That week my history essay got flagged for 'hate speech' was brutal

Last semester I wrote a paper about the 1917 Espionage Act for my college class in Boston, and the plagiarism checker flagged it for hate speech because I quoted a senator saying 'disloyal' a few times. Spent 4 days emailing the dean to prove I was just analyzing historical records. Has anyone else had academic censorship freak out over old source material?

Just spent 8 hours chasing a weld crack that was actually just flux inclusion

Comparing old-school hand tools vs modern power tools for house framing

I spent 5 years framing houses in Portland with nail guns and circular saws. Last month I watched a crew frame an entire shed roof using nothing but hammers and handsaws. They were slower but the fit was way tighter and they made almost zero waste. Am I wrong for thinking we rely too much on speed over actual craftsmanship these days?

Shoutout to the old Kirby Morgan that finally gave up on me

My regulator froze solid at 90 feet off the coast of Santa Barbara last Tuesday, but the backup bailout bottle I had checked three days earlier kept me breathing while I signaled my tender.

Shoutout to the trick that saved my account from a permanent ban...

I was skeptical about using alt text on every image I posted, figured it was just a hassle. Then I got a warning on Twitter for posting a meme that violated their hateful conduct policy, even though it was a joke. Turns out, adding detailed alt text explaining the context actually got my appeal approved in 3 days. Has anyone else had their ban reversed by just adding descriptions or context to their posts?

Showerthought: My local con's spoiler policy made me rethink how I talk about new shows

I was at Anime Boston last year, just chilling in the main hall line. This guy in front of me started loudly breaking down the whole plot twist from an episode that had aired that morning. I mean, it was a huge moment, and he just spoiled it for like twenty people around us. The staff didn't do anything, but the looks on people's faces said it all. Now I always wait a full day and ask 'how far are you?' before saying anything. Anyone else had to change their chat habits because of something like that?

My uncle said to wrap my brisket in foil after 4 hours, not butcher paper

I did it for my last cook and the bark turned out way too soft, almost steamed. He swore by it for years but I think I'm sticking with paper from now on. Anyone else have a family member give them bad bbq advice that sounded legit?

Finally got a clean seam on a huge roll of that tricky patterned berber

I was at a job in a big house in Bellingham, laying down this patterned berber that just would not line up right. The homeowner bought it online and the pattern repeat was way off, maybe an inch and a half difference across the roll. I was about ready to call it and seam it as best I could, but the guy I was working with, Frank, showed me his trick. He had me cut the seam line on the pattern's outline, not on a straight chalk line, and then heat weld it. It took us an extra hour, but you can't even find the seam now. Has anyone else found a good way to handle a bad pattern match without sending the carpet back?

Heard a guy at the Port of Baltimore say 'dredging is just moving mud'.

That really got under my skin. He was talking about the big harbor project, acting like our work is simple. It's not just mud, it's managing currents, spoil sites, and keeping channels clear for ships. Has anyone else had to explain the real skill behind the job to someone who doesn't get it?

Got booted from a local Facebook group for posting a link to a city budget meeting.

I shared a public link to the video stream of our town's budget meeting last Tuesday, because I thought people should see it. The admin said it was 'political content' and banned me without a warning. Has anyone else been banned for something that was just plain public information?