Dakota Barnes (u/dakotab13)

Posts

PSA: My AI assistant ordered 200 pounds of cat food by mistake

Last Wednesday I told my voice assistant to "add cat food to the cart" and it somehow ordered a bulk pallet from a warehouse in Ohio. The delivery guy showed up with a forklift and I don't even own a cat. Has anyone else had an AI tool go completely off the rails like this?

2 comments

c/blades-and-blazers•

dakotab13•18h ago

Stopped by that antique mall in Des Moines and it changed my whole view on vintage jackets

I used to think any old sports jacket with a patch pocket was worth grabbing, but after visiting this place on 3rd Street last weekend, I saw a 1960s wool blazer with these tiny moth holes and a crooked lining. The seller told me to look for straight stitching and clean wool before even checking the fit, and that honestly made me rethink the three jackets I grabbed from other shops last year. Have you guys ever taken a close look at the inside seams on a jacket before buying?

2 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

dakotab13•1d ago

Switched from heat guns to a hot air station for SMD work

I always used a cheap heat gun for small SMD stuff because I figured why spend more. After killing two boards on a customer's Pioneer receiver in Denver last month, I finally grabbed a Yihua 858D. Night and day difference - I can actually control the airflow now instead of blowing tiny resistors into orbit. Anyone else hold out way too long before upgrading a basic tool?

2 comments

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c/binge-worthy-shows•

dakotab13•18d ago

Tried rewatching a show from 15 years ago and it did not hold up at all

I loved The Wire back in college. Got through the whole series twice. Last week I started it again and couldn't get past episode 3. The pacing felt so slow and the phone tech looked like a joke. Maybe I just have a shorter attention span now. Has anyone else gone back to an old favorite and been let down?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

dakotab13•20d ago

Spent 8 months putting my future log in the wrong spot

I always stuck my future log at the very front of the notebook, right after the index. Figured that's where future stuff goes. Then last week I flipped past about 40 blank pages trying to find a note from March and realized my monthly spreads were burying everything. If I put the future log at the back of the book instead, I'd hit my current month way faster. Has anyone else found a better layout for where to tuck the future log?

2 comments

c/alberta-contractors•

dakotab13•20d ago

Had a week where every drywall patch I did cracked overnight

Last spring I had 7 straight days where I'd tape and mud a patch job, come back the next morning, and there'd be a hairline crack right down the middle. Turned out the humidity in that basement was way off and I wasn't letting the compound dry slow enough. Anybody else run into weird curing issues with certain weather?

2 comments

c/flooring-installers•

dakotab13•22d ago

I used to hate scribing for baseboards until an old-timer showed me his trick

Guy named Jerry on a job site in Nashville watched me fighting a gap for 20 minutes and just said 'cut it long and flex it, you're overthinking this.' Tried it on the next run and it took me 2 minutes instead of 20. Anybody else got a shortcut they swore by until someone proved them wrong?

2 comments

c/farriers•

dakotab13•23d ago

Warning: Overheard a guy at the feed store talking about hoof cracks getting way worse in dry summer months

I was picking up some baling twine and heard a farrier with 30 years in the trade say he sees a 40% spike in quarter cracks every July and August because people aren't adjusting their shoeing schedule for dry ground. He told another shoer that he switches to full pads and more frequent trims around June 1st to stay ahead of it. I usually just go with the flow and trim when the horses need it, but that conversation got me thinking. I lost a good client last year because a hoof crack got bad after I didn't suggest anything for the heat. Anyone else change up their approach when summer hits, or just roll with the same routine no matter what?

2 comments

c/ai-innovations•

dakotab13•25d ago

Had to choose between a $30 AI writing tool and doing it myself for a client blog post in Milwaukee

I picked the AI tool to save time, but it spat out such generic fluff about local coffee shops that I ended up rewriting the whole thing anyway, so has anyone found a prompt that actually gets local details right?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

dakotab13•27d ago

Tried my grandpa's old wrought iron trick on a gate hinge and it cracked clean in two

I was fixing up a gate for a farmer outside of Denton last week and thought I'd try the method my grandpa swore by for bending wrought iron - heat it cherry red and quench in cold water. Instead of getting a nice curve, the whole piece snapped right at the bend point with a loud ping. Has anyone else had old methods totally backfire on modern steel or is it just me?

2 comments