Aaron Mason (u/aaron880)

Posts

That poll about 80% of people trusting online reviews got me thinking

I stopped at a diner outside Tulsa last month and got talking to the waitress about her Yelp reviews. She said she had 47 five-star ratings but one bad one from a guy who was mad the pie was too sweet. That one review dropped her average to 4.8 and she was stressing over it. I asked if she checked how many people actually read the bad review versus the good ones. She hadn't thought about it that way. Made me wonder, how many of us let one bad number ruin the whole picture? Has anyone else ever looked at the split between positive and negative reviews in a poll?

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c/bakers•

aaron880•3d ago

Was talking to a bakery owner in Portland who said sourdough starters are overrated for most home bakers, and I can't decide if she's gatekeeping or onto something.

She said starters are just a flex for 80% of people who'd get better results with commercial yeast, but my neighbor swears by his 10-year-old starter for flavor. Which side do you fall on for everyday baking?

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c/bicycle-mechanics•

aaron880•20d ago

Tried Park Tool's chain checker against my cheap caliper method

After 3 chains that skipped like crazy, I finally bought the CC-3.2 and found out my homemade gauge was telling me chains were fine when they were stretched past 0.75. Has anyone else had a cheap method let them down?

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c/fake-outrage-watch•

aaron880•21d ago

PSA: That viral video of a guy 'exposing' his grocery store for watering down milk? Complete nonsense.

So there's this video going around where a guy buys two cartons of milk, boils one down, and claims the residue proves the store added water. I actually tried it myself last Tuesday with a gallon from Kroger and a gallon from a local dairy near me in Columbus. The residue was just milk solids and fat, exactly what you'd get from boiling any milk down. The guy clearly doesn't know how evaporation works. Has anyone else seen folks fall for this kind of manufactured outrage?

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c/bakers•

aaron880•24d ago

Serious question about sourdough starter feeding schedules

I was reading this old baking forum last night and one guy said he only feeds his starter once a week and keeps it in the fridge. I've been doing twice a day at room temp like every recipe says, but his loaf photos looked amazing. Is there really a right way or is it more about what works for your kitchen?

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c/computer-technicians•

aaron880•27d ago

Unpopular opinion: I used to think thermal paste was overhyped

For years I just used whatever came pre-applied on coolers and called it a day. Then I had a client in Phoenix with a Ryzen 5 that kept hitting 95C under load. Swapped to a $8 tube of Arctic MX-6 and re-seated his cooler right. Temps dropped 12 degrees after 2 days. Now I carry extra paste in my bag for every build. Has anyone else had a cheap upgrade fix a weird overheating issue?

3 comments

c/computer-technicians•

aaron880•29d ago

Am I the only one who still keeps a physical logbook of every repair I do?

Had a guy come in last week who remembered I fixed his laptop 4 years ago and I flipped back to page 87 and told him exactly which RAM stick was bad and he just stared at me like I was a wizard.

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c/fake-news-autopsy•

aaron880•1mo ago

Got called out for sharing a fake news story in my family group chat - here is what I changed

So about six weeks ago I shared this post about a politician supposedly buying a mansion with campaign money. My cousin who is a fact checker for a local paper in Ohio instantly replied with links showing it was a doctored screenshot from 2019. I was embarrassed because I usually think I am pretty good at spotting this stuff. But it made me realize I was only checking one source instead of cross referencing images. Now I run every viral image through a reverse image search before I share anything. I also started paying attention to the date stamps and URL structure more carefully. Has anyone else had a family member call them out and change how you look at things?

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c/elder-care-planning•

aaron880•1mo ago

A financial advisor told me to skip long-term care insurance and I'm paying for it now

Back in 2019 my buddy Mark who's a 'planner' said I didn't need LTC insurance because my savings were enough. Fast forward to last month when my 78 year old mom fell and broke her hip. She needs around the clock help now and her Medicare only covers 28 days of skilled nursing. After 90 days of paying $7,500 a month out of pocket for aides I'm tapped out. Has anyone else had a professional give them bad advice that cost them big?

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c/foundry-workers•

aaron880•1mo ago

Stupidly spent $300 on a 'premium' crucible that cracked on the second pour

Bought a fancy silicon carbide crucible from a slick online ad last month because I thought it'd last forever. That thing split right down the middle on the second heat. Has anyone else had better luck with the standard clay-graphite ones from a regular supplier?

3 comments