Spent $60 on a 'secure' messaging app that got shut down in a month

I bought into the hype for this new app called 'CipherChat' because the ads said it was unbreakable and perfect for private group chats. Turns out the company was just reselling a basic open-source tool with a fancy skin, and they folded when their payment processor cut them off. Has anyone else had an encrypted service vanish after you paid for it?

Appreciation post: A client's hair disaster that changed my mind about color correction

Last Thursday, a regular came in with orange, patchy hair after a box dye fail, and I was ready to just slap a dark brown over it. My mentor, Sarah, stopped me and said, 'Let's actually fix it, not just cover it.' We spent three hours doing a proper color remover and a careful toner, and the result was this beautiful, even ash blonde she cried happy tears over. I used to think quick fixes were fine for corrections, but seeing her reaction to a proper job totally changed my approach. What's the most time you've ever spent on a single color correction that paid off?

Tried a new way to clean my dive helmet camera lens and it actually worked

I was on a job in Mobile last month and my helmet cam kept fogging up inside the housing. I remembered an old trick about using a tiny bit of dish soap on the inside lens, but I was worried about residue. I mixed one drop of Dawn with about 20ml of distilled water and wiped it on with a microfiber cloth before the dive. The lens stayed clear for the full four hour shift, no fog at all. I was sure it would just smear. Has anyone else tried this, or do you have a better method for keeping that viewport clean?

Hot take: People are missing the real story about the 2022 factory protests in Zhengzhou

I keep seeing posts that only mention the pay issues, but my friend who was there said the main local news blackout was about the safety violations and the chemical leak they tried to cover up. The official report from the city council last year only listed 'labor disputes' and scrubbed all environmental data. How do we even start tracking stories like this when the first draft of history gets deleted?

Hot take: I saw a 2008 F-150 go from a total loss to a show truck in under a year

A guy in my shop bought it for $800 from a salvage auction with a crushed cab and frame damage. He spent about 15k on parts and 9 months of nights and weekends doing a full frame swap and custom paint. What's the biggest 'rescue' project you've seen actually get finished?

Warning: Saw some sketchy wiring at a new coffee shop in Austin

They had extension cords running under a wet floor mat near the sink. Is that ever okay for a business, or should I say something to the owner?

Just realized something after seeing a protest at my old college in Madison last week

My entire monthly spread got wrecked by a coffee spill at the library

Honestly, I was at the downtown library last Thursday working on my March setup. I had just finished drawing out my calendar grid with a fine liner when my elbow knocked over my iced coffee. It went right across the page, smearing the ink into a huge blue blob. I just froze for a second, totally gutted. My first thought was to just tear the page out, but I only had two pages left in my notebook. So I grabbed a paper towel, blotted it, and let it dry. The next day, I went over the stained area with a white gel pen and drew little clouds and raindrops around the smudges to make it look intentional. It actually turned into a cute little weather theme for the month. Has anyone else salvaged a big mistake in their bujo by turning it into something else?

PSA: The time a client in Denver wanted their floor plan drawn on a napkin

I was at a coffee shop meeting a new client about a small house addition... they pulled out a napkin with a rough sketch and said 'just make it look like this.' The sketch had no measurements, just a wobbly square and an arrow labeled 'bigger room.' I spent two hours trying to turn it into a real plan, only for them to say it was 'too technical' and they wanted it 'more like the napkin.' I had to explain that a napkin isn't a legal document for a permit. Now I bring a blank site survey form to every first meeting and make them fill in the basics before I even open my laptop. Has anyone else had a client try to use a napkin as a real drawing?