Threw $200 at Facebook ads for a local coffee shop with no targeting and got 12 leads in a day

I was helping my buddy's new coffee shop in Austin get some traction. He had zero budget so I just set up a basic ad with a photo of their cold brew, set the location to a 5 mile radius, and put no interests or demographics. Figured it would be a waste. But the next morning he had 12 people message him asking about catering and wholesale. I learned that sometimes simple geo targeting beats all the fancy audience layers people overthink.

A guy on the CDT told me I was carrying too much water and he was right

I used to fill my 3L bladder to the brim at every stream even on short stretches. He pointed out I was hauling an extra 6 pounds for no reason and now I just carry 1.5L and filter more often. Anyone else get stubborn about water weight until someone called them out on it?

Had a TERRIBLE week with a Windows 98 machine that just would not boot

I spent 3 whole days trying to get an old Dell OptiPlex GX110 to start after it sat in storage for 5 years. Turns out the CMOS battery had leaked and corroded the motherboard traces near the socket. I tried cleaning it with vinegar and alcohol but no luck. Has anyone else had a board die this way or is there some trick I missed?

That cheap door level trick nobody tells you about

I was fighting a set of elevator doors in a 1980s building in Denver last month. The header was sagging just enough to make the doors drag on the sill. I tried shimming the track and adjusting the hangers for two hours but nothing worked. Then an old timer I was working with told me to try a cheap laser level from Harbor Freight. I set it up on the sill and shot a line across the header. Turns out the whole frame was twisted by about a quarter inch. I just loosened the tie bolts and gave the header a solid whack with a deadblow hammer. Doors closed smooth after that. Has anyone else fixed a door bind issue with just a laser and a hammer instead of tearing everything apart?

Just found out my telescope mirror was dirty for 2 years...

I was flipping through that Cloudy Nights forum last night and saw a thread where a guy tested his mirror with a laser pointer and a fogged up mirror killed his contrast by like 60%. So I pulled my 10 inch dob out of the garage and sure enough, there was a layer of grime I never noticed. Has anyone else had a big performance jump after a deep clean on their primary mirror?

Bought a $60 magnetic hoof stand on a whim and it saved my back after just three days.

I was skeptical at first but after wrestling with a draft cross's hind foot for two straight hours I finally caved and ordered one from a shop in Kentucky has anyone else made the switch and actually felt the difference in their hips at the end of the day?

I finally figured out that I was keeping my sourdough starter too warm for months

For about 6 months I kept my starter on top of the fridge, thinking the warmth would make it active faster. It always smelled like nail polish remover and never rose right. Then a neighbor who bakes at the farmers market told me her starter sits in the basement around 65 degrees. I moved mine down there and within a week it started doubling in size and smelling like yogurt instead. Anyone else have their starter in a spot that's too warm and just assumed it was normal?

Fixed a leaky toilet flapper with a $3 part instead of replacing the whole thing

My toilet was running constantly for like 2 months before I finally looked inside and saw the flapper was just crusty. Grabbed a new one at Home Depot for $3 and it's been silent ever since. Anyone else ever put off a tiny fix like that way too long?

My fridge looked like a weird science project after I tried to make my own hot sauce

I was at my friend's place in Austin last month and he made this amazing fermented habanero sauce. He said it was easy, just peppers, garlic, and salt. I got home and bought like two pounds of peppers, a whole head of garlic, and some weird vinegar I'd never used before. Everything was in jars and bowls, my fridge was a mess of red and orange for a week. I ended up with something way too spicy and kind of fizzy. Has anyone else tried a ferment that just went totally sideways?

My uncle told me to never trust the wind gauge on a tower crane, and he was right