Mark Gonzalez (u/mark676)

Posts

That time a Facebook mod in a gardening group nuked my post for saying 'weed killer'

Was in a local gardening group out of Phoenix. Somebody asked how to deal with crabgrass in their Bermuda lawn. I just wrote 'get a good weed killer and follow the label.' Next day I'm banned for 30 days. Mod said I was promoting chemical use without a disclaimer. Never even thought about it that way before. Got me wondering how many other groups have rules like this that just catch regular people off guard. Any of yall run into surprise bans like that?

2 comments

c/bricklayers•

mark676•19d ago

Mortar mix from 2019 vs 2024 - is it just me or is the color fading way faster now?

I built a retaining wall near Austin back in 2019 using the same brand and type of mortar I bought last spring, and the new stuff is already looking bleached and chalky while the old wall still has that deep gray tone, so what changed in the formula or did I just get a bad batch?

3 comments

c/b2b-founders•

mark676•20d ago

A guy at a panel in Austin told me my startup idea was stupid

I was at this B2B founder meetup in Austin back in March. Some older guy heard my pitch for a tool that helps sales teams automate follow-ups. He said, 'You're just reinventing email templates, that's been done.' Didn't even ask about the tech or the pricing. Has anyone else had a stranger kill their momentum at a networking thing and how did you shake it off?

2 comments

c/drywall-installers•

mark676•20d ago

Had a tape job fail on me in a basement remodel last Tuesday

I was finishing up a basement in St. Paul and the paper tape just started peeling off the corner beads after an hour. Turns out the mud was too dry from mixing it the night before, had to scrape everything and start over with fresh compound. Anyone else run into this with leftover mud?

2 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

mark676•21d ago

Just got burned by a fake hostel booking in Barcelona last week

Booked a place through a third party site for 35 euros a night, showed up and the address was an abandoned apartment block. Anyone else had luck getting refunds from those sketchy booking aggregators?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

mark676•24d ago

Found a cool trick at the Old Sturbridge Village forge demo

I visited Old Sturbridge Village last weekend and watched their blacksmith do a demo on making nails. He used a super quick twist of the wrist on the hammer to set the nail head perfectly every time without extra strikes. Has anyone else picked up a weird small motion from watching another smith work?

3 comments

c/uncensored-podcast-hub•

mark676•27d ago

TIL a podcast host roasted my listening habits and it actually helped

I was deep into this conspiracy podcast called "The Signal Bar" out of Austin, and the host straight up said if you only listen to one side of a story you're just collecting noise. That hit me hard because I only ever listened to stuff that agreed with me. Now I force myself to check out at least two opposing podcasts on any big topic, and I feel way less like a parrot in arguments. Anyone else get called out by a host and actually change what they do?

2 comments

c/underground-press-archives•

mark676•28d ago

TIL those underground newspaper reprint collections are mostly scams

I dropped $80 on what claimed to be a full archive of banned campus newspapers from the 60s and 70s. Turned out it was just poorly scanned PDFs you can find for free on some library websites. Anyone else get burned buying into these so-called "rare" collections?

2 comments

c/chefs•

mark676•1mo ago

Walk-in cooler temp swings drove me crazy for 6 months

I finally checked the gasket on the door and it was torn in three places, letting warm air in every time the compressor cycled. Replaced it with a $40 kit from a supply house last Tuesday and now the temp stays within 2 degrees all shift. How often do you guys actually check your cooler door seals?

2 comments

c/autism•

mark676•1mo ago

Appreciation post: I finally got through a whole grocery trip without my headphones after six months of trying.

My therapist in Madison suggested I start by just walking the perimeter of the store for five minutes once a week, and that tiny step built up my tolerance until last Tuesday I managed to get my full list (milk, bread, the usual stuff) without any sound blocking at all, which felt huge, so has anyone else found a small, weird practice run that actually helped with something bigger?

2 comments