Spent three hours trying to get a new image generator to make a simple picture of a cat wearing a hat.

Warning: a pilot's offhand comment about static completely changed how I check antennas

I was doing a post-flight check on a Cessna 172 last week and the pilot mentioned he'd been getting some weird static bursts on comm 2 during climb out. He said it was 'like someone keying the mic for a split second, but nobody was there.' I was ready to just swap the radio, but then he added, 'It only happens above 3,000 feet when it's dry out.' That made me stop. I spent an hour checking the bonding straps on the VHF antenna mount instead. Found one behind the baggage area that looked tight but was actually just making contact on one side of the washer. Cleaned it up, put on a new star washer, and torqued it to spec. The pilot flew it yesterday and said the issue is gone. It hit different because I almost wasted time and money on a part that wasn't broken. How often do you guys actually get useful troubleshooting hints from the flight crew?

My school had two different ways to handle protests and one was way better

Last semester at my state university, they let a really controversial speaker come and just had extra security. It was loud but fine. This semester, a different group wanted to host an event and the admin made them pay a $3000 'security fee' and move it to a tiny room off campus. That basically killed it. The first way respected free speech, the second way just used money and rules to shut it down quietly. It's the same school, just different people in charge. Why do so many colleges pick the second option when the first one clearly works?

Rant: Got a 30-day ban on a big history forum for correcting a map date

I posted a comment under a video about the 1990s Balkan conflicts, pointing out that a map they used showed borders from 2008, not 1995 (I even linked the CIA factbook archive). The mod message said I was 'spreading conflict' and banned me for a month. Has anyone else been hit for just giving a plain fact with a source?

My uncle in Spokane said to always pre-drill for pocket screws in maple, even with a jig.

I argued that my Kreg jig should handle it, but I tried it on a maple face frame last month and got a nasty split. He was totally right, the wood is just too hard and dense. Anyone have a go-to bit size for pre-drilling in hardwoods like that?

An old timer in a Milwaukee parts house told me 'the best tool is a quiet one' back in 2012.

Finally gave that Japanese paper splitting method a shot after doubting it for years

I was sure it was just a gimmick, but after splitting a sheet of 90gsm paper cleanly into two usable layers for endpapers, I'm a believer. Anyone have tips for keeping the sheets flat after splitting?