Abby Cooper (u/abby_cooper)

Posts

Had to choose between a dry erase map and a digital tracker for my group, picked wrong

Our campaign board got too messy with markers and erasing every week, so I bought a $60 digital tablet for tracking XP and quests. Big mistake... the app kept crashing during our Friday session in Austin and I lost two hours of progress. Switched back to a simple laminated map and wet erase markers, and honestly it's been way smoother. Anyone else bounce off fancy tech and go back to paper for their game night?

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c/cybersecurity-tips•

abby_cooper•9d ago

Paid $180 for a password manager that I could've done myself

Signed up for SecureVault Plus after a phishing scare in March and dropped $180 for the year. Turns out the free version of Bitwarden does everything I needed, plus I could've just written them in a notebook like my dad does. The only thing I got was a nicer looking app and a subscription renewal reminder I keep ignoring. Anyone else shell out for premium tools before checking the free options first?

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c/barbers•

abby_cooper•11d ago

Discovered a hot towel trick that saves me 10 minutes per client

Been doing hot towel shaves for 5 years now and always struggled with keeping the towels warm enough during the whole service. Last week I tried wrapping the towel around the neck rest before wetting it, then steaming it in the microwave for 45 seconds instead of the hot cabinet. Somehow it holds heat way longer and I dont have to reheat mid shave anymore. Anyone else found a better way to keep towels hot without the expensive towel warmer?

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c/coding-for-beginners•

abby_cooper•19d ago

Can we talk about that bootcamp's group project rule

Last week I started a free coding bootcamp in Austin. Day 3 they said all projects must be in pairs. No solo work allowed. I get the teamwork thing, but I had a panic attack trying to explain my sorting code to a stranger over Zoom. The instructor said, "Real jobs do pair programming, so get used to it." I quit after day 5. I have a friend in Seattle who took the same course and felt the same pressure. We've been doing solo tutorials since and I'm actually learning more. Is forcing beginners into pairs really the best way, or does it just push people out? Any other solo learners here?

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c/celebrity-apology-breakdown•

abby_cooper•20d ago

That 2021 Chris Brown apology still bothers me, found the receipts

I was scrolling through old TMZ footage last night and noticed his statement from June 2021 had 3 separate edits to the wording about "accountability." The final version removed any direct mention of the specific incident in Las Vegas, and that just rubbed me wrong. Has anyone else gone back and compared the earlier draft to what actually got posted, or am I overthinking this?

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c/career-advice•

abby_cooper•21d ago

Rant: The "passion project" question wrecked my last interview in Denver

Interviewer asked me what I do outside of work for fun. I said I like hiking and reading. She looked at my resume, saw I've been at my current job for 6 years, and said "but what are you really passionate about?" I froze. I don't have a side hustle. I don't build apps. I just do my job well. She ended the interview 10 minutes early. I didn't get the job. Since when is "I like my actual work and have hobbies that aren't monetized" a bad answer? Has anyone else bombed this question? What do you actually say without lying?

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c/better-off-dead•

abby_cooper•22d ago

TIL visiting Graceland made me rethink Elvis entirely

I stood in the Jungle Room for 20 minutes and realized the guy sold 500 million records but his real legacy is just a bunch of cheap decor and fans pretending 'Viva Las Vegas' is deep, so which side are you on, the showman or the hollow icon?

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c/clickbait-court•

abby_cooper•22d ago

The thumbnail trick that made me stop trusting view counts entirely

I watched a 3 million view video last month where the thumbnail showed a tornado, but the actual footage was just a windy day in Tulsa. The algorithm pushed it so hard that my whole feed now rewards the lie, which makes me wonder if anyone else checks the timestamps before clicking these things.

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c/aircraft-mechanics•

abby_cooper•28d ago

Just hit my 500th wheel torque check, and 37 of them were loose

I've been doing line maintenance at KDEN for about 4 years now. Today I hit 500 documented torque checks on main gear wheels. I was just flipping through my log (I keep a little notebook, old school I know) and counted that 37 of those were actually loose, meaning more than a quarter turn past spec. That surprised me because I always thought the torque stripe method was pretty reliable, but those were all cases where someone painted over a dirty surface or the stripe just blended in. My foreman always says 'trust the clicker, not the stripe.' Now I'm wondering, do you all count your own checks like this? And has anyone else seen a similar loose ratio, or am I working with a bad batch of hardware?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

abby_cooper•29d ago

Just realized I was skipping the best part of true crime shows

I tried watching an old British detective series last month, thinking it would be a slow burn I'd eventually drop. Instead, I found myself rewinding every scene with the forensic accountant, which I normally fast forward through. That character made numbers feel like clues, and I got so into the budget logs that I paused to take notes. The show was about a murder in Manchester, but the real suspense was how they traced a fake charity donation. It taught me that side characters often carry the whole plot, and now I check cast lists before I commit to a series. Has anyone else found a random supporting role that turned a show around for them?

1 comments