Twenty years of turning bolts, and I just learned I was doing oil filters wrong

I've been changing oil on my own cars since I was 16, plus all the customer cars at the shop where I used to work. It wasn't until last month that a younger mechanic pointed out I was tightening the filter by hand until it stopped, then giving it another quarter turn. Turns out that extra turn was overtightening it, causing a slow leak on a 2012 Honda Civic I did last week. He showed me the spec in the manual says just hand tight until the gasket contacts, then no extra turn. I had to ask around and three other old-timers admitted they did the same thing for years. Has anyone else had a simple habit they never questioned until someone corrected them?

Shoutout to digital tire gauges after years of swearing by analog

I always thought analog gauges were more reliable because no batteries to die on you, but after a road trip last month my old stick gauge kept giving me readings that were 5 psi off. Borrowed a friend's digital Accutire gauge and it read spot on every single time, no guessing needed. Anyone else stick with old school tools longer than they should have?

Stop putting BIM models on iPads and expecting magic

Worked a project in Austin last month. Big commercial build. The GC kept talking about taking the model to the field. They gave the foreman a tablet with the full BIM file loaded. He spent more time zooming and panning than actually looking at the work. The model was great in the trailer. On site it was a mess. Layers turned on wrong. Details too small to read. We spent two days just syncing versions. Nobody asked us how the guys actually needed to see the info. Now I'm on a job where they want a kiosk station instead. Has anyone figured out a good way to get model info to trades without turning it into a slow tablet nightmare?

Started using git for my grocery list and it actually works

That $40 'artisan' sourdough starter from Etsy was a total scam - my own tap water and flour worked better

I finally snapped at a customer who tried to tell me how to run cable

Last Wednesday in Denver, I was running a 150 foot drop through a finished basement and the homeowner kept following me around saying I should go through the wall cavity instead of along the joist. I stopped, handed him my drill, and said go for it. He stared at me for 10 seconds then went back upstairs. Has anyone else had a customer try to micromanage a simple install?

That week my new tile started popping off one by one...

My coworker Brady called my meal prep sad last Tuesday and it got me thinking

Brady is this guy at the office who brings in takeout every single day, like Mexican food or a $12 sandwich from the deli downtown. He saw me eating my rice and beans with a frozen veggie mix and said "man that looks depressing." It kind of stung at first but then I looked at his receipt one day and saw he was dropping like $50 a week on lunch alone. My containers cost maybe $15 total for five days of food and I get to control exactly what goes in them. I realized he was judging the look of my meal but not the practicality or the savings. Has anyone else had a coworker or friend make a comment like that and then you do the math and realize you are way ahead?

Wasted $150 on a cheap multimeter that almost burned down my van

I bought a no-name multimeter off Amazon for $150 about 3 months ago because I didn't want to drop $400 on a Fluke. Big mistake. Last week I was checking a compressor on a fridge and the leads literally melted on me while I was holding them. Almost started a fire in my work van. The readings had been off for weeks too, I just didn't realize it. Had to redo 5 service calls because my diagnoses were wrong. Anyone else get burned by cheap test gear or am I the only sucker here?

PSA: Forgot to account for altitude and my sourdough came out like a brick

I moved from Chicago to Denver 3 months ago and thought my bread recipe would work fine. First batch here was flat and dense, didn't rise at all. Turns out higher altitude changes fermentation speed a lot. I ended up cutting my proofing time by about 45 minutes and adding extra water to the dough. The next loaf came out better, but still not perfect. Anyone else have to adjust their hydration levels after moving to a higher elevation?