Hot take: That $300 'viral' coffee machine is just collecting dust now

Bought it after seeing it everywhere, but it's way too much work for a daily cup. Anyone else have a gadget that seemed essential during the hype?

PSA: My neighbor in Charlotte just tried to smoke a brisket in 6 hours

He used his gas grill on high, said it was 'just as good'. Has anyone else had to gently correct a friend's BBQ timeline?

Can we talk about that $80 'viral' posture corrector I bought last year? Total waste or life saver?

My contractor insisted on a curbless shower drain, and I'm so glad he did.

He said it would be a game changer for aging in place, and after seeing my mom visit last week, he was totally right. Anyone else have a feature they were unsure about that ended up being perfect?

Just saw my first batch of sauerkraut go from cabbage to gold

I started a jar of kraut about 10 days ago, just green cabbage and salt. For the first week it looked pretty sad, just a dull green with some bubbles. I almost tossed it. But I left it alone in the pantry. Checked it this morning and the color is totally different, a bright, creamy yellow. The smell changed too, from salty cabbage to that sharp, tangy kick. The biggest thing was the taste. I tried a piece and it was perfect, sour and crunchy, not soft at all. The good bacteria just needed that quiet time to do its thing. Has anyone else had a batch that looked wrong but turned out great after waiting a bit longer?

Shoutout to the guy who spent 20 minutes convincing me that viral clip of the 'haunted' Walmart was real

I had to choose between laughing at him or actually pulling up the Snopes article that showed the whole thing was a TikTok trend from last fall, and showing him the proof felt way better than just letting him believe it.

Question about drone surveys for grading work

Three years ago on a site in Phoenix, I thought drone mapping was just for fancy marketing videos. Last week, our crew used one to map a 5 acre lot and the cut/fill calcs were done in an hour instead of a full day. What's the best entry-level drone for a small grading company?

Shoutout to the little shop in Boise that still uses a hand grinder

I was in Boise last week for a job and stopped by a place called The Slow Roast. They had a big, old hand crank grinder right on the counter for their single-origin pour-overs. The barista said they use it because it lets them feel the grind size change with the beans. It was a cool thing to watch, and the coffee tasted amazing. Does anyone know other shops that do something like this instead of using electric ones?

Just read that the first steam boiler patent in the US was granted in 1791, which is way older than I thought.

Found it in this old trade magazine at the dentist's office. I always figured it was more of an industrial revolution thing, like mid-1800s. Makes you think about the guys banging those first rivets together. Anyone know what that first patented design was even for?

Warning: I found a way to clear stubborn milia in half the usual time

A client came in with a cluster of milia under her eye that wouldn't budge after two regular extractions. I was about to reschedule her for another try, but I decided to steam her face for a full 15 minutes instead of my usual 8. I used a warm, damp towel over the steamer to really trap the heat. After that, I gently used a sterile lancet and they popped out with almost no pressure. She was thrilled and her skin healed in 2 days. Has anyone else tried a longer steam time for tough cases like this?