Stumbled on a blog that tracks the number of active payphones left in each state

I was looking up something about old phone booths and fell into a rabbit hole. Ended up on this blog called 'Payphone Project' run by some guy who's been logging them for over a decade. The stat that got me was that as of last month, there are only 17 working payphones left in the entire state of Oregon. I'm in Albuquerque and I can't even remember the last time I saw one. The blog is just lists, photos, and notes from his trips. No ads, no fancy design, just a guy and his weird hobby. It's the kind of specific, useless info I love. Anyone else find blogs that are basically just one person's hyper-focused data dump?

Saw a huge difference in seam strength after switching to a new hot melt tape

I had a job about two months ago where the client called back after just six weeks because a seam was coming apart. I'd used the same standard tape for years. This time, I tried a different brand of hot melt tape, the kind you need a special iron for. The change was clear. The seam I put down with the new tape in a busy hallway is still perfect, while the old one failed fast. Has anyone else made a switch like this and seen a real jump in how long the seams hold?

PSA: A guy at the hardware store in Tacoma told me to use a dab of dish soap on a stripped screw head and it actually worked.

He saw me struggling with a Phillips head on a cabinet hinge and said, 'Just a drop on the tip of your driver gives it enough grip to turn it out,' and I got it loose in 5 seconds flat, so has anyone else got a simple fix that saved a project?

Found my old paper road atlas from 2003 and it still had my old route to my grandma's house marked in highlighter

I was cleaning out a closet and pulled out this big, folded map book I used to keep in my car. The page for my home state was worn thin at the folds, and there was a bright yellow line drawn from my college town to her place in Springfield. It hit me that I haven't touched a paper map in over 15 years, and I felt a weird mix of happy and sad looking at it. Do you still keep any old paper maps around, or is that skill totally gone now?

Found a cool old camera at the Brimfield flea market and the shutter jammed right after I bought it.

I picked up a 1970s Minolta SRT-101 for $25 at a stall near the back. Right after I paid, I tried the shutter and it stuck open, frozen solid. I took it to a guy named Carl who fixes watches and old radios there, and he got it moving again with a tiny drop of lighter fluid on the right gear. Anyone else ever have a find break on you almost immediately?

Vent: I was treating every old journal like a mystery to be solved

I realized I was reading them all wrong when I found a diary from the 70s in a Seattle thrift store that was just grocery lists and TV schedules. I was looking for a hidden story, but maybe the point is just seeing a normal day. Do you ever feel like you're reading too much into the simple stuff?

Caught a beautiful pattern in the spilled flour while baking bread.

I was kneading dough and some flour spilled on the table. It spread out in thin, wavy lines that looked like sand dunes. The morning light made the white flour glow. It was a simple moment but felt like seeing a piece of art.

Strong peel on sensitive skin. Disaster. Client's face was inflamed for days.