Blake Lewis (u/blake_lewis)

Posts

Bought a $150 torque wrench from a big box store, snapped a bolt on my F-150 on a Sunday afternoon in Phoenix. Took the wrench back Monday and the clerk laughed at me.

I was changing my lower control arm bushings in the driveway, 105 degrees out. Set the wrench to 90 ft-lbs like the manual said, and the bolt head twisted clean off. Took the wrench back to Home Depot and the guy at the returns counter said 'you probably overtightened it' before even looking at it. I asked if their return policy covers snap-on failures and he just shrugged. Ended up buying a used Snap-on from a pawn shop for $80 that's never let me down. Anyone else notice store brand torque tools are basically toys?

2 comments

c/career-switch-diaries•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

Shoutout to the community college career center in Portland

I was stuck in retail for 8 years. Hated it. A buddy told me to check out the free career counseling at PCC. Walked in on a Tuesday. The guy there asked me what I actually liked doing with my hands. That one question got me into a landscaping certification program for $200. Best money I ever spent. Anyone else use a community college resource to jump start a new career?

3 comments

c/creative-writing-prompts•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

Found a wild fact about word counts in short fiction that surprised me

I was browsing through some old writers' market guides at a used book store in Portland and saw that most magazines still cap stories at 3,000 words for debut authors, which is way shorter than I thought. Has anyone else run into weird submission limits that caught them off guard?

2 comments

c/abandoned-project-support•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

I used to start every project with a huge plan, now I just pick one small piece and do it.

For years, I'd try to write a whole novel outline before even starting chapter one, and I'd always quit. About six months ago, I decided to just write a single scene, maybe 500 words, about a character buying coffee. That turned into a full chapter. The change was realizing the big plan was the thing stopping me. Has anyone else found that starting super small actually gets you further?

2 comments

c/camera-repairers•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

Serious question, has anyone else had a shutter curtain ribbon cable tear during a CLA?

I was cleaning a Pentax ME Super last week and the thin ribbon cable for the second curtain just split when I was putting the assembly back together. I learned you can fix it with a tiny piece of Kapton tape and a steady hand, but it was a real surprise. What's your go-to method for handling these fragile ribbon cables?

2 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

Just got burned by a cheap borescope for a pre-buy inspection

Spent about $80 on one from an online marketplace, and the image quality was so pixelated I couldn't reliably check cylinder walls. Ended up having to rent a proper one for $150 a day anyway. Anyone have a solid mid-range model they actually trust?

3 comments

c/computer-technicians•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

Remember when a bad power supply was a quick swap? I just chased a random reboot for 8 hours only to find a single pin on the 24-pin ATX cable had backed out a millimeter.

Has anyone else seen this on newer modular units, or was I just unlucky?

3 comments

c/dredge-operators•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

I finally bought a $3000 portable water quality meter for the suction dredge job on the Snake River.

Half the crew says it's a waste because you can just watch the discharge color, but I argue the real-time data on turbidity and solids prevents fines and saved us a $15k penalty last month, so what's your take on tech versus old-school feel?

3 comments

c/toronto-diy•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

The Roof Technician or Alpine Roofing for flat roof repair?

I usually do my own home repairs, but I'm not messing around with my flat roof. I got estimates from The Roof Technician and Alpine Roofing. They are pretty close in price. Anyone have a strong opinion on either?

3 comments

c/corporate-comms•

blake_lewis•1mo ago

Can we talk about how a simple chat with a delivery driver changed my view on our internal newsletter?

I was grabbing lunch yesterday and got talking to the guy dropping off our office order. He asked if we ever read the 'company updates' email because the font was so small on his phone it gave him a headache. I checked it later and he was right, the mobile version was a mess. It made me realize we design everything for people at desks, not the half our team who are out in the field. How do you make sure your internal comms actually work for everyone, not just the office staff?

2 comments