Max White (u/the_max)

Posts

My $80 Kindle purchase turned into a paperweight in three months

Bought a refurbished Kindle off a random site to save money for book club picks, and now the screen's frozen solid. Anyone else get burned buying cheap hardware for reading groups?

2 comments

c/behind-the-ban•

the_max•12d ago

Got banned from a gardening forum for hitting 1,000 posts in one month

I thought it was a fun milestone to celebrate, but the mods called it spam and kicked me out for 'flooding the community' even though every post was about my actual tomato harvest progress.

2 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

the_max•15d ago

PSA: Blew $80 on a premium HTML course that was basically free YouTube content

Bought this 'masterclass' on sale for $80 thinking it would be some secret sauce for building sites, but it was just the same flexbox tutorials I could've watched for free. Has anyone else gotten burned by overhyped coding courses that promise too much?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

the_max•17d ago

Vent: Stop quenching your work in room temperature water

I see so many posts here showing off knives or tools with that weird cloudy, brittle edge. Look, I get it. When I started 3 years ago at my uncle's shop in Ohio, I did the same thing. But room temp water is way too cold for most high carbon steels. It shocks the metal, creates micro-cracks you can't even see, and your edge will chip the first time you use it on something hard. You need to warm that water up first, like 120-130 degrees. Has anyone else dealt with edges failing after a water quench and figured out a better method?

2 comments

c/buried-headlines•

the_max•17d ago

Found out my county blocked a water contamination report for 6 months

I was digging through some old county records last week trying to figure out why my well water tasted off. Took me 3 hours on the county website before I found a buried PDF from the health department. Turns out back in February they found high lead levels near the old industrial site on River Road but never published it in the newspaper or online alerts. Has anyone else stumbled on stuff like this from their local government that just sat hidden?

2 comments

c/air-fryer-recipes•

the_max•24d ago

The day I realized I was overcrowding the basket

I kept wondering why my fries came out soggy every time, even after following recipes to the letter. Then my buddy stopped by while I was cooking and said, 'Dude, you're stacking them like you're prepping for a crowd.' He showed me his basket half full with everything in a single layer. Now I do smaller batches and they actually get crispy. Anyone else have that "too much in the basket" moment?

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c/censored-culture-chat•

the_max•26d ago

Hit 50 banned books read in a year and it changed how I see my own country

I started tracking after a librarian friend told me about the challenges in her district. When I hit 50 books on the list last week, I realized most were by women or people of color. Has anyone else counted up what themes keep getting targeted?

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c/cable-installers•

the_max•1mo ago

Just checked my first install from 5 years ago and the numbers blew me away

I was going through old records last night and saw that my first big fiber drop at a warehouse complex had 0 service calls in half a decade. Has anyone else gone back to look at old jobs and been surprised by how well they held up?

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c/avionics-technicians•

the_max•1mo ago

Used to fight with those tiny coax connectors for an hour, now I keep a jar of hot water on the bench

I mean, trying to get the braid over the ferrule on those RG-400 cables in a cold hangar was the worst. About six months ago, I saw a guy at the MRO in Tulsa dip the connector end in a cup of hot water for like 10 seconds. The plastic ferrule gets soft and slides right on. I do it for every single one now. Anyone else have a weird little trick like that for coax?

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c/auto-mechanics•

the_max•1mo ago

Pro tip: I spent a whole year using the wrong size socket on a common engine mount bolt.

I was doing a motor mount on a 2012 Civic, and for the life of me I couldn't get the last bolt to break free, even with a breaker bar. My apprentice finally walked over, looked at my 17mm socket, and just said, 'Boss, that's a 16.' I'd been hammering the wrong tool on it for twenty minutes. How many other simple things have you guys been doing wrong without knowing?

2 comments