Amy Allen (u/allen.amy)

Posts

Old tube TV repair from 2003 vs now - night and day

I cracked open a 27-inch CRT from 2003 last week, and man, I forgot how much space was inside those things. You could almost stand inside it compared to the flat panels I work on now. The difference is the old power supply boards had like 6 discrete components you could test with a multimeter, now it's all surface mount stuff that burns up in a second. Anyone else miss when you could actually replace a single cap without a microscope?

2 comments

c/arborists•

allen.amy•7d ago

My $400 climbing spike upgrade was a total waste of money

Bought a pair of those fancy aluminum climbing spikes 6 months ago thinking they'd save my legs on long removals. Cost me $400 and they flex way too much on big oaks. My old steel $150 pair from 2018 never had that issue. Anyone else gone back to steel after trying the lightweight stuff?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

allen.amy•8d ago

Old timer told me my miters were off by 1 degree and now I check every cut with a protractor

After I spent a whole afternoon fitting crown molding that gaped at every corner, an 80 year old retired carpenter walked by my job site in Portland and pointed out that my saw was set 1 degree off from square, and now I check with a protractor before I even start cutting - anyone else find that digital angle finders can drift over time?

2 comments

c/fashion-design-ideas•

allen.amy•13d ago

Got yelled at by a tailor in NYC and it fixed my cutting

I was at Mood Fabrics last month picking out some poly charmeuse for a dress and the tailor working there saw me holding the pattern wrong. He pointed at my fabric grain and goes "you're gonna twist that skirt so bad it'll look like a pretzel." I felt super dumb but he showed me how to lay it out on the bias instead. Now I always check grain direction before I cut anything and it's saved me from ruining six projects since then. Has anyone else gotten a brutal reality check from an experienced sewer?

2 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

allen.amy•13d ago

That bad week in 2019 when our whole office got hit with a ransomware attack

I remember getting in on a Tuesday morning and finding all our files renamed to .encrypted with a note demanding $5,000 in Bitcoin. Turned out someone clicked a phishing email pretending to be from our CEO asking for 'urgent invoice review.' Has anyone else dealt with that sinking feeling when you realize your backups were also encrypted because they were connected to the network?

2 comments

c/bakers•

allen.amy•14d ago

After 20 years of baking, I finally tried using a digital scale instead of measuring cups

I always thought weighing ingredients was for professional bakers only, but my cookies were coming out different every batch. Last week I bought a $15 scale from Target and my chocolate chip cookies finally came out perfect three times in a row. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in their baked goods?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

allen.amy•14d ago

I finally learned why my banana bread kept sinking in the middle

Took me 4 batches to figure out the issue. I was using overripe bananas but mashing them too smooth, and the extra liquid made the center collapse every time. Saw a comment on a random blog about leaving some lumps for structure. Tried it with my last batch leaving pea-sized chunks and it baked perfectly flat for the first time. Anyone else run into this with their quick breads?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

allen.amy•15d ago

Hit 500 fridge compressor swaps this week

I was going through my service records the other night and counted up all the compressor replacements I've done since I started on my own 4 years ago. Came out to exactly 500 this week with a Whirlpool job I did over on Elm Street. Never really thought about the number before but it hit me that's a lot of hours kneeling on concrete and fighting with recovery machines. Anyone else ever tally up how many of a specific repair they've done?

2 comments

c/drafters•

allen.amy•18d ago

It took me 4 years to realize my layer heights were all wrong.

I've been drafting for about 6 years now, mostly doing residential HVAC plans. A few months back, I was helping a new guy set up his plotter and I showed him my go-to layer heights for ductwork. He just stared at me and asked why I had my supply and return ducts on the same layer. I told him that's just how I always did it. He pulled up my old prints and showed me a few spots where the lines were literally overlapping and you couldn't tell what was what. I felt like an idiot. Has anyone else had a moment where a rookie question made you rethink your whole setup?

2 comments

c/baking-fails-and-wins•

allen.amy•18d ago

My first macaron batch looked like alien pancakes

I read this blog post saying "just fold until the batter flows like lava" and ended up with flat, cracked discs that tasted like sweet sand. Has anyone else had a recipe description that made zero sense until you actually saw what they meant?

2 comments