TIL my backyard Orion photo from 2021 looks totally different now

I was sorting old files and pulled up a shot I took of Orion's Belt from my yard in Tucson. I compared it to one I took last month from the same spot. The difference is huge. The new photo has this weird orange haze around the stars that wasn't there before. I checked my gear, and I'm using the same camera and lens. The only change is the new streetlights they put in our neighborhood about a year ago. They're those bright white LED ones. I think the light pollution is just bouncing off the dry air here and washing out the sky. It's getting harder to see the faint stuff. Has anyone else noticed their night sky photos getting worse because of new local lighting?

Serious question, has anyone else switched from a standard utility knife to a hook blade for cutting carpet?

I used a regular Stanley knife for years, thinking it was fine. Then last month, my buddy lent me his knife with a hook blade for a job in a tight stairwell. The difference was night and day. With the hook blade, I could pull it toward me and follow the tack strip perfectly on the first try. No more jagged edges or having to go over the same cut twice. It felt way safer too, because my hand wasn't pushing down hard near the floor. I finished that stair job in half the time. I bought my own hook blade knife the next day for about $25. What other small tool changes have made a big difference for you guys?

My tablet pen started acting up right before a big client deadline

It happened last Tuesday, just as I was starting the final piece for a local cafe's mural project. The pressure sensitivity would cut out every few minutes, making smooth lines impossible. I spent about an hour trying different USB ports and reinstalling the Wacom driver, but nothing fixed it. I ended having to finish the work with my old backup mouse, which was a real pain. Has anyone found a good fix for a pen that just loses pressure like that?

Found a free box of books on Maple Street and it was a total circus

I saw a post here about free books and grabbed a box from a porch on Maple Street, but when I got home I found a live hamster in the bottom of the box! I put him in a shoebox with some lettuce and posted my own 'free hamster' alert. Has anyone else ever found a surprise pet in a freebie haul?

I thought setting up a simple contract would take an afternoon. It took three full weeks.

Unpopular opinion: A clean workspace prevents most avionics glitches

I was tracing an intermittent fault for days. Turns out, dust on a circuit board was the culprit. Now I make sure my bench is spotless before any job. Do you have a cleaning ritual for your work area?