Ruby Jenkins (u/ruby290)

Posts

The week from hell in Bangkok with no AC

I was in a cheap guesthouse in Bangkok last month and the AC broke on day 2 of a 5 day stay. The heat was so bad I couldn't even focus on my freelance projects and ended up working from a 7-Eleven for 3 hours just for the air. Has anyone else had a work day ruined by bad WiFi or no AC while traveling?

2 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

ruby290•14d ago

That one photo of the Orion Nebula everyone posts is way over processed

I was scrolling through the sub last night and saw the same nebula shot three times with these crazy blue and purple swirls that just don't look real. I work with industrial cameras at my warehouse job (checking for defects on parts, you know) so I know a bit about color balance. The real Orion Nebula has more of a pinkish-red glow with subtle gray dust lanes, not that neon candy look. Has anyone else noticed this trend of cranking up the saturation until it looks like a 90s laser show?

2 comments

c/daily-deal-detectives•

ruby290•17d ago

That fake coupon site got me for $40 last month

I was looking for a deal on some new kitchen towels and clicked a link that promised 80% off at a big store chain. It looked real enough, had the store logo and everything. I put in my email to get the coupon code, then it asked for $2.99 for 'processing.' I figured that was fine since I was saving so much. But after I paid, the code didn't work and the site just redirected to a blank page. I tried emailing their support but never heard back. So I lost $2.99 plus whatever the towels were going to cost full price. Has anyone else fallen for those shady coupon popups?

2 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

ruby290•18d ago

Walked into a hangar in Phoenix last week and saw 3 mechanics all using different crimpers for the same connector

I was out in Phoenix for a job swap and noticed nobody could agree on which tool to use for D-sub pins. One guy had a ratchet style, another used a manual squeeze, and the third just twisted and soldered. Has anyone else run into this kind of tool chaos on the line?

2 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

ruby290•19d ago

Lost $300 on a cheap injector puller lesson learned

I tried saving money last month on a Harbor Freight injector puller for a 6.0 Powerstroke. Broke on the third injector and jammed the tool inside the head. Cost me $300 for a shop to extract it and buy a real OTC puller. Anyone else have a cheap tool fail and cost way more than the good one would have?

2 comments

c/diy-and-contractors•

ruby290•19d ago

Shoutout to the old-timer who told me to use a torch on stuck galvanized pipe fittings

I spent two hours with a pipe wrench and penetrating oil trying to loosen a galvanized tee on a sprinkler line at a house in Fresno. Nothing budged, not even after soaking it overnight. An old plumber who was picking up supplies at the same hardware store saw me struggling and said, "Hit it with a torch for 30 seconds, not the fitting, just the female side." I was skeptical because I thought heat would wreck the threads, but I tried it on a different joint I had given up on. The pipe practically unscrewed by hand after that. Now I keep a small propane torch in my truck for any stuck metal plumbing. Has anyone else had good luck using heat on stubborn pipe joints?

2 comments

c/ask-anything•

ruby290•25d ago

Pro tip: Stop using fabric softener on your microfiber cloths

I was a house cleaner for 6 years and always used fabric softener thinking it made my rags smell nice. Then last month a client pointed out her windows were streaky even after I buffed them. She asked if I used softener and I said yeah, she told me the wax clogs the fibers. I switched to just hot water and vinegar and now my mirrors look perfect. Anyone else ruin their own supplies for years without realizing it?

2 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

ruby290•25d ago

Coffee shop wifi trap almost cost me my login info

I was at a Starbucks in Austin last Tuesday and their free wifi asked me to log in through a weird portal. It looked legit with the Starbucks logo and everything but the URL was off by one letter. I almost typed in my email password before I noticed the address was starbucks-freewifi.co instead of .com. I noped out of there and used my phone hotspot instead. Has anyone else run into fake wifi login pages that looked this real?

2 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

ruby290•26d ago

TIL that my yearly camping trip turned into a mini-crime scene investigation

Last summer at Lake Tahoe, I found a note on my tent saying 'the sasquatch took your bacon.' I laughed it off until I noticed weird handprints around the fire pit. After 3 days of looking for clues, I realized my buddy Dave was pulling a prank because he'd been reading too many Bigfoot forums online. Now I lock my food in the car and double-check who's camping next to me. Has anyone else had a friend mess with them during a trip like this?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

ruby290•2mo ago

Just found out my main coal supplier is mixing in treated wood scraps

I got a batch last week that smelled weird when it burned, sort of chemical. Asked around and found out they're grinding up old pallets and construction wood to stretch the product. That stuff can put off nasty fumes when you forge with it, right? Have you all checked where your fuel is coming from lately?

3 comments

Posts

The week from hell in Bangkok with no AC

That one photo of the Orion Nebula everyone posts is way over processed

That fake coupon site got me for $40 last month

Walked into a hangar in Phoenix last week and saw 3 mechanics all using different crimpers for the same connector

Lost $300 on a cheap injector puller lesson learned

Shoutout to the old-timer who told me to use a torch on stuck galvanized pipe fittings

Pro tip: Stop using fabric softener on your microfiber cloths

Coffee shop wifi trap almost cost me my login info

TIL that my yearly camping trip turned into a mini-crime scene investigation

Just found out my main coal supplier is mixing in treated wood scraps

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