ptc075

Reheat pizza by placing a few drops of water in a frying pan & cover. Gives the bottom the slightest bit of crunch & the steam reheats the rest evenly. Canned soup + a bouillon cube + extra of that one thing that you like (pasta, rice, meat, veggie). You can use frozen strawberries instead of ice in many drinks. Doesn’t water the drink down, and you get a sweet treat at the end.

I purposely still use Google on one of my PCs. I'm of the opinion that having a limited presence on their algorithms is better than trying to be invisible. So, Google knows I like Magic the Gathering & DnD.

Probably doesn’t count as I didn’t buy it, so I’m technically not dealing with it. But let’s talk about electric riding lawnmowers. Last year I was looking to replace my 20+ year old riding lawnmower with an electric one. Could not find a single manufacturer who would also provide the parts lists. Digging deeper, seems like they simply do not sell parts, like at all. The mowers just aren’t repairable - straight up, if it breaks, buy a new one. That’s irresponsible when talking about an electric drill, but a full riding mower? WTF? To be fair, this might be a chicken & egg problem. Low adoption rates means there’s a very small market for parts, so there’s no aftermarket support. And that aftermarket is where I get parts for my current mower. So maybe it’s not fair to blame the manufacturer? But I think that’s a stretch. From where I’m standing, it sure looks like intentional planned obsolescence.

For a unique answer, I’m going to say my model trains from the 1940s & 50s (Lionel, O gauge). They were designed to be taken apart & serviced, and it shows. And they have enough common parts that even though they’re now 75+ years old, you can still get parts. I’ll also throw my 1997 Ford F-150 into the mix as a more common answer. Ford made literal millions of these, so not only are parts still available, they will be for decades still to come. Heck, I replaced the motor last year, and was able to get most of the bolt on parts I wanted straight from the dealership. Not bad for 25+ years old.

Couple years ago, I finally got off my ass & started making time to actually fix the stuff I said I would fix. It’s been transformational. This year, I made time for the ‘good’ car. I replaced the transmission along with a lot of other little bits that had been bothering me. Took close to 5 months in total, but I’m at the point now where both the good car & the beater truck are both reliable runners. It’s a good feeling.

Remember that any advice from your parents (or anyone over 30, apparently) is, at best, 20 years past its best by date. Doesn’t mean it’s not still good, but give it a sniff test.