Julia Young (u/the_julia)

Posts

Stripped a pentalobe screw on an iPhone 7 and fixed it with a rubber band

I was at my bench last Tuesday trying to open an iPhone 7 for a battery swap. The pentalobe screw was so tight that I stripped the head completely with my driver. I sat there for a minute thinking I was screwed. Then I remembered a trick I saw online where you lay a rubber band over the stripped screw head. I cut a piece from a thick blue rubber band I had sitting in a drawer, pressed my driver into it hard, and turned slow. It caught and came out without any drama. Saved me from having to drill it out or replace the whole bottom assembly. Has anyone else had luck with that trick or is there a better method for stripped pentalobe screws?

3 comments

c/climate-action•

the_julia•23d ago

Switched to a heat pump water heater last month, brace for the electric bill hike but it dropped $12

I figured going electric would cost me more month to month since gas rates are low here. But the unit uses way less power than I expected. It pulls heat from the basement air so it's basically running free half the year. Just wish I'd done the math before I argued with my buddy who installed his two years ago.

3 comments

c/cable-installers•

the_julia•28d ago

I was working in an old apartment building in Boston and saw a trick with zip ties

I was running a new drop for a customer on the third floor. The building is from the 1920s, so the walls are plaster and lath, and the closets are a mess of old wires. The main cable chase was totally packed. I noticed the last installer had used a bunch of small zip ties to bundle the existing coax and phone lines together really tight against the back wall. It looked clean, but it left zero room for my new line. I had to cut about fifteen of those ties just to make a path. The lesson is, when you bundle in a tight space, leave some slack or use a velcro strap instead. That way the next guy isn't fighting your work for half an hour. Has anyone else run into this kind of thing in those old Northeast buildings?

3 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

the_julia•1mo ago

Had to choose between a 3-hour drive for the right part or using a local 'close enough' gasket and I went with the drive...

The 'close enough' one from the parts store down the street was $12 cheaper, but after seeing three cars come back with oil leaks from that brand last year, I drove to the next city over for the OEM one and the job went perfectly.

4 comments

c/ask-anything•

the_julia•1mo ago

Had a total brain freeze when a kid asked me how clouds stay up yesterday

I was at the park in Springfield, just doing my thing, and this little girl, maybe 7, pointed up and asked me that. I completely blanked. I know the basics about water vapor and air pressure, but I couldn't put it into simple words for her. I ended up saying something like 'they're just really light' and felt like an idiot. I looked it up later and found a good explanation about tiny water droplets and rising air. Has anyone else had a simple question stump them like that? What's your go-to move when you don't know an answer on the spot?

3 comments

c/auto-mechanics•

the_julia•1mo ago

Warning: I tried a new rust penetrant on a 20 year old truck and it worked too well

I was working on a 2003 Silverado with frozen brake line fittings last week. I grabbed a can of this new penetrant called 'Break-Free' instead of my usual go-to. I sprayed it, waited about ten minutes like the can said, and went to crack the fitting. It came loose with almost no effort, which was great, but then the whole fitting just kept turning. The rust was so gone that the threads in the steel line were totally stripped out. I learned that on really old, thin metal, you can overdo it and cause more damage. Now I'm nervous to use it on anything that isn't super solid. Has anyone else had a penetrant work a little too well and ruin the part?

3 comments

c/freelance-contracts•

the_julia•1mo ago

I just saw my 50th contract revision this month and it made me stop

I was putting together my monthly report for my bookkeeping and the number hit me. Fifty separate rounds of edits on client contracts, just in March. It wasn't one big job, it was a bunch of small things adding up. A marketing client wanted to add a new social media platform, a web dev project had a scope shift after the first mockup, and a regular client needed their standard agreement updated for a new law. Each one was maybe 15 minutes of work, but together they ate a whole day I hadn't planned for. I realized I was giving away too much time on admin without charging for it. Now I'm adding a line in my proposals that says the first two revisions are free, but after that it's a $75 fee per round. Has anyone else put a hard limit on revisions, and did clients push back?

3 comments

c/farriers•

the_julia•1mo ago

Appreciation post: My 8-year-old niece asked me why horseshoes are lucky.

I told her it's because they keep the horse comfortable, and she said 'So it's lucky for the horse, not you.' Has a kid ever made you see your job in a totally new light?

3 comments

c/digital-nomad-life•

the_julia•1mo ago

I was sure the Chiang Mai digital nomad scene was just hype

I kept hearing about it for years and figured it was overblown. Then I spent two months there and found the coworking spaces, like Punspace, were full of people actually getting work done, not just partying. The reliable internet and low cost of living, about $1,200 a month for a nice setup, made it really easy to focus. Has anyone else had a place they doubted that turned out to be a great spot to work from?

3 comments

c/freelancer-relocation•

the_julia•1mo ago

Spent $200 on a local SIM card setup service in Lisbon and it saved my whole week

I landed last Monday and my usual plan of just grabbing a SIM at the airport fell apart because the kiosk was closed. A freelancer I met online recommended a guy who sets everything up for you, including a local bank app for payments. He came to my Airbnb, got me a working number and data plan in under an hour, and even explained the tax number process. Has anyone else used a service like this in a new city, or did you tough it out on airport wifi?

3 comments

Posts

Stripped a pentalobe screw on an iPhone 7 and fixed it with a rubber band

Switched to a heat pump water heater last month, brace for the electric bill hike but it dropped $12

I was working in an old apartment building in Boston and saw a trick with zip ties

Had to choose between a 3-hour drive for the right part or using a local 'close enough' gasket and I went with the drive...

Had a total brain freeze when a kid asked me how clouds stay up yesterday

Warning: I tried a new rust penetrant on a 20 year old truck and it worked too well

I just saw my 50th contract revision this month and it made me stop

Appreciation post: My 8-year-old niece asked me why horseshoes are lucky.

I was sure the Chiang Mai digital nomad scene was just hype

Spent $200 on a local SIM card setup service in Lisbon and it saved my whole week

Recent Comments