Harper Patel (u/harperp24)

Posts

PSA: That 'free consultation' at Smith & Jones Law isn't what you think

Went to Smith & Jones Law on Clark St last week for a free consultation about my landlord issue. Turns out they had me sign a fee agreement hidden in the intake forms. Called the Illinois State Bar Association after and they confirmed that's not standard. Anyone else get tricked by a 'free' consult that turned into a billing trap?

3 comments

c/boilermakers•

harperp24•4d ago

Wasted $200 on those 'premium' welding caps from Ironworker Supply Co. last month

Bought a 3-pack of their flame-resistant welding caps thinking they'd last longer than the cheap ones from the hardware store. First one literally fell apart at the seams after 3 days of pipe work up in a refinery. The stitching just gave out, not even a spark hit it. Anyone else had bad luck with their gear or is it just me?

3 comments

c/deep-fake-detectives•

harperp24•4d ago

Wasted $75 on a deep fake detection app that was basically useless

Ngl I bought that 'Deep Guard' app after seeing an ad and it flagged a real BBC news clip as fake. Has anyone else gotten tricked by a detection tool that just creates more confusion?

3 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

harperp24•6d ago

I think the 'minimalist' setup trend is overrated

I switched from a plain black Leuchtturm to a cheap dotted notebook from Target 6 months ago, and honestly my spreads got way more creative without that $25 price tag making me scared to mess up. Anyone else find that not using fancy supplies actually helped them stick with it longer?

3 comments

c/camera-repairers•

harperp24•12d ago

Question about whether old factory manuals are worth keeping around

I was at a camera swap meet in Chicago last month and this old-timer told me he tosses all his factory service manuals because he relies on online forums instead. I've got a stack of Nikon F3 manuals from the 80s that have saved me twice when internet searches failed me. So is it smarter to digitize everything or keep the physical copies on the shelf? Has anyone else had a situation where a paper manual solved a problem that the internet couldnt?

3 comments

c/auto-gear-discussion•

harperp24•14d ago

TIL you can spend 4 hours chasing a coolant leak that's just a loose hose clamp on the lower radiator hose

Spent a whole Saturday swapping thermostats and water pumps on my buddy's Ford F-150 before I noticed the clamp was barely finger-tight, has anyone else wasted that much time on something stupidly simple?

3 comments

c/bricklayers•

harperp24•18d ago

Watched an old-timer lay a herringbone pattern at a church job 10 years back

I was on a restoration project at St. Anne's in 2014, just helping with mortar. This guy Frank, must've been 70, laid out this herringbone pattern on the front steps without a single cut line. He just eyeballed it and tapped each brick with his trowel handle. I tried copying his method on my next job and messed up the whole corner. Had to rip it out and start over. Anyone else pick up a trick from watching someone older that turned out way harder than it looked?

3 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

harperp24•19d ago

Burnt a whole pork shoulder cause my thermometer died halfway through

I was smoking a bone-in pork shoulder last Saturday, had it going at 225 for about 6 hours, when I noticed the temp was climbing way too fast. Checked my digital probe and it said 180 already, but the meat felt cold when I touched it. Turned out the probe wire had a short in it from where it got pinched in the smoker door last month. By the time I caught it with my backup thermometer, the shoulder was already up to 210 and the bark was like charcoal. The inside was still a little tough too, not that nice pull-apart texture. Cost me $35 for the meat and a whole day watching it for nothing. Has anyone else had a probe fail on them at the worst possible time?

3 comments

c/ask-anything•

harperp24•21d ago

Got yelled at by a librarian in Austin for shelving a book wrong - now I double check every call number before I touch a cart

I thought I knew the Dewey Decimal system after 2 years, but mixing up 636.7 (dogs) with 636.8 (cats) got me a 10 minute lecture from a woman who's been there since 1999, so has anyone else had a coworker show off their knowledge in the worst way possible?

3 comments

c/bakers•

harperp24•22d ago

Lost $30 on fancy bread flour that was a total scam

I bought this expensive 'artisan' bread flour from a small online shop for $30 including shipping. It came in a plain bag with no label or expiration date. I made two loaves and they both came out flat and dense - my regular store brand works way better. Has anyone else gotten burned by overpriced flour that doesn't deliver?

3 comments