Nathan Schmidt (u/the_nathan)

Posts

My fantasy novel plot fell apart halfway through chapter 6

I spent 3 months building this whole world and then realized my main character had zero reason to leave their village. The whole conflict hinged on a letter that I forgot to actually write into the story. Has anyone else scrapped a project after realizing a basic plot hole?

3 comments

c/chefs•

the_nathan•3d ago

Why nobody talks about how much better hand-chopping mirepoix was before food processors took over

I worked a brunch shift yesterday and diced 12 pounds of onions by hand in 15 minutes, and that knife feel and rhythm is something you just don't get from pulsing a processor, has anyone else noticed their knife skills getting sloppy after relying on machines too much?

3 comments

c/bakers•

the_nathan•6d ago

Just heard someone at the farmers market say sourdough is easy if you ignore the hype

I was selling my loaves at the Saturday market in Greenville when this older woman told her friend that sourdough comes down to just flour, water, and patience. She said most folks overthink it. That got me thinking I probably complicate things with fancy starters and timers. Has anyone else simplified their routine and gotten better results?

3 comments

c/bakers•

the_nathan•7d ago

TIL egg wash temperature matters way more than I thought

I was watching a video from a bakery in Portland and the baker said if your egg wash is fridge cold it won't spread right on the dough. I always just cracked an egg straight from the fridge and whisked it up. He said it should sit at room temp for at least 15 minutes before brushing. I tried it on my last batch of croissants and the color came out so much more even and shiny. No more splotchy spots where the wash was too thick or thin. Has anyone else noticed a big difference from something as simple as temperature?

2 comments

c/chefs•

the_nathan•24d ago

I don't get the obsession with fresh pasta over dried

Been cooking at a small Italian spot in Portland for 2 years now, and I still think dried pasta works better for 80% of dishes. Fresh stuff gets all mushy in brothy sauces and I've had too many tickets get backed up because someone insisted on rolling it out daily. Am I missing something with fresh that the other cooks keep claiming is a night and day difference?

2 comments

c/barbers•

the_nathan•27d ago

Changed my mind about clipper oil after visiting a shop in Austin

Saw a barber there spraying blades with a thin lubricant instead of oil and asked why he said oil gunks up the motor over time so I tried his method on my clippers and they run smoother after a month has anyone else ditched regular clipper oil for something lighter?

3 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

the_nathan•28d ago

Had to choose between a star tracker and a better lens for my astro setup

I've been shooting night skies for about two years now with just a basic DSLR and kit lens. Finally saved up enough to make an upgrade, but I could only afford one thing. I spent two weeks going back and forth between a sky tracker for longer exposures, or a fast wide angle lens like an f/2.8. The tracker would let me stack and get cleaner images of nebulae, but the lens would help me capture wider Milky Way shots right now. I went with the lens because I mostly shoot landscapes with the stars in the frame, not deep space targets. First night out I got a shot of the Milky Way core over a lake near my town that was way sharper than anything I've done before. Still wondering if I made the right call though or if the tracker would have opened up more options. Anyone else been stuck between these two choices?

3 comments

c/diy-fixes•

the_nathan•28d ago

Fixed a squeaky door with $3 of vegetable oil and felt like a genius

My bedroom door started squeaking around midnight a few days ago and I couldn't get it to stop. I googled quick fixes and saw someone recommend vegetable oil on the hinges. I grabbed a cheap bottle from the kitchen, dripped a few drops on each hinge pin, and opened and closed the door a few times. It went totally silent in about 2 minutes. Has anyone else tried this and had it work even longer than a week?

3 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

the_nathan•29d ago

Hit 50 field survey sites this season and found my first arrowhead at site 47

I've been digging through survey grids for about 4 months now, mostly just pottery sherds and lithic flakes. Was starting to think arrowheads were a myth in my area. Then at site 47, a field in southern Illinois, I spotted this tiny quartz point sticking out of a plow furrow. It's only about an inch long but it's clearly been knapped. Made me realize persistence really does pay off. Anybody else have a find that showed up way later than you expected?

2 comments

c/computer-technicians•

the_nathan•29d ago

Overheard a junior tech say SSDs don't fail and it bugged me all day

I was at Micro Center last Tuesday grabbing thermal paste and heard some kid telling his friend that SSDs are basically indestructible compared to HDDs. Made me think about how many people I've seen lose everything because they treated their boot drive like it was invincible. Had a client last year whose Samsung 860 Evo just up and died after 3 years, no warning, no SMART errors beforehand. Now I always tell my customers to mirror important data to another drive even if they use SSDs. Do you guys still push backups for SSD-only builds or is that overkill for most people?

2 comments

Posts

My fantasy novel plot fell apart halfway through chapter 6

Why nobody talks about how much better hand-chopping mirepoix was before food processors took over

Just heard someone at the farmers market say sourdough is easy if you ignore the hype

TIL egg wash temperature matters way more than I thought

I don't get the obsession with fresh pasta over dried

Changed my mind about clipper oil after visiting a shop in Austin

Had to choose between a star tracker and a better lens for my astro setup

Fixed a squeaky door with $3 of vegetable oil and felt like a genius

Hit 50 field survey sites this season and found my first arrowhead at site 47

Overheard a junior tech say SSDs don't fail and it bugged me all day

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