Warning about a neighbor who insisted his coop setup was fine

I was helping my neighbor in Akron move some lumber last fall when I saw his coop had a gap under the door big enough for a raccoon to slip through. He said 'It's been fine for two years, they can't get in,' but I found three of his hens dead just a week later. How often do you all check for gaps in your coop's defenses?

Pro tip: the 'manager' on the phone is sometimes just another cashier

Last week at the hardware store, a customer was yelling at me about a return policy, demanding to speak to a manager. I handed him the cordless phone, walked to the back, and answered it myself in a slightly deeper voice. He calmed down instantly and agreed to the original terms. Has anyone else had to pull a fast one like this to end a pointless fight?

Can we talk about how many people still don't butter their bricks properly? I was helping a friend on a patio job in Springfield and saw the previous crew's work. The mortar joints were full of gaps because they just slapped it on.

Appreciation post: That Tuesday in March when the whole shop just clicked

Had a walk-in for a complex skin fade who said 'just do your thing' and tipped $40 on a $25 cut. Has a day like that ever made you remember why you got into this?

Question about using a thermal camera versus a standard multimeter for finding a short

I spent three hours last week trying to find a short in a nav system using just a multimeter, tracing wires and checking continuity. I borrowed a coworker's FLIR E4 thermal camera, and the hot spot showed up in about two minutes. Has anyone else made the switch to thermal imaging for this kind of fault finding?

A warped heat exchanger stumped me, but an old timer's chalk trick saved the day.

Chalk dust in the seams showed me exactly where to grind.

Rant: Proofing time gets ignored too much

Noticing more bakers skip the dough rise. Tried a fast proof on my sandwich bread. It came out heavy and sad. Waited the full hours yesterday, and it was fluffy and perfect. Patience really changes everything.

Binging a space show sparked my interest in telescopes

I just finished watching this amazing series about astronauts. It was so gripping that I watched it all in one weekend. Now I've started learning about planets and stars. I even bought a small telescope to check out the moon. It's crazy how a TV show can open up a whole new hobby.