Question about learning Python with a book versus an online course

I tried to learn Python from a big textbook I got at the library, but I got stuck after two weeks. Then I paid $15 for a course on Udemy that had video projects. Building a simple weather app in the course made everything click for me. The videos showing each step were way better than just reading code blocks. Has anyone else found one way to learn much faster than the other?

Heard a crew talking about ignoring load chart notes for 'just a quick lift' last week

Heads up about those new 'quick bloom' flower food packets

I bought a box of the 'Bloom Burst' brand for a big wedding job in Phoenix last month, thinking it would speed up opening my roses. I used it on three dozen 'Freedom' roses, following the packet directions exactly. By the morning of the event, every single one had browned edges and drooped badly, a total loss. I had to do an emergency run for replacements, costing me over $200 and a ton of stress. I think the formula was just too strong and burned the stems. Has anyone else had a bad reaction with these new fast-acting powders, or did I just get a bad batch?

Was at a coffee shop in Austin and overheard a guy basically interview a stranger for a job right there at the next table.

Heard this guy in a suit talking really loud, asking this younger dude about his 'biggest weakness' and 'where he sees himself in five years.' The younger guy looked super uncomfortable, like he was just trying to get a latte. The whole thing felt so weird and aggressive for a public place. It wasn't even a scheduled interview, they just ran into each other. Is this a normal thing now? How would you even handle that situation if you were the person getting ambushed?

PSA: My fabric dye disaster at the studio last Thursday

I was trying to hand-dye a silk slip dress a specific slate blue, but the pot was too hot and it came out a weird, muddy gray. I saved it by over-dyeing with a very weak black, which actually gave it a cool, stormy charcoal color I like more. Anyone else botch a dye job and get a happy accident?

Spending $400 on a home security camera system after a break-in has me questioning if I'm just feeding a surveillance culture I don't believe in.

The system caught a porch pirate yesterday, but now I'm watching neighbors walk their dogs and feel like a creep, so is the trade-off for safety worth the privacy cost?

I had a potential investor ask me to explain my whole business model using only emojis at a coffee shop in Seattle.

Spent $80 on a fancy coolant nozzle that was a total joke

I saw this new coolant nozzle online that promised a perfect mist pattern for deep pocket milling. Bought it for $80 and installed it on our VMC. The first time I ran a job, it sprayed coolant in a circle about two feet wide, missing the tool completely and soaking my shoes. The whole setup was a mess and I had to stop the machine to clean up. What's the dumbest tool or accessory you've ever wasted money on?

Wasted $60 on a 'universal' camp stove fuel canister adapter

Honestly, I bought this little brass adapter online last fall thinking it would let me use any fuel canister with my stove. Tried it on a trip to the Red River Gorge and it leaked fuel all over my pack, ruining about $20 worth of food. The threads were just a tiny bit off, so it never sealed right. Has anyone found a good adapter that actually works, or should I just stick to the brand my stove is made for?

I finally figured out why the motion sensor in that old Denver bank kept giving false alarms

It was picking up the heat from a steam pipe that ran behind the wall, about 18 inches from the sensor head. The building manager swore the pipe was cold, but my thermal camera showed it hitting 130 degrees at 6 PM every day when the cleaning crew ran the floor buffer. Has anyone else had to map out hidden heat sources like that before placing a sensor?