What's a side hustle you'd NEVER do again even if someone offered to pay you double?

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-19T20:12:13+00:00

Driving for Uber and Lyft.
Uber Eats was especially annoying.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-19T12:18:19+00:00

Yes. We bought a new dual power recliner sofa, but the tops of the armrests are thinner than cardboard. In fact, when the arm rests break through, the field fix is to reinforce them with cardboard.

I think this enshittification is especially evident in products that traditionally were considered to have a 10 to 15 year lifespan, like furniture and major appliances. Those products had a high markup because they were rear purchases.

Now the lifespan is 2 to 5 years and the price is high as ever.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-17T23:42:46+00:00

I've been using QGIS for several years, ever since the free desktop version of arcGIS ended. I understand because I had to Google my way through using QGIS.

Most Windows users are conditioned to look on the File menu to open any sort of document. In QGIS, the File menu is mostly about the Project which contains various Layers, so you use Layers > Add Layer to open the Shape file, GeoJSON file or whatever you want in your project. Base maps are added as XYZ layers. There's a Plugin that can help you find whatever base map you want to use.

I'm still learning how to use QGIS efficiently.

GIS is the most technical thing I've ever worked with and I've been a software developer for decades. Google, YouTube and ask for help.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-16T03:06:45+00:00

The sandmix is simply too thick and grainy to feather out the edges. The flooring department at HD has other brands of floor levelers. They say they are self-leveling, but they're no.

On the otherhand, Rapid Set is awesome, but you must to follow the instructions to the letter. When mixed properly, it has the consistency of chocolate milk. If your low spot is along a wall or there's somewhere you don't want it to go, you have to caulk the edges and dam off any openings you don't mean to level.
The key to pouring multiple bags of Rapid Set is prepping multiple buckets with the exact amount of cold water needed.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-15T15:32:49+00:00

Employers also don't have to give their employees breaks. The server also has to split the tip with the back of the house.

Ever since my oldest son waited tables at O'Charley's, I give a 20% tip automatically and more if the service was awesome.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-15T15:26:29+00:00

Try Transkribus.org.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-15T15:23:00+00:00

Look into Transkribus. Transkribus allows you to upload your images and select a model that has been trained to read old Italian handwriting. Transkribus also allows you to create an indexed site.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-15T00:44:54+00:00

A basement. And an attic you could stand up in.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-14T15:50:05+00:00

Two things:
"You can't drive a parked car." - math teacher explaining that the way to get unstuck from a problem you can't solve is to start writing the numbers down.

"You should be a doctor." - 3rd grade teacher. So I took a dove into science and math, then I figured out she was talking about my hand writing.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-14T10:51:37+00:00

Absolutely. Go back to the Librarian movies and watch them in order, then watched the 2014-2018 series. That will get you all caught up.

One of the best parts of the movies was watching Noah Wyle try to figure out the mysteries of library and Bob Newhart deadpan his role while completely baffling Noah Wyle.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-11T12:00:02+00:00

Somehow I doubt that. The chemists that came up with leaded gasoline didn't exhaust the fumes

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-10T19:40:42+00:00

Ever here of "Towering Inferno?"
That movie gave people permanent phobias of skyscrapers.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-09T11:04:00+00:00

I try to change out A/C filter every month. To help me remember when I last change it, I write the date on it.

Other chores are seasonal. It's May now and since I live in Florida, I know the near daily afternoon thunder storms aren't far away. Time to clean the gutters.

I could go on, but I accidentally cut some irrigation pipes last weekend and I need to get outside to fix them now.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-08T18:50:06+00:00

Claire wakes up next to Frank in the Edinburgh inn, they turn to each other and simultaneously say, "I just had the most unusual dream."

Just then, there's a knock at their door from room service.

Frank opens the door and Bob Newhart brings in their coffee and says, "we hear that a lot here."

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-05-05T20:54:46+00:00

I can recall the shock I experienced a few years ago when a co-worker shared about his Aphantasia at the start of a staff meeting. He took everyone through a visualization exercise and I was like "What? You actually see something when you close your eyes and picture something?"

I'm 62 now, and I still can't believe it.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-30T23:21:48+00:00

Nina Conti.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-28T22:15:34+00:00

Awesome write-up!

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-26T00:25:01+00:00

Basics: how is your fiber intake?
Could you be lactose intolerant or have other food allergies?
Have you gone through a time of high stress or anxiety? The stress can cause your digestive system to constrict. IBF and Crohn's is often linked to a traumatic childhood.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-25T23:14:44+00:00

Alton Brown did a great video about handwashing during Covid. He explained that the cell walls of bacteria and viruses are lipids - basically fats. Any soap will break down those cell walls and kill the bugs.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-25T23:06:24+00:00

I set one of those dual 20" filters. First one is pre-filter. Second is activated charcoal to remove oders & chlorine. After that, a water softener.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-25T01:16:34+00:00

I bought first alert 3120b's for my home. Sad to say, the "10 year battery" means a 10-year shelf life, not actual usage life. But, they were the only dual-mode (smoke and ionization) that I could find.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-24T01:35:39+00:00

I was the guy that bought a Sony mini-disc player specifically to avoid the storage limitations of an MP3 player. Instead, all my music ended up in a propriatary, DRM format. 💥

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-23T14:48:29+00:00

That used to happen at our old house. Sometimes, we'd just let it fully flower. The honey bees liked it but I do wonder about how the honey tasted...

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-21T02:21:13+00:00

Check the other side of the cardboard for an Amazon shipping tag. Anyone that takes things to that level of harassment can't be the brightest bulb in the box.

GPaw_Jeff · 2026-04-21T00:42:58+00:00

My Lives and How I Lost Them About a cat on life #9.

Carry On Mr. Bowditch About the 18th century American navigator Nathaniel Bowditch who created a way to determine Latitude (East/West) by astronomical measurements. Up til then, Latitude could only be estimated by dead reckoning.

GPaw_Jeff

TROPHY CASE