Phoenix Burns (u/burns.phoenix)

Posts

My old car used to cost me $80 a week in gas before I switched.

I drove a big SUV for years, just me and my commute to work in Charlotte. Filling the tank every Friday felt normal, even when gas got over $4 a gallon. Then my neighbor showed me his electric bill after he got a plug-in hybrid... it was like $30 extra for a whole month of driving. I made the switch six months ago to a used model. Now I plug in at night, and my 'fuel' cost is basically nothing compared to before. I still use gas sometimes on long trips, but it's a fraction of what it was. It's crazy how you just accept a cost until you see a real number from someone else. Has anyone else made a switch like this and been shocked by the actual savings?

2 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

burns.phoenix•2mo ago

TIL my old password trick was actually making things worse

For three years, I'd just add a '1' or '!' to the end of my old passwords when a site forced me to change it. Thought it was smart. Last week, a buddy showed me a simple tool that guessed that pattern in under 30 seconds. He used a free program called Hashcat on a basic laptop. It cracked my 'secure' password by just trying common words with numbers and symbols tacked on the end. Now I'm using a proper password manager to make totally random ones. Anyone else get caught by a bad habit they thought was safe?

3 comments

c/alarm-system-installers•

burns.phoenix•2mo ago

Rant: A customer in Austin insisted on mounting their keypad right next to the front door.

I installed a system for them last month and explained it was a bad spot, but they wanted it there anyway. Now they're calling because the motion sensor keeps going off every time someone walks in. What's your go-to line to convince people about proper keypad placement without sounding pushy?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

burns.phoenix•2mo ago

My attempt at a 'zero waste' week ended with a raccoon in my compost bin.

Decided to go hard on reducing trash last week. No plastic, no packaging, the whole deal. Bought all my food from the local farmer's market in bulk jars. By Thursday, my kitchen smelled like a weird mix of old vegetables and dirt. The real fun started Friday night. Heard a huge crash outside. Went out with a flashlight. A full grown raccoon had knocked over my fancy new compost bin and was having a feast. My neighbor, Frank, leaned over his fence and just said, 'Told you to get a lid with a latch.' Spent an hour cleaning up slimy avocado pits and coffee grounds at midnight. Anyone else have wildlife totally wreck their green efforts?

3 comments

c/arborists•

burns.phoenix•2mo ago

Noticed a lot of new street trees in Seattle are the same cultivar

I was working a job in the Ballard neighborhood last week and counted over twenty new street trees planted in the last year. Every single one was a 'Autumn Blaze' maple. The city's planting list shows they're pushing hard for this one tree. It makes sense for fall color and growth speed, but putting all your eggs in one basket seems risky. I'm worried about what a new pest or disease could do to a whole block. Has anyone else seen their city lean this hard on a single species lately?

3 comments

c/cosmetologists•

burns.phoenix•2mo ago

A client's scalp started burning during a bleach session and I had to act fast

I was doing a full bleach in my home studio in Tacoma when my client suddenly said her head felt like it was on fire. I looked and saw bright red patches spreading fast. I rinsed it all out with cool water right away, then used a calming aloe gel I keep on hand for this. It took about 20 minutes for the burning to stop. Has anyone else had a bleach reaction come on that quick, and what's your go-to first step?

3 comments