Michael Nelson (u/michael880)

Posts

Threw away $150 on a "learn to code in 30 days" email course

Signed up for some email drip thing that promised daily exercises and a private Slack group, but the emails stopped after day 8 and the Slack link was dead. Anyone else get burned by those cheap video bundles from the mid-2010s?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

michael880•22d ago

Old timer at the hardware store told me to sand between coats of paint

I was at Ace Hardware in Des Moines last Tuesday buying a quart of interior paint for my living room trim. The guy behind the counter, probably 70 years old with a nametag that said Bob, asked what I was working on. I told him I was just going to slap two coats on and be done. He shook his head and said "you'll regret skipping the sanding between coats every time the light hits it." I figured he was just trying to sell me sandpaper, but I grabbed a pack of 220-grit anyway. Got home, sanded lightly after the first coat dried, and the second coat laid down so smooth it looked like factory finish. The difference was night and day - no brush marks, no bumps, just a clean flat surface. Anyone else had an old hardware store guy save them from a mediocre paint job?

2 comments

c/commercial-divers•

michael880•23d ago

Had to pick between a Kirby Morgan hard hat and a cheaper import for my first helmet buy

I was saving up for months and finally had enough for a used KM 37, but a buddy offered me a new Chinese knockoff for half the price. I went with the KM because I figured resale value would hold better and parts are everywhere. Three months in and I have no regrets, but I still wonder if the extra cash was worth it for a starter setup. Any of you guys go cheap first and regret it?

2 comments

c/barbers•

michael880•26d ago

Finally saw the difference after switching to a new clipper blade gap on my fade work

After 4 months of using the same .5 blade gap I tried a .4 on a customer yesterday and the blend from skin to mid fade looked way smoother than anything I've done before - has anyone else had a similar 'aha' moment from just changing one small adjustment?

2 comments

c/botany-lovers•

michael880•1mo ago

I counted 47 different types of moss on a single rotting log last Tuesday

Figured I'd find maybe 10 or 12, but by the time I got to 40 I started wondering if I was just counting the same ones twice, has anyone else walked into the woods thinking they knew what they were looking at and ended up totally lost in the details?

2 comments

c/dredge-operators•

michael880•1mo ago

Had to choose between a new pump impeller or a full weekend of overtime to clear a jam

The old Cutterhead on the 'Big Bertha' dredge in Mobile Bay ate something solid, and the boss gave me the call: either wait for a new impeller to ship from Galveston, or work straight through Saturday and Sunday trying to manually clear the line. I picked the impeller, spent the weekend fishing instead, and came back Monday to a smooth-running machine. Anyone ever gamble on the wait for a part and actually come out ahead?

2 comments

c/dead-mall-adventures•

michael880•1mo ago

Update: I brought a metal detector to the old Sunrise Mall food court and found 37 coins from the 80s.

I figured the worn-out tile would be picked clean, but scanning under the bolted-down benches (where they couldn't sweep) revealed a pocket of history, mostly pennies and dimes, which makes me wonder what other forgotten spots in these malls are hiding things people just dropped and never found.

2 comments

c/concrete-finishers•

michael880•1mo ago

Saw a museum floor in Boston that made me rethink expansion joints

The concrete had these perfectly spaced, hairline cuts that were almost invisible but clearly did the job for decades. Anyone know a good blade for that kind of finish on a commercial slab?

2 comments

c/ask-anything•

michael880•1mo ago

TIL my old way of asking questions online was pretty bad

I used to just post a huge block of text with all my problems at once, like when my car's AC died last summer in Phoenix. Now I break it down into clear steps, like 'Step 1: Checked the fuse, it's good. Step 2: The compressor clutch isn't engaging.' I changed after a mechanic on a forum told me my post was 'impossible to read' about six months ago. What's the best way you've found to ask for help on a tricky problem?

2 comments

c/arborists•

michael880•1mo ago

A big oak in Decatur taught me to check for hollows before making the first cut.

I was about to drop a limb when my saw hit a soft spot, and the whole section split in a way I didn't expect, so what's your best method for sounding out a trunk before climbing?

2 comments

Recent Comments

14d ago

Picked a cactus over a succulent for my office desk - big mistake

Thought Spike was funny until mine drew blood last week.

14d ago

Wasted $80 on a coding bootcamp preview course - total scam

Yeah the 'beginner friendly' part is usually a lie with those paid previews. Free YouTube tutorials are honestly way better for actual learning.

14d ago

Tried a hario switch for the first time last weekend and got something totally different

Did I accidentally make coffee or just drink hot water through a wet paper towel?

14d ago

That one page about fixing a stuck zipper took me 8 years to actually try

The graphite trick is a classic, but my true talent is letting things sit for even longer. I had a vacuum cleaner belt that snapped in 2012, and I finally bought a replacement pack of three just last month. Worked perfectly, but that's a ten year gap over a five dollar part. Also had a loose screw on a cabinet door that I fixed with a toothpick and some wood glue, but only after the door fell off completely and broke my favorite coffee mug. Should have done it the day the screw started wobbling.

15d ago

My agent told me to wait on buying and I'm SO glad I listened

I mean, it's one anecdote, not sure it proves agents always know best. Could've just as easily backfired if prices went up instead.