoplasty I got 3 years ago

Everyone raves about nose jobs but mine left me with a crooked bridge and breathing issues that cost me $800 in CT scans to diagnose. Has anyone else had a revision that actually helped fix a botched result?

3 comments

c/ask-anything•

jakem98•10d ago

Hit 200 consecutive days on my Duolingo streak and it feels weird

I started learning Spanish back in March just to pass time during my lunch breaks at the warehouse. Never thought I'd make it past a week honestly. But somehow I kept opening the app every day even when I was tired or busy. Yesterday I noticed the counter said 200 days and I just stared at it for a minute. It surprised me because I'm not usually someone who sticks with things like this. The bigger deal is I can actually hold a basic conversation with my coworker Carlos now. We talk about food and weather mostly but it's way better than just nodding at each other. Has anyone else hit a random milestone that caught them off guard?

2 comments

c/console-vs-pc-wars•

jakem98•11d ago

Got burned hard on a $400 'elite' controller for PC gaming

I spent $400 on a fancy pro controller for my PC last month thinking it would give me an edge in shooters. The thumbstick started drifting after just three weeks of normal use. I tried to get a refund and the company said the warranty didn't cover 'wear and tear' on the sticks. Now I'm back to using my old $60 wired controller that works just fine. Anyone else get ripped off by these overpriced controllers or found a brand that actually holds up?

2 comments

c/banking-and-payments-community•

jakem98•12d ago

Just saw that contactless payments hit 60% of all in-store transactions in the UK last year

I was reading through some stats from UK Finance last night and that number blew my mind. I thought cash was still way more common over there, especially for small purchases under 10 pounds. What's driving that shift so fast compared to the US where we're still at maybe 30%? Is it the limit increases or just better adoption by merchants?

2 comments