That kind of thing is becoming normal now. It's like seeing someone use a calculator instead of doing long division by hand. Last month, a friend used an app to plan her entire garden layout before buying a single plant. The tools are just there, built into everything. It makes custom stuff accessible to people who aren't experts. The real shift is how we don't even question it anymore.

That trick with the pre-cut tapered strips is solid. On really bad plaster walls I've had to sister new studs right next to the old ones to create a true plane. It's more work but sometimes the frame is just too far gone to fix any other way.

That "expensive stuff is a scam" line is such a common trap. I see it with tools and appliances too, where the cheap version fails and costs you double. It really is a lesson you only learn the hard way.

Totally, that paddle mixer is a game changer for small batches. I burned through a whole bag once trying to get the right feel by hand.