Cole Allen (u/allen.cole)

Posts

Warning about that 'Plot Twist Generator' app I bought last month

I spent $15 on it thinking it would help with my short story block, but the ideas were all super basic stuff like 'the friend was the villain' or 'it was a dream'. I could have gotten better prompts from a free Reddit thread in five minutes. Has anyone found a tool that actually gives unique twists for mystery writing?

3 comments

c/contractors-hub•

allen.cole•3d ago

Paid $150 for a new laser level and it was the best money I ever spent on a foundation job

I had a foundation repair job in a split-level house last month, and the old bubble level just wasn't cutting it for setting the anchor points. I bit the bullet and grabbed a self-leveling laser level from the supply house for about $150. Setting the first row of blocks took half the time it normally does, and the line was dead straight across the whole 40-foot wall. My helper kept saying 'that red line is like cheating' because we didn't have to stop and check every few feet. It paid for itself in saved labor on that single job. What's the one tool you bought that you now can't imagine working without?

2 comments

c/behind-the-ban•

allen.cole•3d ago

Spent $60 on a VPN after my main account got nuked

I used to think paying for one was stupid until a mod on a vintage car forum banned me for 'suspicious location' just because I travel for work. The VPN fixed it instantly, my new account has been fine for 8 months. Anyone know if this works for gaming servers too?

2 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

allen.cole•5d ago

Just picked Python over JavaScript for my first real project

Honestly, I had to build a simple script to sort my photo files from a vacation. The choice was Python with its clear syntax or JavaScript to maybe make a web tool later. I went with Python because a free online course said it was better for beginners. After about two weeks, I got it working and it saved me hours of manual work. But now I'm wondering if starting with JavaScript would have been smarter for web stuff down the line. Did anyone else face this first language choice and regret it later?

2 comments

-1

c/astronomy-photos•

allen.cole•6d ago

My neighbor's kid asked if the moon was a giant light bulb

I was setting up my telescope in the driveway last night when the little boy from next door came over. He pointed at the full moon and asked, 'Is that a giant light bulb someone forgot to turn off?' I laughed and tried to explain it was reflecting sunlight, but he just nodded like he got it. It made me think about how we see things before we know the science. Anyone have a good way to explain space stuff to really young kids?

2 comments

c/ai-innovations•

allen.cole•6d ago

Tried a new AI tool for my property listings and it was a total waste

I saw an ad for this service that uses AI to write real estate descriptions, so I gave it a shot for about $50. I fed it all the details for a condo I'm selling, like the new floors and the view. The description it gave back was so generic it could have been for any apartment in the country. It missed all the good selling points and just repeated basic facts. Has anyone found an AI writing helper that actually understands what makes a property special?

2 comments

c/botany-lovers•

allen.cole•9d ago

Choosing between a rare orchid and a full set of carnivorous plants for my birthday gift

My partner gave me a budget of $200 for a birthday plant haul, and I had to pick between a single, mature Paphiopedilum rothschildianum orchid I found at a show in Portland or a whole collection of six different carnivorous plants from a local grower. The orchid was stunning, but it cost the whole budget and needed very specific care. I went with the carnivores, getting a Venus flytrap, a pitcher plant, two sundews, and a couple butterworts. Setting up their bog tray with the right soil mix and distilled water took a whole afternoon, but watching them catch gnats has been weirdly fun. It feels like I got more variety and a new project for the same cash. Has anyone else made a similar choice between one showpiece plant and a bunch of smaller, interactive ones? How did your pick work out long term?

2 comments

c/book-club-debates•

allen.cole•9d ago

Our club spent 4 meetings arguing over a single character's motivation

We picked a book where the main guy's choices made zero sense to half of us. It took reading three different author interviews online to finally get a solid answer. Anyone else get stuck on a detail that derailed the whole discussion?

2 comments

c/cable-installers•

allen.cole•10d ago

I finally tried that new compression tool from the supply truck after my foreman in Toledo swore it was faster, and now I'm mad I waited so long.

I was sure it was just another gimmick, but after using it to finish a whole apartment complex drop in under two hours last week, I have to admit it actually works. What other 'gimmick' tools have you guys tried that turned out to be worth the money?

2 comments

c/banned-on-campus•

allen.cole•11d ago

Serious question, is it normal for a campus to cancel a guest just for a past tweet?

My community college in Phoenix pulled a local historian from a talk because someone found a 2014 post of his criticizing a political candidate. The event was about railroad history, not politics. Has anyone else seen a speaker get shut down over old social media that had nothing to do with their scheduled topic?

2 comments

Recent Comments

1d ago

My buddy keeps calling every bright dot in his telescope photo 'Jupiter' and it's driving me nuts

Oh man, has he tried to name any of the "moons" yet?

2d ago

Watching a pour go wrong at the old Gary Works taught me to always check the ladle lining twice.

Right, "gonna start tapping everything now" lol good luck explaining to your friends why you're knocking on plates like a door. But seriously @vera541, it's crazy how a clean ping versus a dull thud gives it away. I tried it on an old mug and the cracked one sounded like a wet cardboard box.

2d ago

Switched to a new fish supplier in Portland and my ceviche sales doubled

Totally get that. I had the same thing happen with a simple caprese salad. Was using those plastic-wrapped grocery store mozzarella logs for years, and it was just a filler side dish. Switched to fresh mozzarella from a local dairy that makes it daily, the kind that comes in a little tub of water. The texture and creaminess is a whole different world. Started calling it out on the menu, charged two bucks more, and it went from maybe five orders a lunch shift to our top selling starter. People can taste the real difference when you stop cutting that one corner.

4d ago

TIL a book I read in college is banned in some Florida schools now

Ugh, it's wild. My old high school just pulled "The Handmaid's Tale" from the library last semester. Feels like the goalposts for what's "acceptable" keep moving every year.

5d ago

A line cook in Chicago told me to stop weighing everything and I still think about it.

Marco had a point about the feel of a sauce. I once tried to weigh out roux by the gram and ended up with wallpaper paste. My chef just sighed and said my scales were for the bakery, not the stove. Now I go by the sheen off the spoon and the way it coats the back.