PSA: That $40 'premium' phone screen protector was a total waste

Bought one for my new phone, and it cracked from a tiny drop off my couch after two days. The cheap $10 one I had before lasted over a year. Anyone know a brand that actually holds up?

Visited the Lascaux cave replica again after 15 years and the color loss is shocking

I first saw the replica in 2008, and the ochre reds and blacks in the bison paintings were deep and clear. Returning this month, the pigments have faded to weak, washed-out versions, likely from years of standard museum lighting. Has anyone else documented this kind of decay in other site replicas, and what's being done to slow it down?

Tried a 3% salt brine on some pork shoulder for charcuterie and it turned out way too firm

I was experimenting with a new dry-cure recipe for a coppa last month and decided to bump the salt from my usual 2.5% to 3% by weight. After the 3-week cure and a 2-month hang, the texture was almost leathery, not the nice, sliceable firmness I wanted. Learned that half a percent makes a huge difference in moisture loss. Anyone have a good target for a softer, more traditional coppa?

Warning: I saw people walking right over a possible artifact scatter at the old mill site in Riverside last weekend.

A customer in Springfield told me his old system was 'fine' while standing next to a panel from 1992.

I was doing a free estimate at his house last Tuesday, and he pointed to this ancient metal box with a keypad. He said, 'It's worked for thirty years, why change it?' I opened the panel and showed him the crumbling battery and the corroded terminal blocks. I explained that the motion sensors probably wouldn't even signal a break-in anymore. He just shrugged and said he'd think about it. How do you guys handle customers who can't see the safety risk in outdated gear?

Heard a customer call my forged bottle opener 'just a piece of metal'

Made me realize how much the skill behind shaping and tempering gets overlooked now. Anyone else feel like people don't see the work in simple forged items anymore?

Shoutout to the guy at the Portland plant swap who said my propagation setup looked like a 'science fair project gone wrong'

I moved all my cuttings from those little plastic cups into proper terracotta pots after that, and honestly, they're doing way better now.

Serious question, my trip to Japan made me rethink my spending habits

I just got back from a week in Tokyo and it was eye-opening. I spent way more than I planned, especially on food and trains. Looking at my bank account, I saw I could have saved hundreds by planning better. For example, I bought daily train passes instead of a weekly one, which cost extra. Also, I ate at tourist spots when local places were cheaper and just as good. Now I'm putting money aside each month for future trips so I don't overspend. It's a money lesson I'll remember for all my big spends.

DAE see fewer birds nesting in city trees lately?

I was pruning a client's oak and realized I hadn't heard any chickadees all morning. This used to be peak nesting time, but now it's just quiet. My guess is the insect population crashed, so the birds moved on. It's a bad sign for tree health too, since birds eat pests.