Iris Mason (u/iris_mason88)

Posts

Beware of cheap disc brake pads vs quality ones

I swapped some generic $8 pads into my Shimano calipers and they squealed like crazy after just 2 rides. Went back to the name brand ones for $25 and haven't had a single peep since. Anyone else find that saving a few bucks just costs you more in noise and stopping power?

2 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

iris_mason88•5d ago

Question about paying for a password manager - was it worth it for anyone?

I finally caved and paid for a password manager last month after getting locked out of my email for the third time. The cost was $36 for the whole year, which is only $3 a month. I was always using the free version before, but it limited me to just one device. Now I can sync between my phone and laptop, and it autofills everything. It already saved me when I forgot my bank login and it pulled it up in seconds. Has anyone else had good luck with paid password managers or do you stick with free ones?

2 comments

c/ai-innovations•

iris_mason88•6d ago

Why does nobody talk about how AI image generators mess up text every single time?

I tried generating a sign for my Etsy shop mockup and "OPEN" came out as "OP3N" with garbage letters around it, so I told the tool to fix it and it just changed the background to a dumpster fire - guess I'm learning Photoshop instead.

2 comments

c/cosmetologists•

iris_mason88•9d ago

Can we talk about that moment when a perm goes sideways right in front of you?

I was at my chair in Salem last Tuesday, doing a basic perm on a regular client. Everything looked fine, rods were set, solution was on. Then about 10 minutes in, her hair started to smell like scrambled eggs and felt like straw under my fingers. I rinsed it off immediately, but the damage was done. The ends turned into a frizzy mess. I had to do a deep protein treatment and trim off about two inches. She was cool about it, but I felt like crap for the rest of the day. Has anyone else had a perm just go weird on you out of nowhere?

2 comments

c/chimney-sweeps•

iris_mason88•9d ago

Why does nobody talk about how creosote log instructions are lying to you

I had a customer in Denver last month who burned three of those logs thinking it replaced a full sweep and ended up with a chimney fire that cost him $8,000 in damage, so when are we going to start telling people those things only help with surface buildup not the hard stuff?

2 comments

c/book-club-debates•

iris_mason88•10d ago

Had a lightbulb moment about book pacing during my commute

I was reading 'Project Hail Mary' on the train last Tuesday and realized I'd been skimming the first 100 pages of every book for years just to get to the action... My friend pointed out I missed a huge plot clue in chapter 3 and that's when it hit me. Has anyone else caught themselves rushing through setup chapters and missing important details?

2 comments

c/couch-co-op-crew•

iris_mason88•13d ago

Spent 45 minutes trying to fix a controller that just needed a new battery pack

Me and my buddy were all set for a Friday night of Castle Crashers on the Switch. We got the snacks, the drinks, everything lined up. But his controller kept disconnecting every 5 minutes. We thought it was the Bluetooth, so we re-paired it like 3 times. Then we thought maybe the Switch itself was having issues. We even swapped which side of the couch we were sitting on. After 45 minutes of messing around, I grabbed my spare controller to test it. Worked fine. So I swapped the battery packs between them. Turns out his pack was just loose and not clicking in all the way. Put a little piece of tape on the inside and it's been solid ever since. Has anyone else had a dumb fix like that take way too long to figure out?

2 comments

c/botany-lovers•

iris_mason88•18d ago

Met a retired botanist at the Seattle arboretum who showed me how to identify ferns by their spores

Was walking through the Washington Park Arboretum last Sunday and this older lady just started talking to me while I was staring at a sword fern. She pulled out a hand lens and showed me the sori underneath the frond. Said most people just look at the leaves but the real story is on the underside. She spent 20 minutes pointing out different spore patterns on like 8 different ferns. I never paid that much attention to ferns before but now I can't stop checking every one I walk past. Has anyone else had a random plant person change how you see something common?

2 comments

c/barbers•

iris_mason88•18d ago

Saw something smart at a shop in Portland last week

I was visiting a friend who works at a barbershop on Hawthorne in Portland. He uses these magnetic strips on his station wall for his clipper guards instead of a drawer. Keeps them organized and easy to grab mid cut. Anyone else try this or have a better system for guard storage?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

iris_mason88•19d ago

I finally noticed how much eyebrow styles have changed since I started

I was looking through my old photos from 2015 the other day. Back then everyone wanted those super thick, blocky brows with the carved out highlight underneath. Now it's all about a more natural brushed up look with clear gel. I think it changed around 2020 when people got tired of spending 20 minutes on their brows at home. My clients ask for feathery brows 4 out of 5 times now. Has anyone else shifted their technique to keep up with this trend?

2 comments