Evan Cooper (u/evan_cooper73)

Posts

Overheard a guy at the library rant about AI art stealing jobs and it got me thinking

I was at the downtown library last Saturday, and this guy was loud on his phone saying AI art is just theft because it scrapes images from artists without paying them. It made me think about my own experience. I spent like 3 weeks last month trying to get Midjourney to make a decent picture of a cat in a spacesuit for a T-shirt design. The AI gave me some wild stuff, but I had to tweak every detail myself. I don't know if that's stealing or just a new tool. The guy never mentioned how much work goes into prompting and editing. Has anyone else had that moment where you feel like you're putting in real effort with AI art?

3 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

evan_cooper73•7d ago

Why does nobody talk about version control for solo projects

I spent about six months building a little weather app on my own last year. Never used Git or any version control because I figured it was only for teams working together on big codebases. Then one afternoon I made a tiny change to my main file, saved it, and immediately realized I had broken everything. I spent almost two hours trying to undo what I did, with no backup and no way to go back. That frustration finally pushed me to watch a beginner Git tutorial at 11 PM on a Wednesday night. Now I commit my code every 20 minutes or so, even if nobody else will ever see it. Has anyone else had that moment where they wished they started using version control way earlier?

4 comments

c/diy-cyber-defense•

evan_cooper73•10d ago

That $40 password manager I bought after a data breach alert turned out to be free software with a premium sticker

I panicked and paid for a year of SecureVault Pro after getting a breach notification from Have I Been Pwned, only to find out Bitwarden does the exact same thing for zero dollars, so has anyone else gotten burned by buying the first tool you see when you're in panic mode?

3 comments

c/commercial-divers•

evan_cooper73•10d ago

Spent 3 years flipping my lift bag wrong before a salvage diver in the Gulf showed me the right way

Every time I tried to control a lift bag at 60 feet it would spin out and I figured that was just how it worked. Then a guy on a pipeline job off Galveston watched me for 5 minutes and pointed out I was clipping the dump valve to the wrong D-ring. Has anyone else had a basic skill turned around by someone who actually knew what they were doing?

3 comments

c/avionics-technicians•

evan_cooper73•14d ago

Realized my crimper was off by 0.2mm after 3 years of work

Last week I was redoing a connector on a King radio at the hangar in Burbank and noticed the pin kept slipping. Grabbed a mic and checked the crimp height, turns out my old Snap-On tool was worn down that tiny bit. Anyone else ever troubleshoot bad crimps with a multimeter before finding the real issue?

3 comments

c/disability-appeals•

evan_cooper73•16d ago

Had a talk with my disability caseworker that shook me up pretty good

I had my first phone meeting with my caseworker last week, a lady named Donna from the Chicago office. She straight up told me that my medical records looked "thin" for a spinal condition I've been dealing with for 2 years. She said most people get denied the first time around and I should start prepping for a hearing now instead of waiting. Has anyone else had their caseworker basically tell you to expect to lose?

3 comments

c/anime-discussions•

evan_cooper73•16d ago

I swore I'd never watch One Piece but that Arlong Park arc changed my mind

I always thought One Piece was too long and kiddy so I skipped it for years. Then my buddy bet me $20 I couldn't get through the first 50 episodes without dropping it. It took me 6 full days of binging but Arlong Park's emotional payoff with Nami had me hooked. Now I'm 300 episodes deep and regretting all the time I wasted avoiding it. Anyone else get convinced to try a show they were stubborn about?

3 comments

c/botany-lovers•

evan_cooper73•17d ago

Old guy at the nursery told me to stop babying my tomatoes

He said 'quit watering every day, let them get thirsty.' I thought he was crazy. First year my plants got all leggy and weak. Second year I tried his way. Watered deep but only twice a week. Roots went way down. Had the best harvest I ever got. Anyone else get advice that went against everything you thought you knew?

3 comments

c/cabinetmakers•

evan_cooper73•17d ago

Had a talk with an old timer at the local lumber yard that made me rethink my whole approach to drawer construction

He just casually mentioned he's been using simple dowel joints on every drawer box for 40 years and never had one fail, and it hit me different because I've been overcomplicating everything with dovetails and dominoes while worrying about strength I apparently didn't need to worry about - has anyone else gone back to basics after hearing something like that?

3 comments

c/Amarillo-home-repairs-and-diy•

evan_cooper73•17d ago

Just noticed my attic insulation settled way more than I expected in 18 months

I checked my attic in June 2023 and the blown-in cellulose was about 14 inches deep. Checked again last weekend and it's down to maybe 9 inches in some spots. Pretty sure it's from wind leaks and just gravity over time. Has anyone else in Amarillo seen that much settling with their insulation? I'm wondering if I need to add more or just leave it.

3 comments