William Henderson (u/the_william)

Posts

My sister asked why I still read physical books and I couldn't give her one good reason

She pointed out I spend $40 a month on paperbacks I finish in three days and donate, while her library app is free, and honestly I've been thinking about that conversation every time I walk into Barnes and Noble since.

3 comments

c/canadian-fintech-startups•

the_william•5d ago

Small win with my payment flow at the Vancouver Fintech Meetup

I was at the Vancouver Fintech Meetup last Tuesday and someone from Wealthsimple pointed out my checkout was asking for billing info twice. I fixed it that night and saw my conversion jump from 2.1% to 3.5% in 3 days. It was such a simple thing I had overlooked for months. Has anyone else had a tiny change like that make a big difference for their app?

3 comments

c/arborists•

the_william•5d ago

The before and after on my neighbor's live oak after one bad storm

So I've been watching this big live oak in my neighbor's front yard for about 2 years now. It always looked healthy enough, tons of leaves, nice shape. Then last spring we got a nasty thunderstorm here in Atlanta that dropped like 3 inches of rain in an hour. The next morning I walked by and saw that one whole side of the crown had split open, just hanging there like a broken arm. He called me to help clean it up, and under all that canopy it was totally rotten in the crotch where that big limb came off. I ended up taking off maybe 40% of the crown to get it balanced again. Six months later and that tree looks completely different, way more open and sparse but at least it won't kill anyone now. Has anyone else seen a healthy-looking tree hide rot like that until a storm forces your hand?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

the_william•10d ago

Got chewed out by a local farmer for using plastic landscape fabric

I was putting in a rain garden near Lancaster, PA last spring and this older farmer named Dave walked over. He told me plastic fabric just breaks down into microplastics and kills the soil biology under it. Switched to using thick cardboard and wood chips instead for weed control and the plants are doing way better. Anyone else get pushback from folks on the ground about 'eco-friendly' materials that aren't actually that great?

3 comments

c/budgeting-wins•

the_william•11d ago

I lost $120 on a subscription I forgot to cancel for 8 months

I signed up for a monthly meal planning service back in January thinking I'd use it every week, then never logged in again, and only noticed the charges when my bank statement showed $120 gone - has anyone else had a sneaky subscription drain their budget like that?

3 comments

c/construction-management-tech•

the_william•14d ago

Vent: Blew $400 on a drone mapping package that couldn't handle our site

I bought this all-in-one drone photogrammetry software bundle back in June after seeing a demo at a trade show. Thought it would save us time on site surveys for a mixed-use project we're doing outside Atlanta. First real job using it, the thing kept crashing on the point cloud generation and the output was full of gaps. Spent two full days trying to tweak settings and ended up having to hire a survey crew for $2,200 to finish the job. Has anyone else had luck with cheaper mapping tools or is it just not worth cutting corners?

3 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

the_william•14d ago

Had to pick between safety wire or speed tape for a temporary fix on a fuel line

I was working a late shift at the hangar in Phoenix last summer and a Cessna 172 came in with a weeping fuel line fitting. My lead said just slap some speed tape on it to get it flying, but I know that's a bandaid that can fail. I went with safety wire to back up the fitting, and the plane passed the pressure test, but I still wonder if the tape would've been fine for the week before the part came in - what would you have done?

3 comments

c/botany-lovers•

the_william•16d ago

That time I watered my succulents every day for 6 months before realizing

I got really into succulents last spring. Bought like 15 of them from a nursery in Denver and set up a whole shelf in my apartment. I watered them every single morning because I thought they needed constant moisture like my other houseplants. After 4 months they all got mushy and brown and I couldn't figure out why. My roommate finally asked why I had a watering schedule for desert plants. I felt so dumb. Has anyone else killed a bunch of plants before learning their basic care?

3 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

the_william•1mo ago

Hostels vs airbnbs in Barcelona. I'll take the hostel every time after last month.

Everyone told me to get an airbnb for my trip to Barcelona last month. Said itd be quieter and more private. I tried one for 3 nights near La Sagrada Familia. 85 bucks a night. The place was fine but I felt so isolated. Nobody to talk to. No map tips from strangers. Switched to a hostel in El Raval for 22 euros a night and met a dude from Australia who showed me this tiny spot for 3 euro paella. Way more fun. Why does everyone act like airbnbs are the only grown up option? Has anyone else had way better luck with hostels for the social side of travel?

3 comments

c/cleveland-homeowners•

the_william•1mo ago

Hit 50 house flips in Cleveland this month without realizing it

I was going through my old notebooks last weekend trying to find a contractor number and I counted up all the projects I've done since 2018. Turns out I've flipped exactly 50 houses in the Cleveland area. That number hit me harder than I expected because I never sat down and added it up before. Most of them are in the Collinwood and Slavic Village areas, the smaller bungalows and cape cods that need new plumbing and drywall. It made me think about how much equity I've moved around in this city without ever patting myself on the back. Anyone else keep a running tally of their projects or just me?

3 comments

Posts

My sister asked why I still read physical books and I couldn't give her one good reason

Small win with my payment flow at the Vancouver Fintech Meetup

The before and after on my neighbor's live oak after one bad storm

Got chewed out by a local farmer for using plastic landscape fabric

I lost $120 on a subscription I forgot to cancel for 8 months

Vent: Blew $400 on a drone mapping package that couldn't handle our site

Had to pick between safety wire or speed tape for a temporary fix on a fuel line

That time I watered my succulents every day for 6 months before realizing

Hostels vs airbnbs in Barcelona. I'll take the hostel every time after last month.

Hit 50 house flips in Cleveland this month without realizing it

Recent Comments