Spencer Wood (u/spencer_wood)

Posts

PSA: Stop using dry bags that aren't fully waterproof

I used to think any old dry bag would keep my gear safe until I did a 4-day trip on the Buffalo River in Arkansas last spring and woke up to a soaked sleeping bag after a light rain. Now I only use bags with roll-top seals and test them in the bathtub before every trip - has anyone else had a cheap bag fail on them at the worst time?

1 comments

c/fake-band-lore•

spencer_wood•14d ago

Heard a guy at a record shop dissecting a fake band's discography and it changed my mind about deepfakes

I was flipping through vinyl at this place in Austin last weekend, and some dude was explaining how a fake 70s funk band called "The Moisture Wicks" had a whole backstory about a studio fire that destroyed their master tapes. He even showed me a bootleg cassette he claimed was a live recording from 1978. It made me realize how deep people will go for a fake band lore, and now I kind of respect the effort more than I used to think it was just silly. Has anyone else run into a fan-made legend that sounded too real?

2 comments

c/career-advice•

spencer_wood•16d ago

Shadowed a forklift driver at a warehouse last month and learned more than I expected

I've been stuck in a admin job for about 4 years now and I'm trying to break into warehouse management. Last month I asked if I could shadow a forklift driver for a shift at the DC in Philly. The guy, Marcus, showed me how they track inventory and organize the racks for efficiency. I had no idea how much math goes into stacking pallets so nothing falls over. He also pointed out how the fast moving stuff stays near the front to cut down on driving time. It made me realize there's a whole system I never thought about. Has anyone else tried shadowing a different role to open up new paths in their career?

2 comments

c/bakers•

spencer_wood•17d ago

Swapped my old metal loaf pans for glass and I'm never going back

I used to get burnt bottoms on my sandwich bread every single time with those dark metal pans. After ruining three loaves in a row last month I grabbed a Pyrex loaf pan at the grocery store and the difference in even browning is night and day. Has anyone else had better luck switching pan materials for basic white bread?

2 comments

c/blogs-no-one-reads•

spencer_wood•18d ago

Hit 10,000 total visitors on my niche blog last week and it threw me off

I run a tiny blog about fixing old hand tools, like restoring rusty planes and chisels. Been posting for about 14 months, mostly just for myself. Last Tuesday I checked my stats and saw 10,003 visits total. That felt wild because I only get maybe 15 people a day on average. Did any of you guys hit a random milestone that made you stop and look twice?

2 comments

c/boilermakers•

spencer_wood•22d ago

Had to choose between stick and flux core for a repair job on a grain bin yesterday

I was patching a crack in a grain bin at a farm outside Omaha and couldn't decide between 7018 stick or flux core wire. The wind was kicking up something fierce, maybe 15 mph gusts, so I grabbed the flux core setup because it handles drafty conditions way better. Took me about 2 hours to run the beads and grind them down smooth. The farmer came out and said it looked solid, which felt good. Anyone else have a go-to process for outdoor repairs when the weather fights you?

2 comments

c/appliance-repairers•

spencer_wood•25d ago

Talked to an old timer who fixed fridges with a paperclip

I was swapping out a compressor relay on a Whirlpool last Tuesday and this retired guy, maybe 70 years old, walked up and started chatting. He said back in the 70s they'd just bypass a bad start relay with a paperclip and a prayer to get a fridge running again. It got me thinking about how much we rely on specific parts now instead of just making stuff work with what's on hand. Any of you guys ever had to do a real MacGyver fix like that?

2 comments

c/digital-time-capsules•

spencer_wood•25d ago

GeoCities vs Angelfire debate - which was actually worse?

I found my old Angelfire site from 1999 last night and holy cow, the auto-playing MIDI files and visitor counters were something else. But my buddy swears GeoCities neighborhoods were more of a mess because you'd click on a "Web Design" site and get hit with slow loading gifs of construction workers. I think Angelfire let you have way too much freedom with those tacky guestbooks and sparkly dividers though. Which one do you think aged worse - GeoCities or Angelfire, and did either ever actually work right for you?

2 comments

c/bakers•

spencer_wood•25d ago

Finally got my sourdough starter right after 3 failed batches

I was in my tiny apartment kitchen in Denver at 2am feeding the thing again and I guess the temp finally hit that sweet spot. It doubled in 6 hours flat and I actually got a good oven spring on my first loaf this morning. Anyone else struggle with keeping a starter alive in a cold climate?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

spencer_wood•26d ago

Vent: Tried glue-down on a staircase after 8 years of stretch-in only

Finally got fed up with loose nosing on a split-level job in Maplewood so I gave glue-down a shot using Roberts 6700 and I swear I could have saved myself a dozen callbacks if I'd just tried it sooner, any of you guys switched methods mid-career and kicked yourself for not doing it earlier?

2 comments