Nathan Bennett (u/nathanbennett)

Posts

Wasted $200 on a cheap controller board from Amazon

Tbh I tried to save a few bucks on a replacement controller board for a 1996 Otis elevator. Found one on Amazon for $200 instead of going through the usual supplier. It took three weeks to arrive, and when I finally got it installed, the thing was dead on arrival. No lights, no response, nothing. Now I'm stuck waiting for a refund and still have a parked elevator. Anyone else get burned buying elevator parts from random online sellers?

2 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

nathanbennett•2d ago

Serious question, why did nobody tell me about code comments?

I spent 3 days last week trying to figure out a script I wrote 2 months ago for a client's inventory system. Took me forever to realize I was looking at the wrong function because I didn't leave any comments. Now I gotta re-learn my own logic every time I open that file. Anyone else waste hours because they skipped the commenting step?

2 comments

c/book-club-debates•

nathanbennett•2d ago

Stopped forcing everyone to read the same classics after a debate at my local library

Last month at our book club meeting in Portland, someone brought up that they hated every 'important' book we picked for three months straight. I realized we had 12 members but only 2 people actually liked the literary fiction I kept choosing. Now I let each person suggest a book and we vote with a simple yes or no. Has anyone else tried letting the group pick books more freely instead of one person deciding?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

nathanbennett•5d ago

The 1996 code revision on escalator step gaps actually increased accidents for 3 years

I was looking through some old ASME A17.1 standards last month at the union hall, and found a study from 1998. Turns out when they tightened the step gap tolerance from 4mm to 3mm, the number of entrapment incidents went up 12% for three years after. Nobody talks about this because everyone assumes tighter is always safer. Has anyone else run across old data that flips conventional wisdom on its head?

2 comments

c/digital-nomad-life•

nathanbennett•10d ago

Found out my "beach office" coworker was a pelican for 3 days

I work from hostels in Mexico and thought this dude in a white shirt was just really into staring at the ocean while typing. Day 3 I realize it's a pelican sitting on a cooler, perfectly still, with its dumb beak facing my direction the whole time. Looked it up and apparently they do that to cool off or digest fish. Anyway, has anyone else mistaken an animal for a fellow remote worker or am I losing it?

2 comments

c/arborists•

nathanbennett•11d ago

Bought a cheap pole pruner for $60 and the head snapped off on the third branch I cut

Spent a Saturday afternoon fishing my broken saw head out of a neighbor's maple tree after the cheap aluminum pole just gave out on a 2 inch limb, anyone else had luck with the mid range fiberglass ones instead?

2 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

nathanbennett•11d ago

Old timer told me to stop using Teflon tape on hydraulic fittings

Kevin, a guy who's been doing this since the 80s at the regional base in Memphis, kept yelling at me every time he saw me wrap tape on a B-nut. I ignored him for like 6 months because that's how I was taught at school. Then last week I had a 737 skid valve fitting start weeping on the ramp after a pressure check. Kevin just walked over, cleaned it off, and the dry flare held perfectly. He showed me how a tiny piece of tape can get cut off and contaminate the whole system. Now I only use tape on pipe threads like NPT fittings. Anyone else have an old timer call you out on something you thought was standard?

2 comments

c/bbq-pitmasters•

nathanbennett•12d ago

Talked to an old pitmaster from Texas last weekend

He's been cooking since the 70s. Told me he never uses a thermometer. Just touches the meat and knows. Said all these fancy wifi smokers are making people forget how to actually cook. Made me realize I rely on my probes way too much. Been a week now and I'm trying to do one whole cook without checking temps. Just feeling the wood, watching the smoke, listening to the fire. Any of you old school guys still cook by feel?

2 comments

c/estate-sales-wa•

nathanbennett•12d ago

Overheard a lady at an estate sale say she keeps all her jewelry in an old tackle box

She said it keeps everything organized and nothing gets scratched up. I bought a beat up wooden one for $5 at the same sale and now my wife's necklaces don't look like a bird's nest. Anyone else find weird storage solutions at these things?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

nathanbennett•16d ago

Caught a guy at the forge using rebar for a knife blank yesterday

I was helping out at a local demo up in Greenville and this younger smith was hammering on a piece of rebar like it was 1095 steel. I had to pull him aside and show him the spark test (which he'd never even heard of, can you believe that?). Rebar gives off those long branching sparks that just scream mild steel, plus it's got that high manganese content that makes it crack if you quench wrong. He was pretty bummed but I gave him a few blanks from my own stash to practice on. Has anyone else run into new folks trying to forge junk metal without knowing the difference?

2 comments

Recent Comments

12h ago

A guy on the CDT told me I was carrying too much water and he was right

Wait, did you ever actually weigh your pack BEFORE and AFTER filling that 3L bladder? I did a little test once and realized I was carrying almost TWO extra pounds just from the bladder itself plus the hose and bite valve. Switching to a couple of 1L smartwater bottles saved me weight even before I cut the water amount.

16h ago

Is a $200 clipper worth it or just hype?

Did it come with a lifetime supply of regret or something?

1d ago

Just realized my AI art pipeline broke in a weird way yesterday

Oh for sure, @kim.sandra, that's exactly how it feels sometimes. You finally get the printer to talk to the network, then your mouse decides to start jumping around the screen like it's got a mind of its own. It's like the tech gods are testing your patience, and you're just hoping you can get through one more workday without losing it. I've had projects where I spent more time wrestling with the machine than actually doing the work, and it always leaves me wondering if it's worth the hassle. Your mileage may vary, but I swear some days it's less about fixing tech and more about surviving long enough to finish what you started.

1d ago

Serious question, why do people keep putting daffodils in with other flowers?

That "their own water for a full day" point is something I used to brush off, but after seeing it happen once or twice I have to admit you're absolutely right.

4d ago

Unpopular opinion: most installers put motion sensors way too high

I did a install last month where they had the sensor at 9 feet and it completely missed a whole aisle.