That's the worst feeling, dropping serious cash on a course that's just repackaged basics. It sounds like they're banking on the fact that this stuff requires extra certification, so people are desperate for training and will pay anything. You're right to be suspicious about the no-name instructor, that's a huge red flag they're hiding behind a brand. Honestly, a lot of these digital courses are just fancy PDFs with zero real world value. Maybe look for trainings run by actual product companies or at big conventions, where you can see the person teaching and ask questions. At least then you know they have skin in the game.

You ever see someone strip a live wire with their teeth? I watched a guy do that to "test" if it was hot. The pop was loud and he dropped like a rock. Basic rule: if it carries power, treat it like a loaded gun. Always lock out the main, use the right tools, and assume everything is live until you prove it's dead with a meter.

Remember that banning the club is a different policy than banning the speaker, which is what the original post asked about. My school tried a middle path once, moving a super controversial talk to a smaller room with tickets. It mostly just made everything feel secret and more tense, honestly. The real problem is when protests turn physical, like that shove. A clear rule about not touching people seems basic, but I guess it isn't. They need to enforce the rules they already have before making new ones.

Honestly, that sounds like a setup or user error problem, not a tool problem. For a herringbone pattern on uneven ground, a rotary laser on a tall tripod gives you one constant reference plane you can measure down from anywhere, which beats constantly resetting strings. The battery issue just means you didn't have a spare, which is on you for a multi-day job.

Did you at least let her win, or did she just outsmart you fair and square?