An old timer in a Galveston dive locker changed my whole view on cold water prep

Got a call back for a chimney rebuild I did in 2018 because the crown cracked.

I used to build crowns with a basic 1:3 cement mix, but after that one failed in under five years, I switched to a pre-bagged, high-flex mortar with polymer additives. The freeze-thaw cycles here in Michigan just wrecked the old method. What's your go-to mix for a durable crown that can handle serious weather?

Just realized my smart speaker has been quietly learning a new voice command I never taught it

I was talking to a friend about a movie and my speaker in the kitchen chimed in with the cast list. I looked it up and the company's blog said they're testing 'ambient learning' where the AI picks up on context from background chatter. Feels useful but also a bit creepy, right? Where do you draw the line between a helpful feature and an invasion of privacy?

My trusty awl outlasted three machines

Hand tools from my apprenticeship still do the job best.

Stranded with a dead engine, I now blame diesel filters for more harm than good

I think diesel particulate filters cause more problems than they solve. From what I've seen, they clog up all the time and the fixes are too expensive for most owners.